SEC teams lead FBS in total returning, portal starts

By Chris Marler

Analytics are everywhere in college football. However, no one dives deeper into numbers, stats, and acronyms with vague meaning like ESPN’s Bill Connelly. 

This year’s projections include national rankings for offense, defense, special teams, strength of schedule, projected wins, and odds to win the conference title. However, the most helpful statistical data that anyone has done all offseason is tracking the number of starts and production between returning players for each team and players added in the portal. 

The SEC ranked second among all FBS conferences in average returning production, trailing only the Big 12. However, they led the FBS in average number of both returning starts, as well as incoming starts from the portal. In the simplest of terms, the SEC will be the deepest, most talent rich, and more than anything, experienced conference in the country. 

Here’s a look at which teams have the most total starts on their roster heading into the 2025 season with returning and incoming starts combined. 

1. Missouri – 271 
2. Texas A&M – 264
3. Auburn – 264
4. LSU – 250
5. Mississippi State – 245
6. Oklahoma – 244
7. Vanderbilt – 236
8. Kentucky – 220
9. Ole Miss – 2013
10. Arkansas – 211
11. Texas – 197
12. Florida – 195
13. South Carolina – 195
14. Alabama – 191
15. Georgia – 169
16. Tennessee – 166