Florida

With questions remaining about depth at the wide receiver position, it’s hard not to think about where current Illinois receiver Jarred Fayson would be had he not transferred to re-join Ron Zook in Champaign.

Urban Meyer had nothing but good things to say about the transfer on Wednesday. He said Fayson is one of the best players in the country, and wishes he had stayed at Florida where he might have been the “go-to guy” at this point.

Fayson’s playing time was limited at Florida because he was behind a dynamic receiver in Percy Harvin, but Fayson clearly had talent as he was the third-ranked high school receiver coming out of Hillsborough High School in 2005.

Fayson left after his sophomore year at UF in which he caught 12 passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns. Gator fans might also remember his blocked punt in the 2006 SEC Championship game against Arkansas.

I guess we will never know about what Fayson could have done in Meyer’s spread offense, but he should be a big part of the Fighting Illini’s attack this season.

Illinois opens the season Saturday at Missouri.

LSU

The Tigers open their season in Seattle on Saturday against Washington, where they will be up against dual-threat quarterback Jake Locker.

Les Miles watched a lot of tape on Ohio State prior to LSU’s 2007 BCS Championship game against the Buckeyes, including their game against Washington that season. Locker ran for more than 100 yards against what was the top-ranked defense at the time.

LSU’s coach said he sees a lot of similarities between Locker and Florida’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow. Miles said both Locker and Tebow are big, strong quarterbacks who run hard, but he gives the edge to Locker in overall speed.

The Tigers should have a better chance at containing Locker because of their overall team speed and athleticism. Overall, don’t expect the Tigers to have too much trouble against a team that was winless last year.

Mississippi State

In response to the situation at Michigan, first-year head coach and longtime Urban Meyer assistant Dan Mullen said his team obeys NCAA rules in limiting his team to 20 hours per week for practice.

But that doesn’t mean individual players can’t put in some extra time on their own.

Mullen said Tim Tebow and former first-overall draft pick Alex Smith (Utah) were both quarterbacks who he sometimes had to kick out of his office. He said great college players like Tebow and Smith spend a lot of extra time around the coaches, asking questions and absorbing wisdom from the staff.

Tebow has a Heisman Trophy and two BCS rings in his three years at Florida, but Smith still has done something Tebow has not – leading his team to an undefeated season in 2004.

South Carolina

Expect to see plenty of freshman Stephon Gilmore for the Gamecocks this season.

Gilmore, who played quarterback and defensive back in high school, will start at cornerback this year for South Carolina. But coach Steve Spurrier wants to use him in the “Wildcat” formation a few times a game because of the misdirection he can provide.

This almost seems like we have another Joe Haden in the SEC. Haden, who has been a standout cornerback for the Gators the past two years, played quarterback in high school and there have been rumors the Florida staff might be using him as a quarterback in some situations this year.

Even he doesn’t live up to how good Haden has been in the secondary, the Gamecocks have a playmaker who will find his way on the field as much as possible.

Ole Miss

Houston Nutt’s secondary will have its hands full against Memphis in the opener Sunday.

The Tigers like to throw a lot of jump balls with the size in their receiving corps. Memphis starts 6-foot-9 receiver Carlos Singleton opposite the 6-foot-4 Duke Calhoun.

The Rebels’ starting cornerbacks Marshay Green (5-foot-9) and Cassius Vaughn (5-foot-11) might  need pogo sticks to stop these guys.

Tennessee

Lane Kiffin has one thing in common with eight players on his two-deep depth chart: It’s the first-year in college football for all of them.

Kiffin and the Vols host Western Kentucky for their opener Saturday with some injury issues on offense which has led to a group of true freshmen finding their way on to the field.

Nu’Keese Richardson, who was surrounded in controversy when Kiffin accused Meyer of recruiting violations earlier this year, is one of the freshmen who is listed as a starter.

It might be a good thing Richardson has two games to get acclimated because the Vols are coming to The Swamp for Game 3 on Sept. 19, and the Gators’ deep defense may try to use him for target practice.

Alabama

Terrence Cody’s return means a lot to the Tide’s rush defense this season.

The massive defensive tackle, who is back for the Tide this year after deciding not to enter the NFL Draft, is also apparently in better shape after shedding some weight in the offseason in an effort to improve his pro stock.

Coach Nick Saban said his return was a “business decision,” and the extra year will give him more time to develop as a player.

With a guy like Cody in the middle, SEC running backs will think twice before trying to move the ball up the middle against the Crimson Tide.

Arkansas

Razorbacks second-year coach Bobby Petrino would like to have less stressful fourth quarters this season.

Three of Arkansas’ seven losses in 2008 came by 3 points or less, and every one of its five wins came by a touchdown or less.

With 6-foot-7 Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett under center, the Razorbacks have a quarterback who has the potential to be good. Petrino said the key to his success is he needs to be calmer as a quarterback.

So they have a quarterback with a tendency to get excited and a coach who could use some Yoga classes. This could be interesting.

Kentucky

Coach Rich Brooks appreciates what the Internet offers as far as recruiting goes.

At 68 years old, it’s clear Brooks had plenty of years of experience recruiting without the benefits of modern technology.

Brooks said the Web has helped provide more exposure to more players with the abundance of videos available, and improved efficiency in bringing in new talent.

Looks like you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Georgia

The Bulldogs lost their two best offensive players with the departures of first-overall draft pick Matthew Stafford and tailback Knowshon Moreno.

This year coach Mark Richt puts the offense in the hands of redshirt senior quarterback Joe Cox, who he said is an accurate passer who “doesn’t have delusions about putting the team on his back.”

Early reports on Cox say he has great leadership skills along with the respect of his teammates for the way he handled sitting behind both D.J. Shockley and Stafford.

With some talent at running back, Georgia could have a productive offense as long as Cox can protect the football.

Vanderbilt

Bobby Johnson has some momentum coming into this season after finishing last year off with a 16-14 win over Boston College in the Music City Bowl in Nashville. The offense finished 117^th out of 119 FBS programs in total offense last season, so it’s clear the defense played a huge role in the Commodores’ 7-6 record.

Johnson will look to improve his team’s offense with sophomore quarterback Larry Smith under center. Smith is a big, mobile quarterback who should give Vanderbilt the ability to stretch defenses with his big-play potential.

Auburn

Gene Chizik, who played linebacker for the Florida Gators in 1981, starts his first season as Auburn’s coach Saturday when Louisiana Tech comes to town.

Tommy Tuberville, who resigned from Auburn after a 5-7 record in 2008, was replaced by Chizik who lost 10 straight games at Iowa State last year to finish with a 2-10 record.

So the Tigers are going from a guy who led Auburn to eight straight bowl appearances and an SEC Championship to someone who lost 10 straight games in two seasons at Iowa State.

We’ll see.