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 the quarterbacks, running backs and receivers. Next we rank the SEC schools on the strength of their offensive lines heading into the season:

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1. LSU: Tough, talented Tigers pace rankings

There are no apparent weaknesses up front for the Tigers, who led the SEC in offense (543.5 yards per game) and points (45.5 per game) last season. Will Campbell and Emery Jones, projected as first-round NFL picks in 2025, have a combined 50 starts and give the Tigers the best bookend tackles in the country. Garrett Dellinger and Miles Frazier return at the guard spots, with Frazier's 37 starts more than any other player in the SEC at any position. DJ Chester could be seen as the unit’s lone question mark since he’s taking over as the starting center, but the former blue-chip recruit played plenty as a freshman in 2023 and looks like a rising star.

2. Texas: Kelvin Banks Jr. leads veteran bunch

Junior Kelvin Banks Jr. might duel LSU’s Campbell to be the first left tackle taken in the 2025 NFL draft, and a veteran Texas bunch could battle the Tigers for the Joe Moore Award, honoring the nation’s top line, come awards season in December. Banks, a three-year starter, is one of four starters back from a unit that paved the way for 477.5 yards and 35.8 points per game. That group includes savvy fifth-year senior center Jake Majors, who has 41 career starts, and proven depth at guard with Hayden Conner, DJ Campbell and Cole Hutson all returning.  If 6-foot-5, 360-pound Cam Williams can effectively replace the underrated Christian Jones at right tackle, this group could surpass its 2023 performance.

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3. Georgia: Guards are the strength of the unit

With loads of talent and plenty of continuity, there’s a lot to like in the trenches. First-team All-SEC player Tate Ratledge and Dylan Fairchild form arguably the best guard tandem in the nation, especially when it comes to neutralizing an interior pass rush for an offense that ranked second in the SEC with 496.5 yards a game. But the Bulldogs bring a lot more than that elite tandem. Right tackle Xavier Truss decided against the NFL to return to Georgia, and left tackle Ernest Green earned freshman All-American accolades a year ago. If Jared Wilson can step up as the new center and ease the loss of All-American Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia could make its case as the best line in the conference.

4. Tennessee: New tackle keys talented front

The Vols didn’t need much help in the offseason for a deep and talented offensive line, but that didn’t stop head coach Josh Heupel and his staff from plucking LSU tackle Lance Heard from the portal. The former five-star recruit saw plenty of action as a true freshman and could start at left tackle, joining a veteran group that includes returning starters in right tackle John Cooper, center Cooper Mays and right guard Javontez Spraggins. That trio has a combined 126 games and 95 starts, and they helped the Vols lead the SEC in rushing a year ago with 204.8 yards a game.

5. Missouri: Cedar Ridge product part of strong line

Sure, Missouri lost its best lineman from a team that ranked fifth in total offense in the SEC. But a former Austin-area prep star and plenty of returning talent should help the Tigers retain one of the top offensive lines in the conference. Cedar Ridge graduate Marcus Bryant, an All-American Athletic Conference player at SMU last season, will ease the departure of All-American left tackle Javon Foster. He’ll line up alongside another portal arrival, left guard Cayden Green, a part-time starter for Oklahoma as a freshman in 2023. The rest of the Tigers’ line returns intact, with center Connor Tollison, guard Cam'Ron Johnson and tackle Armand Membou.

6. Kentucky: Experience abounds for underrated Cats

The Wildcats ranked just 10th in offense in the SEC a year ago, but don’t blame an efficient offensive line that ranked in the middle of the conference pack in both run blocking and pass protection, according to Pro Football Focus grades. Better yet, most of the players return for a unit with 156 combined career starts, sixth-most in the nation. Eli Cox is back at center after earning second-team All-SEC honors while left tackle Marques Cox returns for a sixth season. Starting guards Dylan Ray and Jager Barton also run it back for what looks like one of the most cohesive units in the country. Gerald Mincey, the lone newcomer in the starting lineup, started at both left and right tackle for Tennessee a year ago.

7. Alabama: There's muscle, but can the line protect the passer?

Pun very much intended: It’s hard to ignore the elephant in the room. Alabama ranked No. 129 out of 133 teams last season in sacks given up, with 49. Sure, quarterback Jalen Milroe’s refusal to throw the ball away contributed to that high number, but the Tide’s tackles played like turnstiles against speed rushers. New coach Kaden DeBoer helped craft Washington's Moore Award-winning line last season, and he’ll need the best out of mercurial sophomore Kadyn Proctor and redshirt sophomore Elijah Pritchett at the tackle spots. Fortunately, the team can lean on one of the top interior lines in the nation with guards Tyler Booker and Jaeden Roberts and former Washington center Parker Brailsford.

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8. Florida: Run blocking is Gators' strength

The analytics love the Gators’ front, as evidenced by a No. 10 national ranking from Pro Football Focus. But can the group’s production meet that potential, unlike in an up-and-down 2023 season? A lot will depend on how two portal arrivals handle the tackle spots. San Diego State's Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson steps in at left tackle but will face an upgrade in competition in the SEC, and Devon Manuel looks like the new right tackle after starting at Arkansas last season. Neither can do much worse in pass protection than Damieon George, who struggled on the edge last year but should show off his physicality after moving to guard. Austin Barber gives the Gators some quality depth as a swing tackle. Center Jake Slaughter and guard Micah Mazzccua excelled as run blockers a year ago, as those PFF grades show.

9. Ole Miss: Rebel jell? Fans hope so

Unquestionably the weak point on a loaded offense, the Rebels’ line hopes a wealth of experience can help overcome some inconsistent play a year ago. Guard Jeremy James, tackle Micah Pettus and center Caleb Warren have already combined for 111 career starts, and newcomer guards Nate Kalepo and Julius Buelow started in 2023 for a Washington unit that won the Moore Award. Tackle Diego Pounds arrives after starting for North Carolina, and yet another veteran, guard Gerquan Scott, started last season for Southern Miss. Overall, Ole Miss leads the nation with 222 total starts among its linemen. But can all that experience meld into a cohesive unit?

10. Auburn: Can new LT provide needed protection?

Head coach Hugh Freeze and his staff hope the arrival of left tackle Percy Lewis from Mississippi State can provide the final piece to a unit that isn’t much of a puzzle. The 6-8, 360-pound Lewis didn’t miss a game in two seasons with the Bulldogs and should fit in well with a veteran group. Connor Lew impressed as a freshman at center and looks ready to step into a larger role as a team leader while Izavion Miller returns at right tackle. Dillon Wade and Jeremiah Wright give Auburn two fifth-year seniors at the guard spots, and both impressed in the run game a year ago for a team that averaged 147 yards rushing.

11. Texas A&M: Change abounds up front, too

Coaching changes always trickle down through the roster, and that includes the Aggies’ offensive line. Left tackle Trey Zuhn is the only returning starter at his position after a wave of departures, so new coach Mike Elko and his offensive line coach, Adam Cushing, have some decisions to make in summer camp. Mark Nabou started 11 games at guard as a redshirt freshman and impressed at center in the spring, and Kansas transfer Ar’maj Reed-Adams arrives in College Station as an expected starter at guard. Can Chase Bisontis or former Westlake star TJ Shanahan seize the other starting guard spot? Is Reuben Fatheree the answer at right tackle? And can this group unleash a running game that ranked just 11th in the SEC?

12. Arkansas: No hog heaven for struggling unit

Head coach Sam Pittman spent much of his career as an offensive line coach, which just adds to the confusion concerning the Hogs’ ineffective front. They ranked 12th in the SEC in pass blocking based on Pro Football Focus grades, and they were equally inefficient on the ground with just 3.5 yards per carry and 139 yards rushing. Pittman turned to the portal to rebuild the unit, with three new starters — left tackle Fernando Carmona, center Addison Nichols and right tackle Keyshawn Blackstock — joining guard Patrick Kutas and Josh Braun. Carmona could be the key; he earned All-Mountain West honors at San Jose State last season.

13. Mississippi State: Revamped unit has potential, questions

First, the bad news: None of the six offensive linemen who started for the Bulldogs a year ago returns, a worrisome fact for positions that rely on cohesion. Now, the good news: The Bulldogs ranked last in scoring and third-to-last in total offense in the SEC, which means first-year coach Jeff Lebby and offensive line coach Cody Kennedy needed to rebuild their offensive front from scratch. Four linemen arrived from the portal, and all will probably start, including former North Texas center Ethan Miner and former Texas Tech guard Jacoby Jackson. Coaches also like Makylan Pounders, a splendid left tackle at Memphis who should anchor the Bulldogs' blind side. The new faces may jell with returners such as Albert Reese IV and Leon Bell, but it could take awhile.

14. Oklahoma: How strong is the rebuilt line?

The Sooners always seem to have talent on the offensive front. But do they have the chemistry after replacing all five starters? The answer to that question could determine whether Oklahoma will contend for a playoff spot in its first SEC season or tumble toward the middle of the pack. Center Branson Hickman, who had 33 career starts at SMU, is a centerpiece of the Sooners’ portal haul and should anchor the unit. He’ll probably line up next to guard Febechi Nwaiwu, a former walk-on at North Texas who developed into an All-Conference USA player with 20 career starts. Former USC and Florida starter Michael Tarquin also arrived and should lock down one tackle spot. The Sooners will need program players such as Jake Taylor and Jacob Sexton to step up quickly if they hope to hold their own in the SEC trenches.

15. Vanderbilt: Anchor down, at least at LT

The league’s worst offense in 2023 welcomes back just one starter: Gunnar Hansen, a 6-5, 321-pound senior who has started 23 games over the past two seasons at left tackle. He and the Commodores especially struggled in pass protection, ranking 112th in the nation in pressure rate allowed, but they got some help — and a massive injection of experience — in the portal. Former UTEP left tackle Steven Hubbard is likely to start at right tackle, and center Steven Losoya arrives after starting last season at Mississippi State. Overall, Vanderbilt will have 102 career starts among its linemen.

16. South Carolina: Youth abounds for Gamecocks

The future looks bright up front for the Gamecocks, who have some talented young linemen as well as some high-level pledges. But can head coach Shane Beamer and offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley turn that potential into production for a unit that ranked 118th in 2023 with 41 sacks allowed and was last in the SEC in rushing? Tree Babalade, a 6-6, 340-pound sophomore, started nine games at left tackle last season and looks like an anchor of an improved unit. Redshirt sophomore Cason Henry, another former four-star recruit, is likely to start at right tackle. The unit also has a veteran leader at center in fifth-year senior Vershon Lee, but finding reliable guards remains a concern.

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

Current standings

1. Georgia, 57

2. Texas, 55

3. Ole Miss, 53

4. Missouri, 49

T5. Tennessee, 40

T5. LSU, 40

7. Alabama, 39

T8. Oklahoma, 38

T8. Florida, 38

10. Auburn, 29

11. Kentucky, 28

12. Texas A&M, 21

13. Mississippi State, 18

14. Arkansas, 15

15. South Carolina, 14

16. Vanderbilt, 10

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