By: Robert Craft

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) remains the gold standard of college football, consistently producing NFL talent and competitive programs.

As the 2025 season approaches, several under-the-radar players are poised to explode onto the national scene.

While many fans focus on household names and established stars, it’s often the breakout players who define a season. Here are five SEC athletes primed to make a major impact in 2025.

Cam Coleman – Wide Receiver, Auburn: The former five-star recruit couldn’t quite reach the same heights as fellow C/O 2024 receivers Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams due to Auburn’s offensive struggles.

However, Coleman absolutely has the athleticism and skill necessary to be a star in this sport.

After a slow start,  he put up eye-popping numbers in the Tiger’s last three games, hauling in 22 catches for 306 yards and six touchdowns.

Upgrades from the portal will help his production improve, with Auburn bringing in quarterback Jackson Arnold from Oklahoma, as well as highly touted offensive linemen Xavier Chaplin and Mason Murphy.

The 6 ‘3 receiver will also be complemented nicely by Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton Jr., who should keep some double-coverage off Coleman.

KJ Bolden – Safety Georgia: Georgia is essentially swapping one All-American safety for another this offseason.

Bolden will be taking over for probable first-round pick Malachai Starks in the Bulldogs secondary after an impressive freshman campaign.

Playing a rotational role for a stingy Georgia defense, the hard-hitting safety turned heads when he was on the field, compiling 59 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception in 15 games.

Able to play at any spot on the field, Bolden has the chance in 2025 to cement himself as Georgia’s next great defensive-back.

Austin Simmons – QB Ole Miss: In other years, I’d have Simmons as a top-5 quarterback in the SEC entering the season.

The buzz out of Oxford is that the southpaw is exactly the guy we saw save the day against Georgia.

Simmons’ touchdown drive might’ve fueled a ton of offseason hype but go back to the fact that he reclassified from 2025 to 2023, and heading into his redshirt freshman season, he beat out coveted former LSU transfer Walker Howard for the backup job.

Simmons did that while still juggling baseball duties. He moved on from baseball in hopes of becoming Lane Kiffin’s next great quarterback.

He’s got a largely new group of pass-catchers — Cayden Lee will be worthy of preseason All-SEC love — and he’ll have to do more heavy lifting than the 2024 Rebels offense had to do with an elite defense.

Jadan Baugh – RB, Florida: Florida’s offense enters a pivotal year, and one of its most exciting weapons might be sophomore Jaden Baugh.

Baugh is now the lead candidate to start at running back. A lightning-quick runner with elite agility, he brings a home-run threat every time he touches the ball.

At 6’ and 230 pounds, Baugh combines speed with power and vision.

Head coach Billy Napier has hinted at a heavier ground attack in 2025, making Baugh a potential breakout star in Gainesville.

Rueben Owens – RB Texas A&M: As brutal as it was to watch Owens go down with a broken foot in fall camp after a promising true freshman campaign — he forced 23 missed tackles on 101 carries in 2023 — it was encouraging to see him return at all in 2024.

Owens got to shake out the cobwebs and get live reps in the Collin Klein offense as the lead back in the bowl game.

Owens likely won’t get lead-back work once All-SEC running back Le’Veon Moss makes a full return, but it remains to be seen what he’ll look like coming off his nasty season-ending knee injury.

Even if Moss looks like the best version of himself, you could still see multiple stars emerge in the backfield, especially one that’ll operate behind 5 returning starters on the offensive line.

That’s a massive benefit for A&M. Offensive line continuity is everything in this era.

Complement that with a talented, elusive tailback like Owens in a run-heavy scheme and you’ll see plenty of big-time moments from No. 4.

The SEC never lacks star power, but each season also brings a new wave of impact players ready to seize the spotlight.

Here are a few other players to keep an eye on: Jaydn Ott (RB, Oklahoma), Jack Endries (TE, Texas), Cayden Lee (WR, Ole Miss), Aaron Anderson (WR, LSU) and Gunner Stockton(QB, Georgia).