Greg McElroy claims SEC Powerhouse that has No. 1 defense in the country and it’s not Georgia

College football analyst Greg McElroy believes the Texas Longhorns have the best defense in the country.

The Longhorns enter the season as one of the favorites to win the national championship. Although Arch Manning and the offense is getting a lot of praise, their defense is the best in the country, according to McElroy. It is a bit of a surprise as Georgia has been hailed as having one of the best defenses in the country.

“The No. 1 defense in college football coming into the season is the Texas Longhorns,” McElroy said. “What they have, it’s honestly off the charts from a starpower standpoint. I don’t think there is a team in the country with a higher ceiling than Texas, with the amount of guys that could take over the game and absolutely wreck opponents’ offenses.”

McElroy points to the Longhorns’ pass rush and secondary as key reasons. But, he believes Texas will be able to get after the quarterback as good as any team this season.

“I don’t think there’s a group in the country that can get after the quarterback better,” McElroy said. “That’s what makes the Texas Longhorns the number one defense in the country heading into the 2025 season.”

The Longhorns did land several key players in the transfer portal on defense, including Maraad Watson (Syracuse), Hero Kanu (Ohio State), Travis Shaw (North Carolina) and Cole Brevard (Purdue).

Meanwhile, star pass rushers Anthony Hill Jr. and Collin Simmons are also back and ready to get after the quarterback again.

Greg McElroy praises Texas’ pass rushers

Greg McElroy believes the Texas Longhorns’ pass rush is why their defense will be so good.

With Hill and Simmons returning, they will anchor the pass rush, and McElroy believes they are two of the best pass rushers in the SEC.

“The guy’s a complete superstar,” McElroy said of Hill. “I think he’s the best linebacker in the country. Ridiculously athletic, amazing against the run and the pass, and he’s versatile enough to win a third-down situation.”

“I’m not sure there is a more feared pass rusher in the SEC outside of maybe Dylan Stewart, but he’s expected to take on an even bigger role here in 2025,” McElroy added of Simmons.

Simmons led the team with 9 sacks last season, while Hill recorded 8.

Texas will open its 2025 college football season on the road on Aug. 30 against Ohio State.

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Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton