After years of discussions, negotiations and preparation, Texas has finally joined the SEC. But how do the Longhorns stack up as they enter the toughest conference in college football?

We're ranking the SEC position by position, assigning points for each team — 16 points for first place through one point for 16th. We'll update the totals with each installment, giving a sense of which teams will contend for the SEC title and College Football Playoff spots.

We've already examined SEC quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and offensive lines. Next we rank the SEC schools on the strength of their defensive lines heading into the season:

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1. Tennessee: Vols have edge with James Pearce Jr.

There’s not a better pass rusher in the country than future first-round NFL pick James Pearce Jr., a 6-foot-5, 245-pound junior who earned first-team All-SEC honors last season after racking up 10 sacks and 14½ tackles for loss. But there’s much more to this front than Pearce. Seniors Bryson Eason and Omari Thomas return as starters at the tackle spots and provide all the intangibles plus plenty of production, and 300-pound Jaxson Moi gives quality interior depth after starting seven games for Stanford last season. The Vols also have several young edge rushers who look primed for breakout seasons opposite Pearce — Joshua Josephs, Tyree Weathersby and five-star freshman Jordan Ross.

2. Georgia: Deep Dawgs still have bite

Sure, the NFL and the portal took their usual toll on the deep and talented roster that head coach Kirby Smart and his staff have constructed, but the Dawgs still have plenty of bite up front after leading the SEC in scoring defense. Nazir Stackhouse, a second-team All-SEC selection, returns for his third season as a starter and is an athletic 320-pound anchor at noseguard. Classmate Warren Brinson has paid his dues in the system and could thrive in his first year as a full-time starter, and talented redshirt sophomore Christen Miller looks too talented to keep out of the interior rotation. Mykel Williams could be the defensive wild card; he had a team-high 4½ sacks along with 6½ tackles for loss and could line up everywhere from linebacker to tackle in passing situations.

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3. Ole Miss: Portal powers Rebels' line

Never underestimate the portal prowess of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, whose impressive transfer haul included two defensive linemen who are likely to be picked in next year’s NFL draft. Manor graduate Princely Umanmielen, a 6-5, 255-pound end, earned All-SEC honors at Florida last season after racking up career highs in tackles for loss (11½) and sacks (seven), and 6-4, 290-pound tackle Walter Nolen arrives after two impressive years at Texas A&M. They join a unit that didn’t need much help; veteran Jared Ivey returns at one end, 315-pound senior J.J. Pegues anchors the middle, and Akelo Stone and Zxavian Harris boast lots of productivity and experience. Oh, and five-star recruit Kam Franklin leads an impressive crop of freshman linemen eager for action.

4. Arkansas: Hog wild about bookends

Is there a better pair of bookend edge players in the SEC than Landon Jackson and Albany transfer Anton Juncaj? Jackson, a 6-7, 280-pound terror from Texarkana, earned first-team All-SEC honors a year ago and can hold up against the run and pressure the quarterback. The 6-3, 275-pound Juncaj racked up 15 sacks and 21½ tackles for loss while nabbing FCS first-team All-America honors and looks SEC-ready. Tackles Cam Ball and Eric Gregory, who both top 300 pounds, also return after starting last season. Better yet for arguably the team’s strongest position? Depth abounds with potential starting end Nico Davillier, veteran tackle Keivie Rose and massive 355-pound tackle Danny Saili, who transferred in from BYU after spring ball.

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5. Kentucky: No running allowed

The Wildcats’ base 3-3-5 defense requires some titans up front to hold up against the run and still generate pressure on the quarterback. No one in the SEC does both better than 6-6, 350-pound noseguard Deone Walker, a projected first-round pick in next year’s draft. The All-SEC player had 55 tackles and 7½ sacks last season and will once again be the focal point of any offensive game plan. The other linemen aren’t exactly runts; Dennious Jackson (6-5, 335) arrived in the portal from junior college after injuries took a toll on the unit in the spring, and 6-4, 322-pound Keeshawn Silver looks primed for a breakout season. Fifth-year senior Octavious Oxendine provides leadership and a pass rush for one of the top run-defending fronts in the conference.

6. Texas: Depth gives charge to unit

Based on the comments by head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff in the offseason, the Longhorns are confident in their new starters up front. But it’s hard to ignore the losses; All-American tackles T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II were the pillars of an elite run defense, and defensive line coach Bo Davis set a tone for the entire program before heading to LSU in the offseason. Still, Texas has plenty of depth, if not star power. Fifth-year seniors Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton will get their shots to shine at tackle, and portal arrivals Tiaoalii Savea and Bill Norton both arrive from Arizona. Starting ends Ethan Burke and Barryn Sorrell also return, and they excel against the run. Prized portal arrival Trey Moore had 14 sacks for UTSA last season, and coaches hope he adds some needed juice to the pass rush along with five-star freshman Colin Simmons.

7. Texas A&M: New era, new talent

New coach Mike Elko has deep defensive roots, including a stint as the Aggies’ defensive coordinator several years ago. So what’s more fitting than an impressive defensive line to set the tone for his team in his first season? Elko fended off some portal suitors to keep All-SEC lineman Shemar Turner, a 6-4, 290-pound junior who has settled in at tackle. End Shemar Stewart, an all-SEC freshman a year ago, also returns. But transfers provided the real jolt with the arrival of Bowling Green powerhouse Cashius Howell and former Purdue pass-rushing dervish Nic Scourton, a Bryan native. That portal pair combined for 19½ sacks last season and could give the Aggies one of the SEC’s best pass rushes. Depth at tackle seems the biggest concern.

8. Oklahoma: Working on the line

To his credit, head coach Brent Venables spent the offseason attacking one of his team’s glaring weaknesses. Former TCU All-Big 12 defensive tackle Damonic Williams picked the Sooners over Texas and other suitors in the portal and gives the unit a disruptor in the middle. His arrival also will free up returning starter Da’Jon Terry, a 325-pound run stuffer in his fifth season. The Sooners also had a tremendous recruiting haul on the line, led by five-star David Stone, the rare freshman who could make an impact up front. Ethan Downs returns on the edge after a productive junior season that included a second-team All-Big 12 nod, and Caiden Woullard arrives after racking up 9½ sacks at Miami (Ohio). Add in veterans such as end Trace Ford, and this is suddenly a deep and talented unit.

9. Alabama: New regime comes with new questions

No position more defined Alabama’s dynastic run under now-retired Nick Saban that the defensive line, which mashed up opponents and served as an assembly line of NFL talent. In a nod to that legacy, new coach Kalen DeBoer kept defensive line coach Freddie Roach on the staff with a promotion to associate head coach. But does that elite talent still exist? Interior force Tim Keenan III looks the part after emerging as an elite run stuffer last season. Tim Smith, Jaheim Oatis and Texas A&M transfer LT Overton also man the inside, but none of that trio gets much of a push in the pass rush. There’s even more questions on the edge with the losses of pass rushers Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell to the NFL. There are no heirs apparent on the roster, which means prospects such as Jah-Marien Latham and Keon Keeley need to emerge.

10. South Carolina: Inside job is key

The strength of South Carolina’s team could be the interior of the defensive line. Fifth-year senior Tonka Hemingway will line up all over the front for the Gamecocks, but the 6-3, 285-pounder is most effective inside, where he can use his quickness to knife into the backfield. He’s also adept at getting into the passing lanes, as evidenced by his SEC-high eight batted balls in 2023. TJ Sanders and Boogie Huntley add yet more experience and size. The edge remains a major concern, however. The Gamecocks tied for last in the SEC with 21 sacks a year ago, and they hope Georgia Tech transfer Kyle Kennard, who had six sacks last season, can add a spark on the outside.

11. Missouri: Overcoming offseason losses

The Tigers enter a new defensive era that includes coordinator Corey Batoon and lots of different faces up front for a unit that ranked fourth in the SEC a year ago. Edge Johnny Walker Jr. returns after an impressive junior season that included five sacks and 9½ tackles for loss, but he no longer has All-SEC performer Darius Robinson to draw the attention of opponents. Batoon hopes transfer Darris Smith Jr. can emerge at the other edge spot after seeing limited snaps for a loaded Georgia defense. The tackles have even more questions, since Kristian Williams is the only player back in the interior. Sterling Webb and Chris McClellan lead a large group of portal arrivals.

12. Auburn: Veterans need help

The bad news? All-SEC end Marcus Harris bypassed a possible return to the Plains and now plays for the Houston Texans while tackle Justin Rogers is with the Dallas Cowboys. The good news? Sophomore Keldrick Faulk, a 6-6, 285-pound all-freshman SEC player in 2023, returns along with veterans Jayson Jones and Zykeivous Walker. That trio had more than 1,000 combined snaps last season, and they’ll have plenty of help from a portal haul that brought four new linemen, including former Texas tackle Trill Carter. If former Arkansas State edge rusher Keyron Crawford can adapt to life in the SEC and provide a steady pass rush, this group could become a team strength.

13. Florida: Gators need to get on a roll

New defensive line coach Gerald Chatman has a heavy lift ahead of him. The Gators gave up 5.1 yards a carry against FBS foes and ranked 12th in the SEC with just 22 sacks, and the portal delivered some hits to the unit. But there are reasons for optimism. Edge Justus Boone returns after missing last season with an injury, and 6-6, 375-pound Cam Jackson has started 24 games over the past two years. But Tyreak Sapp, Caleb Banks and some other veterans need to take the next step. The arrival of 305-pound Ivy League defensive player of the year Joey Slackman helps, but the former Penn star will be squaring off against something very different from Yale and Harvard.

14. Mississippi State: What's the rush?

Mississippi State has a fresh coaching staff assembled by first-year coach Jeff Lebby, but defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler certainly knows his way around the SEC after stops at Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Florida. There are lots of personnel concerns, starting with tackle Trevion Williams, a former blue-chip recruit who missed last season with an injury and was arrested on a DUI charge in May. End De'Monte Russell enters his sixth season in the program and provides a respected locker room voice, but he’s not much of a pass rusher for a team that ranked in the bottom half of the SEC with 27 sacks. Can 6-7, 320-pound Albert Reese develop some consistency in his fourth season? Can Hutzler find some disruptive edge rushers? These key questions need answers.

15. LSU: Numbers game not in Tigers' favor

The numbers don’t lie. The Tigers finished second to last in total defense in the SEC last season, third to last in scoring defense, second to last in rushing defense and 11th in sacks. Those wretched stats led to a coaching overhaul and the arrival of Davis from Texas. Unfortunately for LSU fans eager for an upgrade, the personnel looks familiar. Sai'Vion Jones returns as a starter at end but has yet to reach the potential that made him a five-star recruit in 2021, and Jacobian Guillory moves into a full-time role at tackle after rotating in and out a year ago. Gio Paez, a Wisconsin transfer, gives the Tigers a typical Big Ten tackle, stout against the run but suspect in the pass rush.

16. Vanderbilt: Anchors needed up front

Muscle in the middle remains the biggest concern for Vanderbilt, which has long been the conference’s doormat. Foes moved the ball at will last season against a defense that allowed a conference-worst 455 yards a game, and head coach Clark Lea tabbed former Texas A&M defensive analyst Seth Payne to take over the defensive line duties. The unit lost its best potential returner, Nate Clifton, to USC but welcomed an overlooked gem in the portal with 6-foot, 275-pound Zaylin Wood, a rowdy and energetic edge who served as a team captain at Middle Tennessee State.

About this series

This summer, the American-Statesman is ranking each SEC football team position by position. We will assign points for each team at each position, with 16 for the leader and one for 16th place. We’ll update the totals with each installment, giving an idea of which teams will contend for the conference title and a possible College Football Playoff spot.

The lineup: (1) quarterbacks, (2) running backs, (3) receivers, (4) offensive line, (5) defensive line, (6) linebackers, (7) defensive backs, (8) coaching and intangibles

Updated standings

1. Georgia 72

2. Ole Miss 67

3. Texas 66

4. Tennessee 56

5. Missouri 55

T6. Alabama 47

T6. Oklahoma 47

T8. LSU 42

T8. Florida 42

10. Kentucky 40

11. Auburn 34

12. Texas A&M 31

13. Arkansas 28

T14. Mississippi State 21

T14. South Carolina 21

16. Vanderbilt 11

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Who has the best DL in the SEC? The Statesman ranks all 16 schools