The SEC is the college football mecca when it comes to conferences.
They have a massive amount of marquee players that are on television every Saturday, but these are the five best that make anyone stop dead in their tracks and watch just them.
Luther Burden III: wide receiver, Missouri Tigers
This is the most obvious choice heading into the 2024 college football season. Burden is a Swiss Army Knife of a player. At 5 feet 11 inches, 208 pounds, Burden is the right size where speed and size are the perfect combination.
Last year, Burden finished with 86 receptions, 1,212 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns. He has a great connection with quarterback Brady Cook and is primed for an even bigger year this season as compared to last year. Burden is the best wide receiver in the country because of his versatility. He can play in the slot and on the outside and can make magic when getting carries in the backfield or returning punts and kicks. He is the best playmaker in the SEC and arguably the best in the country.
The Missouri Tigers shocked people last season, but they should be even better this season with the team adding more talent and gaining more experience. They have the talent to compete with anyone in the new-look SEC.
Jalen Milroe: quarterback, Alabama Crimson Tide
Milroe had a rocky start to the season last year that included legendary head coach Nick Saban benching him. However, Milroe bounced back and led the Crimson Tide to a College Football Playoff appearance where the Tide lost a close game to the eventual national champion Michigan Wolverines.
Milroe now gets an opportunity with a very quarterback-friendly head coach in Kalen DeBoer. Last season, he had 2,834 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 65.8% completion percentage through the air. He added 531 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns on the ground.
Milroe and DeBoer are a match made in heaven with the history he has of developing quarterbacks, specifically Michael Penix Jr. at both Indiana and Washington. This duo should help the Crimson Tide not skip a beat without Saban on the sidelines.
Trevor Etienne: running back, Georgia Bulldogs
Etienne was one of the most exciting and promising running backs in the country last year for a struggling Florida Gators team. He left Florida this past offseason and is now the presumed starter for the Georgia Bulldogs. Last season, he finished with 131 carries, 753 rushing yards, and eight rushing touchdowns for a Florida offense that was average at best. He gets an opportunity to lead the rushing offense for the presumably top team in the country.
Georgia also has great compliments to help him more than Florida did with a dominant offensive line, great receivers, and one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Carson Beck. The Bulldogs are a juggernaut and all Etienne does is make them better.
Tre Harris: wide receiver, Ole Miss Rebels
Tre Harris has been the best wide receiver for Ole Miss these last two seasons and is primed for an even bigger year this season. He is a massive receiver at 6 feet, 2 inches and 205 pounds. The last two seasons saw Harris finish with over 900 receiving yards both times. In total, he finished with 985 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns on 54 receptions last year. He has a special connection with quarterback Jaxson Dart and that should evolve even more this season.
Harris has the size that makes him a matchup nightmare on the outside for any opposing defense. The Rebels are primed for a huge year this season and Harris should be a key factor in their success thanks to his connection with Dart.
Harold Perkins Jr.: linebacker, LSU Tigers
The SEC is known for it’s defense, so let’s include arguably the most talented defender in the conference.
Harold Perkins Jr. is a one-man wrecking crew off the edge for LSU. Last season, he had 74 total tackles, with 43 being solo tackles, 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one interception. He was used in a different way last season than his freshman year, and he was not given as much of a chance to grow.
Bryan Kelly has already said that they are going to make sure that changes this season. Perkins took the college football world by storm his freshman year, but last year was more quiet. So expect him to come out with something to prove.
The LSU defense struggled last year, but they should be much better this season and Perkins is the headliner for that unit.
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