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Posted
7 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

I think Mateer will likely take too many hits to be effective over a long season.  With that line and him loving to scramble around.  I do think he was a very good pickup for OU and will add a couple wins over what they could expect for Hawkins.

Nussemeir (sp?) at LSU has looked like a JAG every time I have watched him.  And he's had great WRs to throw to. What am I missing?

Mateer is going to be a good player this year. I would bet money he will be a top 10 QB, but I think elite defenses will shut him down because OU just doesn’t have much to help him.  Unfortunately, he will probably play 3 or 4 elite defenses this year.

Posted
2 hours ago, Vertigo said:

Mateer is going to be a good player this year. I would bet money he will be a top 10 QB, but I think elite defenses will shut him down because OU just doesn’t have much to help him.  Unfortunately, he will probably play 3 or 4 elite defenses this year.

I have not seen much, but looking over his game log he did a lot of work vs some really bad teams

Finished the year with a 16-22, 182, 1 TD, 1 Int, and 4 sacks vs WYO leading them to 14 pts

If we look at some of the better teams he played last year

BSU: 26-37, 327, 2 TD, 1 Int, and 8 sacks...45-24 loss

Wash: 17-34, 245, 1 TD, 1 Int, and 1 sack.. .24-19 loss

Tech: 9 - 19, 115, 1 TD, 1 int. 1 sack... 37-16 loss.. (he did have 197 rushing, but seems like hollow yards based on the score)

His 2 games vs the P4 (Tech and Wash), he completed 50% or less of his passes and put up a total of 35 pts. 

He took 31 sacks with 347 attempts. That screams of some really poor pocket presence. Does OU have an OL capable of masking that issue? 

 

 

 

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Posted
22 hours ago, closetojumping said:

The Athletic put out a "Top 25 SEC Players for 2025" article. Link below and, because I think all of you people are just fantastic, I C&P'd into a spoiler the article itself for those who don't want to click or subscribe. Rich text, because that's the way it should be read, and I don't care for you dark mode types one bit. 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6448604/2025/06/26/sec-best-players-top-25-sellers-manning-nussmeier/

Spoiler

Where do Arch Manning, LaNorris Sellers rank? The 25 best players in the SEC in 2025
Manny Navarro
9–12 minutes

The SEC is once again loaded with elite talent.

The proof is always the NFL Draft. The league had a record 79 players selected in the 2025 draft — 14 more than its previous record (most recently in 2021). Almost half of the first-round picks (15 of 32) came from the SEC.

It would be easy to list the 25 top draft prospects from the SEC heading into the season and call it a day. But that’s not what this is. This is our list of the 25 best players in the conference.

Let’s dive in.
1. LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina

The 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year and third-team all-conference pick ranked 17th nationally in passing efficiency after throwing for 2,534 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The former three-star recruit also ran for 674 yards and seven TDs. He enters the season with the sixth-best Heisman odds, according to BetMGM.
2. Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas

Why is Texas considered the co-favorite with Ohio State to win the national title? Let’s start with defense, and the Horns probably have the two best defensive players in the SEC. Hill, a 6-feet-3, 239-pound junior and former five-star recruit, earned first-team All-America honors from The Athletic last season. He finished fifth in the league with 113 tackles and led the SEC with 16 1/2 tackles for loss while recording eight sacks.
3. Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

The 6-7, 360-pound junior earned second-team All-SEC honors in 2024. The Iowa native allowed three sacks and 15 pressures on 323 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Proctor will team with center Parker Brailsford and right guard Jaeden Roberts to form the core of what should be one of the best offensive lines in the country.
4. Colin Simmons, DE, Texas

The Shaun Alexander Award winner — given to the nation’s top freshman — didn’t start a game for the Longhorns in 2024 but tied for third in the SEC in tackles for loss (14) and tied for fifth in sacks (nine). The 6-3, 241-pound Dallas native will be in the starting lineup for Texas this fall.
5. Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama

The 6-foot, 175-pound sophomore’s breakout performance against Georgia highlighted a stellar rookie season that ended with first-team All-SEC and second-team All-American (AFCA) honors. He caught 48 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns and added two touchdown runs as well.
6. Keldric Faulk, DL, Auburn

The 6-6, 270-pound junior has 20 starts in two seasons at Auburn and is garnering first-round NFL Draft buzz heading into the season. He tallied 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks last season and is the only returning full-time starter on the Tigers’ front seven.
7. Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU

The fifth-year senior enters his second season as the Tigers’ starter minus four offensive linemen who were drafted, including left tackle Will Campbell. However, LSU signed a top transfer class, and Nussemeier is expected to have a banner season. He was one of two SEC quarterbacks to throw for at least 4,000 yards in 2024, but he also tied for the league lead with 12 interceptions. He has the second-best Heisman odds behind Arch Manning of Texas.
8. Dylan Stewart, edge, South Carolina

The 6-5, 245-pound Washington, D.C., native finished fourth in the SEC with 51 quarterback pressures in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. He made 11 starts as a true freshman and finished with 10 1/2 tackles for loss and 6 1/2 sacks. The challenge for Stewart in 2025 is to continue dominating after the Gamecocks lost three NFL Draft picks along the defensive line — Kyle Kennard, Tonka Hemingway and T.J. Sanders.
9. Whit Weeks, LB, LSU

A first-team All-SEC selection as a sophomore in 2024, Weeks ranked second in the league with 125 tackles, including 10 for loss and 3 1/2 sacks. The Georgia native had one interception and four pass breakups.
10. Jake Slaughter, C, Florida

The first-team Associated Press All-American enters his fifth season in Gainesville and is considered by most to be the best center in college football. He’s a big reason Florida allowed 19 fewer sacks last season than it did in 2023 and why the Gators should have one of the top offensive lines in the nation in 2025.
11. LT Overton, edge, Alabama

The 6-5, 283-pound former five-star recruit from Milton, Ga., led Alabama with nine quarterback hurries after transferring from Texas A&M last season. Overton started only four games but tallied 42 tackles, including three for loss and two sacks. He should be one of the top players in the league this season as he transitions into a full-time starting role.
12. Christen Miller, DL, Georgia

It feels strange not having a player Georgia ranked higher on this list, but the defending SEC champions lost 13 players to the 2025 NFL Draft. Miller, a 6-4, 305-pound redshirt junior, is the only returning starter on the Bulldogs’ defensive line. He recorded 27 tackles, including 3 1/2 tackles for loss and 1 1/2 sacks, in 2024.
13. John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma

Mateer accounted for 44 touchdowns — more than any other QB nationally — at Washington State in 2024. He ranked eighth in passing efficiency, completing 64.6 percent of his attempts for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and only seven interceptions while also rushing for 826 yards and 15 scores. Facing SEC defenses will be a different chore, but Oklahoma coach Brent Venables is counting on Mateer, Cal transfer Jaydn Ott and several other additions to revive an offense that struggled mightily in its first tour through the league.
14. Michael Taaffe, S, Texas

The 6-foot, 190-pound fifth-year senior has started 26 games in his career and earned second-team All-America honors from the AP last season when he had 78 tackles, 5 1/2 tackles for loss, two sacks, 12 pass deflections and two interceptions. Not bad for a former walk-on. He will team with cornerback Malik Muhammad to anchor the Longhorns’ secondary in 2025.
15. Cam Coleman, WR, Auburn

The 6-3, 195-pound sensational sophomore from Phenix City, Ala., lived up to his five-star hype in Year 1, catching 37 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns. He should thrive with a bunch of new weapons around him this fall, including receivers Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech) and Horatio Fields (Wake Forest).
16. Arch Manning, QB, Texas

Even if his last name weren’t Manning, odds are high that the quarterback at Texas would’ve entered this season among the favorites to win the Heisman. Manning, though, looks the part, having made plenty of big-time throws as well as plays with his legs when he stepped in for Quinn Ewers last season.
17. Jalon Kilgore, CB, South Carolina

Only two full-time starters are back on South Carolina’s vaunted defense. We already ranked the other, Stewart. Kilgore, a 6-1, 211-pound junior, tied for the SEC lead with five interceptions and added 10 pass breakups to go with 48 tackles last season.
18. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

The 6-foot, 193-pound junior from Texas was a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist last season after transferring from Oregon State. He earned first-team All-SEC honors and was among the league leaders with 13 pass breakups and four interceptions. McCoy would be higher on this list had he not torn his ACL in January. He is expected back at some point this season.
19. Suntarine Perkins, LB, Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin had eight players drafted — the most for Ole Miss since the beginning of the seven-round format in 1994. There’s not a lot of starting experience back on defense except for this speedy 6-1, 210-pound junior who had 14 tackles for loss, 10 1/2 sacks and 31 pressures last season.
20. R Mason Thomas, edge, Oklahoma

The 6-2, 249-pound senior from South Florida cracked the starting lineup last season and earned second-team All-SEC honors, finishing with a team-leading 12 1/2 tackles for loss, 11 hurries and nine sacks.
21. Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt

The former Texas A&M quarterback recruit earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2024 after transferring from New Mexico State, catching 49 passes for 638 yards and five touchdowns. With quarterback Diego Pavia back, expect another productive season from Sowers.
22. DJ Lagway, QB, Florida

The sophomore from Texas went 6-1 as a starter in 2024, tying Chris Leak for the most wins by a true freshman quarterback at Florida. He completed 59.9 percent of his attempts for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing 51 times for 101 yards. He missed the spring recovering from shoulder and hamstring injuries.
23. Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia

Everette, a third-team All-SEC selection in 2024, is entering his third season as a starter. The 6-1, 190-pound junior from Virginia had 58 tackles and a team-high three interceptions, including two in the SEC title victory over Texas.
24. Tyreak Sapp, DL, Florida

The fifth-year senior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., led the Gators with seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss last season and can line up anywhere on the defensive line. Sapp was one of four Florida players who received the Tim Tebow Leadership Award this spring. Jake Slaughter, No. 10 on this list, was another.
25. Will Lee III, CB, Texas A&M

The 6-3, 190-pound Kansas State transfer earned second-team All-SEC honors in his first season in College Station. Lee intercepted two passes and had 10 pass breakups and 42 tackles in 2024.
10 others to watch

26. KJ Bolden, S, Georgia

27. Deontae Lawson, LB, Alabama

28. Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt

29. CJ Allen, LB, Georgia

30. Harold Perkins Jr., LB, LSU

31. Eric Singleton Jr., WR, Auburn

32. Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia

33. Austin Barber, OT, Florida

34. Cayden Green, OG, Missouri

35. Caleb Banks, DL, Florida

 

plaintexted

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Posted
2 hours ago, Codaxx said:

Tech: 9 - 19, 115, 1 TD, 1 int. 1 sack... 37-16 win.. (he did have 197 rushing, but seems like hollow yards based on the score)

FIFY. Tech sucks and I did enjoy watching him shred them on the ground that night. Still can’t see him doing anything close to that in Dallas.

Posted

IT stuff:

Defensive Tackle 

The sophomore is working hard right in line with everyone else. It sounds like Orange head coach and former Georgia assistant Fran Brown has a good culture in upstate New York because Watson is fitting right in and looking like the real deal. A source guessed that Watson will start alongside Cole Brevard, a fellow transfer. What does that mean for Alex January? Not much. January is going to play a lot and continues to have a strong offseason. Watson is probably just a little bit more “full grown” at this point. January might have more upside per the same source. 

Keep in mind Watson was asked about. When IT asked who is looking good in workouts, true freshman Josiah Sharma was mentioned. That was a bit of a surprise, only because he’s massive, a true freshman, and workouts are hard. That written, he did work hard at Folsom, Calif. Sharma is showing to be hungry. 

Maryland transfer Lavon Johnson was mentioned as bringing in a leadership element to the room. An experienced player known for doing the dirty work, that’s not a great surprise. That room could use some leadership given the losses after last year.

We’ll learn a lot more about DT rotation this August but this room is looking to be pretty good. 

Emmett Mosley V joins workouts, wide receiver notes

As I suspected, the Stanford transfer was nursing an ailment upon arrival and missed the first couple of weeks of workouts. Once cleared, he hit the ground running and is getting after it, even during the most intense workouts (Friday Four Quarters). He’s living up to his reputation as a driven young man. 

Two important notes on him. During an interview this week, Steve Sarkisian mentioned Mosley in the Top 3 with Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore. We already knew that to be the case from when Texas targeted him in the portal but it was still somewhat interesting to hear Sark say it publicly. Second, as of now, Mosley is working outside. I suspected this last week when IT heard Moore was doing damage underneath and Wingo was making plays deep. This means Moore is still in the slot. Likely for slot fade purposes. 

A source is very bullish on blocking at the position this season, and I think Sark may have said the same this past week. All three of Mosley, Wingo, and Moore will get after the DB. Parker Livingstone, too. 

Two more notes: 

D. Moore is emerging as a team leader, not just a leader in his room.

Don’t sleep on Livingstone making plays this season. He’s a better vertical threat than Mosley. So is Aaron Butler, at least as far as speed goes.

Tight end looking even better with arrival of Townsend

The highly rated Nick Townsend is getting better and better each week as he continues to learn the playbook. His athleticism is obvious and his size was mentioned as “good.” 

Said a source, “Emaree Winston is a better route runner, very savvy, but Townsend is more of a specimen—bigger, faster.” We knew that based on high school evaluation but the main point is Texas has two good, young players at the position. 

Cal TE Jack Endries continues to impress. He’s a good route runner, grinder, and has leadership intangibles. As a former walk-on that’s not surprising. He’s becoming a top target for Arch Manning. “It’s intentional those two are getting on the same page.”

IT needs to check on Jordan Washington. There’s no point of concern, we’ve just been a bit more focused on what’s new.

Running back leadership a team strength once again

The current Texas culture was built on Roschon Johnson with a solid helping from Bijan Robinson. Here we are years later and Quintrevion Wisner is making a similar impact to Johnson despite having an entirely different personality. Johnson was a stoic, known for toughness. Wisner is the Energizer Bunny, but also known for toughness. 

CJ Baxter has assumed the Bijan leadership role. Everybody in the locker room respects him for how he conducts himself and is pulling for him simply because he’s a good dude. He’s well respected for how he handled himself after a very difficult injury. 

Leadership in the running back room is often a bonus but now Texas finds itself with abundance once again.

Oh yeah, both are balling in 7 on 7 catching passes. Baxter is moving better each week. I would still temper early-season expectations with him.

Offensive line leadership

One of the stories of spring ball was DJ Campbell being in better shape and becoming more vocal. That has continued but now Trevor Goosby is stepping more into the void created by Kelvin Banks‘ departure. There’s some talk he’s the type who might come back for his senior year. After chuckling, a source said, “he’s not working like that.” 

The implication of course, guys act different in a contract year. Look no further than Campbell. 

Connor Robertson also gained mention as an O-lineman standing out during workouts. I fully expect the Gaskamp Award to make one final death rattle in 2026.

Defensive back notes 

With Jelani McDonald increasingly looking like the Star, at least against Ohio State, IT asked about safety depth. Jordon Johnson-Rubell seems like ol’ reliable, always doing the right things, always in the right place. During 7 on 7 sources will mention he’s a “pads” player, meaning physicality is an important element of his game. Still, his speed is better than expected coming out of high school. 

What about Xavier Filsaime? I heard the magic words…”He’s communicating better.” When I hear this about a safety my expectations for playing time begin to rise. We heard about improved communication in 2022 and lo and behold that secondary showed vast improvement over 2021. It’s so important in the backend. It’s proof to the coaches the player is ready for playing time. I expect XF to be the fourth safety this season. 

Who’s the best ballhawk in the secondary? It’s too hard to tell right now because there haven’t been many interceptions. Is that because the quarterbacks are protecting the ball or is it because Texas lacks ballhawks with the departures of Andrew Mukuba and Jahdae Barron? 

Warren Roberson was singled out as the player that breaks on the ball the best. He’s instinctive and very twitchy (hearing he’s “instinctive” scares me a bit, though). Santana Wilson and Kobe Black were mentioned as well. 

As I’ve been saying, expect to see more defensive backs than you’re ever seen hit the field this season. The reasons are two: Tons of guys are earning playing time and Duane Akina loves to play match-ups.

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Posted
30 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Man, those IT "updates" are hard to read.

As I was reading it, grimacing through some of the more difficult to parse sections, I could see the writer sitting at his laptop beavering away on this update. And in his mind, it was just so cleverly written, so precious, so perfect that he couldn't wait to get it out the door on onto the website. Alas, I am sorry to say, it is trash. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Posted
56 minutes ago, SimkinsMan said:

As I was reading it, grimacing through some of the more difficult to parse sections, I could see the writer sitting at his laptop beavering away on this update. And in his mind, it was just so cleverly written, so precious, so perfect that he couldn't wait to get it out the door on onto the website. Alas, I am sorry to say, it is trash. 

Work Working GIF by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

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