There’s no such thing as overkill when it comes to talent in college football’s best conference, as this year’s class of SEC tight ends demonstrates. NFL teams selected more SEC players than from any other conference in the 2023 draft, which is nothing new. The SEC has sent more players to the big leagues every year since 2007. This year’s returning class of SEC tight ends is a deep group of up-and-coming players. An undisputed champion sits atop the list, but several contenders are moving up quickly.
To qualify for the list, you must be a returning tight end in the SEC. You can be a transfer if it was from another SEC school. Transfers from outside the conference do not qualify for this list.
5. Jordan Dingle, Kentucky Wildcats
Dingle set the bar high as a freshman last season, hauling in 20 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns. That’s a solid average of 11 yards per catch, and that could be just the start of an encore performance. Kentucky’s offense got a shot in the arm when it landed quarterback Devin Leary in the transfer portal. Head coach Mark Stoops’ offense looks more than capable in the hands of Leary, a four-year starter from North Carolina State.
4. Donovan Green, Texas A&M Aggies
Green was another freshman who turned up on the radar last year. Typically, there’s not much good to say after a 5-7 season, but Green was a legitimate bright spot for the Aggies. He had 22 catches for 233 yards and two scores. With a year under his belt in the Jimbo Fisher program, there’s no telling how much better Green will be as a sophomore.
3. Trey Knox, South Carolina Gamecocks
It should be a plug-and-play operation with Knox, who comes over from Arkansas. The graduate student is a veteran of the SEC ring, so he figures to have no trouble fitting right in. Last year with the Razorbacks, he reeled in 26 passes for 296 and five touchdowns. He brings 29 career starts to Columbia, where he offers a big target for returning quarterback Spencer Rattler.
2. Mason Taylor, LSU Tigers
What a year 2022 was for freshman tight ends in the SEC. Taylor barely had his bags unpacked in Baton Rouge when he started tearing open defenses every Saturday. He caught 38 passes for 414 yards and three touchdowns.
The sky’s the limit for Taylor, who is the biggest player on this list at an NFL-ready 6-6 and 255 lbs. He had a career-high six receptions in the SEC Championship game against Georgia. The sophomore will be a handful for even the best SEC defensive backfields in 2023.
1. Brock Bowers, Georgia Bulldogs
Bowers just keeps getting better. He racked up seven touchdowns and 942 yards on 63 receptions for an average of 14.9 yards per catch. His performance earned him the John Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end.
The junior plays his best in the biggest games. He had six catches for 81 yards and a score in the SEC Championship win over LSU. In the National Championship game, he torched TCU on seven receptions for 152 yards and a score, in what is likely his final year in Athens before jumping to the NFL, Bowers is in line for another standout season.
Photo courtesy: Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK
