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The college football regular season is less than a week away and all 14 SEC squads have been working hard in their respective fall camps for the past month to prepare for another season is the nation’s most competitive conference.
Between some injuries and plenty of position battles across the conference, there has been no shortage of news coming out of preseason practices and scrimmages.
We now take the time to recap our series of biggest developments from every SEC school during preseason camp:
Alabama
The Crimson Tide’s preseason revolved around the offense. Nick Saban’s primary goal has been finding his starting quarterback for the season, which he has yet to name. But his passers’ performances in fall camp will ultimately be what sways his decision.
Other buzz out of Tuscaloosa involves excitement over a couple of wide receivers and running backs. We all know what we’re going to get from Alabama’s defense, but it appears the offense is starting to come together as well.
Arkansas
The Razorbacks defensive line is what has stood out most at their fall camp.
The other developments for Arkansas during the preseason involved the progression of the offense, including an impressive backfield and improved quarterback play. But the defensive front that the team now refers to as “Front Force” is what stole the show in Fayetteville.
Auburn
The Tigers are stacked on both sides of the ball, making Auburn’s position battles in fall camp some heated competitions.
Reports out of preseason practices have also been that Gus Malzahn’s new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp plans to get creative with his usage of his star pass rusher Carl Lawson.
Florida
The Gators preseason has involved questions about there quarterback on offense and defense (linebacker Antonio Morrison).
First-year coach Jim McElwain said his quarterback battle could come down to the wire and Morrison’s health is still up in the air.
Georgia
Another QB battle headlines the preseason camp in Athens.
The Bulldogs defense figures to be a force to be reckoned with this season, but the offense still has some kinks to work out. But for the most part, reports out of Georgia this preseason have been positive and the future looks bright for Mark Richt’s team.
Kentucky
The moral of the story for the Wildcats fall camp is overall optimism from Mark Stoops for his team this year.
Kentucky had its own “Remember the Titans” moment this preseason that helped bring the team together and the hopes are that this is the year things begin to turn around for the football program in Lexington. Stoops is desperate for a bowl game appearance and is confident in the team he’s working with to get there.
LSU
The Tigers preseason camp has had some ups and downs.
One positive for the Tigers is they are believed to have found their starting quarterback in Brandon Harris. But the loss of senior safety Jalen Mills to injury and the reshuffling of the offensive line, has some concerned in Baton Rouge.
Mississippi State
The Bulldogs preseason has been all about preparing to prove the haters wrong.
Mississippi State is not a popular pick this season in the SEC West, but Dan Mullen and his team are determined to prove they still have some of the magic that helped win 10 games last season. It appears the Bulldogs had a very productive fall camp, which is a good start to repeating last year’s success.
Missouri
There’s been some depth chart movement in Missouri’s fall camp that has been overshadowed by mystery surrounding the defensive scheme.
Gary Pinkel’s team could cause a lot of damage in the SEC East this season but first he and his coaching staff are working on finding the combination of starting players that works best together.
Ole Miss
The Rebels are another squad whose preseason revolved around a competitive quarterback competition.
But luckily for Ole Miss, all three passers have looked solid and have plenty of weapons to work with on offense. Another big key for Ole Miss this preseason was to see how star players like Laremy Tunsil and Laquon Treadwell work their way back from major leg injuries.
South Carolina
From what they’ve seen in fall camp, the Gamecocks are excited about their quarterback this season.
Steve Spurrier always seems to have the offense on point but the defense is expected to be much improved this year in Columbia. South Carolina’s pass rush was another highlight of its preseason.
Tennessee
The Volunteers took a big hit this preseason when they lost two of their starting offensive linemen for the season.
Injuries like that will present some major challenges for Tennessee’s offense that was supposed to be much-improved this season.
Texas A&M
They aren’t worried about getting production from the offense in College Station, but the defense is a different story.
The Aggies preseason has focused on building a defense that can complement Kevin Sumlin’s dynamic offense and help take this team to the next level.
Vanderbilt
And how about one more fall camp quarterback competition for good measure.
The Commodores aren’t expected to name their starter until the last minute but they do know that running back Ralph Webb will receive a heavy workload to help take pressure off the passer.
Pat Donohue is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @SportsDownPat.
