The SEC enters the 2026-27 college football season with no shortage of pressure points, and the biggest ones all seem to circle back to the same theme: who can answer the quarterback questions, and who can handle the spotlight once the season starts.
At Alabama, Kalen DeBoer is staring down another quarterback decision after Ty Simpson left for the NFL as a 1st round pick. The Crimson Tide still haven’t named a starter, and the timing of that call could matter as much as the choice itself.
Austin Mack has the edge of having stepped in for Simpson in the Rose Bowl, and he flashed in limited action. Keelon Russell, the 5-star DeBoer brought in during his first recruiting cycle, made his own case with a strong Spring Game.
Alabama could settle the job early in the summer, later in the summer, or even begin the season using both. However it plays out, the College Football Playoff hopes in Tuscaloosa are tied to that room.
Tennessee is in a similar spot, only with a little more urgency attached. Josh Heupel has to replace Joey Aguilar, and unlike last year, he’s working with more runway after Nico Iamaleava’s departure came at the end of the spring.
Even so, the pressure is heavier after a disappointing season. Redshirt freshman George MacIntrye and true freshman Faizon Brandon are the names at the front of the race, while Colorado transfer Ryan Staub brings experience without quite pushing himself into favorite status.
If one of the young quarterbacks hits, Tennessee could push into Playoff contention. If not, Heupel’s seat only gets hotter.
Ole Miss is moving into a different kind of transition. The Lane Kiffin era is over, and Pete Golding now has to prove he can keep the Rebels rolling without the shadow of his predecessor hanging over everything.
Golding did a strong job in the College Football Playoff, but Kiffin’s departure and the roster he built were always part of the larger story. A lot of the important pieces are back, including the QB-RB pairing of Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy, both of whom enter the year with Heisman potential.
Golding also added major defensive transfers in Luke Ferrelli, Jay Crawford, and Joenel Aguero. The real test is whether he can sustain the momentum in his first full season as head coach.
Vanderbilt faces its own post-star transition after Diego Pavia helped drive one of the biggest stories in college football over the past two seasons. Clark Lea now has to replace the undersized quarterback with the huge personality, and he’s doing it with the nation’s top ranked quarterback recruit, Jared Curtis.
The true freshman is set to start, and the expectations come bundled with his 5-star status and the idea of being a hometown hero. Still, the bigger question may be whether the rest of the roster can keep doing what made Vanderbilt so tough to deal with: controlling the line of scrimmage.
If that part holds, the Commodores may not need Pavia’s exact brand of magic to stay on track.
Then there’s LSU, where Lane Kiffin’s move from Ole Miss was the offseason’s defining storyline. He left while the Rebels were headed to the College Football Playoff because he believed LSU offered a better path to championships.
The school backed that belief with real investment, giving him the room to spend on retention, staff, recruiting, and the transfer portal. In most places, that would come with patience.
At LSU, the expectation is different. The Brian Kelly era fell short, the fan base wants results now, and Kiffin will be judged from every angle - LSU supporters, Ole Miss supporters, and the sport at large.
A Playoff run is the standard if he wants to quiet the noise.
In Other News...
Why Bryan Longwell Still Carries Vanderbilt's Biggest Chip On His Shoulder
Bryan Longwell has spent his Vanderbilt career living in the space between production and recognition. The linebacker was overlooked by power-conference programs because of his size, but he has kept piling up tackles for the Commodores and has quietly become one of the most productive returning linebackers in the country, even as the broader college football conversation has largely passed him by.
That gap has only sharpened the edge around him and around Vanderbilts defense, where the Misfit label has become more than a nickname. It is a shared identity for a group that has been underestimated at almost every turn, and Longwell has emerged as the face of that mindset while still waiting for the national attention and all-league honors his play suggests he deserves. [Read more 🡒]
Former Vanderbilt Big Man Is Fighting For One More College Year
Jalen Washingtons path since leaving Vanderbilt has taken an unusual turn, with the former Commodores center now trying to carve out one more college season through the courts. His case is tied to the NCAAs shifting eligibility rules, and the timing matters because the new age-based model is not expected to arrive until 2026, leaving him in a gray area as he argues for another year on the college hardwood.
For Vanderbilt fans, it is a reminder of how quickly roster stories can spill beyond the transfer portal and into legal territory. Washington is still working through that process while also keeping his pro hopes alive, and a reunion in Nashville does not appear to be in the cards right now, even as the larger question of whether he gets that extra season remains unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Fans Finally Have A Freshman To Watch In The Backfield
CBS Sports writer Brad Crawfords latest look at the SECs top freshmen to watch put a few familiar names in the spotlight, including Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon and Alabama running back EJ Crowell. The list is meant to identify the league newcomers most likely to matter right away, which makes the omissions just as interesting for Vanderbilt fans following along from the other side of the schedule.
Jared Curtis did not make the cut, with Crawford pointing to Vanderbilts tougher path as a reason, especially the road slate. It is a reminder that freshman buzz often depends as much on opportunity as talent, and while Brandon is still battling George MacIntyre for the Tennessee job and Crowell is trying to push through injury concerns, the Commodores are left hoping Curtis can force his way into that conversation once the games start. [Read more 🡒]