3 hours ago
We are correct successful nan heavy of SEC Media Days successful Tampa, which intends nan 2026 assemblage shot play is conscionable astir nan corner.
Fans tin find comfortableness successful knowing that successful a small much than a month, their Saturday afternoons and evenings will beryllium filled pinch nan heart-stopping SEC action they've been craving each offseason.
In grant of this joyous occasion, I thought it would beryllium bully to place 3 breakout players successful nan convention that you request to cognize heading into nan 2026 season.
GREG SANKEY ADDRESSES SEC BREAKAWAY TALK AS MICHIGAN TRIES TO STEAL SPOTLIGHT WITH AD WARDE MANUEL DECISION
These are players that are comparatively chartless to each but nan astir hardcore fans, but will beryllium family names by season's end.
Let's get to cognize immoderate of nan adjacent large things successful nan SEC, shall we?
DJ Pickett No. 3 of nan LSU Tigers celebrates against nan Arkansas Razorbacks astatine Tiger Stadium successful Baton Rouge, La., connected Nov. 15, 2025. (Ella Hall/LSU/University Images via Getty Images)
Though respective schools declare to clasp nan title of "DBU," nan Tigers of LSU are 1 of nan fewer programs that person a morganatic liking to that declare by churning retired droves of NFL-ready corners and safeties complete nan years.
Sophomore D.J. Pickett mightiness beryllium nan adjacent successful a agelong statement of LSU cornerbacks to stamp his sanction successful nan annals of SEC lore, and it's easy to spot why.
The 6'5" prodigy saw nan section extensively arsenic a existent freshman, racking up 35 full tackles (28 solo) and 3 interceptions.
ED ORGERON-LANE KIFFIN PAIRING ALREADY PAYING DIVIDENDS FOR LSU TIGERS DURING PIVOTAL RECRUITING WEEKEND
If he keeps up pinch his maturation trajectory, Pickett's 2nd twelvemonth should catapult him to legendary status, and nan entity is genuinely nan limit for this young man.
He has each beingness instrumentality you could perchance want successful a modern time protect back, pinch an insane wingspan to complement his 6'5" framework and legit sub-4.4 speed.
I afloat expect Pickett to blossom nether second-year protect coordinator Blake Baker, and I tin spot an All-American action successful his future.
Vanderbilt Commodores backmost Jared Curtis (2) prepares to propulsion during warmups earlier nan Vanderbilt Commodores outpouring crippled April 18, 2026, astatine FirstBank Stadium successful Nashville, Tenn. (Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
We must beryllium surviving successful a caller property of assemblage shot erstwhile a Vanderbilt player makes a database for illustration this, but that's conscionable a testament to really improved nan Commodores person been nether Clark Lea and really typical freshman backmost Jared Curtis could be.
While "recruitniks" will nary uncertainty admit nan name, I don't deliberation immoderate casual assemblage shot instrumentality is acquainted pinch conscionable really typical this kid tin be.
That should alteration six months from now.
Curtis was a top-five subordinate successful nan state and stunned nan assemblage shot world erstwhile he flipped his committedness from Georgia to nan hometown 'Dores, and that unsocial should springiness everyone successful Nashville a logic for optimism.
If he's bully capable for nan recruiting juggernaut successful Athens, he's bully capable for everyone.
There's a logic Curtis is projected to beryllium nan starter without having ever taken a threat successful assemblage football, arsenic nan freshman phenom has nan prototypical size (6'3" and 230 lbs) and limb spot to make each propulsion needed.
Offensive coordinator Tim Beck made nan astir retired of former awesome caller Diego Pavia, taking him from little-known New Mexico State transportation to Heisman finalist, and though it still remains to beryllium seen whether that was much Pavia aliases Beck's doing, I expect akin occurrence from nan third-year OC now that he has his hands connected a blue-chip prospect.
There will beryllium increasing pains, certainly. I don't expect an 18-year-old to travel successful and light nan SEC connected occurrence from time 1 and nan schedule (as always) is unforgiving, but I decidedly judge Curtis will amended passim nan play and go 1 of nan champion young passers successful nan convention by December.
Florida Gators separator LJ McCray warms up earlier a assemblage shot crippled betwixt nan Florida Gators and nan Florida State Seminoles astatine Doak Campbell Stadium successful Tallahassee, Fla., connected Nov. 30, 2024. (Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
One point that each 3 players connected this database person successful communal is that they are erstwhile statement five-stars, nan quality betwixt nan different 2 and Gators protect extremity LJ McCray is that he has had a small much clip successful assemblage than nan different two.
That could beryllium seen arsenic some a bully and bad thing.
On 1 hand, five-stars are mostly expected to beryllium somewhat impactful from nan first clip they measurement connected nan field, which wasn't nan lawsuit for McCray.
On nan different hand, you could make nan statement that a subordinate for illustration McCray has been seasoned successful nan weightroom and nutrition programme and is fresh to break out.
Florida fans and coaches are hoping it's nan latter, arsenic McCray hasn't lived up to his five-star billing successful his 2 years of service.
That should alteration this fall, arsenic reports retired of Gainesville person been glowing regarding nan erstwhile Daytona Beach prospect.
For starters, McCray has bulked up his 6'7" framework to 275 lbs of coagulated mass, and his numbers successful nan weightroom propose these gains are mostly muscle.
That's large news, arsenic 1 of McCray's biggest problems has been his inability to lucifer up physically against immoderate of nan tackles successful nan SEC.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS
Another point moving successful his favour could beryllium that he gets to commencement other Jayden Woods, who earned Freshman All-SEC honors successful 2025 and was a basking commodity successful nan transportation portal earlier returning to Florida.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Woods will garner a batch of attraction from violative coordinators successful 2026, leaving McCray free to predominate successful one-on-one matchups.
If he puts his stellar offseason together pinch nan opportunities presented connected nan field, this could beryllium a monster twelvemonth for McCray.
Austin Perry is simply a writer for OutKick.
