Ad Disclosure
Who’s that Comin’ Down the Track?
Mean Machine in Red and Black.
Ain’t Nothing Finer in the Land…
Finish it for me, Dawgs fans.
Georgia won its third SEC Championship under Kirby Smart in much the same way Smart has built America’s best football program in Athens. Georgia’s defense played its best football of the season when it mattered most, generating pressure and dominating a good Texas offensive line. Georgia found success in the running game as the game wore on and rode a playmaking tight end and an outstanding running back to a championship. None of that is unfamiliar at Georgia.
What was unusual was the way Georgia rallied to win after losing their senior quarterback, Carson Beck, late in the first half. Gunner Stockton’s last meaningful snaps (loosely defining meaningful here, right Florida State?) came in last season’s Orange Bowl rout of then-unbeaten Florida State. For Stockton to come into the SEC Championship Game and move Georgia up and down the field multiple times against the best defense in college football in the regular season? That’s a story they’ll tell around Georgia tailgates and Thanksgiving tables and hearths for generations. Stockton’s relief performance will become fixed in Georgia state sporting identity, the same way Georgians remember Francisco Cabrera’s single to left (shout out to the GOAT, Skip Caray, for “If he hits one there, we can dance in the streets“) or “Run Lindsay, Run.” Stockton’s rally didn’t have a singular moment, but to stare down that mean Texas defense in your first meaningful football of the season is like charming a water moccasin by staring deeply into its eyes. Those things don’t just “happen,” and when they do, fate and furies tell us we should revel in them.
It’s been a rare year at “The List,” too.
We’ve had more movement on the greatest List in college football than any prior SEC season since this became a thing in 2020. To wit: 10 different defensive linemen have graced the rankings this season, as have 7 SEC quarterbacks. We’ve included 4 different offensive tackles, another first. Only 4 running backs have cracked the Top 10, the fewest since we started our journey 5 seasons ago. And our final list will not include a single wide receiver, largely a product of Tre Harris’ unfortunate injuries down the stretch but notable, nonetheless.
Through it all, though, one player has stood out as the most consistent, productive, important player in the SEC. That player is our new “List” Champion, joining prior champs DeVonta Smith (2020), Nakobe Dean (2021), Bryce Young (2022) and Jayden Daniels (2023). Who is our champion?
Well, y’all know we start with Honorable Mentions, even in the final week. We limit that to 2 per school, so if your favorite player didn’t make the list, shoot them a tweet and tell them not to opt out of the bowl game or to play better in the Playoff. I’m sure that will work. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you, especially the readers who know they could rank the top 10 players in the best conference in America better than me.
Alabama: Jalen Milroe, QB; Jihaad Campbell, LB. Arkansas: Joshua Braun, OL; Andrew Armstrong, WR. Auburn: Jalen McLeod, DL; Jarquez Hunter, RB. Florida: Jake Slaughter, C; Tyreak Sapp, DL. Georgia: Carson Beck, QB; Tate Ratledge, OL. Kentucky: Maxwell Hairston, DB. LSU: Will Campbell, OT; Whit Weeks, LB. Mississippi State: Isaac Smith, S. Missouri: Corey Flagg Jr., LB; Luther Burden III, WR. Oklahoma: Danny Stutsman, LB; Kip Lewis, LB. Ole Miss: Princely Umanmielen, Edge; Chris Paul Jr., LB. South Carolina: Kyle Kennard, Edge; Demetrius Knight Jr., LB Tennessee: Cooper Mays, C; Jermod McCoy, CB. Texas: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT; Michael Taaffe, S. Texas A&M: Ar’maj Reed-Adams, OL; Trey Zuhn III, OL. Vanderbilt: Diego Pavia, QB. Eli Stowers, TE.
10. James Pearce Jr., Edge (Tennessee)
Pearce led the SEC in quarterback pressures this season with 52, collecting 7.5 sacks. He also ranked 2nd in “havoc rate,” behind only Princely Umanmielen of Ole Miss. A disruptive force whom Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks can line up anywhere along the front, Pearce Jr. will close his college career in the College Football Playoff. The Tennessee star was named First-Team All-SEC this week.
9. Walter Nolen, DT (Ole Miss)
Nolen anchored one of the nation’s best defensive lines, playing the most snaps of any Ole Miss defensive linemen and generating 31 pressures and 6 sacks from the interior. Nolen also faced double teams on 34% of snaps, per Stats Solutions, freeing up linemen like Princely Umanmielen and edge players like Suntarine Perkins to rank among the SEC leaders in sacks. Nolen played his best football down the stretch, including in the Egg Bowl, where he had a sack and fourth down stop to help seal the Rebels victory. Nolen was named First-Team All-SEC this week.
8. DJ Lagway, QB (Florida)
What is there to say about Lagway, the true freshman who appears to have changed the fortunes of a head coach and program?
Lagway makes eye-opening plays, like this one against Florida State, where he shrugged off an All-ACC defensive lineman to deliver a strike to Chimere Dike for a first down.
Lagway, who finished No. 2 in the SEC in yards per attempt (10.3) and average depth of target (12.0) and ranked among the national leaders in explosive pass plays, was named a Freshman All-American this week after throwing for 1,610 yards and 11 touchdowns in just 6 starts. Lagway and the Gators did not lose a game that the freshman started and finished, and his 6 touchdown drives of 90 yards or more are the most for a SEC freshman quarterback since Alabama’s Jalen Hurts in 2016.
7. Armand Membou, OT (Missouri)
Membou graded out as the best offensive linemen in the SEC this season, per PFF, at 86.7, begging the question: Do the bulk of All-SEC media voters watch football games? Membou was named Second-Team All-SEC for his troubles, a preposterous choice given the Tigers rushed for over 1.1 yards more per carry when they ran at his side, per SEC Stat Cat. Missouri’s junior tackle also did not surrender a sack this season, the only SEC offensive tackle who played more than 200 snaps and can make that claim.
6. Nick Emmanwori, S (South Carolina)
South Carolina’s captain will not play in the College Football Playoff, but he did lead a team no one in America wanted any part of down the stretch, when the Gamecocks won their final 6 games. A First-Team All-SEC selection, Emmanwori finished 2nd in the SEC in interceptions (4) and led the Gamecocks in tackles (83). He also returned 2 of his 4 interceptions for touchdowns, tying for the national lead in the “pick-6” category. A phenomenal year will end in the Citrus Bowl against Illinois on New Year’s Eve.
5. LaNorris Sellers, QB (South Carolina)
The Gamecocks have a budding star at quarterback and the redshirt freshmen may enter the 2025 season as the Heisman favorite, heady stuff for a player who only won the starting job after a lengthy camp battle with Robby Ashford. Thank goodness Shane Beamer went with Sellers. The Florence, SC, native earned Third-Team All-SEC honors throwing for 2,274 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushing for 655 yards and 7 more scores. Sellers should eclipse the 3,000 total yards of offense mark in the Citrus Bowl. The redshirt freshman playmaker was instrumental in South Carolina’s 6-game winning streak down the stretch and it is heresy to suggest the Gamecocks beat Clemson without him. What a year.
4. Jalon Walker, LB (Georgia)
Finding the best Dawg this season was more difficult than usual. The stats show a team with incredible balance and depth, which, by the way, is why they are a national title favorite even with a backup quarterback. But Jalon Walker is the guy who jumps out on film. Walker has received plenty of praise for his pass-rushing prowess, especially in big games. But it’s the smarts he plays in any situation that make him so invaluable in Kirby Smart’s defense. Take this play, where he easily snuffs out a screen concept.
Walker finished the SEC Championship Game with his latest big-game signature performance, collecting 8 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery in the Dawgs’ overtime win over Texas. Walker was also instrumental in 2 other Georgia sacks, creating pressure that forced Quinn Ewers to step up in the pocket and into other pursuing Georgia defenders. A dominant performance and a top-5 “List” finish.
3. Jaxson Dart, QB (Ole Miss)
Dart led the SEC in passing yards (3,875), yards per attempt (10.7), TD/INT ratio (6.25:1) and average depth of target (12.2). Dart finished No. 2 in completion percentage (68%) and 3rd in touchdown passes (25). In other words, he was the most complete quarterback in the SEC and the largest reason Ole Miss nearly advanced to the College Football Playoff. Dart, who graded out as the nation’s best QB this season at PFF, has not announced his plans for the Gator Bowl, where Ole Miss will play Duke on Jan. 2.
2. Jahdae Barron, CB (Texas)
Here is the play in the SEC Championship Game that almost won Barron a “List” title.
On the way, Barron was the best corner in the sport (yes, that includes Travis Hunter). He led the SEC in interceptions (5), led Texas in pass breakups (9), recovered a fumble, collected a sack and had the highest coverage grade (90.9) among Power 4 corners, per PFF. Barron did not allow a single touchdown in 1-on-1 coverage this season. He was named First-Team All-SEC this week, will likely be a Consensus All-American, and should capture the Jim Thorpe Award. What a season and with the Playoff looming, Barron is now playing for “all-time Texas great” status.
1. Dylan Sampson, RB (Tennessee)
Sampson rewrote the Tennessee record books this season with program highs in yards (1,485) and touchdowns (22). He was the driving force behind a Tennessee offense that helped the Volunteers to 10 wins and their first College Football Playoff appearance. A model of consistency, Sampson didn’t just feast on lesser opposition. He rushed for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns in Tennessee’s win over Alabama. He rushed for 101 yards and 1 touchdown in a loss at Georgia. He single-handedly willed Tennessee back from defeat with 112 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Vols’ overtime win over Florida. And there was this run against NC State …
Put plainly, he was the most important player on a great football team. Sampson was named the SEC’s Player of the Year this week, a well-deserved honor that makes up for an absurd Doak Walker Award snub. Sampson will be the best running back Ohio State has played this season by some distance when the programs meet in the Playoff later this month.
Neil Blackmon covers Florida football and the SEC for SaturdayDownSouth.com. An attorney, he is also a member of the Football and Basketball Writers Associations of America. He also coaches basketball.
