Top 25 Players In The SEC For 2021: How Many Aggies?

Saturday Down South picked their top 25 SEC players going into 2021, and a host of Aggies made the list.

The SEC is the country's best college football conference, and not by a little. Talent-wise, its players are celebrated as a group like no other, boasting seven of the past 14 Heisman Trophy winners. That's more than the Big 12, ACC, and Big Ten combined.

The SEC has also produced 11 of the past 15 national champions.

In a conference as talent-laden as the SEC, getting down to the best 25 can be a challenge, and someone has to be left out.

As with any preseason ranking, there are tough questions to ask, not to mention grading players from different position groups. The guys at SDS depended only on the players they've seen play, not incoming recruits who have yet to suit up, regardless of how highly recruited they were.

Here are the Aggies included on the list:

25. Ainias Smith, WR

Why he’s here — It’s his ability to make people miss in the open field. Whether that’s taking a traditional handoff out of the backfield or putting his foot in the dirt and leaving a linebacker in the dust after a catch, Smith is exceptional at making grown men look silly. He’s going to be a nightmare matchup playing more out of the slot this year after his breakout sophomore season as a hybrid weapon.

9. Jalen Wydermyer, TE

Why he’s here — I had Wydermyer as my preseason All-American tight end. Why? The guy never leaves the field. He played in 13 fewer snaps than Kellen Mond last year. That’s not supposed to happen with tight ends. Even though he isn’t an athletic freak in the same way as Arik Gilbert or Kyle Pitts are, Wydermyer has a next-level catch radius. If you don’t believe that, you didn’t watch how well he hauled in balls in traffic. He also had arguably the biggest block of the year to free up Devon Achane on that dagger touchdown in the Orange Bowl. Wydermyer is the total package and a clear TE1 in the SEC.

7. Kenyon Green, OT

Why he’s here — Green was arguably the best offensive player on a group that nearly won the Joe Moore Award as the best offensive line in college football. The All-American left guard dominated as a run-blocker and protecting Kellen Mond, who was only sacked 7 times in 9 SEC games. Green helped pave the way for a ground game that led the SEC in yards per carry (5.45), and he graded out as the No. 6 run-blocker among SEC guards. I’m a bit skeptical of how Green, Evan Neal and Darian Kinnard will perform in their transitions to left tackle, but I’m still optimistic on their upside as every-down players.

3. DeMarvin Leal, DL

Why he’s here — One of those guys was a first-round pick, one of those guys was a third-round pick and one of those guys is back in college. Want to guess which one Leal is? Leal is a perfect fit on Mike Elko’s defensive line because he does it all. That’s why he’s getting way-too-early love to go in the top 5 of the 2022 NFL Draft. He led A&M in hurries (8), and he was solid in the ground game for an A&M defense who ranked No. 2 in FBS against the run. Leal really came on down the stretch, as well. In his last 5 games, he had a tackle for loss every game, he had a pair of 7-tackle games, he forced a fumble against Tennessee and he ultimately was A&M’s defensive MVP. What does that mean? He’s going to see double teams galore in 2021.

Does anyone else notice a glaring omission from the list?

You'll notice the name Isaiah Spiller is missing. Making these lists is hard, especially with regards to the SEC, but leaving Spiller off the list seems like an oversight.

Running backs included instead of Spiller is Tank Bigsby (2) from Auburn, who clearly belongs. But also included are Kentucky's Chris Rodriguez (15), South Carolina's Kevin Harris (16), and Ole Miss' Jerrion Ealy (21).

There's no question Spiller is one of the top running backs, not just in the SEC, but in the country, and he'll undoubtedly prove that starting September 4 when the college football season kicks off for the Aggies as they host Kent State.

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