Being a successful football team depends on a lot of different things. Almost none are more important than quarterback play. The 16 starters in the SEC and roughly 20 to 25 players that will see the field at that position this season are all key.
Let’s talk about five players on the defensive side of the ball.
5. EDGE Darris Smith, Missouri
Missouri had one of the best pass rushing units in America last season. Sadly, both of their best EDGE rushers are gone. With their absence, Missouri lost 43 percent of their total sacks and tackles for loss as a team.
Darris Smith likely won’t be a double-digit sack getter this season, but his four sacks and 5.5 TFLs from a season ago are a great building block for this year. He opened fall camp with the starters and his production will be paramount for Missouri in 2026.
4. CB DJ Pickett, LSU
This is more of a nod to how good PJ Woodland has been in the rotation of defensive backs already. Pickett garners more excitement because he’s a former five-star and a unicorn physically. He’s 6-foot-5 and one of the most highly sought after defensive back recruits in recent memory.
The cornerback unit is extremely thin already, and it got even thinner this spring when Aidan Anding went down with a torn achilles. The safeties should be really good, the linebacking corps should be one of the best in the country, and the young talent on the defensive line also has a really high ceiling.
The corners will need to be really good this season to complete what could be one of the best defensive units in the country. DJ Pickett will need to be really good this season to get the Tigers the DBU moniker that has taken a hit after recent down years.
3. LB Chris Cole, Georgia
Death, taxes and Georgia having one of the best linebackers in the country. This year’s Georgia defense will be the most talented they’ve had since the one that won a national title in 2022. Their success will depend a great deal on their defensive line and the secondary. But, every Georgia defense has an elite, alpha at linebacker that is Kirby Smart’s eyes and ears on the field.
Nakobe Dean, Roquan Smith and Jalon Walker all fit that mold. This year’s version is Chris Cole, and make no mistake about it, he can be just as good as the previous three.
2. LB Caleb Woodson, Alabama
Alabama got gutted in the front seven on their defense last offseason. They lost six of their seven starters on the defensive line and at linebacker. That includes all three of their linebackers from a season ago, including several former multiyear starters and seniors.
Alabama has had elite linebackers every year for the last 20 years, dating back to when Nick Saban took over the program. This year’s defense has a ton of question marks in the front seven, but one of the players who feels like could be an answer is Caleb Woodson from Virginia Tech.
Kane Wommack’s defense isn’t built around sacks or being suffocating against the run. It is built on communication and swarming to the ball. Woodson looks the part of an All-SEC linebacker at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds. Whether he has the talent to be one is the bigger question.
1. EDGE Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss
Perkins isn’t the best pass rusher in the conference. He’s probably not even top two. But, he may be the most important one in the entire league.
Ole Miss will need an alpha on defense this year. It’s a year of change and transition with Pete Golding moving from defensive coordinator to head coach. Perkins can be that alpha. He’s an elite player that can do everything for a defense.
There’s a lot of talent on this year’s Ole Miss roster, but few can play for a bigger future for themselves than Perkins who decided to come back to Oxford instead of entering the NFL Draft.
