By Seth Emerson, Kennington Smith III and Ari Wasserman
The majority of fans are familiar with the most important players in the SEC. It might be a big-time addition in the transfer portal, a star quarterback or a potential first-round NFL Draft selection.
We wanted to dig a little deeper, so we have selected an X-factor at every program — an under-the-radar player who will go a long way in determining his team’s success in 2024.
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We are publishing a story for each power conference to complement an episode of “Until Saturday.” Here are our X-factors from the Big Ten and ACC.
Now it’s time for the SEC.
Alabama: The play of Alabama’s offensive line will largely dictate the team’s ceiling. Offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor is back after transferring to Iowa for the spring semester, and the Crimson Tide’s O-line can become a team strength if Proctor takes a step forward as a sophomore. He played better as last season progressed, and a more experienced, more confident Proctor in 2024 could be a game-changer under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer. — Smith
Arkansas: KJ Jefferson was the identity of the Arkansas program over the last few years. Losing him to UCF was tough. But the Razorbacks rebounded by landing Taylen Green from Boise State in the portal. It will be interesting to watch how new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino deploys the dual-threat QB. — Wasserman
Auburn: How Hugh Freeze went about addressing — or not addressing — the quarterback position has been a big offseason talking point. The Tigers stuck with Payton Thorne for another year, expressing confidence in a quarterback who hasn’t necessarily lit the world on fire. But Auburn adds Cam Coleman, a five-star wide receiver, and if he’s as good as we think, he could change this team’s offense. — Wasserman
Florida: There are more questions about Florida on defense than offense, so for the Gators to be successful this year, they may need to win some shootouts. Quarterback Graham Mertz can do that if he has help, and wideout Eugene Wilson III could emerge as a potent weapon. As a freshman, he had 61 catches for 538 yards and six touchdowns. He was a four-star recruit who has speed and dynamic ability, and he can make the Gators offense a tough out. — Emerson
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Georgia: Georgia moved Mykel Williams from defensive end to outside linebacker this year with the idea of maximizing his considerable talent, as well as jump-starting its pass rush. If it works, and if Williams can also be an aid to the run defense, which took a dip last year, it could go a long way to Georgia’s defense getting back to 2021-22 form. — Emerson
Kentucky: The other Georgia transfer, QB Brock Vandagriff, is the team’s most important player, and lineman Deone Walker is Kentucky’s best defensive player. Linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson is the X-factor because if he’s as good as he was as a sophomore at Georgia then this defense will be nearly impossible to run on. As Pete Fiutak of College Football News pointed out, Kentucky was 6-1 last year when it held opponents under 100 rushing yards, but 1-5 in the others. — Emerson
LSU: The first sentence of Sai’Vion Jones’ bio on the LSU website reads, “Senior edge rusher who has the potential to become the next great LSU defensive lineman.” If that does occur, LSU’s trajectory shoots to another level. Jones is a freak athlete who started all 13 games last season, and the Tigers need him to take a step forward after they whiffed on several defensive line targets in the portal. — Smith
Mississippi State: Mississippi State doesn’t have the talent that you’ll find at a lot of other big-time SEC programs, but the Bulldogs stack up just fine nationally in that department. Adding offensive guru Jeff Lebby as head coach is going to be fun, and the Bulldogs are going to rely heavily on former Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen to be productive out of the gate. — Wasserman
Missouri: With my other picks, I went with non-obvious players, but here I’ll go with the starting quarterback for bigger-picture reasons. Brady Cook may not be getting enough attention: He was 12th in the nation in yards per attempt last year (9.1), still has Luther Burden to throw to and plays in a high-output offense. The performance of the defense is more of a swing factor for Missouri this year, but if the Tigers make a Playoff run, Cook will become a household name. — Emerson
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Oklahoma: All eyes will be on sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold and the Sooners offense, but the great teams Brent Venables has been a part of have had elite defensive linemen. And Oklahoma secured one of the premier players at that position out of the transfer portal in Damonic Williams. The junior was an honorable mention All-Big 12 pick at TCU last season and has more career starts (27) than any player on Oklahoma’s front seven. — Smith
Ole Miss: He wasn’t the most high-profile addition for Ole Miss via the transfer portal, but linebacker Chris Paul Jr. — a member of the 2022 All-SEC Freshman Team while at Arkansas — will play a pivotal role on a retooled defense. Ole Miss has some star power up front thanks to the additions of Walter Nolan and Princely Umanmielen, but will need Paul to make plays on the second level. — Smith
South Carolina: Offensive tackle Josiah Thompson, a five-star recruit, is my stand-in for saying the entire O-line is the X-factor. This team has so many questions, including quarterback and receiver, but the biggest issue last year was the offensive line. Getting that settled could open up so many things, including for Arkansas transfer running back Rocket Sanders to be a difference-maker and for the new quarterback to have a chance. A good — not great, but good — offensive line would get the Gamecocks to six or seven wins. — Emerson
Tennessee: This is first assuming that with Squirrel White and a healthy Bru McCoy, the Volunteers have two good, dependable receivers for QB Nico Iamaleava. But for an offense in this day and age to be truly explosive, it needs that third and sometimes even fourth receiver. Dont’e Thornton didn’t pan out as a transfer from Oregon last year while Chris Brazzell II arrives from Tulane after leading the Green Wave in receiving as a freshman. Does one emerge in 2024? — Emerson
Texas: The Longhorns lost Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell, two explosive receivers who had a lot to do with last year’s success. Adding Isaiah Bond via the portal from Alabama should give quarterback Quinn Ewers another important weapon to keep the offense on track. — Wasserman
Texas A&M: A lot has been made about Texas A&M’s attrition. But the Aggies still have a lot of studs, especially on the defensive line. Offensively, A&M needs QB Conner Weigman to take the next step after missing a lot of time due to injury a year ago. The emergence of Rueben Owens, a former five-star prospect, as an All-SEC-caliber running back would be a huge lift for a program in transition. — Wasserman
Vanderbilt: Here’s a crazy but true stat: Vanderbilt has played multiple quarterbacks in 22 of Clark Lea’s 36 games as head coach. The potential remedy to that problem could be the arrival of New Mexico State transfer Diego Pavia, the 2023 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year. Pavia made waves late in the season by leading the Aggies to a dominant 31-10 win at Auburn. Now he’s in the SEC, where he will have to battle another quarterback from out West — Utah transfer Nate Johnson — for the starting assignment. Vanderbilt’s new offensive coordinator is Tim Beck, who coached Pavia at NMSU. — Smith
(Top photos of Damonic Williams, Kadyn Proctor: Mark J. Rebilas, Kirby Lee / USA Today)