SEC Power Rankings: Eastern division defenses

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

If there has been a constant in what has helped the SEC maintain superiority over the other conferences, it has been the speed and ferocity of the defenses in the conference. Our SEC Power Rankings series continues now with a look at the defensive units in the Eastern Division.

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While certain SEC teams almost always seem to have a top-ranked defense – Alabama, LSU, Florida, South Carolina – some have been struggling in the last few seasons, or even longer in some cases.

But all the teams in the East went heavy in defense during this year’s recruiting season, and some of the teams who may have been weak defensively are going to be vastly improved.

Georgia and Vanderbilt are the two teams bringing new defensive coordinators to the party. Georgia’s new head defensive chief, Jeremy Pruitt, is fresh off a national championship with the Florida State Seminoles. Vandy’s new DC, David Kotulski, came over to the Commodores from Stanford with their new head coach, Derek Mason.

So what will all these new defensive players and coaches bring to the table for their teams, and how will each team in the East fare against some pretty potent offenses?

Here’s how we rank them.