As the calendar flips to March, it's time to start thinking about... college football? Why not? Spring practices will ramp up in the next week or two. In the SEC, Missouri has already started practices, with Florida and South Carolina kicking off this week and the rest of the league not far behind. There are six new head coaches in the conference, most notably Lane Kiffin jumping from Ole Miss to LSU (in case you hadn't heard). As always, there also are plenty of new quarterbacks and transfers to keep track of, plus teams with College Football Playoff aspirations and coaches trying to stay off the hot seat. Here's a look at the top storyline, a position of intrigue and a player to watch for every SEC team as spring camps approach.
Alabama Crimson Tide (https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/333/alabama-crimson-tide)
2025 record: 11-4
Spring storyline: After back-to-back so-so seasons to start his Alabama tenure, Kalen DeBoer might need to win big this year. The Tide suffered ugly defeats in two of their last three games in 2025, falling 28-7 to Georgia in the SEC championship game and 38-3 to Indiana in a CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. The Tide ranked 125th in rushing (104.1 yards) and 111th in sacks allowed (2.13 per game), which led to DeBoer firing offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic. Former NFL offensive line coach Adrian Klemm was hired to replace him, and Bryan Ellis moved from tight ends to quarterbacks coach. Longtime SEC assistant Derrick Nix was hired to coach receivers; former Louisville offensive line coach Richard Owens is now working with the tight ends.
Position of intrigue: If the Tide are going to turn things around, they'll have to run the ball and protect the quarterback in 2026. It won't be easy after four of the team's five starting offensive linemen departed, along with several backups. Right tackle Michael Carroll and left guard William Sanders have experience, and center Racin Delgatty (Cal Poly) and tackle Jayvin James (Mississippi State) played a lot of snaps at their previous schools. Kaden Strayhorn (Michigan) and Nick Brooks (Texas) are other additions who might contribute up front.
Players to watch: With Ty Simpson leaving for the NFL draft, there's going to be an intriguing quarterback battle between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell. Mack originally signed with Washington and followed DeBoer to Alabama. This will be his fourth season in DeBoer's offense, so he should know the system well. He attempted 35 passes the past two seasons. Russell was the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2025 and played well in mop-up time in two games as a freshman. -- Mark Schlabach
Arkansas Razorbacks (https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/8/arkansas-razorbacks)
2025 record: 2-10
Spring storyline: A breath of fresh air. After an up-and-down era during Sam Pittman's tenure as head coach, Arkansas turns to Ryan Silverfield, who takes over the program after nine seasons at Memphis, the last six as head coach. One of his proven strengths that will be necessary in turning Arkansas around is his ability to bolster his roster in the transfer portal, and the Razorbacks already have promising players in OT Bryant Williams (Louisiana), LB Khmori House (North Carolina), DB Jahiem Johnson (Tulane) and others, including a handful of players from Memphis.
Position of intrigue: Quarterback. It appears the Razorbacks are going to have a battle on their hands. KJ Jackson returns, along with transfer AJ Hill from Memphis, Braeden Fuller from Division II Angelo State and Fayetteville's own, freshman Hank Hendrix, who reclassified to 2026. Offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey follows Silverfield from Memphis, where the offense was in the top 25 in scoring in all four seasons they were together.
Player to watch: RB Sutton Smith. Silverfield and his staff at Memphis knew Smith had NFL talent as a freshman, and he will be key to their success in their first season at Arkansas. Smith suffered an ACL tear early in 2024 but bounced back last season with 669 yards and seven touchdowns on 102 carries, along with 20 receptions for 109 yards. -- Harry Lyles Jr.
Auburn Tigers (https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2/auburn-tigers)
2025 record: 5-7
Spring storyline: Auburn hasn't looked like itself this decade: How fast can Alex Golesh fix that? The newfound hope and expectations for a turnaround are going to be present with any new head coach. But Golesh took South Florida from 1-11 to 7-6 in his first season as head coach (2023) and left the gig as one of the best coaches in the Group of 6. This program needs stability as much as anything, and Golesh seems more than capable of bringing it. Having the 11th-best portal class is a good start.
Position of intrigue: It will be intriguing to see how the wide receivers Golesh brought over from USF translate into the SEC. The continuity from playing with quarterback Byrum Brown is going to be a plus no matter what conference they're in, but generally speaking this was a group Golesh and his staff felt really good about, with Keshaun Singleton, Jeremiah Koger, Christian Neptune and especially Chas Nimrod when he was healthy.
Player to watch: When Brown is at his best, he's one of the most exciting players in college football. He's physically gifted and tough, the type of player Auburn fans can get behind. A lot of the Tigers' success in Year 1 under Golesh is going to depend on the performance of Brown, who will be playing alongside plenty of familiar faces from South Florida. -- Lyles
Florida Gators (https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/57/florida-gators)
2025 record: 4-8
Spring storyline: Coach Jon Sumrall's revamped staff. Sumrall has been a head coach for four years, two at Troy and two at Tulane, and he made the conference championship game in all four years, winning the title in three. He knows football, but he also has a great sense of place, as he referenced upon taking the Florida job. 'One of my first priorities,' Sumrall said, 'will be to assemble an incredible staff, including an offensive coordinator who understands that, at Florida, having an explosive offense isn't optional -- it's mandatory.'
Position of intrigue: Quarterback. Sumrall talked about how important offense is at Florida, and the Gators have seemingly put pieces in place to give themselves a shot at delivering. Sumrall hired former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner and brought in transfer quarterback Aaron Philo, also from Tech. The Yellow Jackets finished No. 12 nationally in total offense with QB Haynes King and felt great about Philo as their backup. The OC/QB transfer duo has worked for teams in the past, and the Gators will give it a go with Faulkner and Philo.
Player to watch: WR Eric Singleton Jr. Singleton transfers from Auburn, but has some crossover with Philo and Faulkner from Georgia Tech. He's a talented receiver who had a bit of a down year last season after a monster freshman season in 2023 that carried over into 2024 before his transfer to Auburn. He should be a main target for the Gators heading into 2026. -- Lyles
Georgia Bulldogs (https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/61/georgia-bulldogs)
2025 record: 12-2
Spring storyline: After winning a second straight SEC championship and reaching the College Football Playoff for the fourth time in five years, Kirby Smart's program is still in great shape. But the Bulldogs haven't been able to stockpile talent like they did while winning back-to-back CFP national titles in 2021 and 2022, as revenue sharing and NIL have leveled the playing field. Georgia's roster was one of the youngest in the SEC in 2025, so filling holes and building depth will be priorities in the spring. There are two new assistants with former NFL offensive line coach Phil Rauscher replacing Stacy Searels, who moved into an analyst role. Smart hired West Virginia's Larry Knight to replace outside linebackers coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe, who joined the Dallas Cowboys.
Position of intrigue: Receiver is the one position that was hit hard by personnel losses with star Zachariah Branch and Noah Thomas declaring for the NFL draft and Dillon Bell and Colbie Young exhausting their eligibility. London Humphreys and Sacovie White-Helton are coming back, but the Bulldogs need young wideouts Talyn Taylor, Thomas Blackshear and CJ Wiley to continue to improve. Isiah Canion, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, was a big pickup from the transfer portal. He caught 33 passes for 480 yards with four touchdowns at Georgia Tech in 2025.
Player to watch: The Bulldogs had only 20 sacks last season, which tied for 107th in the FBS. Outside linebacker Chris Cole had 4.5 of those and is coming back. The Bulldogs picked up former Auburn edge rusher Amaris Williams from the transfer portal. The Clinton, North Carolina, native was the No. 13 defensive end in the Class of 2024. He had 14 tackles and two sacks last season. The Bulldogs are hoping a change in scenery will help Williams do even more. -- Schlabach
Kentucky Wildcats (https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/96/kentucky-wildcats)
2025 record: 5-7
Spring storyline: A new era begins with 36-year-old Will Stein, a Louisville native, arriving with hopes of bringing an exciting offense back to Kentucky, which ranked 101st in scoring last year with 23 points per game. There will be lots of changes after Mark Stoops was fired after 13 seasons, including Stein bringing in 34 players from the transfer portal.
Position of intrigue: The wide receiver room got a wholesale makeover. Just Ashton Cozart and DJ Miller return from last season's roster, but the Wildcats added LSU transfer Nic Anderson, who caught just 12 passes because of injuries last year but is a 6-4 target who had 38 catches -- 10 of which went for TDs -- and 798 yards as a freshman at Oklahoma in 2023. Stein landed four-star recruit Kenny Darby from Louisiana, along with three other freshmen, and added transfers Brock Coffman (Louisville), Ja'Kayden Ferguson (Arkansas) and Southern Utah's Shane Carr, who adds experience with 50 receptions for 744 yards last year.
Player to watch: Stein is a quarterback's best friend, after working with Dante Moore, Dillon Gabriel and Bo Nix at Oregon. Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey, a four-star recruit from Hendersonville, Tennessee, who backed up CJ Carr last season, will be next in line, but he attempted only 29 passes in three seasons in South Bend. -- Dave Wilson
LSU Tigers (https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/99/lsu-tigers)
2025 record: 7-6
Spring storyline: There will be plenty of attention on Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin conducts his first spring practices at LSU. Kiffin and his staff put together the No. 1-ranked class from the transfer portal, landing quarterback Sam Leavitt (Arizona State), defensive end Princewill Umanmielen (Ole Miss), offensive tackle Jordan Seaton (Colorado) and safety Ty Benefield (Boise State), among others. It's the second year in a row the Tigers went all-in on the portal. It didn't turn out well last season, when they fired former coach Brian Kelly after a 5-3 start.
Position of intrigue: If the Tigers are going to improve in Kiffin's first season, they're going to have to get a lot better up front on offense. LSU ranked 126th in the FBS in rushing (104 yards) and tied for 99th in sacks allowed (29) in 2025. The Tigers were able to keep center Braelin Moore and right tackle Weston Davis. Seaton, who was the No. 1 tackle in the Class of 2024 and a potential first-round pick in the 2027 NFL draft, will probably start at left tackle. Interior linemen Aliou Bah (Maryland) and Devin Harper (Ole Miss) also have plenty of experience.
Player to watch: The Tigers reportedly spent $5 million to land Leavitt, who played just five games in 2025 because of a season-ending foot injury. He threw for 4,513 yards with 34 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in two seasons with the Sun Devils. He's a threat to run as well, piling up 749 yards with 10 scores at ASU. Kiffin said Leavitt will throw and participate in 7-on-7 drills in the spring, but he will be held out of full-contact drills as a precaution. -- Schlabach
Mississippi State Bulldogs (https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/344/mississippi-state-bulldogs)
2025 record: 5-8
Spring storyline: Mississippi State's game against Texas in October encapsulated the potential and reality of the Bulldogs' 2025 season when a 38-21 fourth-quarter lead in a raucous stadium evaporated and ended with the Longhorns' backup quarterback delivering the winning score in a 45-38 overtime gut punch. Mississippi State lost seven of its last eight games, with only a 3-point win over Arkansas, which went winless in the SEC. Jeff Lebby lured Mike Leach's former defensive coordinator -- and former MSU head coach -- Zach Arnett back to Starkville to try to fix the defense, offering promise alongside an offense that can put up numbers.
Position of intrigue: The Bulldogs' offensive line struggled last season, allowing 45 sacks, fourth most in the FBS. Eight offensive linemen departed after the season, and Lebby brought in eight new ones, including several from big programs: Tyler Miller and DJ Chester (LSU), Jayvin James (Alabama), Miles McVay (North Carolina), Ja'Elyne Matthews and Mario Nash Jr (Florida State) and Isaiah Dent (Oklahoma). There's not a lot of experience up front, but there is a lot of size and potential. How fast they get up to speed will determine how well Lebby's rebuild goes.
Player to watch: Kamario Taylor, the star freshman, will inherit the starting quarterback role after throwing for 629 yards with five touchdowns last season in spot duty, including finishing third on the team in rushing with 458 yards and having a team-best eight TDs on the ground. Taylor had 173 rushing yards in his first career start, in the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss. -- Wilson
Missouri Tigers (https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/142/missouri-tigers)
2025 record: 8-5
Spring storyline: Eli Drinkwitz has done a great job turning Missouri around, and nobody in the SEC is overlooking the Tigers anymore. After winning 29 games over the past three seasons, Missouri had to have a strong portal class this offseason and seems to have done a great job. People are always going to look first at the quarterback position, where Drinkwitz landed Austin Simmons after Beau Pribula departed for Virginia. Along with Simmons, there will be other immediate impact transfers and another tier of guys who could be developed within the program.
Position of intrigue: Cornerback. Missouri needed to get better (and add depth) on the perimeter, and Drinkwitz seemingly did a great job. Chris Graves Jr. (Ole Miss) is the gem among the group, but Missouri also brought in Jahlil Florence (Oregon), Elijah Dotson (Michigan) and Sione Laulea (Oregon). If Missouri is going to continue its impressive run of the past few years, this group needs to take a step up, and these guys will be important in making sure that happens.
Player to watch: Simmons. Drinkwitz brought in Chip Lindsey as his offensive coordinator and Garrett Riley as his QB coach -- and they will be key in Simmons' development. Missouri also worked to surround its new QB with some new pass catchers, pulling several from the portal, including Horatio Fields (Auburn), Naeshaun Montgomery (Florida), Caleb Goodie (Cincinnati) and Kenric Lanier II (Minnesota). They'll need to replace the production of the departing Kevin Coleman Jr., who caught 66 passes for 732 yards. -- Lyles
Oklahoma Sooners (https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/201/oklahoma-sooners)
2025 record: 10-3
Spring storyline: A 6-7 record (2-6 SEC) in 2024 landed Brent Venables firmly in some choppy waters, but he hired coordinator Ben Arbuckle to take over the offense alongside QB John Mateer, both from Washington State. Venables' defensive chops helped the Sooners allow just 15.5 points per game last year, seventh best in the FCS, and the rebound was on in Norman, with the Sooners finishing 10-3, including a CFP appearance. OU crashed after building a 17-0 lead at home against Alabama in that game and lost 34-24. The Sooners will begin 2026 in the top 10, and they hope a healthy Mateer can get them back in the SEC title mix.
Position of intrigue: Isaiah Sategna III was a breakout performer for the Sooners last season, catching 67 passes for 965 yards and eight touchdowns after catching three TD passes in his first three seasons. But OU set out to add some playmakers for Mateer, and it brought in two starters alongside Sategna in Virginia transfer Trell Harris
