The 2025 college football season is just a matter of weeks away.
This story will strive to project the most efficient defenses in the SEC for 2025. As we did on the offensive side of the ball, the primary metric being predicted here will be yards-per-play.
Continuity, roster quality, returning production, defensive coordinator reputation and strength-of-schedule are among the factors that will be considered.
SEC football predictions: Who will have the best defense in 2025?
With all of that out of the way, here’s a prediction for the best 5 SEC defenses in 2025:
No. 5: Oklahoma
Any unit that’s led by Brent Venables deserves quite a bit of consideration. The Sooners finished just outside of the top 5 a year ago and they do lose a key player at all 3 levels: defensive lineman Ethan Downs, linebacker Danny Stutsman and defensive back Billy Bowman. But the good news for the Sooners is they have recruited very well over the past couple of cycles and have ample replacements at those positions.
R Mason Thomas is one of the best pass rushers in the country. The DT room is stacked with players like Damonic Williams, Jayden Jackson and David Stone. The Bowen brothers (Peyton and Eli) are back in the secondary, as is Robert Spears-Jennings, Jacobe Johnson and more. If not for a schedule that features offenses like Texas, Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss, among others, Oklahoma would be ranked even higher.
SEC Championship odds: +3000 at DraftKings
No. 4: Tennessee
Candidly, I almost left the Vols off this list before taking a longer look at the track record under Tim Banks. Tennessee just keeps cranking out elite defenses. The Vols finished each of the last 2 seasons ranked in the top-3 in yards per play allowed (among SEC teams) and they bring back a ridiculous amount of production in 2025. Tennessee ranks No. 7 nationally in ESPN’s returning production metric. James Pearce is gone, but Tennessee has one of the best cornerback duos in the country in Jermod McCoy (once he returns from an offseason knee injury) and Rickey Gibson.
Tennessee doing this even with a higher-tempo offense is even more impressive. The Vols may end up slowing down on that side of the ball with Joey Aguilar at QB this year, which could help them out more on defense as well — longer offensive possessions means more rest for the defense in between series. It’s possible I have the Vols too low on this list going into 2025.
SEC Championship odds: +2000 at bet365
No. 3: Georgia
This is more of a bold prediction than it may initially appear. Georgia was uncharacteristically bad on defense last season, at least by its standards under Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs ranked 8th in the SEC in yards per play allowed. Their advanced metrics were even more concerning — they finished 55th in the country in schedule-adjusted EPA-per-play last season, according to Game on Paper.
So why is Georgia on this list and at No. 3? The defensive talent is hard to ignore. UGA is 4th nationally in Bill Connelly’s preseason SP+ defensive ratings. The track record for Smart and defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann is simply too good to think they will be down for much longer. Former 5-star KJ Bolden is the big name here at safety, but the Bulldogs have blue-chip talent all over this roster.
National Championship odds: +650 at BetMGM
No. 2: Alabama
Alabama finished 4th in yards per play allowed last season and I think there’s reason to believe the Tide will take another step forward this fall. Alabama is 13th in returning production per ESPN, which should be a scary realization for opposing offenses considering how well the Tide have recruited at the high school level. Kane Wommack also returns for Year 2 as Alabama’s defensive coordinator and remains one of the top defensive play-callers in the country.
Personnel-wise, Alabama has significantly more experience and continuity than is typical for a defense in Tuscaloosa. The Tide have 10 players returning who played more than 400 snaps last season on defense, per Pro Football Focus. The only significant losses are stars Malachi Moore and Jihaad Campbell, but Alabama is in good position to make up for those departures. Schedule-wise, Alabama also avoids a lot of the top projected offenses in the SEC.
National Championship odds: +1500 at BetMGM
No. 1: Texas
Texas lands the No. 1 spot on this list quite comfortably. The Longhorns bring back a ton of talent from last year’s team, including Colin Simmons, Anthony Hill and Michael Taaffe, among others. That’s 3 potential first-team All-Americans at 3 different levels of the defense. The Longhorns rank 31st in defensive returning production, per ESPN. That’s a really strong mark for a program that’s routinely producing NFL talent these days.
Texas also gets the nod over Georgia and others because it faces a very soft SEC schedule. Mississippi State, Kentucky and Vanderbilt are all on the slate. Each of those programs finished near the bottom in yards per play last season and don’t project to be much different in 2025.
National Championship odds: +600 at FanDuel
Just missed: Texas A&M, Auburn
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
