LEAD STORY: SEC Stacks the Preseason Coaches Poll With Nine Ranked Teams
The American Football Coaches Association released its preseason US LBM Coaches Poll on Tuesday, and the SEC placed nine teams in the Top 25 — a full third of the ballot belonging to one league. Georgia leads the conference contingent at No. 3, followed by Texas at No. 4, Texas A&M at No. 8, Oklahoma at No. 9, Ole Miss at No. 10, Alabama at No. 11, LSU at No. 13, Tennessee at No. 18 and Missouri at No. 25. Ohio State opens the season at No. 1 overall, with Oregon slotted ahead of the Longhorns as the only other team between the Buckeyes and Georgia.
Missouri's appearance is the headline inside the league's bottom half. Per Rock M Nation, it marks just the second time the Tigers have landed in a preseason coaches poll in the current era in Columbia — the previous instance came in 2024, when Missouri opened at No. 11. The schedule offers no soft landing: Missouri will face five of the eight other ranked SEC teams this fall, including a return visit from Oklahoma. The Sooners hold a commanding 68-25-5 edge in the all-time series, though Missouri has produced two of the more memorable upsets in that ledger, in 2010 and again in 2024.
For Texas, the No. 4 ranking sets up immediately. The Longhorns meet No. 1 Ohio State in Week 2, a game that will reshuffle the top of the poll before September is half over. Ole Miss cracking the top 10 at No. 10 represents the league's most notable climb into elite territory, while Alabama at No. 11 and LSU at No. 13 both open outside the top 10 despite roster investment across the offseason.
QUICK HITS
Georgia opens fall camp under the lights of a live presser. The Bulldogs' staff held a fall camp media availability at 11:30 a.m., streamed live from Athens, marking the official start of preseason practice in Athens.
Florida's weight room is the offseason story in Gainesville. The Gators' new-look strength and conditioning program has reshaped the roster since January, when the incoming performance staff — arriving from Tulane — sharply raised the intensity of winter workouts. Players reportedly struggled to keep pace early; the results are now visible on the practice field.
Zakai Zeigler amends his NCAA suit. The former Tennessee guard filed an amended complaint Tuesday, leaning on the NCAA's recent sweeping eligibility-rule changes to strengthen his challenge to the association's four-seasons-in-five-years policy. The amended filing directly cites the association's own revisions as evidence the prior standard was arbitrary.
South Carolina rebuilt the offensive line with snaps, not stars. The Gamecocks added nine offensive linemen this offseason, and SEC Now analyst Gene Chizik framed the strategy plainly: South Carolina "did not chase stars, they chased experience." Quarterback LaNorris Sellers, appearing on M&M Talkin' Season, detailed his own role in recruiting the group and described the connection he wants between his front five and the defense they face daily.
Ole Miss basketball banks reps in Puerto Rico. The Rebels continued their foreign tour Monday with a practice session at the JUMP Sports Development Camp, followed by a staff volunteer stop at a youth clinic in La Perla. Foreign-tour practice allowances give Ole Miss a head start on installation before the fall.
PORTAL WATCH
No football transfer portal activity was reported in the last 12 hours — expected with fall camps opening across the league and rosters effectively locked.
The one portal note of substance came from Olympic sports: Missouri wrestling added Zan Fugitt and Luke Goeg this offseason, two high-profile pickups joining a Tigers room already carrying multiple All-American candidates. The program's staff acknowledged that building continuity in the NIL and portal era is a harder problem than it used to be, then went out and won the offseason anyway.
RECRUITING BUZZ
No new commitments crossed in the last 12 hours, but the most consequential recent pledge remains five-star running back Landen Williams-Callis, who chose Texas over Texas A&M and other finalists — a head-to-head win for the Longhorns inside the conference.
On the visit trail, five-star prospect Camara has set an official visit, and Texas is expected to feature prominently on the Texas-Ohio State visitor list in Week 2. That game will double as one of the biggest recruiting stages of the fall.
GAMES TO WATCH
No games are scheduled today. The calendar now belongs to fall camp: Georgia, Florida and the rest of the league are in pads, with position battles across offensive lines and secondaries set to resolve over the next three weeks.
The first date that matters nationally is Sept. 6, when Notre Dame opens against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman, after missing the College Football Playoff last season, has pointed his roster at the Badgers rather than at January. For SEC purposes, the marquee early swing is Texas at Ohio State in Week 2 — No. 4 against No. 1, with the top of the coaches poll hanging on it.
