Projecting the SEC stat leaders for 2025: Offense

By Chris Marler

We continue our countdown to kickoff with a projection of who will lead the SEC in each main statistical category. Today, we look at offense. 

Receiving Yards – LSU WR Nic Anderson 

It’s going to be someone from LSU, regardless. I feel very confident in that. 

LSU has had at least one receiver finish in the top five of the SEC in receiving yards every year except one since 2019. This year’s unit also has the benefit of playing in an offense that threw the ball 525 times last season. 

The only question is not whether or not an LSU player will end up at the top, but whether or not he’ll be sharing too many receptions with the other studs in this year’s receiving corps. 

LSU always has receivers. However, this year’s unit feels like it’s the deepest since the legendary one from 2019. That’s not to say that there’s a Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase in this unit. However, there are still some very elite players.

The Tigers return Chris Hilton and Aaron Anderson from last year, not to mention 6-foot-7 former five-star and freak athlete Trey’Dez Green at tight end. They also brought in one of the fastest players in the country in Barion Brown from Kentucky. 

My pick, however, is Nic Anderson. At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds he’s an NFL prototype wideout. Anderson missed all of 2024 for Oklahoma, but the season before he was a nightmare for Big 12 defenses. He finished his freshman season with 798 yards and did that on just 38 total catches. That was good for a ridiculous 21 yards per catch. His big play ability is what has me high on him to lead the league in yards despite having to share catches with what might be the best receiving unit in the country. 

Rushing yards – Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy

Hardy finished his freshman season at UL-Monroe with 1,351 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He also did most of his damage running the outside zone which is a huge part of Eli Drinkwitz’s offense. 

Hardy will play in an offense that featured a back who finished in the top five of the SEC in rushing in four of the last five seasons. More importantly it’s a system that has boasted the SEC’s leading rusher in two of the past four seasons. Missouri will be breaking in a new quarterback after losing three year starter Brady Cook, and will also be replacing its top two receivers in Luther Burden and Theo Wease. Hardy should feast in this offense. 

Passing Yards – LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier

If you skipped the first segment about the LSU receiving corps, go back and read it now. That’s the foundation of everything you need to know about why Nussmeier is the easy pick to lead the SEC in passing this season. 

Again, LSU’s offense was second in pass attempts a season ago. Nussmeier finished last season with over 4,000 yards passing, and this year he’ll have even more weapons around him. 

I do think the passing game will give way to a little more focus on running the football this year in Baton Rouge. The Tigers are extremely talented at running back with Caden Durham and Harlem Berry. 

However, with the talent that Nuss will be surrounded by it’s hard to think he won’t finish with another incredible season, statistically. The closest quarterback to him in terms of returning passing yards in the SEC is 898 yards behind him. Plus, the biggest change I expect this year for Nussmeier is improved accuracy and a decline in interceptions. He’ll be on the field more, throwing to even more elite talent, and will most likely end next year with a trip to New York and his name called very early in April’s Draft.