We spend a lot of time talking about the transfer portal in college football, and for good reason. Rosters can basically be rebuilt overnight now.
But don’t forget about the freshmen.
Every year there are a handful of kids who walk straight out of high school and onto an SEC football field and make you wonder how in the hell they’re only 18 years old.
This year’s SEC freshman class has several of those guys.
I’m not ranking these strictly by recruiting stars. I want to know who has the combination of talent, opportunity and a realistic chance to make an immediate impact.
Here are the true freshmen I’m watching in the SEC this season.
1. Jared Curtis, QB — Vanderbilt
How often do we start a list of the SEC’s most talented freshmen with a Vanderbilt player?
Well, get used to it.
Jared Curtis isn’t just another highly rated quarterback. He’s the highest-rated signee Vanderbilt has ever landed, and he has a legitimate opportunity to become the Commodores’ starting quarterback as a true freshman.
Curtis was the No. 2-rated quarterback in the 2026 class, and he’s coming into a program trying to replace Diego Pavia.
That’s a hell of an assignment for an 18-year-old.
But Curtis has the arm, athletic ability and confidence to handle it. If he wins that job and plays well, he could completely change the perception of what Vanderbilt is capable of doing in recruiting.
2. Faizon Brandon, QB — Tennessee
This is another one I’m really interested in.
Faizon Brandon looks like he was designed in a laboratory for Josh Heupel’s offense.
Big arm. Athletic. Dual-threat ability. And he’s competing for the quarterback job at Tennessee.
Quarterback is obviously different from every other position on this list. If you’re a freshman defensive tackle and play 25 snaps a game, you can have a tremendous freshman season.
If Brandon wins the Tennessee quarterback job, he’s immediately one of the most important players in the entire SEC.
That’s how quickly this kid could become a household name.
3. Deuce Geralds, DT — LSU
Everybody wants to talk about quarterbacks, receivers and running backs.
I love watching the big guys.
Deuce Geralds is one of those young defensive linemen who already looks physically capable of playing SEC football.
LSU has completely reworked its roster, but Geralds is talented enough that I expect him to work his way into the defensive-line rotation regardless of how many experienced players are around him.
You don’t have to start 12 games to make an impact as a freshman defensive tackle. Get into that rotation, give them quality snaps and create some chaos in the middle.
Geralds can do that.
4. EJ Crowell, RB — Alabama
Keep this name in your head.
EJ Crowell.
Alabama wasn’t Alabama running the football last season. That’s something you almost never expect to say about the Crimson Tide.
Crowell is about 220 pounds and runs like an Alabama running back is supposed to run.
Downhill.
Physical.
No dancing around looking for somewhere to go.
Give him the football and let him go find somebody to hit.
I think Crowell has a chance to play immediately, and running back is one of the easier positions for a talented freshman to make an immediate impact.
By October, we may be talking about this kid a lot.
5. Zykie Helton, OG — Georgia
Here’s another big guy.
And offensive linemen aren’t going to get the attention the quarterbacks and running backs get, but Zykie Helton could become a very important player for Georgia.
Kirby Smart has never been afraid to play talented freshmen.
If you can play, you play.
It’s that simple.
Helton has the size and talent to compete for meaningful snaps immediately. If you’re playing offensive line as a true freshman in the SEC—especially at Georgia—that tells me just about everything I need to know about you.
6. Kaiden Prothro, TE — Georgia
Now this guy is interesting.
Prothro is around 6-foot-6 and was an absolute touchdown machine in high school, finishing with 66 career touchdown receptions.
Then he gets to Georgia and starts showing everybody during the spring that the production wasn’t some accident.
Georgia can move him around and create matchup problems with him.
Put a 6-foot-6 tight end in the slot and what are you going to do?
Put a linebacker on him?
He’s probably too fast.
Put a defensive back on him?
Throw it over his head.
Prothro could become a really dangerous weapon in this Georgia offense.
7. Jermaine Bishop Jr., WR — Texas
If we’re talking about pure athletes, Bishop might be my favorite player on this entire list.
Texas can use this kid just about anywhere.
Receiver. Return game. Defensive back. Put the football in his hands and figure it out from there.
That’s what I would do.
Some players have a position.
Other players are just football players.
Bishop is a football player.
He had nearly 2,000 receiving yards and 20 touchdown catches during his senior season and won Mr. Texas Football.
Steve Sarkisian will figure out ways to use him.
8. Lamar Brown, DT — LSU
LSU has another monster coming.
Lamar Brown was one of the elite prospects in the entire country, and physically there’s not much about him that looks like a freshman.
He’s around 6-foot-4 and 295 pounds and was talented enough in high school that people debated whether his future might actually be on the offensive line.
LSU is putting that athletic ability to work on defense.
Between Brown and Geralds, LSU could have two true freshmen contributing on that defensive front.
That’s impressive.
9. Brandon Arrington, CB — Texas A&M
Here’s another freak athlete.
Arrington has elite speed and enough athletic ability that he could probably play on either side of the football.
Texas A&M sees his future at cornerback, and I think that’s the right move.
He’s long, fast and athletic, and those are three things you can’t coach.
There will be freshman moments. There always are at cornerback. SEC receivers will test him.
But the physical tools are absolutely there.
10. Darius Gray, OL — South Carolina
And here’s one Gamecock fans need to watch very closely.
Darius Gray isn’t going to put up statistics. He’s not going to have a highlight package with 70-yard touchdowns.
But he could become extremely important to South Carolina.
The Gamecocks have spent a lot of time and effort trying to improve that offensive line, and protecting LaNorris Sellers has to be priority No. 1.
Gray was one of the best offensive-line prospects in the country.
If he proves he’s ready to play SEC football immediately, put him out there.
I don’t care what his birth certificate says.
South Carolina doesn’t need him to become an All-American in September. They need him to become a dependable SEC offensive lineman.
If he does that, he’s helping the Gamecocks win football games.
My Sleeper: Deshawn Spencer, WR — Auburn
Here’s my guy who isn’t getting nearly as much attention.
Deshawn Spencer wasn’t the five-star prospect some of these other players were.
I don’t care.
Watch the tape.
As a senior at Saraland, Spencer caught 76 passes for 1,385 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also added 444 yards and five touchdowns rushing.
That’s production.
More importantly, Auburn needs playmakers at receiver.
Opportunity matters when you’re talking about freshmen.
Sometimes the best freshman isn’t the kid with the most stars next to his name. It’s the talented kid who walks into a situation where his team needs exactly what he does well.
Spencer has that opportunity at Auburn.
We’re living in an era where everybody wants to talk about the portal and NIL, but there’s still something special about watching a kid arrive on campus straight out of high school and become a star.
And I think we’re going to see several of them in the SEC this year.
My top five going into the season are Jared Curtis, Faizon Brandon, Deuce Geralds, EJ Crowell and Zykie Helton.
But remember the name Deshawn Spencer.
That’s my sleeper.
Because every year there’s somebody nobody talks enough about in August that everybody knows by October.
He might be that guy.
