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The first batch of big uglies are on the ranking slab Monday. No offense can operate without offensive linemen and the SEC has its share of talented big men.

Here's a look at our preseason rankings when it came to offensive lines. Let's just say we overestimated when it came to a couple of groups.

Here's what we though of after the 2011 season:

1. Alabama: The Crimson Tide line pushed around its opponents all year long. Alabama was first in the SEC in rushing (and had the Doak Walker winner in Trent Richardson) and averaged 5.5 yards per carry. Alabama was equipped with Outland Trophy winner Barrett Jones, who played just about every position up front and the top SEC in William Vlachos. Alabama got tremendous play out of D.J. Fluker and got a pleasant surprise out of Alfred McCullough. Alabama ranked first in the league by allowing just 17 sacks.

2. LSU: The Tigers' offense went as its running game went. And for 13 games the running game was great. The offensive line should take a lot of credit for that. With two Associated Press All-SEC members -- Will Blackwell and Chris Faulk -- LSU averaged 200.9 rushing yards against conference foes. Alex Hurst should also become a more familiar name in 2012. LSU allowed just 18 sacks and totaled only 234 negative rushing yards.

3: South Carolina: South Carolina put only one player on the All-SEC list, in Rokevious Watkins, but the Gamecocks' line had a pretty good season. Even after losing top running back Marcus Lattimore midway through the season, South Carolina finished the season third in the SEC in total rushing and rushing against conference opponents. South Carolina had to deal with Kyle Nunn's absence for most of the year as well, but found a budding star in A.J. Cann. Pass protection dipped, as South Carolina allowed 30 sacks.

4. Georgia: Before the season, the offensive line seemed to be held together by tape, but this line stayed together nicely through 14 games. The Bulldogs were fifth in the conference in rushing against SEC foes and had two All-SEC performers in Cordy Glenn, who might be a first-round draft pick, and center Ben Jones. Where Georgia's line came up short was in pass protection, as the Bulldogs were 11th in the league allowing 33 sacks.

5. Vanderbilt: The Commodores didn't put anyone on the All-SEC teams, but there's no question that this was the most improved line in 2011. Wesley Johnson proved to be one of the most underrated linemen in the league and the Commodores' offense was much more explosive than past years. Vandy was sixth in the league in rushing and had the league's No. 3 rusher in Zac Stacy. The Commodores gave up 18 sacks in SEC games.

6. Arkansas: The Razorbacks were dealing with a young line, but saw improvements as the season went on. Without Knile Davis in the lineup, the running backs were pretty inconsistent individually, but the Hogs averaged 134.3 yards in conference games. In each of Arkansas' two losses, the Razorbacks averaged just 32 rushing yards. Alvin Bailey was a second-team All-SEC member and should be star in 2012. Arkansas allowed 28 sacks, but also allowed quarterback Tyler Wilson take some punishing hits throughout the year.

7. Auburn: The Tigers could run the ball for most of the year. Auburn was fourth in the league in rushing and averaged 4.1 yards per carry against SEC play. Michael Dyer finished the year second in the league with 1,242 yards. Brandon Mosley was the only returning starter, but the Tigers got solid play out of freshman center Reese Dismukes and saw the reemergence of A.J. Greene after injury cut his 2010 season short. However, Auburn's passing game and pass protection struggled. The Tigers gave up 32 sacks in 2011 and were overwhelmed by more athletic defensive lines.

8. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs had to deal with a rash of injuries along their offensive line in 2011. Tobias Smith went out early and the Bulldogs watched as Quentin Saulsberry and James Carmon deal with injuries toward the beginning of the season. The Bulldogs were able to deliver a 1,000-yard running back in Vick Ballard, but ranked ninth in the league in rushing against SEC teams. Mississippi State gave up just under two sacks a game.

9. Tennessee: This was supposed to be a strong point for the Vols last fall, but Tennessee struggled all year to run the ball. The Vols ranked 116th nationally in rushing and averaged just 63.5 yards per game in SEC play. While Tennessee never generated much of a running game last season, its pass protection was one of the best in the league. The Vols gave up just 18 sacks on the season, despite playing three different quarterbacks.

10. Florida: The Gators experienced another year of sub par line play in 2011. With a relatively young group up front, Florida really struggled to provide much comfort in the pocket for its quarterbacks and rarely outplayed opposing SEC defensive lines. Florida's line was also flagged a bunch last fall. Florida gave up just 23 sacks, but 21 came in SEC play and Florida averaged just 3.8 yards per carry and scored nine rushing touchdowns against SEC defenses.

11. Kentucky: Before the season, we thought the Wildcats would be much higher on this list, especially considering the fact that they returned four starters. However, injuries ruined Kentucky up front. Larry Warford was Kentucky's best lineman, but for the first part of the season, the Wildcats failed to play its five original starters because of injuries. Kentucky gave up 21 sacks through the first five games and gave up a league-high 35 sacks on the year. The Wildcats also ranked 11th in the league in rushing.

12. Ole Miss: Here's another line that returned so much but did so little last fall. We look pretty silly now after ranking Ole Miss' line second in our preseason rankings because the Rebels' line didn't do much protecting all year. Ole Miss' line didn't have the injury issues that Kentucky had and was still 10th in the SEC in rushing and scored just four rushing touchdowns in league play. The Rebels also gave up 31 sacks on the season, with a league-high 26 coming against SEC defenses.

The coaches have spoken with their own SEC All-Freshman team, so we here at the SEC blog decided to come up with our own team.

We couldn't fit all of the youngsters on the list, and some tough cuts had to be made.

Honestly, our list wasn't much different from the coaches' list. There were a couple of changes, but nothing extreme.

One tough cut we made was Vanderbilt wide receiver Chris Boyd. He was Vandy's second wide receiver, catching 29 passes for 404 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a very solid first year in Nashville, Tenn., but we decided to go with LSU's Odell Beckham, who caught seven more passes and had 33 more yards. Although, Boyd had five more touchdowns. In the end, we felt he was more valuable to LSU's offense this season.

LSU also led the way with five selections, while Tennessee was second with four selections.

Here's our freshman team:

OFFENSE

QB -- Maxwell Smith, Kentucky
RB -- Kenny Hilliard, LSU
RB -- Isaiah Crowell, Georgia
WR -- Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia
WR -- Odell Beckham, Jr., LSU
TE -- Malcolm Johnson, Mississippi State
OL -- Chaz Green, Florida
OL -- Marcus Jackson, Tennessee
OL - A.J. Cann, South Carolina
OL -- Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
C -- Reese Dismukes, Auburn

DEFENSE

DL -- Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
DL -- Anthony Johnson, LSU
DL -- Kelcy Quarles, South Carolina
DL -- Trey Flowers, Arkansas
LB -- A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
LB -- Curt Maggitt, Tennessee
LB -- Serderius Bryant, Ole Miss
CB -- Marcus Roberson, Florida
CB -- Tevin Mitchel, Arkansas
S -- Brian Randolph, Tennessee
S -- Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama

SPECIAL TEAMS

K -- James Hairston, LSU (He handled kickoff duties for the Tigers.)
P -- Brad Wing, LSU
RS -- Tre Mason, Auburn

It was a big year for freshmen in the SEC, and some of the most hyped newcomers turned out to be the most productive.

Here’s our ranking of the top 15 true freshmen this season based on their productivity and overall impact on their teams:

1. Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina: The nation's No. 1 prospect coming into the season made a big splash with six sacks and 10 tackles for loss, leading all SEC freshmen in both categories. His five forced fumbles tied him for second in the league among all players.

2. Isaiah Crowell, RB, Georgia: Had it not been for injuries and durability issues, Crowell was on his way to a 1,000-yard season. He had only 36 carries in his past five games but still managed 837 rushing yards and had 100-yard games against four SEC opponents -- Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and South Carolina.

3. A.J. Johnson, LB, Tennessee: He started in 10 of the Vols’ 12 games and led all SEC freshmen with 80 tackles, which was second on Tennessee’s team. He had his best games against the best teams with 11 tackles against LSU, 12 against South Carolina and 13 against Alabama.

4. Malcolm Mitchell, WR, Georgia: One of the most explosive players on Georgia's team, Mitchell emerged as the Bulldogs' top deep threat, catching 38 passes for 614 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 16.2 yards per catch.

5. Reese Dismukes, C, Auburn: A mainstay on Auburn's offensive line, Dismukes started all 12 games at center and helped pave the way for the Tigers to rush for 2,097 yards this season, ranking them fourth in the SEC.

6. Curt Maggitt, LB, Tennessee: One of the more promising big-play defenders in the league, Maggitt tied for third on Tennessee’s team with 56 total tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss. He started in eight games.

7. Anthony Johnson, DT, LSU: His numbers weren't eye-popping, but part of that is because the Tigers rotate so many defensive linemen. Johnson was a force in the middle and has three tackles for loss heading into the national title game.

8. Brian Randolph, S, Tennessee: He started in eight games and led all Tennessee defensive backs with 55 total tackles. Randolph was a safety for most of the season but started at cornerback against Alabama.

9. Donte Moncrief, WR, Ole Miss: One of the Rebels' top playmakers, Moncrief led the team in catches (31), receiving yards (454) and touchdown receptions (4). He averaged 14.6 yards per catch.

10. Kenny Hilliard, RB, LSU: The Tigers didn't really unleash Hilliard until the Auburn game on Oct. 22, but he's been LSU's best power back since. He has nine touchdowns and is averaging 5.6 yards per carry.

11. Trey Flowers, DE, Arkansas: With Jake Bequette and Tenarius Wright both suffering through injuries, Flowers stepped up in a big way with 5.5 tackles for loss, including a sack.

12. Vinnie Sunseri, DB, Alabama: He jumped right in as a valuable cog in an Alabama secondary that was one of the best in the country. Sunseri ranks eighth overall on the team with 31 total tackles.

13. Marcus Roberson, CB, Florida: He suffered an injury late in the season but held down one of the Gators' starting cornerback jobs up until that point. Roberson has all the tools to be a great one in this league.

14. Tevin Mitchel, CB, Arkansas: He emerged as one of the Hogs’ starters at cornerback late in the season and wound up sixth on the team with 53 total tackles. He had 13 in the comeback win over Texas A&M.

15. De'Ante Saunders, S, Florida: One of two true freshmen in the Gators' starting secondary, Saunders intercepted two passes and broke up two passes this season from his safety position.

The SEC coaches announced their selections for the 2011 SEC All-Freshman Team Thursday.

LSU led the way with five selections, while Tennessee and Arkansas both had four selections.

The coaches also made Arkansas tight end Garrett Uekman, who died suddenly last month, Honorary Captain.

South Carolina placed three on the team, including SEC Freshman of the Year Jadeveon Clowney.

Here is the 2011 SEC All-Freshman Team:

OFFENSE

HONORARY CAPTAIN
Garrett Uekman, Tight End, Arkansas

TE - Malcolm Johnson, Mississippi State
OL - A.J. Cann, South Carolina
OL - Marcus Jackson, Tennessee
OL - Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
OL - Chaz Green, Florida
C - Reese Dismukes, Auburn
WR - Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia
WR - Odell Beckham Jr., LSU
QB – Maxwell Smith, Kentucky
RB – Isaiah Crowell, Georgia
RB – Kenny Hilliard, LSU
AP - Bruce Ellington, South Carolina

DEFENSE

DL - Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
DL - Trey Flowers, Arkansas
DL - Anthony Johnson, LSU
DL - Kaleb Eulls, Mississippi State
LB - A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
LB - Curt Maggitt, Tennessee
LB - Serderius Bryant, Ole Miss
DB - Brian Randolph, Tennessee
DB - Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama
DB - De'Ante Saunders, Florida
DB - Tevin Mitchel, Arkansas

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK - James Hairston, LSU
P - Brad Wing, LSU
RS – Marquel Wade, Arkansas

• I'm actually surprised to see Saunders get the nod over teammate Marcus Roberson. Roberson was easily Florida's best cornerback this season. He has the makings of being a talented cover corner, but he did get overly aggressive throughout the season. I guess coaches paid attention to flags he earned.
• It had to be tough when the coaches looked at the quarterback position. Smith was probably the best of the bunch, and even he threw just four touchdowns to four interceptions. Still, Kentucky's offense moved down the field much better when he was on the field.
• Remember when all the talk in Oxford, Miss., before the season centered around how great true freshman linebacker C.J. Johnson was going to be? Well, he had a solid first year, but it was Bryant who really came on as one of the young guys on defense. He saw tremendous playing time and was fourth on the team with 61 tackles.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that as we get ready for Week 8 in the SEC:

• Alabama and LSU aren't the only two unbeaten teams this season that have won all of their games by double digits. So have Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Stanford and Boise State.
• With two of its top cornerbacks suspended for Saturday's game (Tyrann Mathieu and Tharold Simon), LSU could have its work cut out in defending the downfield passing game. So far this season, LSU has been at its best defensively when teams have tried to go down the field. In fact, those teams throwing passes that were 15 yards or longer against LSU have had more interceptions than completions. On those plays, LSU has seven interceptions and opponents have converted just 5-of-43 passes.
• Six of the past seven meetings between Auburn and LSU have been decided by seven points or less.
• This will be Auburn's third game in the past four weeks against a top 10 team. Auburn beat No. 10 South Carolina on Oct. 1 and then lost to No. 10 Arkansas on Oct. 8.
• LSU has outscored opponents in the fourth quarter by 54 points (75-21) and leads the SEC in that category. Alabama has allowed just eight fourth-quarter points and is second in fourth-quarter scoring margin at 51 points (59-8).
• LSU hasn't trailed in a game since the second quarter of the season opener against Oregon. In 420 minutes of action this season, the Tigers have trailed for just six minutes and 33 seconds.
• Auburn center Reese Dismukes is one of just five true freshmen to start on the offensive line among the 67 BCS automatic-qualifying conference schools. Dismukes is one of three true freshman starters on the offensive line in the SEC, joining Arkansas’ Mitch Smothers and Kentucky’s Darrian Miller. The other two true freshman starters are John Miller of Louisville and Tyler Moore of Nebraska.
• Since arriving in Fayetteville in 2008, point production for Bobby Petrino’s Arkansas Razorbacks has increased each season. In 2008, the Razorbacks averaged 21.9 points per game and 259.6 yards per game. In 2009, the Hogs produced 36.0 points and 427.4 yards per game. Last season, Arkansas averaged 36.5 points and 482.5 yards per game. So far this season, the Razorbacks are averaging 39.2 points and 466.2 yards per game.
• After leading Ole Miss to Cotton Bowl victories in each of his first two seasons, Houston Nutt is just 6-12 since. That includes a 1-10 record against the SEC.
• How dominant has Alabama been at Bryant-Denny Stadium? Check out these numbers: The Crimson Tide are 24-1 in their last 25 home games, losing only to eventual national champion Auburn last season. In those 25 games, the Tide have held opponents to an average of 7.9 points per game, and only two opponents have reached 20 points.
• Tennessee hasn't scored more than 17 points against Alabama in any of the past 17 meetings.
• After posting 14 tackles in the first four games of the season, Tennessee senior defensive tackle Malik Jackson has doubled that total in the past two contests with 14 more, including eight against LSU, matching a career best.
• Tennessee is still looking for that signature win under second-year coach Derek Dooley. Of Tennessee’s seven wins over FBS teams since Dooley took over, only one has come against a team that either finished the season with a winning record (2010 wins) or currently has a winning record (2011 wins). That was the win against Cincinnati earlier this season. The Bearcats are currently 5-1.
• Vanderbilt leads the SEC in red zone touchdowns allowed percentage. The Commodores have allowed just six red zone touchdowns in 14 chances, a 42.9 percentage.
• Vanderbilt's Jordan Rodgers will make his first start at quarterback Saturday against Army. The Commodores in their past 18 games dating back to the beginning of last season have thrown just 16 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions.
• Kentucky linebacker Danny Trevathan became the 18^th player in school history to record more than 300 tackles in a career with his 13-tackle performance in the Wildcats’ last game against South Carolina. The Leesburg, Fla., native, has 303 tackles in his college career and needs only 16 tackles to move into a tie for 17^th with Keith Martin (1980-83).

We turn our attention today to the Plains.

Coach: Jeff Grimes

Position: Offensive line

Experience: He's entering his third season on Auburn's staff. Grimes was the assistant head coach/running game coordinator/offensive line coach at Colorado for two seasons prior to coming to Auburn. He's also served stints as offensive line coach at BYU, Arizona State, Boise State and Hardin-Simmons. An 18-year coaching veteran who started his career at Riverside High School in Texas, Grimes has coached a pair of Auburn offensive lines that paved the way for the country's fifth-rated rushing team last season (284.8 yards per game) and the country's 13th-rated rushing team in 2009 (212 yards per game).

Of note: Grimes was wooed by Texas' Mack Brown during the offseason to coach the Longhorns' offensive line and interviewed for the job, but elected to stay at Auburn. He was rewarded with a raise and will make $400,000 this coming season. ... Grimes grew up in Texas and played offensive tackle collegiately at UTEP, earning four letters from 1987-90. ... The Tigers have set single-season school records for points scored and total offense each of the two years Grimes has coached the offensive line.

His challenge: Nobody knew just how good Auburn's offensive line would be this time a year ago. As it turned out, the Tigers were as good as anybody in the country up front and have a national championship trophy to show for it. Gone, though, are four senior starters who combined for 165 starts. The one returning starter Grimes does get back (Brandon Mosley) was a tight end before moving to tackle last season. So in other words, Grimes is going to earn every penny of that sweet raise he got in the offseason. He's been down this road before and has consistently produced solid offensive lines. In his first year at Colorado in 2007, two true freshmen started most of the games for the first time in CU history. That line matured as the season progressed and wound up allowing only four sacks in the final five games. It might be tough sledding for the Tigers up front to begin the 2011 season as they settle on the right combination, but Grimes has some talented personnel to work with. He just doesn't have a lot of experience -- only 15 combined starts among the projected starters. Senior A.J. Greene, who opened last season as the starter at right tackle before suffering a season-ending leg injury the third week, has moved to left tackle to replace Lee Ziemba. Mosley will stay at right tackle, and junior John Sullen is the likely starter at right guard, although Sullen has also played some at tackle. True freshmen Reese Dismukes and Christian Westerman will be worth watching. Dismukes enrolled early and went through spring practice and will battle for a starting job at center. Westerman didn't go through the spring, but could factor in at left guard or provide depth at tackle.

Today, we look at some of the SEC West early enrollees who decided to skip their senior proms to compete in spring practice:

Alabama

Dee Hart, RB -- Hart was one of the top prospects from the state of Florida and one of the most exciting running backs to watch in high school a year ago. He made an instant impact once he arrived on campus. Hart might not be the biggest player, but he's a tough runner. Hart can be a speedy, shifty runner, but could also be a tough, in-between-the-tackles runner. In two scrimmages, Hart had 66 yards on 24 carries, but finished Alabama's spring game with just 10 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Trey DePriest, LB -- DePriest really seemed to impress his coaches this spring. Alabama's linebackers really turned the corner this spring and DePriest was a part of that. He struggled at times, but that's to be expected from someone who just graduated from high school. But DePriest earned fall playing time this spring and had five tackles in the spring game.

Arkansas

Brey Cook, OL -- The Razorbacks are breaking in a pair of offensive tackles and Cook is one of them. He's a pretty athletic tackle, but he's young, so it will take him some time to get adjusted. Getting on campus early has helped him tremendously. It also helped that he arrived as one of the more mature early enrollees. He started at tackle for the Red team in Arkansas' spring game.

Marquel Wade, WR -- Wade was supposed to enroll last fall, but ended up attending Milford (N.J.) Academy after going through August workouts. Before he left, players were raving about his athleticism. He put that all on display this spring. And while the Razorbacks have a ton of returning talent at receiver, it wouldn't be a surprise at all if he got time in Arkansas' offense this fall. He caught four passes for 48 yards in the spring game.

Auburn

Jonathan Rose, CB -- Rose was a top cornerback and receiver prospect from the state of Alabama last fall, and with the departures in Auburn’s secondary, Rose came in this spring with a chance to break the Tigers' lineup. He shined at times this spring. Rose not only garnered respect from his teammates with his play, but he became more vocal on the field as spring went on. He had two tackles in Auburn's spring game.

Reese Dismukes, C -- Dismukes entered spring vying for a shot at the starting spot at center and exits spring with a chance to nab that spot come fall. He split time on the first team with walk-on Blake Burgess this spring. Dismukes arrived with the ideal frame to compete in the SEC, now he just needs to get the physical and mental side down. He split reps with Burgess during the spring game.

LSU

Anthony Johnson, DT -- When you look at Johnson, it's hard to believe he's a true freshman. And with the way he played this spring, it was hard for his coaches and teammates to believe that as well. The coaches were really impressed with how dominant Johnson was at times during practice. He already has an SEC-ready body and will definitely see the field this fall. He had two tackles, including a sack in LSU's spring game.

Kenny Hilliard, RB -- He came into spring behind a few bodies at running back, but showed some flashes during practice. When he was on, the coaches liked what they saw. However, Hilliard missed LSU's spring game. He has a chance to get some action, but is still seems to be in the back of LSU's stable of running backs.

Mississippi State

Dak Prescott, QB -- Prescott won't be the starter for the Bulldogs this fall, but he had a productive spring. He got more comfortable with the offense and showed flashes of having the talent to really being dangerous in this offense during practices. The dual-threat quarterback was 2-of-4 passing for 21 yards in the Bulldogs' spring game.

John Harris, DE -- The Bulldogs are still looking for someone to replace defensive end Pernell McPhee at defensive end. Harris hopes to be that guy down the line, but he's still got a ways to go. Getting on campus early was a great benefit for him, but he still has a lot to learn before he'll make a big impact for the Bulldogs.

Ole Miss

Ole Miss had no freshmen early enrollees this spring.

Auburn appears to really be racking up on top interior offensive line talent for the 2011 class.

The Tigers landed a commitment Wednesday from heralded center prospect Reese Dismukes of Spanish Fort, Ala., and the team they beat to get Dismukes was arch-rival Alabama.

Auburn had a top-5 class last year. But to keep up with the Tide, they're going to have to win their share of the in-state battles, which makes getting Dismukes all the more important.

He's the third ESPNU 150 Watch List prospect slated to play in the interior of the line that has committed to the Auburn. The other two are Spencer Region of Cullman, Ala., and Thomas O'Reilly of Marietta, Ga.

Dismukes will graduate from high school early and be on campus for spring practice next year.