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LSU offensive guard Josh Dworaczyk has been granted a sixth year of eligibility, the NCAA and LSU announced Wednesday.

Dworaczyk, who was arguably the Tigers' top lineman heading into last season, suffered a season-ending knee injury during training camp in August and missed all of the 2011 season.

“I’m excited to be able to get another year so that I can finish my career on the field,” Dworaczyk said in a release through the school. “I felt like I had some unfinished business, so being able to get this additional year is a blessing.

“Watching from the sidelines last year wasn’t always easy, because I was so used to being a contributor on the field. Getting another year means that I get to wear the Purple and Gold again, and for that I’m very thankful.

“Getting to see the game through the eyes of a coach and understanding what they are looking for from the players on the field, it helped me fully understand our offense. It also gave me a different relationship with my teammates. As a player, I was a leader on the field. Last year, I couldn’t be in the huddle with my teammates so I tried to be a motivator, giving words of advice or encouragement and doing whatever I could to help from the sidelines.”

Dworaczyk's return will ease the loss of All-American Will Blackwell, who took over at left guard halfway through his past season.

Dworaczyk has started in 26 of the 38 games (all at left guard) that he's played in, and will add to an already experienced returning line. The addition of Dworaczyk means LSU's offensive line will enter the fall with 105 combined starts -- Dworaczyk (26), center P.J. Lonergan (26), right tackle Alex Hurst (24), left tackle Chris Faulk (15), and right guard Josh Williford (14) -- and will yet again cement itself as one of the top offensive lines in the SEC.

“This is great news for our program,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “You never want to see a player have his career cut short because of an injury. Josh is a tremendous representative of our program, and it’s nice to see that he’s going to get a chance to finish out his LSU career on the field.”

Kevin Sumlin isn’t a stranger to winning. The two-time national coach of the year finalist recorded a 35-17 record during his four years at Houston, before taking over as Texas A&M’s new coach in December.

But as Sumlin makes his return to College Station, Texas, he’ll do so as a SEC coach. While he hasn’t coached in this league before, he understands that size, strength and speed are on a new level down here.

That’s why he pushed spring practice back two weeks after spring break in order to give strength and conditioning coach Larry Jackson eight full weeks to punish his new players and get them into the proper shape for a full SEC season.

Sumlin took some time out of his busy schedule to talk to ESPN.com about life as the Aggies’ coach before the move to the SEC:

What has the whirlwind of coming back to Texas A&M after your successful years at Houston been like for you?

Kevin Sumlin: Having been here before, I’ve got a better feel for the university, for the traditions, for how things work. There’s a certain comfort level in that, instead of walking into a completely new situation. Also, many of the recruits that were committed or that were prospects from Dec. 10 to Feb. 1, most of those guys we had a relationship with [at Houston], so it wasn’t a cold call, so to speak. A lot of the stress level of moving into a completely new situation and not knowing what’s going on, that wasn’t necessarily the case.

It isn’t easy for a new head coach, especially when you’re behind like you were, when it comes to recruiting. How much did being able to tell recruits that they’d be playing in the SEC help?

KS: It’s a factor. It’s not everything, but it certainly is a factor, particularly here in-state. It’s different than it has been in the past. Kids (in the state of Texas) have a choice now with the Big 12, the Big East and the SEC in where they want to play. It gives the guy an opportunity in our primary recruiting states of Texas and Louisiana to play in the SEC. I don’t think it’s hurt us at all, I think it’s helped us. The ability for a young man to play in arguably the best league in the country that’s what real competitors want to do and guys who want to play at the highest level. The quality of football and then the types of players in that league are exciting to a lot of young men.

Obviously, in recruiting, you want to hit Texas hard, but how important is it to get into the southeast and tap into states like Florida, Georgia and Alabama?

KS: We’re in a unique situation here because of the large amount of talent in the state of Texas and the importance that’s placed on development and coaching in high school. We’ve got a great, great talent pool here. I also think we can do a better job in state and expand into Louisiana. Really, those are our primary recruiting areas because we’ve got a proximity here in College Station to Louisiana (that is) probably closer than some schools on the east side of the SEC. After that, we’ll look at the top five or six players by position nationally that have an interest in us.

Focusing on the team you have now, what was the message you tried to convey to your team when you first met with them?

KS: It was a really unique situation. Both teams were in a bowl game -- Houston was in a bowl game and A&M was in a bowl game. It gave me an opportunity to really be here and watch practice and I purposely haven’t watched any video, but to be on the ground and watch practice and see our guys … it gave me about a week to do my own evaluations. When we got back the day before school started, we had a team meeting and basically we asked them to trust us and by saying that, meaning that there were going to be some changes, primarily their strength and conditioning program. We weren’t going to do anything that was just to play with people’s minds. Everything that we were going to do when they came into this building was to make them better, whether it was academically, whether it was athletically, or strength and conditioning, we aren’t here to play games with them. We’re here to get better.

These guys have been great and working at it like crazy and the attitude has been really, really phenomenal in a transition period.

Looking at the depth chart, you guys lose a few pieces to that defensive line. The SEC is known as a line-of-scrimmage league; so how important is it to develop that defensive line and also the offensive line.

KS: It’s extremely important. Right now, the strength of our team is the offensive line and we signed basically a third of our class this year as defensive linemen. We’ve got to continue to develop that moving from a 3-4 to a 4-3. It may be kind of a misnomer that we’re short defensive linemen because we’ve got a couple of guys who are playing outside linebacker who are 240-50 pounds and can put their hands down in the ground and go. We’ve got to continue to get better and our No. 1 goal moving here is we had to increase our talent level and we’ve taken one of the first steps to that with the first recruiting class. Then, I wanted to hire a staff of coaches that have coached at the highest level, been in those types of games, but are also developmental coaches.

We are all very familiar with what you did with Case Keenum and that Houston offense, but now that you’re making the move to the SEC do you anticipate any kinds of changes to combat this defensive speed?

KS: Yeah. You know, I don’t think speed is an issue for us. I think size is. This team has gone on the field and played pretty well against some people from a speed standpoint. I think size and strength may be where it is and we have to continue to recruit to that. That being said, I don’t think we’re in any position right now to win a 6-3 ball game. I don’t think we can do that. We’re going to have to score points. People look at us and think we throw it all over the place, but we’ve also been able to get the ball to our playmakers and that’s the basis of our offense. Whatever it’s going to take to get some points on the board, we’re going to have to be able to do that. Right now, we’re not anywhere near built to win a 6-3 game, but we’ve got enough talent here to be successful and as long as we continue to recruit these types of players, increase our size on our defensive front and continue to get the type of skill players that we’ve got in this class we’ll be alright.

Once spring practice comes and you’re able to put your hands on these guys when they're in pads, what do you want to immediately get out of them and what do you want to see?

KS: Our primary focus is changing our physical makeup, our conditioning and also our mental makeup. The bigger and stronger and more in shape you are, the more confident you are. That’s a fact. We have to start with that. Then, as we get into spring football, we want to really institute getting through those 15 practices with the basis of three new schemes -- offensively, defensively and special teams -- and make sure that we have a foundation with all of those new schemes.

We have to come through spring football and establish really where we are on the depth chart. I don’t know if we’ll have a quarterback named at the end of spring football. I’ve never really done that unless we’ve had a guy coming back who’s a starter. I look for that to continue even in two-a-days, unless somebody surfaces as a clear No. 1. The surface of our depth chart needs to be set at just about every position.

Chris Low looks at a few Texas A&M players who need a big offseason.

We discuss one of the top wide receivers in the country a year ago as we move to No. 24 on our list:

No. 24: Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina, Jr.

Preseason rank: No. 1

2011 numbers: Finished fifth in the SEC in receiving with 762 yards and was tied for third with eight touchdowns. Five of his touchdowns came in conference play and Jeffery averaged 15.6 yards per catch.

Why he's here: Jeffery was the No. 1 player on our preseason list in August, after having a spectacular sophomore season. He put up more than 1,500 yards in 2010 and was looked at as one of the best players at his position. In 2011, defenses took advantage of the lack of receiving threats the Gamecocks had outside of Jeffery and keyed in on him more. If you take his name off of the back of his jersey, Jeffery might not make our list. He only averaged 47. 1 yards per SEC game and failed to have a 100-yard receiving game until South Carolina's bowl game. However, Jeffery isn't an ordinary receiver, and he received a lot of attention from defenders for a reason. In one-on-one situations, it's hard to find a better matchup nightmare for defensive backs because of his size and strength. He also has very underrated speed and can catch just about everything thrown his way. Against Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl, Jeffery out-muscled defenders to catch a Hail Mary pass to end the first half. He caught four passes for 148 yards and a touchdown before he was eventually ejected for a personal foul. Jeffery didn't have stellar numbers in 2011, but despite having to just about everything on his own at the receiver position, he was still a top-five receiver in the SEC.

No. 25: Michael Dyer

As we welcome Texas A&M to the league, the offseason spotlight today shines on the Aggies:

Spotlight: Running back Christine Michael, 5-foot-11, 213 pounds, rising senior

2011 summary: Michael teamed with Cyrus Gray to give the Aggies one of the best one-two punches in the country at running back. Michael rushed for 899 yards on 149 carries. He scored nine touchdowns and averaged 6 yards per carry. He had his season cut short when he tore his ACL against Oklahoma on Nov. 5 in the Aggies' ninth game.

The skinny: In each of the past two seasons, Michael was well on his way to reaching the 1,000-yard plateau. An ACL tear derailed him last season; in 2010 it was a broken leg. With Gray departing, the Aggies will need Michael more than ever for an entire season in 2012. He'll no doubt be very limited this spring, but it's still an important offseason for him in terms of building back the strength in that knee, not to mention getting over the mental anguish of being injured two seasons in a row. Physically, Michael is exactly what you're looking for in any offense. He's a punishing runner who can move the chains and also pick up yards in chunks. First-year coach Kevin Sumlin is obviously going to put his stamp on the offense, but he's going to need a healthy Michael — and a willing Michael from a leadership standpoint — during this transition. There's always a bit of a learning curve when you change coaches. Throw in the fact that Texas A&M is also jumping to the SEC, and it's going to be more paramount than ever that the Aggies' best players play their best in 2012. Michael will be at the top of that list.

We move to linebackers today in our postseason position rankings.

Defensive lines are very important in this league, but there are other guys in the box who have to be pretty reliable as well in this league. This league has done a pretty solid job of producing some top talent at this position as well.

You can see what are preseason linebacker rankings looked like here.

And here are our postseason rankings:

1. Alabama: This unit was at the top of our preseason rankings and didn't budge throughout the season. When you have two All-Americans in Courtney Upshaw, who was the defensive MVP in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game, and Dont'a Hightower it's pretty understandable to see why. Those two combined for 136 tackles, including 29 for loss. Nico Johnson was fourth on the team in tackles, while C.J. Mosley added 37 of his own. Alabama's defense was first nationally in total defense and first in rushing defense, allowing 74.2 yards per game.

2. Georgia: Linebackers are essential to any 3-4 defense, and the Bulldogs' group did quite well in 2011. Georgia ended up with one of the nation's best linebackers in Jarvis Jones, who led the SEC with 19 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks. He also had 49 quarterback hurries. Michael Gilliard was third on the team behind Jones with 65 tackles. While Alec Ogletree missed part of the first half of the season, the speedster still finished with 52 tackles, including 7.5 for loss. Cornelius Washington, Amarlo Herrera Christian Robinson combined to add 101 more tackles, as Georgia's defense ranked fifth nationally.

3. Arkansas: Arkansas' defense had a lot of bend in it last season, but the linebackers found ways to make plays. Newcomer Alonzo Highsmith was third on the team with 80 tackles, led with 12.5 tackles for loss and had 4.5 sacks. The star continued to be Jerry Franklin, who led the team in tackles (101) for the fourth straight year. Then there was Jerico Nelson, who was all over the field as that hybrid linebacker/safety. He came away with 70 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions. Ross Rasner, who played outside with Nelson, added 53 more tackles and two sacks.

4. Florida: The Gators' defense ranked eighth nationally in part because of the aggressive play of its front seven. Jon Bostic commanded the middle, leading the team with 94 tackles, including 10 for loss. Jelani Jenkins seemed to come more into his own outside, finishing third on the team in tackles. The big surprise was Lerentee McCray, who played both Sam linebacker and the hybrid Buck. He was one of Florida's most active linebackers and grabbed 7.5 tackles for loss. Ronald Powell started at the Buck, but saw most of his production from defensive end.

5. Vanderbilt: The Commodores entered the season needing to replace three starting linebackers and ended the year with a very impressive linebacking corps. It was led by vet Chris Marve, who was 10th in the league in tackles. Archibald Barnes had a solid year at the Will, ranking fourth on the team in tackles and grabbing two interceptions. Chase Garnham and Al Owens manned the Sam position and combined for 72 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. Against conference foes, Vandy's rush defense ranked fourth in the league.

6. LSU: The Tigers were in search of that dominant middle linebacker all season and might have found a budding star in Kevin Minter, really grew into the position by the end of the season and was fifth on the team in tackles. He started 11 games, but shared time with Karnell Hatcher, who finished with 24 tackles. Ryan Baker was LSU's best linebacker, was an outstanding leader and was fourth on the team with 64 tackles. Stefoin Francois was the starter at Sam, but he accumulated just 11 tackles, while backup Tahj Jones registered 27. Still, LSU owned the No. 2 national defense.

7. South Carolina: The Gamecocks saw improvement from this group as the season went on. While the defensive line got a ton of credit, the linebackers did their part in securing the defense's No. 3 national ranking. Antonio Allen spent some time in the box at the Spur position and led South Carolina with 88 tackles and had 9.5 for loss. Rodney Paulk and Shaq Wilson, who returned from injury, rotated at the Mike and combined for 109 tackles. Will linebacker Reginald Bowens added 44 tackles.

8. Kentucky: The Wildcats owned the SEC's top tackler in Danny Trevathan (143), who should have received more national attention. Trevathan was one of the most active defenders around at the Will. Winston Guy played the hybrid linebacker/safety and was third in the SEC with 120 tackles. Ronnie Sneed added 71 more tackles. Kentucky's defense was much more aggressive under new defensive coordinator Rick Minter and got more exotic looks from its linebackers.

9. Mississippi State: Cameron Lawrence was a beast for the Bulldogs in 2011. He was second in the SEC with 123 tackles, and had 49 solo. Senior Brandon Wilson added 94 more tackles. Brandon Maye, who transferred from Clemson, was expected to make a bigger impact for the Bulldogs, but played behind Wilson and was 11th on the team in tackles. Sophomore Deontae Skinner added 69 tackles and Mississippi State ranked in the bottom half of the SEC in total defense.

10. Tennessee: The Vols' top three tacklers were linebackers. The leader was senior Austin Johnson, who finished the season with 81 tackles, including 41 solo. Next were two true freshmen on the outside in A.J. Johnson (80) and Curt Maggitt (56). Both freshmen experienced up-and-down seasons, but were SEC All-Freshman selections. Herman Lathers, who was a projected started, missed 2011 with a fractured ankle, and after the big three, the Vols didn't get a ton out of their linebackers, as Dontavis Sapp was their next most productive linebacker with 20 tackles.

11. Auburn: The Tigers' defense really struggled in 2011 and gave up more than 200 rushing yards a contest. Auburn had to basically start over at linebacker, but lone returning starter Daren Bates had a heck of a year, ranking fourth in the league with 104 tackles. He really tried to make sure he played all over the field last fall. After that, the play was up-and-down. Senior Eltoro Freeman took over in the middle halfway into the year and finished with 58 tackles, while Jake Holland and Jonathan Evans combined for 83 tackles.


12. Ole Miss: The Rebels' defense had all sorts of problems defensively, including allowing 256.5 yards per game and 21 rushing touchdowns. The linebackers took a major hit with the absence of D.T. Shackelford, who missed the season with a knee injury. Mike Marry stepped up at the Mike and led Ole Miss with 81 tackles and five for loss. Freshman Serderius Bryant and junior Joel Kight combined for 122 tackles. Damien Jackson played the Spur and added 64 tackles, but Ole Miss' defense ranked dead last in the SEC.

Two years ago, Auburn was the only school in the SEC that returned its entire coaching staff intact.

But as Gene Chizik enters what will be his fourth spring practice as the Tigers' coach, he finds himself in the market for what will be his third new hire since the end of the 2011 season.

Phillip Lolley, who coached the Auburn cornerbacks the past three seasons, has been reassigned to an administrative capacity within the football program.

Ted Roof left as defensive coordinator right after the season to be the UCF defensive coordinator and was then later hired at Penn State by Bill O'Brien to be his defensive coordinator. Brian VanGorder, the defensive coordinator at Georgia before going to the NFL, was hired to replace Roof at Auburn.

Gus Malzahn left his post as Auburn's offensive coordinator to take the head-coaching job at Arkansas State. Chizik brought in Scot Loeffler to run the Tigers' offense. Loeffler was at Temple this past season, but previously spent time on the Florida and Michigan staffs.

One of the names floating around out there to replace Lolley as cornerbacks coach is former Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, who was the defensive backs coach at Oklahoma the past two years and wasn't retained following this past season.

Hitting the SEC links on a Wednesday.

• Mike Herndon of The Mobile Press-Register looks at freshmen who should contribute this fall in the SEC.
• SEC coaches are resisting change to scholarship terms when it comes to making them good for four years.
• One lawmaker is looking to make the South Carolina-Clemson game required by law to be played every year.
• Alabama coach Nick Saban will play in a grouping with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick in this week's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
• Steve Rubio is no longer a part of Derek Dooley's staff at Tennessee.
• With secondary coach Phillip Lolley moving to an administrative role at Auburn, Tigers coach Gene Chizik is yet again on the coaching search.
• Ex-Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins is still first-round material in April's NFL draft.
• Recent dismissals leave Georgia with concerns in its secondary.
• New Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze is hoping the Rebels "buy in" with him in charge.

Mitch Sherman of ESPN RecruitingNation writes that Missouri signee Dorial Green-Beckham may have established the blueprint for future big-time recruits with the way he and his family handled the whole recruiting process.

We've all heard recruiting horror stories where players fall into the trap of thinking they're rock stars because that's the way they're being treated. But when it comes time to make a decision, they have a hard time pulling the trigger, often times committing to multiple schools along the way.

In Green-Beckham's case, as Sherman points out in his article, the country's top high school prospect was able to stay secretive about the whole process and never allowed it to swallow him.

It's Moving Day No. 2 on the blog network today, and the Aggies are following Missouri out the door into the SEC blog. We introduced the Aggies to the SEC earlier, but now it's time to debate.

The Aggies' move to the SEC was more about having the program grow in new soil, whereas Missouri's move was more about conference stability.

Will the Aggies thrive? SEC blogger Chris Low and Big 12 blogger David Ubben go head-to-head to find out.

Chris Low: OK, David, let's not tiptoe around. The SEC is a big-boy conference with big-boy stakes. I know everything is supposedly bigger in Texas, but do the Aggies really know what they're getting themselves into? For one, they tend to play all four quarters in the SEC. Judging by what I saw from the Aggies last season, somebody might want to remind them that there is a second half. Come to think of it, that's not very hospitable of me. I take that back. But, honestly, how do you think the Aggies will handle the grind of this league?

David Ubben: Now, now, Chris, that's not very nice. The Aggies are ...

As one final tribute to Texas A&M, I elected to forfeit the second half of that sentence.

In the early running, Texas A&M will have a lot of issues. Losing the volume and quality of talent it did in 2011 will hurt, especially on offense, as the program moves into a league -- and, particularly, a division -- known for defense. Ryan Tannehill wasn't great last year, but his experience helped, and Jeff Fuller and Cyrus Gray are a pair of NFL players who don't roll around every year.

I like the talent on campus at A&M a lot, though. They're just going to be young for now. With what they have now, they'll get better and better, as long as Kevin Sumlin does well. Based on what we've seen from his career, I think he will.

Beyond these first three to four years, how well they progress will depend on recruiting. The Aggies think the SEC will be a big draw for Texas recruits who want to play in the best conference in college football. Being able to offer that could help them surpass Texas on the recruiting trail and on the field.

Are you buying that? I lean strongly toward no, but I could see it happening. What do you think? Is playing in the SEC going to be a draw for Texas kids? Why or why not?

CL: I absolutely think the SEC will be a draw for some Texas recruits who see it as a chance to stay in the state, still play their college football and be able to do it against SEC competition. That's a pretty sweet proposition: Stay close to home in the football-crazed state of Texas and compete in the football-crazed SEC, which has a standing order with the sculptor who designs that crystal trophy every year for the BCS national champion.

There's also another side to this story. The boys in the SEC think their chances of going deep into the heart of Texas and landing elite prospects are better than ever with Texas A&M joining the league. Rival coaches can tell mamas and daddies (that's the way the Bear used to say it) that they'll be able to keep up with their sons just as they were in the Big 12 with the Aggies now part of the SEC family, although the recruiting atmosphere in this league isn't very family-oriented. Just ask Urban Meyer. He got so tired of the recruiting shenanigans in the SEC that he's now pulling his own in the Big Ten, according to some of his new brethren there.

That leads me to my next question: Has anybody informed the Aggies that the rules are a little different in the SEC? Unlike the Big 12, it's not the first team to 40 points that wins.

DU: For the record, the league changed those rules for Baylor-Washington in the Alamo Bowl. First to 60 points wins now, but that's irrelevant news for the Aggies.

A&M's front seven has been really good these past two years, but this season, it was the secondary that let the team down. The Aggies led the nation with 51 sacks, but the team wasn't happy that it took a lot of risky blitzes to get those sacks. The defensive line wasn't the unit applying the pressure most often -- it was linebackers and defensive backs. That meant a lot of big plays in the passing game; the Aggies ranked 109th nationally in pass defense, giving up more than 275 yards a game. Now, they won't see the same caliber of quarterbacks in the SEC, but we will see if the front seven can handle the power of teams in the SEC West, which, to their credit, do have a handful of quarterbacks with a lot of potential. Tyler Wilson's great now. AJ McCarron and Kiehl Frazier could be elite soon.

We'll see what new defensive coordinator Mark Snyder can fix.

On the flip side of the recruiting debate, how much do you think SEC teams will try and slide into Texas? Could we see some collateral damage in the Big 12? Will the SEC someday take over the world? I heard Nicolas Sarkozy already has a special security detail in place in case Mike Slive comes after him.

CL: I'm not sure about taking over the world. It's just college football that the SEC someday would like to own. Some might suggest it already does.

Arkansas and LSU probably will be helped the most in terms of going into Texas and getting players. Other schools in the SEC might be more apt to target players in the state of Texas and make a push for those select players, but I don't think you're going to suddenly see a mass of teams in the SEC setting up camp in Texas on the recruiting trail. There's no need to when you look at how bountiful the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina are in most years.

You mention some of the quarterbacks in the Western Division. It's fair to say that this wasn't a quarterback's league this season, and I also realize that the Big 12 has produced some quarterbacks over the last few years who've put up Xbox-type numbers.

But my question for you: Is Texas A&M capable of playing the kind of defense it takes to win big in the SEC?

DU: I think so, eventually. The Aggies know they have to, which is huge. They've seen how teams succeed in the SEC, and it's with defense.

If you invest in something, especially with the resources A&M has, good things will happen. Don't forget, the Aggies' defense was really, really good last year. The athletes are there. For A&M, it's about putting it together.

CL: With all due respect, "really, really good" on defense in the Big 12 is entirely different than being "really, really good" in the SEC on defense. The more I watch this conference, the more it's ingrained in me that you're never going to win at a high level unless you can run the ball, stop the run and consistently win the turnover battle. Everything else is window dressing. I understand that's not exactly rocket science, but being able to run the ball creates a mindset that positively impacts your entire team. The same goes for playing good run defense.

So if I were offering any advice to the Aggies as they make the big jump, it would be to fortify their offensive backfield and recruit like crazy in the offensive and defensive lines. There's no such thing as too much depth in the SEC.

Having a little Texas flavor in the SEC is exciting. I know you're on record as saying the Aggies might struggle next season. But over time, I think they have what it takes to be an upper-echelon team in the SEC. Of course, that's the beauty of the SEC. So does everybody else in the league.

DU: Oh, there's no respect due when we're talking Big 12 defenses. The best in the SEC are on another stratosphere from the best in the Big 12.

Your game plan sounds like what I'd recommend, but it's easier said than done. Like Mizzou, A&M will have to start mining some of those junior colleges down South like the rest of the SEC West.

Generally, I'd agree with you on A&M's long-term prospects. The Aggies will win less than they did in the Big 12 ... which is to say not much. But they could put it together and have a huge year every now and then. I don't see them surpassing Texas as a program, but they're on their own now.

For some Aggies, that's enough. Next year, the Aggies will struggle, but watching them grow and try to build a new program will be fascinating.

After further review, I missed a player on the NFL combine list.

Yesterday, we listed the 60-plus SEC players invited to this year's NFL combine and as I went through all those names I missed South Carolina defensive tackle Travian Robertson, who will also be in attendance, making it 63 SEC players (including Missouri and Texas A&M).

The 6-foot-4, 303-pound Robertson was sixth for the Gamecocks with 49 tackles and had eight for loss. He also had 2.5 sacks in 2011.

South Carolina is sending six players to the NFL combine.

Missouri had its day on Tuesday. Today, it's Texas A&M's turn.

The SEC welcomes both schools into the league this coming football season, and consider this our introduction to the Aggies on the SEC blog. We get an assist from Big 12 blogger David Ubben.

Let's get right to it.

Chris Low: It wasn't a big secret that the SEC wanted to get into the state of Texas, and there were rumblings that the SEC had an offer on the table for both Texas A&M and Oklahoma two summers ago. Did you think it was a foregone conclusion that Texas A&M was going to join the SEC at some point?

David Ubben: I don't know if I'd call it a foregone conclusion, but nobody in the league was more tired of the often Texas-driven nature of the Big 12 than the Aggies. The SEC, from its perspective, was a way to surpass the Longhorns, too. Although I think Missouri's move was more about leaving the Big 12, I think the Aggies really wanted to be in the SEC as much as they wanted to leave the Big 12. If Mizzou had its way, it would probably be in the Big Ten right now. For A&M, there's been an SEC lust for decades. Now, it's happening. The Aggies couldn't be happier. We'll see whether that happiness sticks around on game Saturdays in the fall.

CL: David, my take on this round of expansion for the SEC is that Texas A&M fits culturally a lot better than Missouri. Maybe that's just me, but Texas A&M has the feel of an SEC school with its passion for football. That said, I'm probably one of those rare people who's been to a Texas A&M basketball game in College Station but never to a football game at Kyle Field. It was back when Bernard King (the other one) was playing for the Aggies, and it was the night before Dennis Franchione left Alabama to take the Texas A&M head football job. I'm sure this will shock you, but nobody was out on press row during the basketball game. Instead, all the Texas A&M-based media members were on their phones back in the media work room trying to track down the Franchione story. I can assure you that something like that would never happen in the SEC during a hoops game. Well, at least not at Kentucky.

DU: That sounds about right. And you're definitely in the minority on that one. Kyle Field was the best game atmosphere in the Big 12 by far, and it'll be missed. In that sense, it definitely fits in the SEC. I'd agree with you on the cultural aspect. We'll see how the SEC takes to the Aggies' Yell Leaders aka lack of cheerleaders. It's an old joke in the Big 12, but I guarantee a few SEC fans will be in for a rude awakening next season after failing to do their homework before game day. Unlike Mizzou, the Aggies don't have to deal with a big shift in recruiting strategy. They'll have more access to Louisiana, I think. They also play a physical brand of football, unlike Mizzou. What's the biggest challenge facing the Aggies as they leave for a new league?

CL: Just managing the grind of the SEC and going through those three- and four-game stretches when you're playing Alabama one week, Florida the next, then Auburn and then Arkansas. The Western Division is stronger than it's ever been. You're talking about three teams from one division that finished in the top five nationally this past season in the final polls. You can be a pretty decent football team in that division and struggle to win six games. Just ask Mississippi State. Especially with a new head coach and putting in new systems on both sides of the ball, I wonder whether this first season for the Aggies will be rough. Simply making a bowl game may be an accomplishment. What would be your prediction, David, for the Aggies in Year 1 in the SEC?

DU: Agreed on that front. I felt bad for Arkansas this year. The Razorbacks were a heck of a lot more than a decent football team but finished third in the division, getting boxed out of the BCS thanks to arbitrary rules. I predict a rough start for the Aggies. I'll give them a break and say 6-6 with a spot safely in the bottom half of the SEC West.

T.J. Moe, who’s led Missouri in receiving each of the past two seasons, is like most in the Show Me State.

He knows making the jump to the SEC will be an adjustment for the Tigers. How much of an adjustment remains to be seen.

He’s sure eager to find out.

Moe, a rising senior who grew up just outside St. Louis, took some time this week to discuss Missouri’s move to the SEC and what it means for both sides.

Were you a big college football fan growing up, and do you have any memories of the SEC?

T.J. Moe: I wasn’t a big college fan until I got to high school. When I was growing up, I was a Rams fan. They were winning Super Bowls, and my family had season tickets. Brad Smith is the one who lifted Missouri off the ground and made them exciting to watch. I don’t even think I went to a Missouri game until my sophomore year of high school. I really didn’t know much at all about the SEC growing up. I knew SEC schools were good. I just wasn’t exposed to them a whole lot because I was watching Missouri and the Big 12.

How big of a step do you think it will be for Missouri in the SEC?

TJM: I think it’s going to be a rigorous transition because of the bottom teams in the SEC. They’re basically what the mid-tier teams were in the Big 12. The top teams in the Big 12 are every bit as good as the top teams in the SEC. But we get to play Kansas every year in the Big 12, and there’s no Kansas in the SEC. It’s almost like you have off weeks in the Big 12. You can’t say that about the SEC. You have to bring your “A” game every week.

Are you ready for the brand of defense they play in the SEC, and how will that affect you?

TJM: Offensively, I don’t think we have to change a thing. They have to cater to what we do. We have top athletes and pass-rushers in the Big 12, so we’re used to that. At the same time, there aren’t a lot of offenses in the SEC that do what we do.

What about the adjustment on defense?

TJM: The big change for the defense is that we’re used to playing against the Colt McCoys and Brandon Weedens, the top quarterbacks. Now, we’re going to be playing against the Trent Richardsons of the world instead.

Do you buy the theory that what separates the SEC from other conferences is the quality, depth and athleticism in the defensive line?

TJM: It’s not like we didn’t have big guys who were athletic and could run in the Big 12 on the defensive line. We had some of those guys on our team, guys like Jacquies Smith, Brad Madison and Dominique Hamilton. So we have big, fast athletes on the defensive line, too. The difference might be that the SEC has a first, second and third string of those guys, and we might only have a first and maybe a second string of those guys.

What’s been the general reaction of your teammates about starting play this coming season in the SEC?

TJM: Everybody is excited. There aren’t a lot of players who can say they played in two conferences. I’ve been asked almost every day for 10 months about what I thought it would be like playing in the SEC. I’ll finally be able to answer that question after this season. I know a lot of people say that the SEC is the dominant conference, and I think that’s debatable. Yes, they’ve won six straight national championships. But if Colt McCoy doesn’t get hurt so early (against Alabama in 2009), Texas wins that game and maybe wins it handily. And this year, Oklahoma State didn't even get the opportunity to play in the game. What I do know is that you have to bring it week in and week out in the SEC.

What are you most looking forward to about the whole SEC experience?

TJM: Just seeing all the different stadiums and campuses. It’s similar to high school football in the state of Texas. All they do in Texas is play football. You never hear about anything else. That’s sort of the like the SEC. Kentucky is about the only school known for basketball. I couldn’t name a Georgia basketball player in the last 50 years, but I could name a bunch of Georgia football players.

What are you going to miss most about the Big 12?

TJM: Beating up on Kansas every year and the fact that I never got a chance to beat Nebraska. You make friendships with some of the other players around the league. I’ll miss that, too. But I’m more excited to be going to the SEC than I am upset that we’re leaving the Big 12.

Who do you think will be Missouri’s big rival in the SEC?

TJM: It has to be Arkansas. People around here do not like Arkansas, and the people in Arkansas aren’t real happy about Dorial (Green-Beckham’s) decision. He’s getting a lot of hate mail from them. But it’s more than that. People here just don’t like Arkansas, and I don’t think they’re real fond of us, either. The only thing I really know about Arkansas is when Missouri beat them by 30 points (38-7) in the (2008) Cotton Bowl.

Here we go with our postseason countdown of the SEC's best 25 players. Keep in mind that this list is based on the 2011 season and the impact (not only stats) that a player had on his team throughout the season. It's not a projection of how a player will fare in the NFL.

That said, let's take a look at No. 25:

No. 25: Michael Dyer, RB, Auburn, So.

Preseason rank: No. 14

2011 numbers: Finished second in the SEC in rushing with 1,242 yards. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns. Dyer and Alabama's Trent Richardson were the only two backs in the league to average more than 100 rushing yards per game against SEC defenses.

Why he's here: This was a very tough call. Based purely on his numbers, Dyer deserves to be higher. After all, he's the first player in Auburn history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. However, Dyer got himself suspended indefinitely at the end of the season for violating team rules and didn't play in the bowl game. He wound up leaving the team and transferring to Arkansas State. It was an unfortunate way for his career to end on the Plains, but there's no way you can leave him off this list even if he did let his team down at the end of the season. Auburn's offense would have been dreadful without him, and he was the driving force behind the Tigers' biggest win of the season when he rushed for 141 yards on 41 carries in the 16-13 road win at South Carolina. In conference play, Dyer averaged 101.1 yards per game on the ground, and he was easily the Tigers' most consistent offensive threat. The only problem was that he didn't see it all the way through, which is why he's No. 25 and not in the top 15 like he was in the preseason.

The NFL has released its list of invites to this years NFL combine. Of the more than 300 prospects taking part in the pre-draft shenanigans starting Feb. 22, 62 are from the SEC (for fun we are including Missouri and Texas A&M).

Here are the SEC representatives:

• Joe Adams, WR, Arkansas
• Antonio Allen, S, South Carolina
• Justin Anderson, OT, Georgia
• Ryan Baker, LB, LSU
• Vick Ballard, RB, Mississippi State
• Mark Barron, LB, Alabama
• Jake Bequette, DE, Arkansas
• Brandon Bolden, RB, Ole Miss
• Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia
• Michael Brockers, DT, LSU
• Ron Brooks, CB, LSU
• Randy Bullock, K, Texas A&M
• Drew Butler, P, Georgia
• Josh Chapman, DT, Alabama
• Orson Charles, TE, Georgia
• Greg Childs, WR, Arkansas
• Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
• Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State
• Jeff Demps, RB, Florida (Demps decided earlier this year that he will not pursue a career in football and will focus on professional track)
• Michael Egnew, TE, Missouri
• Terrence Frederick, CB, Texas A&M
• Jeff Fuller, WR, Texas A&M
• Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
• Cordy Glenn, OT, Georgia
• Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M
• A.J. Greene, OT Auburn
• Winston Guy, S, Kentucky
• Dom Hamilton, DT, Missouri
• Darius Hanks, WR, Alabama
• Josh Harris, LS, Auburn
• Casey Hayward, CB, Vanderbilt
• Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama
• Jaye Howard, DT, Florida
• Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina
• Jerrell Jackson, WR, Missouri
• Malik Jackson, DT, Tennessee
• Jordan Jefferson, QB, LSU
• Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina
• Ben Jones, C, Georgia
• Coryell Judie, CB, Texas A&M
• Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
• Bobby Massie, OT, Ole Miss
• Marquis Maze, WR, Alabama
• Quan Menzie, CB, Alabama
• Charles Mitchell, S, Mississippi State
• Brandon Mosley, OT, Auburn
• DeAngelo Peterson, TE, LSU
• Tauren Poole, RB, Tennessee
• Chris Rainey, RB, Florida
• Rueben Randle, WR, LSU
• Sean Richardson, S, Vanderbilt
• Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
• Quentin Saulsberry, OG, Mississippi State
• Jacquies Smith, DE, Missouri
• Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
• Brandon Taylor, S, LSU
• Danny Trevathan, LB, Kentucky
• DeAngelo Tyson, DE, Georgia
• Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama
• Blair Walsh, K, Georgia
• Rokevious Watkins, OT, South Carolina
• Jarius Wright, WR, Arkansas

School breakdown:

• Alabama: 9
• Arkansas: 4
• Auburn: 3
• Florida: 3
• Georgia: 8
• Kentucky: 2
• LSU: 8
• Missouri: 4
• Mississippi State: 4
• Ole Miss: 2
• South Carolina: 5
• Tennessee: 2
• Texas A&M: 6
• Vanderbilt: 2