One thing the Dawgs have going for them in 2026: tons of returning starters…in fact, they are tied for the most in the SEC with Oklahoma at 14.
Tennessee and Texas, surprisingly, also bring back more than half their starters from 2025, while South Carolina, Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt return 10 starters on their squads.
So who has the fewest returning starters, you might ask. The answer should absolutely excite you.
Ah, Auburn. Notice they have the same amount of returning starters as South Florida…shocker, I know.
Happy September, Refugees. It’s your monthly reminder that Auburn sucks.
It’s nice to have that many starters coming back. Team chemistry will definitely make a difference, but with the NIL I’m not sure if it’s such a big deal now.
It’s still shocking to see that many teams with single-digit returning starters. What a sport. Glad to see several of our opponents on this last screenshot.
I’ll say that I prefer snaps vs. starts as a statistic to follow, and Bill Connelly does that story well.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/48259759/college-football-returning-production-2026-notre-dame-texas