Who is the best player for each of Georgia’s 2024 opponents? (2024)

Clemson has had excellent linebacker play of late and has some big shoes to fill after Jeremiah Trotter turned pro. Luckily for the Tigers, Trotter's counterpart at linebacker stuck around for another season and has a chance to really shine this fall.

Barrett Carter put together a productive junior season in which he logged 62 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 5 pass break-ups, and 3.5 sacks. Those efforts earned Carter All-ACC honors.

Carter has gotten huge praise from Dabo Swinney in the past, with Swinney saying that he is "one of the best pure football players I've had in 20 years." The Tigers will be counting on Carter to put that on display this fall, especially in the Week 1 showdown with Georgia.

It should be no surprise that Tennessee Tech underwent some roster changes this offseason after a head coaching change. The good news for new Golden Eagles head coach Bobby Wilder is that he has a defensive lineman he can count on in Daniel Rickert.

Rickert earned first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference last season after racking up 49 tackles and 3 pass break-ups for the four-win Golden Eagles. He led the team with 14.5 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.

Rickert was hard to handle for Tennessee Tech last season and comes back as one of the proven players on the team. While he's well positioned to have a productive junior year, he'll have his work cut out for him against a stout Georgia offensive line.

Deone Walker is the type of player who just stands out by how he looks when he takes the field. The good news for Kentucky is the 6-foot-6, 348-pound Walker does more than look the part.

Walker has become a reliable interior defensive lineman for the Wildcats and will be counted on in 2024 as the Wildcats look to re-assert themselves as an SEC threat. He did his part for Kentucky last season by ending the year with 55 tackles, team highs with 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, and 2 pass break-ups.

Walker has been an important piece for the Wildcats' defense and will be counted on to be just as disruptive this fall. If Walker puts together an All-American-type of season, it could lead to something special for Kentucky.

The Alabama roster looks wildly different in the aftermath of Nick Saban's retirement and Kalen DeBoer's hiring. One of the proven playmakers that Alabama brings back is quarterback Jalen Milroe, who overcame early struggles last season to help the Crimson Tide contend for a national title.

Milroe returned to the starting role after being benched early in the year and soon settled in as a quality SEC quarterback. He delivered in some big-time moments down the stretch of the 2023 season and ended his first year as a starter having completed 65.8% of his attempts for 2,834 yards and throwing 23 touchdowns compared to 6 interceptions. He also ran 161 times for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Milroe wasn't perfect last season, but he was in a groove when the stakes were high and had Alabama on the doorstep of a national title game berth. The Crimson Tide have a whole lot of question marks on the first team of the DeBoer era, which means Milroe may have to carry this squad — especially early.

Auburn's passing game was abysmal last season and cost the six-win Tigers in some big moments. One of the players that kept the offense from being totally anemic was Jarquez Hunter, who once again proved to be one of the SEC's most reliable running backs.

Hunter earned second-team All-SEC honors after taking 159 carries for 909 yards and 7 touchdowns last fall. Hunter's success usually went a long way in Auburn having a chance at victory: Auburn's three-game winning streak late in the season saw Hunter take 52 carries for 436 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also rushed for 93 of Auburn's 244 rushing yards in the Tigers' 27-24 Iron Bowl loss to Alabama.

Hunter will be counted on to be the lead tailback in an offense that Auburn hopes is much more balanced in 2024. If the passing game, once again led by Payton Thorne, hits a wall early, expect No. 27 to get the ball early and often.

Mississippi State has remodeled its roster after the hiring of Jeff Lebby, so it should be no surprise that a transfer gets top billing.

Unlike some of the Bulldogs' other portal additions, South Carolina linebacker Stone Blanton, knows exactly what he's getting into as an SEC linebacker. He burst onto the scene as a sophom*ore in 2023 and ended the year with 52 tackles, 3 pass break-ups, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. He also had an 88-yard pick-six late in the season against Jacksonville State.

The Jackson, Mississippi native decided to move closer to home and suit up for a Bulldogs' program looking for a return to relevance under Lebby. While Lebby works to get the Mississippi State offense moving in the right direction, you can bet that Blanton is going to help his side of the ball make positive strides.

Texas has asserted itself as a national title contender going into 2024. The Longhorns have several players who have a case to be their best, but the top Texas player here is an offensive lineman.

Kelvin Banks Jr. is viewed as one of the top offensive tackle prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft and has played like someone who can be counted on to hold his own as the Longhorns make the move to the SEC. A first-team All-Big 12 and second-team All-American selection, Banks was a key part of a Longhorns' offensive line that blocked for Doak Walker Award semifinalist Jonathon Brooks as well as Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist Quinn Ewers. With Banks' help, Texas ended last season averaging 35.8 points and 477.5 yards per game.

Despite the daunting move to the SEC ahead, the Longhorns have playoff aspirations going into 2024. Those high hopes are due in part to the return of players like Banks, who have gotten the job done before and seems ready and willing to make it happen once again.

Graham Mertz got off to a rocky start in his first game as a Florida Gator last season. To his credit, Mertz worked past a sluggish outing against Utah and proved he was Florida's answer at quarterback.

Mertz put together a strong 2023 season that ended with a 72.9 completion percentage, 2,903 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Mertz had some big moments during his first season in Gainesville but had his year cut short in mid-November after fracturing his collarbone against Missouri.

Mertz and the Gators are gearing up to face a hellacious schedule in 2024 that pits Florida up against Miami, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss, and Florida State. As difficult as the slate is for the Gators this go around, the task is made easier by having a veteran quarterback leading the way.

Like many of the playoff contenders on this list, Ole Miss has several players who have a case for being No. 1. That said, it's hard to argue against wide receiver Tre Harris, who seems like a lock to be a preseason All-SEC selection.

Harris showed he was a natural fit for Ole Miss last fall after transferring in from Louisiana Tech. Harris caught 54 passes for 985 yards and 8 touchdowns and boasted an absurd 18.24 yards per reception. Harris was simply outstanding in Ole Miss' Week 10 thriller against Texas A&M, as he reeled in 11 passes for 213 yards and 1 touchdown in the Rebels' 38-35 victory.

Harris is the second-leading receiver among returning SEC players, trailing only Missouri's Luther Burden. It's a safe bet that Jaxson Dart is going to be slinging the ball all over the field this season, and you can bet that a lot of those throws will be coming Harris' way.

There are a few no-doubt selections among the teams on this schedule. Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. certainly fits that mold for Tennessee.

Pearce played with his hair on fire throughout the 2023 season and ended the year with 28 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and an SEC-best 10 sacks. Despite just being a sophom*ore, Pearce established himself as one of the most consistent pass-rushers in the conference, and it's set him up for a strong 2024 before becoming a first-round pick.

There's a lot of preseason hype about Tennessee with redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava preparing to take the reins at quarterback. Imaleavea's success can only go so far if the Vols' defense is mediocre, though I don't think that will be the case thanks to Pearce causing issues.

How does one pick a best player on a team that won three games last season? It's not easy, especially after losing the clear standout, running back Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams, to the transfer portal (Michigan State). That said, Anthony Simpson has made plays for the Minutemen in the past and looks ready to do the same this season.

Simpson followed head coach Don Brown from Arizona and proved to be a much-needed playmaker for the Minutemen. Simpson earned first-team All-Indepent honors from Phil Steele after catching 57 passes for 792 yards and 3 touchdowns last fall. He caught at least 5 passes in six different games and eclipsed the 100-yard mark on four different occasions.

Massachusetts had a below-average passing offense last fall, but Simpson did his part to help the Minutemen march down the field. Perhaps another year with quarterback Taisun Phommachanh will lead to bigger things for Simpson and the entire UMass offense.

Georgia Tech proved to be dangerous in Brent Key's first full year as head coach. The Yellow Jackets made some smart additions through the portal before the 2023 season, but the most impressive player was someone that Georgia Tech got the old-fashioned way.

Freshman wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. burst onto the scene in a big way last fall. Singleton racked up 48 catches for 714 yards and 6 touchdowns for the seven-win Yellow Jackets, which helped him earn Freshman All-American status from several outlets and finish second in the ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. His six touchdown receptions were the second-most by a freshman in program history, trailing only Calvin Johnson and Ahmarean Brown.

Singleton had a lot to do with Georgia Tech pushing Georgia to the brink last fall, as he ended the 31-23 loss with 4 receptions for 96 yards. While it's fair to wonder how Singleton will do now that his old position coach Josh Crawford is coaching at Georgia, odds are that Singleton will be Haynes King's go-to target again and will have a chance to be an All-ACC player.