By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Matt Smith talks SEC football entering the summer.

Spring practice wrapped up in the SEC a week ago with events resembling games at Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M. We now enter what former The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) sportswriter Marc Morehouse has aptly dubbed cthe horse latitudesd of the college football calendar. The horse latitudes are, in addition to a song by The Doors, subtropical regions of the Earth with little wind and little precipitation. In other words, not much is going on. Thats the next two-and-a-half months, a time in which no news is good news before the start of ctalkin seasond come mid-July.

2021 may be a little more active, however. Well get to that later. Spring didnt offer the normal number of glimpses, but that may have helped limit the degree of overreaction that comes with this time of year. Loosened COVID restrictions did allow for open practices and normal spring games for most of the SEC, so were not flying totally blind heading into the summer. Lets go around the league and look at the state of the SEC as we reach the midway point of the offseason.

Quarterback Competitions
Nine SEC quarterbacks should feel pretty safe about their starting roles. Six of the nine are returning starters, while a seventh has limited starting experience.

Alabama: Bryce Young (So.)
Arkansas: K.J. Jefferson (So.)
Auburn: Bo Nix (Jr.)
Florida: Emory Jones (Jr.)
Georgia: J.T. Daniels (Jr.)
Ole Miss: Matt Corral (Jr.)
Missouri: Connor Bazelak (So.)
South Carolina: Luke Doty (So.)
Vanderbilt: Ken Seals (So.)

If youre smarter than a fifth grader, you know that leaves five SEC teams who will have quarterback battles into August camp. Three of the five are simply extensions from the spring. Kentucky welcomes former Penn State backup Will Levis this summer, while Tennessee also went into Big Ten country for some quarterback help in former Michigan starter Joe Milton. Heres how the five open competitions stand:

Kentucky: Joey Gatewood (Jr.) vs. Beau Allen (rFr.) vs. Will Levis (Jr.)
LSU: Myles Brennan (Sr.) vs. T.J. Finley (So.) vs. Max Johnson (So.)
Mississippi State: Will Rogers (So.) vs. Jack Abraham (Sr.)
Tennessee: Hendon Hooker (Sr.) vs. Joe Milton (Sr.) vs. Harrison Bailey (So.) vs. Brian Maurer (Jr.)
Texas A&M: Haynes King (Fr.) vs. Zach Calzada (So.)

My predictions? Ill take Levis, Brennan, Rogers, Hooker and Calzada.

New Coaches
After eight coaching change in two seasons, Ole Miss Lane Kiffin, who has coached 10 games for the Rebels, now is in the top half of the league in terms of time spent at his current school. He and three others (Sam Pittman, Mike Leach, Eli Drinkwitz) are going through their first cnormald offseason after a disjointed 2020, while another quartet is just starting out.

Bryan Harsin joins Leach as transplants from the Northwest, as he takes over at Auburn following seven seasons at Boise State. Shane Beamer leveraged a well-traveled career as an assistant, and perhaps his last name, to land the South Carolina job. Josh Heupel reunited with his former UCF boss Danny White at Tennessee, and Clark Lea returns to his alma mater at Vanderbilt after a highly successful three-year stint directing the defense at Notre Dame.

None feel like home runs, but none necessarily seem out of place. Harsin has spent most of his time out west, but was the head coach at Arkansas State in 2013, ironically replacing Gus Malzahn, as he is doing once again at Auburn. Beamer has a tough task in Columbia, as neighbor schools Clemson, Georgia and North Carolina are all top-15 programs, but theres solid infrastructure there. Heupel and Lea both need help from programs that have been marred by instability and incompetence from athletic and university leadership.

A strong season for Harsin would be getting one of two monkeys off of the Auburn programs back: The Tigers are 1-7 against Georgia in their last eight meetings and 0-10 against LSU in Baton Rouge since 2000. Winning one of those games in Year 1 would be a great start to his tenure. If any of the three new head coaches make a bowl, they could be in the running for SEC Coach of the Year. Tennessee and Josh Heupel probably have the best chance to do that, as they have eight home games and a viable chance to go 4-0 in non-conference play.

Coordinator Changes
Four teams changed head coaches, but four other schools made at least one addition at coordinator.

Alabama: Bill OBrien (Offense)
Kentucky: Liam Coen (Offense)
LSU: Jake Peetz (Offense), Daronte Jones (Defense)
Missouri: Steve Wilks (Defense)

College football and the NFL are becoming more aligned schematically, but the fact that all five new coordinators hired by returning head coaches came from the NFL is pretty shocking. Two were head coaches in the NFL in OBrien and Wilks.

Kentucky somewhat surprisingly moved on from Eddie Gran, plucking Liam Coen from the growing Sean McVay tree to direct a Wildcats offense that could use a jolt in the passing game. LSUs 5-5 season led to a complete overhaul, with Ed Orgeron looking to recreate the offensive magic from former coordinator Joe Brady in 2019 by hiring Peetz, Bradys quarterbacks coach with the Carolina Panthers. Jones spent some time at Hawaii and Wisconsin, but was most recently the defensive backs coach with the Minnesota Vikings. He replaces Bo Pelini, who lasted just one season in his second stint in charge of the Tigers defense.

Florida did elevate receivers coach Billy Gonzales to a co-coordinator role after Brian Johnson left for the Philadelphia Eagles, but longtime Dan Mullen run-game coordinator John Hevesy returns.

Spring Standouts
Spring practice starts are often driven by the programs themselves, but Ill highlight a few names that shined and raised their expectations as the season approaches.

-Georgia WR Adonai Mitchell: The true freshman entered a crowded receiver room in Athens, but Mitchell took advantage of some notable injuries at the position to come on strong late in spring practice. His ability was on display to all in the G-Day game, as he caught seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. There will be a lot of hands in the cookie jar come preseason camp, but Mitchell has earned a chance to compete for significant playing time.

-Arkansas QB K.J. Jefferson: Jefferson has transformed his body to withstand the pounding that is likely to come from playing a full season in 2021 after seeing limited action in 2019 and 2020. He also looked like a much more complete quarterback during the spring, showing a live arm with a quality deep ball during the Red-White spring game, building on a strong performance in a 50-48 loss to Missouri late last season. Jefferson wasnt a lock to start heading into the spring, but that debate is over.

-South Carolina WR E.J. Jenkins: The rebuilding Gamecocks do have some fun offensive playmakers, including Wilkins, a graduate transfer from St. Francis, an FCS school in Pennsylvania. At 67d and around 240 pounds, Jenkins should thrive in one-on-one situations. Hes not going to be a big YAC guy, but his size makes him a quarterbacks best friend for 50-50 balls and red zone throws.

-LSU S Jay Ward: Rather than loiter behind the SECs best cornerback duo in Derek Stingley Jr. and Eli Ricks, Ward transitioned to safety this spring, where he was named the likely starter by head coach Ed Orgeron. Ward had three interceptions in the final two games last season, including a game-changing sideline pick in the upset win at Florida. For the Tigers, this is a matter of getting your best playmakers on the field, regardless of position. This move looks like a shrewd decision by Ward, Orgeron and coordinator Daronte Jones.

-Tennessee OT Dayne Davis: Lets give some props to a walk-on, or should I say, former walk-on. Davis, a third-year sophomore and East Tennessee native, was elevated to scholarship status after the 2020 season. Following a slew of transfers in light of the coaching change, Davis could be in line to start at tackle after impressing the new staff this spring. He has good length at 67d, but will have the prove he has the athleticism to be a full-time player in the SEC.

Premature Predictions

With four months until the season, heres how I envision the SEC divisions shaking out:

SEC East
1. Georgia
2. Florida
3. Kentucky
4. Missouri
5. Tennessee
6. South Carolina
7. Vanderbilt

The SEC East is boring. Georgia is the clear favorite. The secondary is starting over, but no program has recruited better on defense than the Bulldogs. The offense should build on its new-found explosive elements from late last season. Defending champion Florida is a distant second, partially due to having to play Alabama, while Georgia draws Arkansas. I cant see the Gators finishing worse than 8-4 or better than 10-2. 2020 was their year to break through, and they narrowly missed out. Kentucky and Missouri will battle for third, but Ill give the edge to Kentucky because of its physicality and getting the Tigers in Lexington. Throw the bottom three teams in a hat, as all have new coaches and a significant shortage of talent. After the spring, I think Tennessees offense should be the best of the six units, so Ill slide the Vols into the No. 5 slot.

SEC West
1. Alabama
2. Texas A&M
3. Ole Miss
4. LSU
5. Auburn
6. Mississippi State
7. Arkansas

The SEC West has much more intrigue. No. 1 and No. 2 seem pretty clear, although LSU and Ole Miss have the personnel to challenge Texas A&M for a New Years Six bowl. Auburn is a bit of a mystery with the new regime and shouldnt be discounted, but the Rebels have the easiest schedule of the three middle-tier teams and get LSU at home. Mississippi State and Arkansas will be competitive, and at least one should go to a bowl. I give the edge to the Bulldogs because of a favorable rotating game against Vanderbilt, but I expect the No. 7 team in the division to be no worse than 5-7. Alabama aside, most SEC West games should be competitive.

Whats Next
SEC Spring Meetings will be held virtually this season. Unlike other conferences, the league has yet to formally announce a loosening of transfer restrictions to allow undergraduates to transfer within the conference without penalty, but it is expected to happen soon. The other pressing issue is name, image and likeness. There is no NCAA-created framework yet, but many states, including Florida, have enacted laws permitting student-athletes rights to NIL compensation taking effect in July.

COVID impacts on fall sports could also be a hot topic. I would be surprised if masks are still necessary outside of travel, and testing will likely be limited to either once per week or only when symptoms are present. Vaccinated players, coaches and staff should be able to avoid any close-contact quarantine requirements if asymptomatic. As for fans, stadiums should be full and tailgating should be bustling. The SEC led the charge to play a 2020 season, and I expect it to do the same to have a normal 2021 season.

The NCAA recruiting dead period finally ends on June 1, so official visits will be able to take place for the first time since early 2020. The transfer portal will also be very active as programs and players reassess rosters and depth charts following the spring.

SEC Media Days return to their longtime home outside of Birmingham after the event was not held in 2020. The four-day gala begins July 19 at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Alabama. Seven coaches will make their first appearance at the event 3 the four new hires, and three of the four 2020 hires, with only Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin having previously participated in the event when he was the head coach at Tennessee in 2009.

As for actual football, the SEC will not take part in cWeek 0d this season on Aug. 28, meaning the earliest the season could start would be Thursday, Sept. 2, if one of 13 scheduled games two days later is moved up for television purposes. Id guess Bowling Green at Tennessee for three reasons 3 to showcase Josh Heupels debut, to give the Vols two extra days to prepare for Pitt, and because Tennessee would still have seven Saturday home games.