Where every SEC team ranks in the Team Talent Composite for 2024
Before every college football player plays his first game, he is a recruit. When it comes to following prospects, the 247Sports Composite provides the most-cited recruiting rankings, as the formula includes ratings from industry competitors On3, Rivals and ESPN.
Ahead of every season, the folks at 247Sports crunch the numbers to form the Team Talent Composite. The Team Talent Composite offers insight into which programs are sporting the most talented rosters, based on every player’s Composite rating as a prospect.
Recruiting rankings don’t tell the whole story of a team. Signees, no matter how highly rated as recruits, still have to be coached and developed. There have been plenty of 5-star busts over the years. There are also players who prove that they were underrated as recruits. As observers, we frequently see experience and maturity decide outcomes.
The Team Talent Composite was first introduced in 2015. Per Cooper Petagna of 247Sports, only 7 teams outside the top 15 in the Team Talent Composite made the College Football Playoff during the 4-team era. The numbers will likely look different in the 12-team era with the top Group of 5 conference champion making the field.
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The eight national champions from 2015-22 had rosters in the top 10 of that season’s Team Talent Composite. Michigan snapped that streak last season, winning the national title with a roster that ranked No. 14 on the Team Talent Composite.
The increasing popularity of the transfer portal with unlimited transfers within the NCAA’s designated windows will put the top-14 barrier to the test. While 247Sports gives players star ratings as transfers, only a player’s recruiting rating out of high school is considered for the Team Talent Composite. If a player had a 3-star prospect rating, but was a 5-star transfer, he’ll only a 3-star for the Team Talent Composite.
For 2024, all 16 SEC rosters are in the top 50 of the Team Talent Composite. Seven squads make the top 15, with 6 in the top 10. Here’s how everybody stacks up:
- Alabama (1,018.28 points, No. 1 overall)
- Georgia (1,006.89, No. 2)
- Texas (953.95, No. 4)
- Texas A&M (914.52, No. 7)
- Oklahoma (906.61, No. 8)
- LSU (906.19, No. 9)
- Florida (894.24, No. 12)
- Tennessee (858.67, No. 17)
- Auburn (833.61, No. 18)
- Mizzou (807.36, No. 19)
- Ole Miss (801.66, No. 20)
- South Carolina (798.18, No. 21)
- Kentucky (788.36, No. 24)
- Arkansas (779.17, No. 26)
- Mississippi State (743.77, No. 34)
- Vanderbilt (695.59, No. 50)
“The eight national champions from 2015-22 had rosters in the top 10 of that season’s Team Talent Composite. Michigan snapped that streak last season, winning the national title with a roster that ranked No. 14 on the Team Talent Composite.”
That Michigan team was very experienced. Never underestimate experience. Ole Miss is an example of a team overachieving because of coaching, which is not as common as some people think. Generally speaking, players win football games, and coaches know it. That’s why coaches spend so much time recruiting.
Exactly! Michigan had a roster that was beaten by Georgia in ‘21, beaten by TCU in ‘22 and finally got over the hump in ‘23. They were a veteran team that grew over time with leadership. Prior to the unlimited transfer portal it was common to see teams have a three to four year wave as the classes developed and coalesced. Dynasties are rare, there are only a handful of teams that can reload on an annual basis
Agree and disagree. This form of talent rankings is out dated. The transfer portal moves players that often over or under perform their HS ranking. Tre Harris, for example, is considered a 3 star.
What Kiffin is doing in the portal is grabbing older/experienced over-performers. Some of our “blue chip” HS recruits have left who were underperforms and non-starters.
OleMiss is a much more talented team right now than this HS based ranking system would suggest.
I would say the same thing for Mizzou. Cook is considered a 3*, if he were to hit the transfer portal today he would easily be a 4* QB transfer. One of our transfer RB was a 2* that was a NCAA leading rusher last year. OL transfers that were all conference are 4* transfers. There is either P5 experience or good players that made the jump from lower level all across the 2 deep.
Even with these rankings, Drinkwitz has done an incredible job at creating a talented roster. When he first took over Mizzou was 50th overall.
College football is as unpredictable as ever considering the transfer portal, player development, strength and conditioning, maturity of the player and culture all of the above are more fluid than ever in modern day college athletics. Ever since Georgia pounded FSU all I have heard here in Jax Fl radio is how great the Noles were going be the best defense in years I was told. Wire to wire was mentioned, best offensive line since Jamie Dukes Tra Thomas and well you get the idea. They forgot they had DJU. No that’s not a University it’s their QB. My point is pundits cannot go off of last season anymore as I mentioned above. That’s why I think there are a lot more surprises coming. Can’t wait see ya at the game Sat Cane Fans.
Nice to be recognized but team talent rated by any method besides winning each game one at a time means nothing. I’ve seen smaller faster more desperate men beat the tar out highly rated roster too many times
While true, the problem is that when the small well coached and motivated squad meets an equally coached well motivated squad that is bigger and stronger they get beat.
The last 3 years, Tennessee has done more with less.
9-4 last year. They must not have had much.
And still beat Big 10 #2 35-0.
. . . and lost to a bad Florida team badly. They also lost to every other ranked team they played and it wasn’t really close.
…and still outplayed teams with better talent.
If you have to resort to a win against a Big 10 team to make a point, you are desperate.