SEC Player of the Year Watch: NIL-Fueled Returns and Breakout Transfers Headline 2025–26 Race
The 2025–26 SEC basketball season is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and talent-rich in recent memory, and the race for SEC Player of the Year might be the most wide open it’s been in years. With a mix of high-profile transfers, returning stars who spurned the NBA thanks to lucrative NIL deals, and under-the-radar guards ready to explode, the conference is loaded with individual storylines worth watching. While there's no consensus favorite, here are seven players who could realistically take home SEC Player of the Year, along with a mention of a rising freshman wildcard to keep an eye on. While popular names such as Braden Smith, JT Toppin, and Darrion Williams headlined this year's National Player of the Year race, there are a few SEC names that belong in both the national and SEC Player of the Year conversations.
Who Are the Candidates?
The preseason favorite and my prediction for this award is Kentucky guard Otega Oweh. The former Oklahoma Sooner made a surprising decision this offseason by withdrawing from the NBA Draft after being viewed as a lock for a first-round pick. Oweh’s strength, energy, and transition finishing make him a nightly matchup nightmare and a key piece in Kentucky’s push to return to SEC contention. After two seasons at Indiana, Mackenzie Mgbako, the former five-star wing, shocked the Big Ten by entering the portal and landing in College Station. Mgbako brings size, shooting, and two-way versatility to Bucky McMillan’s system. With Texas A&M looking to make noise nationally, Mgbako could finally have the platform to showcase his full offensive package and make a legitimate SEC Player of the Year run. Keyshawn Hall’s transfer this off-season from UCF to Auburn has not only excited SEC scouts but also NBA scouts. Hall, a bruising, skilled forward, has reshaped his body and added finesse to his physical game. His ability to score from the post and stretch the floor fits perfectly in Bruce Pearl’s high-powered offense. Once seen as a potential one-and-done, Labaron Philon withdrew from the 2025 NBA Draft after NIL collectives convinced him to return to Tuscaloosa. The electric sophomore guard is a blur in transition, has deep shooting range, and plays with fearlessness. With Nate Oats and Alabama handing him the keys, he could post monster numbers similar to former teammate Mark Sears. Ja’Kobi Gillespie quietly transferred from Maryland this offseason and is expected to take on a major scoring and leadership role for the Vols, similar to Zakai Zeigler. Known for his defensive intensity and efficiency, the former Belmont standout has now played in three different systems, but Tennessee may be the perfect stage for his full breakout. Xaivian Lee, a transfer from Princeton, brings precision and poise to the defending champs. After torching Ivy League defenses, he’ll now test his skill set in the SEC under Todd Golden’s fast-paced system. His shooting touch, high IQ, and ability to control tempo could make him a perfect complement to Boogie Fland and a real threat in the conference Player of the Year race. Karter Knox, another NBA withdrawal, is poised for a second-year leap. The former top-15 recruit showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman and will enter 2025-26 as Arkansas’s primary option. With a more consistent motor on the defensive end and improved shot selection, Knox has the tools to be one of the most dangerous wings in the country and become a top draft selection. Don’t sleep on Nate Ament, a five-star freshman who has the Vols fans buzzing. Ament’s versatility at over six feet ten with the ability to handle the ball, pass, and stretch the floor gives Rick Barnes a potential top-five draft pick. While upperclassmen dominate most of the Player of the Year conversations, Ament has the skill to enter the mix if he gets hot early.
Betting Favorites?
Of course, the SEC race won’t exist in a vacuum. Nationally, Braden Smith of Purdue enters the season as one of the frontrunners for the Naismith and Wooden Awards. His floor leadership, passing wizardry, and toughness make him the standard by which SEC contenders will be measured when postseason awards roll around. With NIL reshaping player decisions and talent more evenly spread across the country, the SEC Player of the Year race has never been more compelling or unpredictable. Betting favorites would lean in favor of Oweh from Kentucky or Hall from Auburn, based on those teams being projected to finish at the top of the conference.
