SEC power rankings by returning production for 2024

ESPN's Bill Connelly has done it again! Last month, he put out a definitive rankings of every FBS team based on returning production. It is a very important, albeit fickle metric. One would think that the more players you have returning to your team would be better for their chances of success because who doesn't love in-game experience? However, the transfer portal has made this a bit less valuable.

When looking at the SEC, none of the programs find themselves in the top 10 in returning production, but keep in mind just how many great SEC athletes get drafted by NFL teams every single spring. Very rarely do you see an SEC team not sending one player after another to the league. All 14 teams, plus newcomers Oklahoma and Texas, cultivate so much pro talent on the annual basis for the NFL.

Here are all 16 SEC teams ranked based on returning production. Some of these will surprise you...

1. Kentucky Wildcats (72 percent, No. 14 overall)
2. Missouri Tigers (71 percent, No. 18 overall)
3. Ole Miss Rebels (70 percent, No. 22 overall)
4. Florida Gators (68 percent, No. 27 overall)
5. Georgia Bulldogs (68 percent, No. 28 overall)
6. Texas Longhorns (67 percent, No. 36 overall)
7. Texas A&M Aggies (67 percent, No. 38 overall)
8. Auburn Tigers (66 percent, No. 40 overall)
9. South Carolina Gamecocks (65 percent, No. 52 overall)
10. Oklahoma Sooners (65 percent, No. 53 overall)
11. LSU Tigers (64 percent, No. 59 overall)
12. Vanderbilt Commodores (64 percent, No. 61 overall)
13. Arkansas Razorbacks (61 percent, No. 68 overall)
14. Alabama Crimson Tide (53 percent, No. 100 overall)
15. Tennessee Volunteers (48 percent, No. 108 overall)
16. Mississippi State Bulldogs (45 percent, No. 115 overall)

Kentucky leads the way with 72-percent returning, which is 14th-best in college football. Missouri and Ole Miss return 71 and 70 percent, respectively. Florida and Georgia round out the top five at 68 percent apiece. While 13 teams return at least 61 percent of their production, three fall far below that. Alabama is at 53 percent, Tennessee is at 48 percent and Mississippi State is at only 45 percent...

There is so much to unpack here, and I will try to do the very best I can for you with these numbers.

SEC power rankings based on percentages of returning production

While I think teams like Georgia, Texas and LSU being firmly in the middle of the pack will do just fine no matter what, there are a few teams where returning production helps a ton, and a lack there of could be problem. Ole Miss and Missouri having 70-plus is huge for so many reasons, but I think this bodes well for the likes of Texas A&M and Auburn as well. Kentucky falls in this same bucket, too.

The good news for the SEC is most schools are in pretty good shape with pretty much all of them in and around the top half of the country, in that regard. However, I think this is definitely problematic for schools like Arkansas and absolutely Mississippi State, as well as not ideal for schools like Alabama or Tennessee. Arkansas being bottom middle puts a ton of pressure on Sam Pittman entering 2024.

Mississippi State being dead last in the SEC is a huge problem, but keep in mind that this is Jeff Lebby's first year at the helm. He won't get fired after one year on the job like his predecessor Zach Arnett did. For Alabama and Tennessee, this lack of returning production could be contributing factors in why the Crimson Tide or the Volunteers could miss out on the expanded playoff this winter.

Overall, returning production helps Ole Miss and Missouri the most, and hurts Mississippi State a ton.