​The Kentucky football team is entering a new era in 2026 under coach Will Stein. We’re going through the defensive position groups, and ranking all 16 teams in the SEC at each unit.Starting to look on the defensive side of the football, new defensive coordinator Jay Bateman will bring a much different scheme than what we had seen under Mark Stoops and Brad White. This defense will be aggressive in nature, expect Kentucky to blitz frequently, play more man coverage and try to create havoc plays. Stein has stated he wants his defense to be aggressive and try to create turnovers to steal possessions for his offense. Kentucky will run plenty of simulated pressures, where you drop a defensive lineman and bring an off ball linebacker or nickel to rush the passer to keep offenses guessing.16. Mississippi StateJeff Lebby’s team will try to win games on the offensive side of the football, but bringing Zach Arnett back to be defensive coordinator can help that side of the ball. Arnett runs complex schemes on the defense that can cause offenses trouble. However, the depth and overall talent on the Bulldogs defensive line is lacking, they are hoping Florida State edge transfer Amaree Williams and defensive tackle transfer from Texas A&M Dealyn Evans can improve the unit.15. VanderbiltThe Commodores defensive line is led by returning edge defender Miles Capers, who had 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks last season. Capers has four forced fumbles in his career and is the leader of this group. The interim defensive line lacks some talent and they are hoping the edges can make up for that. Brian Allen Jr. will man the opposite edge spot after transferring over from Iowa, he will need to increase his production this season for this unit to exceed expectations.14. TennesseeTennessee has talent at a ton of positions, but the defensive line is absolutely the Vols’ biggest weakness heading into 2026. They paid big money for Chaz Coleman in the portal and he is no longer with the team. The interior defensive line is solid, and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles brought over defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam with him from Penn State, but they are relying heavily on Tulane edge transfer Jordan Norman to increase his production he had last season in the American conference.13. MissouriThe Tigers defensive line are led by Georgia transfer Darris Smith and is entering year two at Missouri. Smith had 11 quarterback hurries last season and is a pass rusher that can rush from multiple alignments. I would also expect linebackers Nicholas Rodriguez and Robert Woodyard to make an impact blitzing as well.12. FloridaThe interior defensive line has a lot to prove, and we have seen defensive coordinator Brad White have the most success when the interior defensive line is strong. White’s defenses at Kentucky often created pressures but struggled to finish those pressures off with sacks unless they had a guy like Josh Hines-Allen. The Gators have two edge defenders with high upside