Week 4 in the SEC had the familiar feel of a conference that keeps stacking elite results at every level. Texas and Georgia sit at No. 1 and No. 2 in the latest AP Top 25, and the rest of the league isn’t far behind.
Alabama is No. 7, Florida No. 8 and Ole Miss No. 9, with LSU at No.
11, Mississippi State at No. 16, Tennessee at No.
17, Kentucky at No. 24 and Missouri at No. 25.
That kind of ranking depth usually starts with star power, and this week’s stat leaders backed it up.
The biggest passing day belonged to Alabama’s Keelon Russell, who shredded South Carolina for 365 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 49-18 blowout. He completed 21 of 27 throws, hit Lotzeir Brooks for a 75-yard score in the first quarter and kept stacking explosives before halftime with two more deep touchdowns to Ryan Coleman-Williams.
Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor wasn’t far behind. He threw for 360 yards in a 31-24 win over Missouri, overcoming a second-quarter interception to Trajen Greco and finishing with 3 touchdowns. His biggest throw came in the fourth quarter, when he found Sanfrisco Magee for a 24-yard touchdown that helped close the door.
LSU’s Sam Leavitt also made his case with 312 passing yards in a 35-6 rout of Texas A&M. He went 17 of 23 and looked sharper than he had through the first three weeks, repeatedly finding Jackson Harris for big gains while bouncing back after a third-quarter interception.
On the ground, Kentucky did most of its damage with a two-man punch in a 45-21 win over South Alabama. CJ Baxter led all SEC rushers with 149 yards on 16 carries, including a 53-yard burst, while Jason Patterson piled up 137 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 12 carries. Patterson finished the day with a 75-yard sprint to the end zone.
Florida also got a huge workload from Jadan Baugh in its 52-28 win over Ole Miss. He carried 29 times for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns, controlling the game with sheer volume and steady production.
The receiving leaderboard was just as explosive. Arkansas wideout Chris Marshall was a matchup nightmare in a 34-6 win over Tulsa, catching 9 passes for 195 yards.
He ripped off gains of 44, 50 and 28 yards before finishing with a 20-yard touchdown. LSU’s Jackson Harris followed with 163 yards and 2 touchdowns on 6 catches in the Tigers’ win over Texas A&M, including a 57-yard score in the third quarter.
Missouri’s Cayden Lee turned in a big day in defeat, grabbing 11 of 13 targets for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns in the loss to Mississippi State.
A few other performances stood out too. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss put up 298 passing yards and added 44 rushing yards with 2 scores in the Rebels’ loss to Florida.
Florida backup running back Duke Clark answered with 126 rushing yards on 12 touches and a 45-yard touchdown run. Georgia’s Talyn Taylor continued to flash as a deep threat in a 41-13 win over Oklahoma, catching 4 passes for 110 yards with a 41-yard gain and a 35-yard touchdown.
Kentucky’s Jovantae Barnes also made the most of limited work, turning 8 carries into exactly 100 yards and a touchdown.
In Other News...
Florida Is Suddenly Right In The Middle Of A Five-Star WR Fight
Florida has suddenly found itself in the thick of another high-end recruiting battle, this time for Easton Royal, one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2027 class. Royal is committed to Texas for now, but he has been making the rounds with official visits to Florida, LSU and Ole Miss, which is usually the kind of movement that gets rival staffs and fan bases paying close attention.
Royal said he could see himself playing at Florida, and he is reportedly close to a decision, which puts the Gators squarely in the conversation as the process starts to narrow. With NIL factors continuing to shape the recruiting landscape, the uncertainty around his commitment only adds to the intrigue, and Florida appears to be pushing to stay in the mix until the final call is made. [Read more 🡒]
Florida's Playoff Push Now Comes Down To One Early Test
Florida has suddenly found itself with a real playoff pathway, at least on paper, and the projections are starting to reflect it. ESPN analysts Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach, along with On3s Andy Staples, all see a clear route to the 12-team College Football Playoff in 2026, and ESPNs FPI backs that up by giving the Gators a 49.4% chance to get in. With Florida favored in every remaining game except Texas and Georgia, the margin for error looks manageable, but also fragile in the way these seasons tend to be.
Missouri now looms as the first real measuring stick for head coach Jon Sumralls group, because the Gators momentum has to survive a game like this if the bigger picture is going to hold. Florida does not need a perfect finish to keep its postseason hopes alive, but it does need to keep proving it can handle the kind of matchup that can quietly change the tone of a season, especially with Texas and Georgia still waiting in the background. [Read more 🡒]
Florida's Ole Miss Breakout Just Put Three Gators In The Spotlight
Floridas win over Ole Miss did more than add another SEC victory to the ledger. It also pushed three Gators into the conference spotlight, with Jadan Baugh earning Offensive Player of the Week, London Montgomery taking Special Teams Player of the Week and Bryce Lovett being recognized as Offensive Lineman of the Week after key roles in the 52-28 result.
Baugh paced the ground game with 142 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Montgomery gave Florida a lift in the return game with 128 kick return yards, including a 74-yard burst. Lovetts day was just as important in the trenches, where he posted a 100% block rate and did not allow a quarterback pressure, the kind of quiet dominance that helps make a blowout like this possible. [Read more 🡒]