Phil Steele has posted the early numbers on returning starters for all D-1 teams going into next season. Here’s how the SEC breaks down:
- Alabama – 8 offense; 6 defense; 2 special teams
- Arkansas – 6 offense; 4 defense; 2 special teams
- Auburn – 8 offense; 6 defense; 2 special teams
- Florida – 7 offense; 8 defense; 1 special teams
- Georgia – 7 offense; 8 defense; 1 special teams
- Kentucky – 4 offense; 8 defense; 2 special teams
- LSU – 5 offense; 5 defense; 1 special teams
- Mississippi – 5 offense; 8 defense; 2 special teams
- Mississippi State – 6 offense; 7 defense; 2 special teams
- South Carolina – 5 offense; 10 defense; 2 special teams
- Tennessee – 8 offense; 7 defense; 2 special teams
- Vanderbilt – 4 offense; 6 defense; 2 special teams
Overall, the conference looks to be more experienced going into next season than it was last year, as no only one team in the conference (LSU) returns less than half of its starters from ’07.
Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee are the schools that will have to replace starting quarterbacks in ’08.
Get The Picture 
Since you start 11 on offense and defense and LSU is returning five on both sides, wouldn’t that mean they have less than half their starters returning?
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D’oh… you’re right. Thanks, man.
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I assume that Thomas Brown is considered last years starting running back (in terms of the returning starters list), if this is the case then this list is a little deceiving…Thomas Brown may have been the starter, but we all know who the featured back was, and who has the most potential “KM” (nothing against Brown, he was a great back for Georgia).
In my optimistic mind, there are 8 returning starters on offense, including our entire backfield.
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Damn! The chickens only lose one starter from a pretty good defense. And they hired up from their previous DC, the one that was there longer than 3 weeks. Glad they only return 5 on offense and have to break in a new QB.
This just further proves we’ll have one of (if not) the toughest schedules in the country.
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Phil Steele’s numbers aren’t entirely accurate. For instance, the chicken’s lose one of the Brinkley brothers (Casper I believe) that was switched from DE to LB and also starting S Brandon Isaac. That’s 2 starters.
UGA loses only 2 starters on defense (the mistake on offense was already mentioned), Kelin Johnson and Marcus Howard. Thomas Flowers was rotating with Prince Miller and didn’t start every game.
Some of the other team numbers aren’t accurate either though they’re all generally within 1 player on each side of the ball. I think what PS did was look at the opening week starting lineups and then count attrition.
I guess it only merits criticism if you want to get really nit-picky about it.
The most important observation, as mentioned, is that there’s a lot of teams returning the majority of their starters. Class breakdown would also be an interesting thing to look at across the conference.
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