No position in football draws the spotlight like quarterback, and that’s certainly no less true in the powerful Southeastern Conference.
Somebody has to block for those quarterbacks, though. Somebody has to catch their passes or take their handoffs. And when they’re on the sideline, a lot of somebodies have to play defense to make sure the quarterback isn’t trying to play an impossible game of catch-up.
Here’s a look at one player — quarterbacks not included — from each of the SEC’s 16 schools who could be poised to help change his team’s fortunes in 2025.
Alabama: Athletic receiver Ryan Williams (6-foot-1, 165 pounds) already had his breakout season with 48 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman in 2024. What will he do for an encore? A good start would be more consistency after failing to crack 100 yards in any of the last nine games for the Crimson Tide.
Arkansas: After three lackluster years at Georgia, linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr. (6-3, 231) came on strong in his debut season with the Razorbacks last fall. He finished with 99 tackles, which ranked seventh in the SEC, and is expected to anchor head coach Sam Pittman’s defense as a senior.