SEC Football: Ranking the Rosters for 2026
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The SEC‘s national championship drought reached three years after the 2025 season. However, while the main prize has eluded the SEC’s top teams, talent certainly isn’t an issue in the conference. In the 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings for ’26, six SEC teams landed top-11 signing classes, including Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee. With National Signing Day in the books, it’s never too early to analyze the SEC roster talent and what the recruiting rankings could mean for ’26.
Alabama and Georgia are neck-and-neck for the top spot in roster talent entering ’26, with Texas a small step behind, and LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M headlining the next tier.
Although recruiting rankings aren’t 100 percent correct, the scouting services help to paint a valuable picture about roster talent for an upcoming year. Also, there is a direct line between finishing high in recruiting rankings/stars into success. Essentially, stars (and team rankings) matter a lot in college football. The increased usage of the transfer portal is another variable to consider for these rankings, but the main data from each signing period still holds a lot of weight.
Below are the national recruiting ranking averages for SEC schools over the last five (2022-26) classes, according to 247Sports’ Composite Team Rankings. Obviously, this doesn’t take into account attrition or transfers. However, this data provides an intriguing base line for talent evaluation within each conference.
Way-Too-Early 2026 Rankings: Top 25 | ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC
Ranking the SEC’s College Football Rosters in 2026
‘26 | ‘25 | ‘24 | ‘23 | ‘22 | Five-YearAverage | ||
1 | Alabama | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
2 | Georgia | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2.8 |
3 | Texas | 7 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4.4 |
4 | LSU | 11 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 9 |
5T | Oklahoma | 15 | 17 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 10.8 |
5T | Texas A&M | 10 | 9 | 19 | 15 | 1 | 10.8 |
7 | Tennessee | 8 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 12 |
8 | Florida | 16 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 13.6 |
9 | Auburn | 30 | 7 | 10 | 18 | 21 | 17.2 |
10 | SouthCarolina | 17 | 18 | 22 | 16 | 24 | 19.4 |
11 | OleMiss | 22 | 16 | 21 | 23 | 27 | 21.8 |
12 | Missouri | 31 | 20 | 20 | 35 | 15 | 24.2 |
13 | Mississippi State | 24 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 26.8 |
14 | Kentucky | 50 | 29 | 24 | 32 | 14 | 29.8 |
15 | Arkansas | 44 | 32 | 30 | 22 | 28 | 31.2 |
16 | Vanderbilt | 34 | 75 | 40 | 53 | 32 | 46.8 |
*Note: Recruiting team rankings above compiled from 247Sports. These rankings do not take into account transfer portal class rankings or departures.
*It’s a close battle at the top with Alabama and Georgia vying for No. 1 among SEC roster talent. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have each reeled in classes ranked in the top six over the last five seasons. Georgia’s ’26 haul (No. 6 nationally) was the lowest class among the two programs from 2022-26.
*12 of the SEC’s 16 teams averaged a top-25 recruiting class. However, Mississippi State (26.8 average), Kentucky (29.8), and Arkansas (31.2) aren’t far behind. Although the SEC hasn’t had a team deliver a national title in each of the last three seasons, the depth in the conference is still difficult for any other conference to match.
*Florida’s recruiting under new coach Jon Sumrall is a storyline to watch over the next couple of seasons. In 2021, the Gators ranked No. 5 in the SEC in roster talent. However, the program has slipped to No. 8 entering ’26. Can Sumrall get Florida closer to the top five nationally in signing classes?
*Auburn’s No. 30 class in ’26 is the program’s lowest-rated haul over the last five years. That class was likely impacted by new coach Alex Golesh’s late hire. However, the Tigers reeled in one of the SEC’s top portal classes (with nearly 40 incoming transfers) to offset the recruiting dip this year.
*South Carolina ranked No. 15 in the SEC in roster talent last season due to a No. 80 class in ’21. However, with that haul coming off the five-year average, the Gamecocks jumped to No. 10 in the SEC. South Carolina has landed five straight top-25 classes.
*Led by five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt inked the No. 34 class in ’26. That’s the highest ranking for a Commodores’ signing haul since a No. 32 class in ’22.
*With a tight window on timing after a new hire, it’s no surprise both Arkansas and Kentucky slipped just a bit on its class ranking. The Razorbacks No. 44 haul was the lowest-ranked class for the program since ’18 (No. 45). The Wildcats’ No. 50 class for ’26 is the first time the program ranked outside of the top 30 in recruiting over the last five years.
Related: 10 Biggest Winners in College Football’s Transfer Portal for the 2026 Season
Related: Early SEC Football Predictions for 2026
Related: The 8 Most Intriguing Teams in College Football for 2026
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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