Ranking all 16 SEC football programs by 2025 NCAA academic progress rate
Ranking all 16 SEC football programs by 2025 NCAA academic progress rate
The SEC has been at the forefront of the college football landscape for nearly two decades. Though the Big Ten has won the last two national titles, no conference has had as much success as the SEC. The SEC and the Big Ten have emerged as the top two conferences on the field and also in the classroom.
The NCAA tracks academic progress rates (APR) over a rolling four-year period to determine a program's eligibility. If a team falls below an APR of 930, like Akron did this year, that program isn't eligible for the postseason. It also matters for teams on the bubble of bowl eligibility. It takes a .500 record for a team to be eligible for a bowl game, but in recent years, some 5-7 teams have earned an opportunity to go bowling because of their academic progress rate. APR can be used to break a tie among teams on the fringe of bowl eligibility.
The SEC boasts the No. 2 team in the nation in APR this year, along with the No. 20 team in the nation.
The APR, or Academic Progress Rate, holds institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term.
While the SEC can boast some strong academic success, the Big Ten boasts four teams in the top 20 in the nation in APR. The SEC has just two.
The metric now includes the four-year composite of the 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. Here's how all 16 SEC teams rank in NCAA academic progress rate.
APR Score: 952
2024 APR: 934 (No. 16)
LSU was just above the cutoff line last year but showed significant improvement to raise their APR by 18 points, the second biggest improvement in the SEC.
APR Score: 956
2024 APR: 951 (No. 14)
Texas A&M fell one spot despite an improved APR. The Aggies were in their first year under Mike Elko after he took over for Jimbo Fisher. It'll be interesting to see how they trend under their new leadership.
14. Tennessee Volunteers
APR Score: 964
2024 APR: 945 (No. 15)
The biggest mover in APR score year over year, Josh Heuepel, dealt with some controversy in the Nico Iamaleava saga. However, the Volunteers made the playoffs, and Heupel has academic improvement to point to on the recruiting trail.
12. (tie) South Carolina Gamecocks
APR Score: 975
2024 APR: 979 (t-No. 6)
Shane Beamer and South Carolina's APR score dropped and they suffered a significant drop in the SEC rankings. But the Gamecocks had a banner year on the field and were just a few plays away from making the College Football Playoff last year.
12. (tie) Oklahoma Sooners
APR Score: 975
2024 APR: 965 (No. 13)
Oklahoma improved its APR score year over year but suffered on the field. A second 6-7 season in Brent Venables put the Sooners in must-win mode for 2025. It's not necessarily playoff or bust, but they have to be in the hunt.
APR Score: 979
2024 APR: 984 (No. 5)
Jeff Lebby's first year at the helm in Starkville didn't yield much success, and the Mississippi State Bulldogs didn't fair well in the classroom as well, dropping three spots and five points total in academic progress rate.
8. (tie) Georgia Bulldogs
APR Score: 979
2024 APR: 968 (No. 12)
Georgia improved four spots in APR and won the SEC title. Amid off-field issues with the program, Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs found success on the field and in the classroom.
APR Score: 979
2024 APR: 971 (No. 11)
The Kentucky Wildcats missed bowl eligibility for the first time since 2015. However, Mark Stoops and the Wildcats earned a bump in academic progress rate.
8. (tie) Vanderbilt Commodores
APR Score: 979
2024 APR: 976 (No. 10)
It was a huge year for Clark Lea and the Vanderbilt Commodores, and they improved in APR along the way. They picked up a big win over Alabama and has the Commodores on the way up with Diego Pavia at quarterback.
7. Ole Miss Rebels
APR Score: 980
2024 APR: 987 (No. 3)
A disappointing 2024 season for Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels was matched by a disappointing drop in APR. They didn't have the biggest drop in the rankings, but in point totals, the Rebels fell the most.
6. Florida Gators
APR Score: 982
2024 APR: 981 (t-No. 6)
Florida held steady in APR under Billy Napier. One of the coaches on the hot seat in the SEC, Napier helped Florida improve from 6-7 to 8-5 with the help of D.J. Lagway.
5. Arkansas Razorbacks
APR Score: 983
2024 APR: 979 (No. 9)
Along with Texas, the Arkansas Razorbacks were a big mover in academic progress rate, moving up four spots from last season. The Razorbacks matched the academic success with a three-win improvement from 2023 to 2024.
4. Texas Longhorns
APR Score: 986
2024 APR: 980 (No. 8)
Texas jumped four spots in APR this year after their second consecutive playoff appearance. Steve Sarkisian's recruited well and they're one of the top preseason picks to win the national title in 2025.
APR Score: 989
2024 APR: 990 (No. 2)
A bit of a dip for Eli Drinkwitz and the Missouri Tigers, but they stayed top three in APR. It was a strong year on the field for the Tigers who won 10 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
2. Auburn Tigers
APR Score: 990
2024 APR: 986 (No. 4)
The other Alabama school earned the No. 2 spot after coming in fourth last year. The Auburn Tigers jumped two spots in academic progress rate this year.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
APR Score: 998
2024 APR: 997 (No. 1)
Alabama maintained their standing as the top academic program in the SEC. That didn't match the results on the field with loses to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma in 2024. Kalen DeBoer is hoping to turn the Tide's fortunes in 2025 and return to the College Football Playoff.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
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