Here we find ourselves in the torrid month of June. The dreadful waiting of what seems to be the off-season that has the feeling of foreverness to finally come to an end and kick the season off. As the new 2023 campaign starts to roll in, so do the new future stars of SEC football. The SEC has seen tremendous young freshmen make huge impacts just in their first year, the latest being Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins, and Harold Perkins, the linebacker from LSU. There is a plethora of four and five star SEC recruits incoming, but here are three freshmen that could provide a vast impact for their respective teams.
3 impactful SEC football freshmen to watch for in 2023
Justice Haynes, RB, Alabama Crimson Tide
Son of former Georgia running back Verron Haynes, Justice Haynes could provide just the right spark for this Crimson Tide running back room. With the departure of Jahmyr Gibbs, The 5’11, 205 lbs 5-star running back out of Buford, GA could be primed to take over a huge role in this Alabama offense. Most notably, Haynes provides a great burst of speed when hitting that second level making him dangerous to any opposing defense in the country. Not too-many true freshmen make a great impact in their first year at Alabama, but Justice Haynes could be a game-changer for the Crimson Tide in 2023.
Rueben Owens, RB, Texas A&M Aggies
Running backs seem to be the main focus within the incoming 2023 SEC football recruiting class, and that’s due to the fact that certain teams have holes at that position in particular. When taking a look at Rueben Owens, the 5 star tailback from El Campo, TX, the thing that flashes the most is his juking ability and being able to make defenders miss on the fly. The Aggies with having lost uber-talented running back Devon Achane to this years draft will be looking for Owens to play a huge role in their newly designed offense under OC Bobby Petrino.
Joenel Aguero, DB, Georgia Bulldogs
With the secondary position group looking to be where the most question marks are for the Dawgs after the departure of three-year starter Kelee Ringo and senior safety Christopher Smith to the draft, Kirby Smart and his staff look to shore up that position group, and incoming freshman Joenel Aguero could be able to step up in a key role this season. Aguero, the 5 star safety hailing from Massachusetts, has been drawing some comparisons to former Georgia safety Lewis Cine. His ability to come down the lane and be a heavy hitter is what has sparked the comparison to the now current Vikings safety Cine. Not too-many freshmen get the chance to impress Kirby Smart in just their first year, but because of the question marks evolving around that position group, Aguero may get that elusive shot.