SEC East: Burning Questions Heading into 2023

Stoney Keeley previews the SEC East as we gear up towards the 2023 season.

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It’s hard to believe, but the start of the next college football season is beginning to creep up on us. It’s the height of the summer right now, but before you know it, American tackle football is going to kick off in earnest. I can’t wait. Over the course of the next several weeks, I’m going to be surveying the college football landscape, conference by conference, and previewing the upcoming season. Up next, we’re talking about the SEC East.

SEC EAST: BURNING QUESTIONS HEADING INTO 2023

Florida GatorsHow much time does Billy Napier have? I’m not trying to insinuate that Billy Napier is not a good football coach, Florida fans. But, he certainly inherited a mess, and that might be putting it lightly. This roster just does not look SEC-competitive. They could play the patient game and give him every chance in the world to turn it around. But, if there are many more losses like the ones to Vanderbilt and Oregon State, I can’t help but wonder if patience will start to wear thin. This is a team that is built to win in the trenches, and they’ll have to lean on that to play physical football to hang around in games. If they don’t get to a bowl game, that seat could start getting nuclear under Napier.

Georgia BulldogsIs there any crack in the armor? I don’t think this is going to be a particularly good year for the SEC East, and that certainly bodes well for the Bulldogs chances of three-peating as National Champions. I don’t know who in this division has the talent to even remotely compete with Georgia outside of a road trip to Knoxville in November. Carson Beck is likely in at quarterback, but I don’t expect too much of a dip because the Bulldogs are just loaded along the offensive line and at the skill positions. They drew Ole Miss and Auburn out of the SEC West this year. I don’t know – I think the only thing that can beat Georgia is if they buy into their own hype and overlook a team or two. It looks like Kirby Smart has built impenetrable walls around this program.

Kentucky Wildcats Can they recapture the 2021 magic? Liam Coen is back as offensive coordinator, and Kentucky has some talent to work with on offense. I’m a big fan of quarterback Devin Leary, who transferred to Kentucky from NC State. While he’s not as big as Will Levis, he plays a similar sort of style, so if he pans out, the Wildcats could be a surprise contender for that #2 spot in the SEC East. They hit the portal to address their defensive holes, but Mark Stoops has proven that he can work with whatever he has on defense. It’s not a good year to draw Alabama, but the schedule sets up so that another 10-win season (bowl game included) isn’t entirely off the table.

Missouri TigersHow do they get over the 6-6 hump? This has been an automatic .500 football team for four seasons now. But, if ever there was a year for Mizzou to make a leap under Eli Drinkwitz, it’s 2023. The SEC East feels wide open behind Georgia. The Tigers should have an elite defense in not only the SEC, but the entire country, and they have perhaps the most electric play-maker in the conference in Luther Burden III. If they can just get some sort of stability at the quarterback position, they could surprise a few teams in 2023. If not, Drinkwitz is another coach in this division whose seat could get real warm real quick.

South Carolina GamecocksCan Shane Beamer keep it going? The Gamecocks have improved each year under Beamer, and he certainly has that rock star aura about him. But at what point does the consistency and the talent level force this program to plateau? There’s reason for optimism with their skill position players, and at his best, Spencer Rattler is a game changer. But, we don’t see it week in and week out from this unit. Every year, it feels like this team steals a game it shouldn’t and drops a game it shouldn’t. Is the momentum of beating Tennessee and Clemson last year enough to get this program to nine wines in 2023? We’ll find out just how much magic Beamer has this year.

Tennessee VolunteersIs the offensive system enough? Last year was a special, special season for the Vols. They’ll be talking about that Alabama game for the next hundred years. But, Hendon Hooker, Jalin Hyatt, Darnell Wright, and Cedric Tillman are all off to the NFL. Joe Milton III is certainly an intriguing quarterback with a cannon for an arm, and there are pieces to be excited about, but in losing so many key contributors, we’re really going to find out if Josh Heupel’s offensive system is strong enough to withstand important personnel changes from year to year. If so, they’ve got something cooking in Knoxville yet again.

Vanderbilt CommodoresWhat is AJ Swann? Vanderbilt was one of the most surprising 5-7 teams in recent memory a season ago. They have some pieces to work with, and they were a feisty team to deal with in 2022. Four more points against Missouri, and we’re talking about a bowl team, which feels like a miracle compared to where we had this team before last season started. The bones are there for another leap for Clark Lea’s team, but the way this schedule sets up, they might need to make some magic to surprise a couple of teams if they’re going to get to a bowl game. I like Swann – can he lift the program to six wins if it falls on his shoulders to do so?

2023 College Football Season Previews

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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.

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