The SEC has landed 2 teams in the top 10 nationally for returning production in 2023, according to ESPN analysis from Bill Connelly.

Texas A&M at No. 7, and Missouri at No. 9 led the SEC in percentage of returning production. The Aggies return 80% of their production, while the Tigers bring back 78%.

As Connelly puts it, “While high or low returning production percentages don’t guarantee a good or bad team, they do correlate well with improvement and regression. For a few years now, I’ve been attempting to expand how we measure returning production. The formula I have created shifts with each new year of data and has had to shift quite a bit with the recent heavy increase in transfers.”

As Connelly explains that while “the Aggies have placed nearly 30 players in the transfer portal, many of whom were recent star recruits. That could hurt down the line, but they don’t lose many players who were impactful in 2022. A team that was painfully young and offensively disorganized last fall will be a lot more experienced this time around. And if new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino is able to build some quick traction, a turnaround could be forthcoming.”

As for Missouri, while Eliah Drinkwitz has gone 5-5, 6-7 and 6-7 in his 3 seasons in Columbia, the roster appears to be stocked for this season, this analysis showed.

“Quite a few key players from a strong defense (19th in defensive SP+) elected to stay in town for the coming fall, and the offensive line returns mostly intact, too. If Drinkwitz can finally figure out the quarterback position — 2022 starter Brady Cook returns, along with two recent blue-chippers (redshirt freshman Sam Horn and Miami transfer Jake Garcia) — the Tigers might have everything else they need for a nice step forward in 2023.”