It might feel like a long ways away, but the 2025 college football season is right one the horizon. The SEC conference is going to be an interesting one this fall. With the NIL and transfer portal landscapes the way they are, things are constantly changing. That remains true in the SEC, the top conference in the country. 

As is true every season, there are going to be some teams and players that surprise a ton, especially compared to preseason expectations. There’s no better time than now for some SEC hot takes heading into the season. It is going to be a really fun year. 

Top SEC quarterback in 2025 

Heading into the 2025 college football season, most people believe that Texas standout Arch Manning will at the top in terms of SEC quarterbacks when all is said and done. Most also believe that there is a good chance that Manning could be the best signal caller in all of college football. 

It’s understandable why people are forecasting that so strongly. At 6-4 and 220 pounds, the redshirt sophomore has a tremendous blend of size, arm talent, and athleticism. The talent is undeniable, on top of working with head coach Steve Sarkisian, who is considered an offensive genius. 

With the attention on Manning, some are missing the fact that the SEC also brings back a lot of talent behind center. 

That includes South Carolina star LaNorris Sellers, who did a lot of great things in his first year as a starter. Sellers managed to throw for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns in 12 games, while completing nearly 66 percent of his passes and throwing just seven interceptions. The talented runner also ran for another 674 yards and seven scores on the ground. 

The growth we saw from Sellers during the second half of the season was tremendous. Now going into his second year as the starter, I expect Sellers to name a massive jump. The 6-3, 242-pound passer is an outstanding blend of raw passing skills and athleticism. 

Let Le’Veon Moss star healthy 

When Texas A&M running back Le’Veon Moss has been healthy over the years, he has been very, very impressive. The 5-11, 210-pound runner is an explosive mover who brings impressive physicality as well. In nine games in 2024, Moss accounted for 906 total yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 6.9 yards per touch. The Aggies look to build their offense through the running game. If Moss can stay healthy, he will he one of the very best running backs in the country in 2025. 

Austin Simmons is a star 

The Ole Miss offense under head coach Lane Kiffin got a lot out of quarterback Jaxson Dart the last two seasons. They are now set to hand the keys over to redshirt sophomore signal caller Austin Simmons, who is still only 19 years old. He is a tremendous overall athlete, also doubling as a notable pitcher for the Rebels baseball team. 

While experience is very important to the quarterback position, there’s little question that Simmons has the arm strength and movement skills to operate the Kiffin system at a high level. One could make the argument (and I would) that Simmons is even more talented than Dart. If the supporting cast is solid, I expect Simmons to have a big season. His upside is immense. 

Caleb Banks enters elite status 

Florida star defensive tackle Caleb Banks nearly entered the 2025 NFL Draft, but eventually opened to return for his final season for the Gators. If Banks had entered that class, he had a chance to be selected in the back half of round one. That would have been due to the upside, and the freakish athleticism that Banks possesses at 6-6 and 333 pounds. 

While an impressive talent, and some really good film in 2024, we are still waiting for Banks to actualize that talent into production. He managed to record just 21 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks last season. Not awful production, but you would expect more from an elite talent like Banks. 

I believe that production for Banks is going to come in 2025, and he is going to go from a really good college football player to one of the elite defenders in the country. The talent has always been there, even back to his time at Louisville. Banks puts everything together this season. 

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