College football season is officially back in action and the Southeastern Conference will kick things off with a ranked matchup between South Carolina and Texas A&M. The SEC will once again be competitive and both of these teams are expected to be in the mix come the end of the year as they start their seasons ranked in the Top 25. Both A&M and South Carolina lost marquee players this season and are now tasked with replacing them as they kick off the year with new looking teams.
There is no Jadeveon Clowney or Johnny Manziel in this matchup. There is also no Connor Shaw. Both Texas A&M and South Carolina lost key members to last year's teams to the NFL Draft as both Clowney and Manziel were taken in the first round. Whichever team proves to have the best depth is who wins the matchup.
The Gamecocks will replace Clowney with Darius English who played backup to the defensive end last year. The sophomore got one start last season and finished the year with 19 tackles. He was named Georgia state defensive player of the year his senior season after putting up 21 sacks. He is the biggest offensive lineman on the field for South Carolina and the Gamecocks remain confident that there will no issues this upcoming season.
Replacing Manziel is easier said than done. The quarterback won the Heisman for Texas A&M and then was drafted to the Cleveland Browns after waiving his fourth year of eligibility. Kenny Hill will be the starter for the team this year, or at least for the first game. He passed for 183 yards and one touchdown in four games of action last year. For now he has won the competition with Kyle Allen after Matt Joeckel transferred to TCU. Hill might not be as flashy as Manziel was, but he certainly does not lack for talent. However, can he also overcome the loss of Mike Evans and Jake Matthews who also were drafted in the first round last year?