ESPN tabs top newcomer for every SEC team during 2026 college football season

Every year a newcomer or two in college football seems to take the sport by storm. Whether it’s a Diego Pavia transferring to Vanderbilt or a Jeremiah Smith enrolling at Ohio State, there are major difference-makers that show up each season.

Who might those players be during the 2026 campaign? Well, ESPN has curated a list of the top newcomers for each SEC team heading into the season.

We’ve taken a dive into the complete list of top SEC newcomers from ESPN to provide you with some context and background on each. ESPN also provided commentary on those newcomers from coaches and GMs. Let’s dig in below.

Alabama – RB Ezavier Crowell

Alabama’s ground game was a major problem in 2025, with the Crimson Tide unable to generate consistent production out of the backfield. Daniel Hill is back, but Jam Miller is gone. And the Tide need more production.

Enter Ezavier Crowell, who was one of the top-ranked recruits in the nation. He checked in as a Five Star Plus+ prospect, the No. 13 overall recruit in the country. He’s the No. 2 back in the class and the top overall player from the state of Alabama. He could make an immediate impact as a newcomer this fall.

Arkansas – RB Sutton Smith

Arkansas loses a 1,000-yard rusher in Mike Washington Jr. and must find someone to fill his shoes. Sutton Smith transferred over from Memphis, so he should already have plenty of familiarity with how the new staff wants to do things offensively.

Smith is coming off a breakout season with the Tigers. He ran for 669 yards on just 102 carries last season (6.6 yards per carry), scoring seven times. He should see an even healthier workload for the Hogs.

Auburn – QB Byrum Brown

In today’s day and age, a quarterback transferring to follow a head coach is a pretty safe bet to be an instant impact newcomer. And Byrum Brown was an electric quarterback playing for Alex Golesh at USF.

Brown has thrown for more than 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns in two of the last three seasons. He’s an experienced veteran with 61 career touchdowns against 19 interceptions and 2,265 yards rushing and 31 touchdowns on the ground. He can hurt you in a lot of different ways and should pace the Tigers offensively.

Florida – WR Eric Singleton

Florida has no shortage of superb skill players, but Singleton was the addition this offseason that could make the biggest difference. Because of the presence of Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson at receiver, he’s going to get plenty of open looks.

The Auburn transfer also has some previous experience playing for Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner when he was at Georgia Tech. That should make for a quick ramp-up for the wideout who already has 2,002 career receiving yards.

Georgia – WR Isiah Canion

Perhaps Georgia’s biggest issue a year ago — and Joel Klatt’s biggest question for Georgia — was a lack of elite skill position players to help out the quarterback. Canion enters as a 6-foot-4 target who could help alleviate that concern.

The newcomer is coming off a season in which he caught 33 passes for 480 yards and four touchdowns while at Georgia Tech. And he’s only just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. He could be a big difference-maker.

LSU – QB Sam Leavitt

All eyes are on Leavitt’s health right now as he recovers from a foot injury. But assuming he can get healthy without any setbacks and can get up to speed fairly quickly, he figures to be the guy for a very talented LSU team.

Leavitt threw for 2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2024 at Arizona State before his 2025 campaign was derailed by injury. If he can get and stay healthy, he’s a potential top NFL prospect playing the position down in Baton Rouge.

Oklahoma – WR Parker Livingstone

A newcomer making a rivalry jump from Texas to Oklahoma, Livingstone was excellent as a freshman for the Longhorns. The 6-foot-4 target was a favorite of Arch Manning‘s, often offering a nice release valve when the latter saw pressure.

Livingstone will have a similarly talented quarterback to work with this fall in John Mateer. He’s coming off a season in which he caught 29 passes for 516 yards and six touchdowns — and that appears to be just the start.

South Carolina – OT Jacarrius Peak

South Carolina has some serious pieces in place on both sides of the ball already. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers is back, but he needs a little more help around him if the Gamecocks are going to erase the sting of a very disappointing 2025 campaign.

Peak can bring some stability to the offensive line. The NC State transfer has 32 career starts to his name and figures to be a plug-and-play guy up front. An offseason injury does bear monitoring as Peak recovers, though.

Tennessee – DT Xavier Gilliam

Tennessee made a major change defensively and has brought in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to help turn things around. There’s also a significant bit of personnel shakeup along the defense, including on the defensive front.

Gilliam redshirted while playing in four games during his first season at Penn State. He then transferred after a solid 2025 campaign, logging 15 tackles, 2.0 tackles for a loss and 0.5 sacks. Now the newcomer needs to up those numbers even more for the Volunteers.

Texas – WR Cam Coleman

One of the most high-profile transfers of the offseason, the Auburn standout and former Five Star Plus+ prospect arrives on the 40 Acres. He figures to be an instant weapon for Manning, who is looking to take the next step in 2026.

In two seasons so far, Coleman has caught 93 passes for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns. Some in the sport believe he could even challenge Smith for the honors as top receiver in the nation (and the 2027 NFL Draft) if he lives up to his billing.

Rest of the SEC’s Top Newcomers

Kentucky – QB Kenny Minchey
Mississippi State – S Bralan Womack
Missouri – WR Cayden Lee
Ole Miss – DE Jonathan Maldonado
Texas A&M – WR Isaiah Horton
Vanderbilt – QB Jared Curtis