Draft Insider: SEC Rivalry Headlines Week 8

For the Tennessee Volunteers and Alabama Crimson Tide, the SEC Showdown scheduled for this Saturday places several first round prospects under the spotlight in a rivalry game that has become personal.

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AAF DRAFT INSIDER: SEC SHOWDOWN HEADLINES WEEK 8

Welcome to the All Access Football NCAA Week 8 Draft Insider. Last week, we previewed the Big Ten showdown between Indiana and Oregon, a game that averaged 5.59M viewers with a peak of 8.36M, according to CBS. It was the network’s most-watched game since Tennessee upset Alabama back in 2022.

That brings us to this week’s SEC marquee matchup, as the Tennessee Volunteers (5-1) will visit the Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1), in a game that will bring the winner one step closer to reaching the SEC Championship. Alabama tight end Jose Cuevas hasn’t lost sight of the bad blood that exists between these two programs. “The tight ends, we have a football goal sheet and we have a personal goal sheet that we do before every week to try to meet those goals,” Cuevas said on the Hey Coach show. “Most of the guys wrote down on their personal goals, ‘Beat Tennessee,’ because it is personal.”

Alabama wideout Germie Bernard was sure to stoke the flames earlier this week, proclaiming the Tennessee secondary ‘a field of dreams.’ It might be true. The Volunteers have been without star lockdown cornerback Jermod McCoy, in addition to starting corner Rickey Gibson. In their absence, redshirt sophomore Colton Hood has elevated his draft profile significantly, playing at an exceptional level. However, the Vols are very thin in the secondary.

That could mean a perfect storm for Alabama signal-caller Ty Simpson, the main attraction in this matchup and a potential first round pick. Few quarterbacks have been as flawless as Simpson, who is completing 70.9% of his passes, for 1,678 yards, 16 touchdowns and just one interception (averaging 304 passing yards per game). The aforementioned Bernard has been on the receiving end for five of those touchdown tosses. Unfortunately, the Crimson Tide are expected to be without starting running back Jam Miller due to a concussion.

Should Tennessee pull off the upset once again, they will need to rely upon their defensive front, which is averaging eight tackles for loss and four sacks per game, led by pass-rusher Joshua Josephs who projects as a top-50 selection for the 2026 NFL Draft. While offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor has been solid for Alabama, the Crimson Tide have allowed 13 sacks on the season, so Simpson could be under duress more than usual.

In total, we have highlighted 35 pro prospects on the NFL Draft radar for this matchup, including verified measurements and projections. In addition, you will find eight in-depth scouting reports on top players with several first round candidates. Keep reading for our exclusive insider draft intel.