The SEC is often regarded as the toughest conference in college football, and whether or not it’s true, there’s no doubt the sport’s most polarizing conference is a pipeline for NFL talent. The best 35 players in the SEC aren’t necessarily the top 35 draft prospects, but a good chunk of them are bound to be Day 1 or 2 picks.
Rosters are mostly set with spring practice and the second portal period out of the way. Summer workouts are good to get freshmen on the same page, and fall practice is the dry rehearsal for the real deal, which starts in just about 60 days. So, The Athletic’s Manny Navarro broke down the best the SEC has to offer heading into the 2025 season.
Five Florida Gators made the list, which goes up to 35.
Quarterback DJ Lagway and All-American first team center Jake Slaughter are the two obvious selections, but a fifth-year defensive lineman also made his way into the top 25. Each member of the top 25 received a blurb to break down the selection and can be found below.
The Nos. 26-35 players on the list don’t have any attached elaboration but are considered “10 others to watch.” Offensive tackle Austin Barber (No. 33) and defensive lineman Caleb Banks (No. 35) are in that group.
No. 10 C Jake Slaughter
Slaughter graded out as one of the best overall centers in the game from Week 1 last season. He earned the All-American nod and likely could have gone in the third round or higher in the most recent draft. Instead, he’s returning to anchor the first true year of Florida football with DJ Lagway leading the charge. A Gator through and through, there’s first-round potential if everything goes right for Slaughter.
“The first-team Associated Press All-American enters his fifth season in Gainesville and is considered by most to be the best center in college football,” Navarro said. “He’s a big reason Florida allowed 19 fewer sacks last season than it did in 2023 and why the Gators should have one of the top offensive lines in the nation in 2025.”
Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor is the only other offensive lineman ahead of Slaughter on this list.
No. 22 QB DJ Lagway
Perhaps it’s surprising to see Lagway at No. 22, but he’s still relatively unproven and needs to stay healthy. He could very well end the year at the top of this list, but it’s only responsible to keep him in the 20s until a midseason update at the earliest.
“The sophomore from Texas went 6-1 as a starter in 2024, tying Chris Leak for the most wins by a true freshman quarterback at Florida. He completed 59.9 percent of his attempts for 1,915 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing 51 times for 101 yards. He missed the spring recovering from shoulder and hamstring injuries.”
No. 1 LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina), No. 7 Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), No. 13 John Mateer (Oklahoma) and No. 16 Arch Manning (Texas) are the four quarterbacks ranked ahead of Lagway, making the Florida sophomore the de facto No. 5 signal caller in the SEC.
No. 24 DL Tyreak Sapp
Sapp has championship prestige coming out of South Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas, and he’s looking to see the rebuild at Florida through before taking a shot at a pro career. He could have gotten his NFL journey started after last year, but he’s another guy who chose to return to Florida instead.
“The fifth-year senior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., led the Gators with seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss last season and can line up anywhere on the defensive line. Sapp was one of four Florida players who received the Tim Tebow Leadership Award this spring. Jake Slaughter, No. 10 on this list, was another.”
No. 33 OT Austin Barber and No. 35 DL Caleb Banks
Barber recently received a first-round mock draft projection from ESPN’s Matt Miller, as did Sapp. He struggled at times last season while dealing with some injuries, but he still put up career-best grades as a run blocker and only allowed 13 quarterback pressures. He can be an elite SEC tackle if healthy in 2025.
Banks is another Gator with first-round projections. His stock was highest at the end of last season after he went on a tear, getting into the backfield, but he still enters 2025 as one of the SEC’s most intimidating defensive linemen. Banks is primed for a breakout year as the co-leader of Florida’s defensive line.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Five Gators crack The Athletic’s top 35 SEC players ahead of 2025 season
Reporting by David Rosenberg, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
