Burning questions for each SEC football team during spring practices

The SEC’s perennial contenders haven’t changed, but six new coaches now lead programs eager to disrupt the deepest conference in college football.

Despite its reputation for unmatched depth, the conference’s top tier hasn’t produced a national champion lately, ceding the spotlight to the Big Ten, which has won three straight titles. That drought doesn’t sit well in the South. The retirement of Nick Saban, instability at LSU and a step back along Georgia’s defensive front have contributed to the SEC losing ground on the national stage.

This spring should offer early clues about whether the league’s powers can reclaim their footing. Alabama and Georgia remain under the microscope, and LSU will draw particular attention as Lane Kiffin takes over a program overflowing with talent, resources and expectations. He’s one of the six “new” first-year coaches in the league, though his face is already familiar.

As spring practices begin, here are the biggest questions facing each of the SEC’s 16 teams.

Alabama: What is the Tide’s identity?

We wrote about this previously in our piece previewing the most interesting storylines across the country this spring, but it bears repeating: Alabama is facing an identity crisis under Kalen DeBoer. He won 11 games, including a playoff game after losing in the SEC Championship, in his second season, but he also planted a few red flags heading into 2026. Alabama couldn’t run the ball effectively last season, ranking 125th (104.1 yards per game), which placed too much pressure on QB Ty Simpson and led to a trio of embarrassing losses: at home to Oklahoma, in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia and against Indiana in the CFP. This spring is all about rekindling some toughness within the Tide’s program. It doesn’t help that four starting offensive linemen are gone, and Simpson is off to the NFL, but maybe a fresh start is what Alabama needs on offense. The Tide seemingly were on the right path when NC State running back Hollywood Smothers committed to the program, but he changed his mind and signed with Texas. Oof. The QB battle between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell will draw eyes — and should — but the more serious situation is in the trenches.

Arkansas: Is the roster built to compete immediately?

Arkansas’ biggest problem under Sam Pittman — even before his firing last fall — was roster stability. The Razorbacks led the SEC in player defections across the previous two offseasons, forcing the program to reload key positions every year while eroding depth, particularly on defense. Enter Ryan Silverfield from Memphis. He overhauled the roster and appears to have upgraded most positions thanks to a reinvigorated NIL program. The question now is whether the Razorbacks have enough depth to withstand an SEC schedule, let alone a few injuries in the spring. Most eyes will be on the quarterback. Taylen Green has moved on, leaving backup KJ Jackson and Memphis transfer AJ Hill to compete through spring and summer for the starting job.

Auburn: Can USF’s stars make Auburn competitive again?

Auburn spent the last two seasons as one of the SEC’s most frustrating teams under Hugh Freeze, routinely falling short of expectations. The Tigers responded by making a change and leaning into a growing trend across the sport: hire a successful Group of Five coach and bring his best players with him. New coach Alex Golesh brought 13 players with him from USF, including 11 on offense. None is more important than quarterback Byrum Brown, the dynamic runner and passer who helped lead the Bulls to a nine-win season. The Tigers lost their biggest star, receiver Cam Coleman, to the transfer portal, but seemingly upgraded the roster with the additions from USF. Good players are good on any level, but how quickly can USF’s transfers adjust to the physical demands in an SEC spring practice?

Florida: It’s always about the quarterback at Florida

Jon Sumrall has never won fewer than nine games in a season, but that streak will be tested in his first year at Florida. Expectations are always sky-high in Gainesville, yet patience may be required until the Gators settle their quarterback situation. Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo is the early favorite after following offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner to Florida, but he remains largely untested with just 102 career pass attempts. The supporting cast is promising. Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III return after breakout freshman seasons, and Auburn transfer Eric Singleton reunites with Faulkner after their time together at Georgia Tech. The pieces are there for a successful first year under Sumrall, if the quarterback can figure it all out.

Georgia: Can Bulldogs regain their dominance up front?

Stop focusing so much on Georgia’s quarterbacks and receivers, and start paying attention to what’s happening — or not — along the defensive line. The Bulldogs’ pass rush is nowhere near what it used to be, particularly those heydays of 2021 with Nakobe Dean and Nolan Smith. Last season, Georgia averaged just 4.2 tackles for loss per game, the lowest mark of the Kirby Smart era and two fewer per game than the previous season. If Georgia’s defensive line had been closer to its old standard, the Bulldogs might have had enough to beat Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff. Several young players will get their chance to change that narrative this spring, including sophomore Elijah Griffin, who is expected to step into a starting role at defensive tackle following Christen Miller’s departure.

Kentucky: Did Will Stein land more hits than misses?

Few new coaches made a stronger first impression this offseason than Will Stein at Kentucky. The former Oregon offensive coordinator — who helped engineer huge seasons for Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore — arrived in Lexington and immediately assembled the nation’s No. 11 transfer class. The group is loaded with offensive talent, including former Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey, who flipped from Nebraska just 24 hours after committing to the Huskers. Kentucky also attacked the offensive line in the portal, adding three experienced starters from major programs. The Wildcats believe they’ve quickly upgraded the roster. Spring practice will reveal whether Stein’s overhaul produces immediate results.

LSU: Will the Tigers’ new roster coalesce under Lane Kiffin?

LSU was one of the biggest storylines in college football this spring because of the arrival of Lane Kiffin. Few coaches embrace the spotlight the way Kiffin does, and he’ll have plenty of it in Baton Rouge as he begins building a roster powered by the nation’s No. 1 transfer class. LSU should contend right away under the former Ole Miss coach, especially with a big-money staff and a 40-man transfer haul that includes 14 blue-chip additions, headlined by former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt. But the “Portal King” still has to fuse veterans with newcomers, build chemistry and establish a championship standard fast in a place known for short attention spans fueled by championship dreams. The real work starts on the practice fields this spring.

Mississippi State: Is the latest overhaul the answer for Jeff Lebby?

Mississippi State looked like a program on the rise early last season, opening 4-0 with a notable win over Arizona State. Then everything unraveled. The Bulldogs lost seven of their final eight games as the offense stalled in key moments and the defense struggled to keep opponents in check. Jeff Lebby hit the restart button ahead of Year 3, signing eight new offensive linemen from power programs to help curb the porous unit that allowed 45 sacks last season. How that offensive line comes together this spring, along with sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor, will tell us more about the potential this fall. Another item to track is the return of former head coach Zach Arnett, who takes over as defensive coordinator after the unit finished 106th in scoring last season.

Missouri: Is Austin Simmons the answer for Missouri?

Former Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons joins the newly-hired offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey and quarterbacks coach Garrett Riley to form one of the more interesting offensive upgrades in the SEC. Simmons, who lost the starting job as Trindiad Chambliss emerged as one of the best QBs in the sport last season, has top-tier running back Ahmad Hardy and several new receivers from power programs to work with this spring.

Oklahoma: Does John Mateer’s offense finally live up to expectations?

John Mateer arrived at Oklahoma with enormous momentum. After a breakout run at Washington State, he followed offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Norman and quickly emerged as a Heisman Trophy contender early in the season. Then the momentum stalled. A hand injury slowed Mateer, the running game never found consistent traction, and the receivers struggled to create separation. Oklahoma enters this spring determined to fix those issues. One of the most important additions may be new running backs coach Deland McCullough, who is tasked with accelerating the development of Tory Blaylock and Xavier Robinson and stabilizing the ground game. The urgency is clear. Even after losing four of its top six linebackers, Oklahoma’s defense should remain one of the best in the country. That makes this spring critical for an offense that needs to catch up if the Sooners want to make some noise in the CFP.

Ole Miss: How noticeable are the changes under Pete Golding?

Pete Golding proved himself worthy of the head coaching gig at Ole Miss because of how the Rebels performed under the then-interim coach in the CFP. How Golding adjusts to key departures at receiver and along the defensive line will be the question this spring. Five new defensive linemen and five receivers from the portal are on campus to help offset the departures of the Rebels’ two leading receivers and destructive pass rusher Princewill Umanmielen. 

South Carolina: Is the offensive line any better?

The throughline of Shane Beamer’s tenure has been the offensive line — and not in a good way. The Gamecocks’ front has consistently been a weak spot during his time in Columbia, and whether that unit improves could determine if South Carolina returns to a bowl game or takes a step forward as it did two years ago when QB LaNorris Sellers burst on the scene. The situation took a hit this offseason when prized NC State transfer Jacarrius Peak injured his knee in a pickup basketball game. Beamer remains optimistic that Peak will return for the season, but the uncertainty only adds to the questions surrounding the line. Given the recent run of bad breaks in Columbia, it’s not hard to understand why some South Carolina fans jokingly believe the “Chicken Curse” is real.

Tennessee: How important is the quarterback?

Joey Aguilar lost his court case seeking another year at Tennessee, so the Vols are starting over (again) at quarterback, pitting freshmen George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon in a battle this spring. The uncertainty is troubling, but it’s not as large as the looming questions on defense. Former Penn State and Ohio State coordinator Jim Knowles is now leading the defense after some disappointing trends emerged in the secondary last season. Whether Knowles’ arrival translates into immediate improvement is unclear, as it usually takes a year or two — as evidenced by Penn State’s production last season and the previous rebuild at Ohio State — for Knowles’ system to seep into the culture.

Texas: How much better can Arch Manning become with new pieces around him?

Steve Sarkisian didn’t tiptoe through the offseason. He reshaped the roster and staff in a big way — firing defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, bringing in veteran play-caller Will Muschamp, landing several high-profile transfers and even flipping running back Hollywood Smothers from Alabama after he had committed to the Tide. Texas also added one of the biggest portal prizes in the country: former Auburn receiver Cam Coleman. Spring practice will provide the first glimpse of how the pieces fit together. Arch Manning finished last season on a tear after a slow start, but he will be limited this spring as he recovers from foot surgery. Even so, the development of this revamped roster — and Manning’s continued rise — could determine whether Texas opens the season as the preseason No. 1 team.

Texas A&M: How much do things change with new coordinators?

Texas A&M enters the spring replacing both coordinators after Collin Klein returned to Kansas State as head coach and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman departed for Kentucky. The question is whether those moves bring real change or simply new voices in familiar systems. On defense, continuity is expected. Lyle Hemphill, a longtime Mike Elko disciple, takes over the unit, so the Aggies’ scheme shouldn’t look drastically different. The offense is the more intriguing storyline. Quarterback Marcel Reed returns after leading Texas A&M to the College Football Playoff last season, but he’ll be without top target KC Concepcion, who left for the NFL. The Aggies reloaded at receiver with Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton, a big-bodied target who joins speedsters Mario Craver and Ashton Bethel-Roman. Receivers coach Holmon Wiggins was promoted to offensive coordinator to maintain continuity. As always, though, the Aggies’ ceiling comes down to Reed after a season in which Texas A&M started 11–0 before dropping its final two games.

Vanderbilt: How does 5-star Jared Curtis adjust in Diego Pavia’s shadow?

Vanderbilt p pulled off one of the most surprising recruiting wins of the cycle when it flipped Jared Curtis — the nation’s No. 2 quarterback — from Georgia in December. The highest-rated signee in program history chose to stay home in Nashville, where he starred at Nashville Christian, and arrives with enormous expectations. Curtis is widely viewed as the future of the program, but he steps into a spotlight shaped by Diego Pavia’s impact. That’s a tough act for anyone to follow, especially a freshman quarterback immediately labeled the next big thing. Even Vanderbilt legend Jay Cutler came away impressed after seeing Curtis in person. Still, spring practice will offer the first real glimpse of how the highly touted newcomer handles the speed, attention and pressure that come with being the face of the program.