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SEC football is back, y’all!
The conference went an impressive 13-2 through its first 15 games. Yes, it was mostly against inferior competition. Yes, LSU still has to face USC on Sunday night in Las Vegas.
But no matter how you slice it, it was a good opening weekend for the league.
But which individuals stood out? Who deserves the game ball for each team? Here are our official SDS game balls for Week 1:
Alabama: Ryan Williams, WR
The 5-star freshman made an impact in his Alabama debut, it’s safe to say. He only had 2 catches, but they went for a whopping 139 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Here was his first reception in college, going for 84 yards and a score:
17 years old. 1st career catch. 86 yard touchdown.
ryan williams is here ladies & gentlemen. pic.twitter.com/u379S6ivwp
— Kyron Samuels (@kyronsamuels) August 31, 2024
He’s supposed to still be in high school. Instead, he’s making incredible plays for the No. 5 team in the country. He’s going to be a star, y’all.
Arkansas: Bobby Petrino, OC
Petrino’s offense casually put up 70 points in his return to the Arkansas sidelines. Sure, it was only against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but the Hogs did what you’re supposed to do against inferior opponents. That hasn’t been the case in recent years. QB Taylen Green deserves a shoutout, too, but I’ll give the game ball to Petrino for not taking his foot off the gas pedal on Thursday night.
Auburn: Payton Thorne, QB
If the Tigers are going to take a step forward in Year 2 under Hugh Freeze, it has to start at the QB position. Yes, it was only against Alabama A&M, but Thorne looked much improved from 2023. He threw for 322 yards and 4 touchdowns while adding 49 yards and a score on the ground before hitting the bench early in a blowout 73-3 victory.
Florida: Montrell Johnson Jr., RB
This is tough. No matter who I put here, y’all are going to jump to the comments and say “no one deserves a game ball. The Gators are awful.” And while that was certainly true on Saturday, Montrell Johnson Jr. did his best to keep his team in the game.
He had a 71-yard touchdown run as part of a 109-yard day on the ground. The Gators may have a ton of question marks moving forward, but at least they know who their RB1 is.
Georgia: Jalon Walker, LB
When you are as dominant as Georgia was on Saturday, there are several ways you can go for a game ball. But Walker was absolutely everywhere for the Georgia defense. It was like he was in the Clemson huddle at times. He was a nightmare for QB Cade Klubnik and OC Garrett Riley:
Jalon Walker is on a mission today pic.twitter.com/eGRbnPHlC9
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 31, 2024
He led the Georgia defense with 6 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Just an all-around great effort.
Honorable mention goes to freshman RB Nate Frazier, who stepped up for a shorthanded RB room and had 83 yards and a touchdown.
Kentucky: Brock Vandagriff, QB
Full disclosure: I’m writing this after Kentucky went into its second weather delay of the night. But in the third quarter, Vandagriff is 12-for-18 for 169 yards and 2 scores as a passer and has 5 carries for 35 yards and a score on the ground. That’s a pretty solid first game in blue for the former Georgia QB. I’ll go ahead and give him the game ball with Kentucky leading 31-0 on this stormy night in Lexington.
LSU: TBD
The Tigers take on USC on Sunday night in Las Vegas, so we’ll have to wait a bit to see which LSU players shine in Week 1.
Mississippi State: Blake Shapen, QB
Shapen threw for 247 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions while also leading his team in rushing. He went for 44 yards and a score as a runner in Mississippi State’s comfortable 56-7 win over Eastern Kentucky in Jeff Lebby’s head coaching debut. Tougher tests await, but this was a solid first game in Starkville for Shapen.
Mizzou: The Defense
The Tigers’ game ball goes to the entire defense. A cop out? Maybe. But this defensive unit faced numerous questions entering 2024 after losing some key players to the NFL and losing DC Blake Baker to LSU. Against FCS Murray State, the Tigers built some major confidence, preserving a 51-0 shutout. Toriano Pride Jr. scored on a pick-6 to give the Mizzou defense its first points of the year.
Oklahoma: Deion Burks, WR
Burks made an immediate impact after transferring to Oklahoma from Purdue this offseason. In his debut as a Sooner, he couldn’t have been better, racking up 6 catches for 36 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 3 times for 14 yards. With Burks in the mix, the Sooners have an elite receiving corps, even after the injury news surrounding Jalil Farooq.
Ole Miss: Jaxson Dart, QB
When you throw for 418 yards and 5 touchdowns in the first half, you had yourself a day. Adding 27 yards and a score on the ground was just gravy. The Jaxson Dart-for-Heisman train has officially left the station. Ole Miss took a step toward a Playoff berth. Tougher competition assuredly awaits in the coming weeks, but the Rebels appear to be a force to be reckoned with behind their fearless leader in Dart.
South Carolina: Raheim Sanders, RB
The Gamecocks barely escaped a threat from Old Dominion on Saturday afternoon, but the former Arkansas running back was everything Shane Beamer and company hoped he’d be. Sanders carried the ball 24 times, racking up 88 brutal yards and scoring 1 of 2 South Carolina touchdowns. The offensive line is going to need to improve moving forward, but Sanders is a legitimate RB1.
Tennessee: Nico Iamaleava, QB
The Nico era is officially here on Rocky Top. Yes, it was only against Chattanooga, but the redshirt freshman QB was as advertised. He racked up 314 passing yards and 3 touchdowns before making an early exit with the Vols leading by so many points. The future is now at Tennessee.
Texas: Quinn Ewers, QB
We’re not going to go wild and give the game ball to Arch Manning. This belongs to Ewers. He had an easy afternoon, completing 20 of his 27 passes for 260 yards and 3 touchdowns. Were they Heisman-worthy numbers? Not quite. Were they enough to give his team a comfortable lead and get the starters off the field early? Absolutely.
Texas A&M: Tyler White, P
Yes, I’m giving the Aggies’ game ball to the punter. The defense played pretty well as a whole, but there weren’t many individual standouts. There certainly weren’t many standouts on offense. White had 3 of his 4 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. He also had his longest punt go for 62 yards. Special teams is important and White did all he could to keep his team in the game against Notre Dame.
Vanderbilt: Diego Pavia, QB
San Diego? More like Van Diego! New QB Diego Pavia was incredible in his Commodores debut. Pavia completed 12 of his 16 passes for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was also brilliant as a runner, amassing 104 yards and a key score on the ground. If he can continue to play like this, Vanderbilt will, at the very least, be competitive in 2024.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
