With SEC Media Days underway, Last Word shifts its “Best Of” series to the last of the P4 conferences. We know the Big 12 line play, ACC trench play, and Big 10 hogs all have excellent linemen coming into the 2025 season. But, for a conference that toots its own horn the loudest, does their talent on the offensive line outshine the rest? These are the best SEC offensive linemen that came back for more Saturday football in 2025.
The Best SEC Offensive Linemen Returning In 2025
Cayden Green – Missouri
The first member of the best SEC offensive linemen is a name plenty of NFL draft personnel already have an eye on. ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller has Cayden Green as one of 10 draft prospects flying “under the radar” in 2025. The junior from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, has already played in 24 career games (18 starts). He played his freshman year at Oklahoma. During the 2023 season as a Sooners, he made five starts.
Green has already amassed a ton of playing time, having taken 1,443 career snaps in his career. He has been named to multiple preseason All-American predictions for the 2025 season. If he declares and is selected in the 2026 NFL draft, it’ll mark the third-straight season where a Missouri offensive lineman is selected in the draft. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz knows that if Green can elevate his play, the entire offense can take a big step forward.
Ar’Maj Reed-Adams – Texas A&M
But Green isn’t the only experienced player on this countdown. Another lineman with a ton of experience joins the countdown. Ar’Maj Reed-Adams started at right guard each game in 2024 for Mike Elko. However, he saw plenty of significant time on the field as a Big 12 offensive lineman before last season. Prior to arriving in College Station, he appeared in 31 games, including 15 starts, in four seasons as a Kansas Jayhawk. Reed-Adams was named to the Walter Camp Preseason All-America second-team ahead of the 2025 season. With the Aggies returning all five starters along the offensive line from 2024, Reed-Adams should lead a unit that should be among the best in the country.
Austin Barber – Florida
The 2024 season saw Florida head coach Billy Napier successfully show enough growth to come back in 2025. Now, the Gators are in great shape to continue to build on 2024’s success in large part because of their offensive line. One of those starters who is considered amongst the best SEC offensive linemen is Austin Barber. He started all 13 games at left tackle in 2024. He logged 729 offensive snaps with a pass block grade of 70.2 according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Barber’s player commitment to the long-term development of one program is admirable. He enters 2025 as a fifth-year senior with his entire career being with the Gators.
Kadyn Proctor – Alabama
We have now reached the part of the countdown where the conversation is no longer about the best SEC offensive linemen. The next two players are in consideration for the best offensive lineman in the country. The first of which is looking to secure his status as a top-10 draft pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Kadyn Proctor looks to be the anchor for a playoff run for Kalen DeBoer and the Tide. The 6-7, 360-pound junior earned second-team All-SEC honors in 2024. He only surrendered three sacks and 15 pressures on 323 pass-blocking snaps, according to PFF. The Tide will only go as far as Proctor can take them.
The Best SEC Offensive Lineman Returning Is Jake Slaughter – Florida
While Proctor deserves to be viewed as a cut above the other of Last Words’ best SEC offensive linemen, he came short of the top spot. The player getting the ball to quarterback DJ Lagway is going to play a critical role in the Gators’ 2025 season. Jake Slaughter comes into 2025 widely considered to be the best center in all of the land. Slaughter enters his fifth season in Gainsville, coming off a season that netted him plenty of honors.
The first-team SEC center had a pass block grade of 83.9 according to PFF. He also ranked fifth nationally among centers with an offense grade of 81.1, along with a run block grade of 79.0 (which was good for seventh in the country). Not only did he land on the all-conference team, but he was also selected for first-team All-American honors. Slaughter is aiming to cement his legacy as one of the best linemen in Gators history with one final season.
Main Photo: Matt Pendleton – Imagn Images
