Offseason rankings: Teams that improved, teams that suffered

This is a year of transition in the SEC.

Most of the teams’ starting quarterbacks departed after the 2015 season. Three schools hired new head coaches. There are a lot of question marks for a lot of traditionally strong programs.

Which programs find themselves improved and which ones may have taken a step back? Let’s take a look:

Teams that stepped forward in the offseason

Tennessee: No team should be brimming with more new-found optimism than Butch Jones’ Vols. With 17 returning starters and stars at key positions like quarterback (Josh Dobbs is the best quarterback in the SEC not named Chad Kelly) and running back (Jalen Hurd is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate), the Vols look like a team to beat. There’s been steady improvement under Jones, and more improvement should mean a trip to Atlanta this year, right?

LSU: The Tigers got great news when several of the top returning seniors opted to return to school rather than bolt for the NFL, making this the most experienced LSU team in recent years, tying Tennessee for a league-best 17 returning starters. Fans in Baton Rouge are also excited that they landed one of the hot defensive coordinators in the country in Wisconsin’s Dave Aranda. The down side is the lingering effect of the near-firing of Les Miles.

Missouri: Gary Pinkel’s retirement isn’t necessarily all bad for the Tigers, who will continue to build on a defensive tradition under former defensive coordinator Barry Odom, Pinkel’s replacement. He inherits a defense that was fifth in the nation against the pass last year and returns most of its top performers. If Missouri can get anything from its offense under first-year offensive coordinator Josh Heupel, watch out for a surprising season.

Florida: There may not be a more highly anticipated new player in the SEC than Gators quarterback Luke Del Rio, who seemed to latch on to the starting job with a great spring game. The Oregon State transfer has head coach Jim McElwain promising to throw the ball down the field this season, something the Gators could not do last year. Excitement at the QB position is enough in and of itself to make this a net positive offseason for the Gators.

Kentucky: The Wildcats can’t seem to get over the SEC hump under Mark Stoops, but there is reason to hope for improvement this year, particularly on offense. Running back Boom Williams is one of the most explosive backs in the league not named Leonard Fournette, and the Wildcats seem settled in with Drew Barker at quarterback. If Williams continues to shine and Barker progresses, the Wildcats have reason to be optimistic on offense, at least.

Georgia: While some were shocked to see Mark Richt go, the Bulldogs turned heads with the hiring of Kirby Smart as head coach. He inherits a great tandem of backs in Nick Chubb (who’s recovery has been impressive) and Sony Michel, and his defensive background should add to what’s already a pretty good Bulldogs defense. Georgia is still waiting for a definitive answer at quarterback, but there’s optimism there with five-star QB Jacob Eason.

Vanderbilt: If there’s something Derek Mason has been missing in his two years as Commodores head coach that James Franklin enjoyed, it’s been those bell cow players the Commodores can rally around, like prolific receiver Jordan Matthews, cornerbacks Andre Hal and Casey Hayward and running back Zac Stacy. Maybe those players will emerge this year with 15 starters returning for Mason, giving the Commodores at least a dark horse chance.

Texas A&M: To have the Aggies on the positive side of this list is about one thing: recovery. After the Aggies lost all their primary quarterbacks with Kyler Murray and Kyle Allen both transferring, things looked bad. But with Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight moving in to take the job, it now looks like Kevin Sumlin may have lost what was a toxic situation and still has one of the more proven and talented starters in the SEC. That’s a pretty miraculous recovery. Now to translate to on-field performance.

Teams that have suffered in the offseason

Alabama: It’s been a tumultuous offseason for the Crimson Tide, with six players asking to transfer and three more getting arrested. But will it be an issue for the Tide? Of the three arrested players, tackle Cam Robinson and safety Hootie Jones don’t appear to be on the way to missing playing time. The other, offensive lineman Alphonse Taylor, is going through a program that should keep him from missing time. As for the six transfers, most were players not likely to play significant roles. One potentially damaging offseason development is the potential loss of cornerback Tony Brown for as much as half the season because of an ongoing NCAA investigation into rules violations. Still, don’t read too much into this: A tough offseason in Tuscaloosa still leaves the Tide in great shape.

Arkansas: The Razorbacks became a balanced offense last year with quarterback Brandon Allen’s passing to tight end Hunter Henry, and the receivers adding to the noted ground game that was a product of Alex Collins and a huge offensive line. And that’s the problem this year. All the players mentioned above are gone, including three of the five offensive linemen. And the Razorbacks have two new coaches on the offensive staff. Can they maintain their identity as a power run team with balance?

Auburn: If there was attrition at Alabama, there was a downright exodus on The Plains. The team’s 1,000-yard rusher Peyton Barber made the ill-advised decision to leave for the NFL, and then there was the subsequent transfer of Roc Thomas, leaving the Tigers maybe a little thin at the position. Auburn did add a potential new starting quarterback in junior college transfer John Franklin III and added five new coaches, including new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele.

Ole Miss: How much can one team lose and still be as good? The Rebels lost players and reputation during the offseason. The headliners from the famed 2013 recruiting class all left for the NFL, leaving the Rebels looking for impact players to replace defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. And worse yet, the allegations and subsequent self-punishment over NCAA violations involving payments to Tunsil and his family has the program reeling a bit. The good news? Ole Miss has the best quarterback in the SEC coming back in Chad Kelly.

Mississippi State: Dak Prescott may go down as the best quarterback in Mississippi State history, so that he now plays for the Dallas Cowboys makes this, in and of itself, a tough offseason for the Bulldogs. But it’s not all bad. After the defense underperformed last year, defensive coordinator Manny Diaz left, replaced by USC’s Peter Sirmon. That could breathe new life into the defense, but it would have to do it without star defensive tackle Chris Jones.

South Carolina: When perhaps the most successful coach in program history retires and gets replaced by a guy who, a year ago, was just fired from his last head coaching job, it doesn’t make for a great first impression. Will Muschamp, formerly of Florida, replaces Steve Spurrier and finds himself with a similar dilemma to what he faced at UF: finding an offense capable of winning games. And he also has to recruit in a region where Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers just played for a national championship.

Gary Laney