No conference has taken quite the leap on the basketball court like the Southeastern Conference has over the past few years. With new, high-profile head coaches manning the ship for the league, along with the recent influx of talent, the conference hasn’t seen this much promise in decades. Kentucky is Kentucky, but Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, LSU, and the rest of the schools are starting to make things interesting on the hardwood.

In the coming days, we will look at the top incoming freshmen for each program with the SEC confines. We will not highlight the most touted 2015 class member, but the guy that will mean the most to the squad’s success and also have the opportunity to leave the largest fingerprint on the program at hand.

TENNESSEE

After the abrupt exit of former head coach Donnie Tyndall, new head coach Rick Barnes and his staff had limited time to complete their initial recruiting class. Nevertheless, the Volunteers’ coaches made the most of their time, as they will have four newcomers this season.

Over the past two years, the Vols have lacked a consistent point guard to run the team. While Shembari Phillips isn’t a point guard, he could see some early playing time in the backcourt. Phillips, a 6-foot-4 scorer, really emerged during his senior season at Wheeler (GA) and proved he can be a big scorer for a high-major program. Alongside sophomore Detrick Mostella, the duo could form a formidable punch for Tennessee this year.

Kyle Alexander and Admiral Schofield, both freshmen, will have the opportunity to play big roles for Barnes’ team during his first year on the job. It is also worth being noted that Lamonte Turner, who many expected to take over the point guard spot during his freshman year, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA last week.

TEXAS A&M

Texas A&M made a lot of noise last year, as they secured one of the top 2015 recruiting classes in the country. Yes, you read that correctly – Texas A&M basketball had a top recruiting class.

Billy Kennedy and the Aggies bring in four top 100 players in D.J. Hogg, Tyler Davis, Elijah Thomas, and Admon Gilder. All four prospects hail from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will play big roles during their freshmen campaigns. However, I think Thomas could be the go-to guy for Texas A&M this season.

Thomas, a 6-foot-9 big man, solidified himself as one of the top low-post finishers in the 2015 class. With his physicality, strength, and ability to carve out space with his body, he will be able to make an easy transition to the college game. Thomas’ ability to use both hands and rebounding will make him one of the top freshmen in the SEC, if not the country. He is a guy to watch as the college hoops season kicks off.

VANDERBILT

Vanderbilt came out of nowhere last season to surprise a lot of people in the SEC. Don’t expect that to happen this year, though, as the Commodores have a target on their back. In fact, the popular consensus is that they will contend with Kentucky for a conference championship. Much of that has to do with junior Damian Jones and sophomore guards Riley LaChance and Wade Baldwin. Nevertheless, there are a couple of young Commodores that could be impact guys this year.

Kevin Stallings and his staff bring in a solid recruiting class, as Djery Baptiste, Camron Justice, Samir Sehic, and Joe Toye are in the fold. This class brings a lot of size to complement potential SEC Player of the Year Damian Jones. With that being said, Baptiste could really surprise some people within the conference this season.

Baptiste, a 6-foot-10 big man, should be an immediate rim-protector for the Commodores. His 7-foot-5 wingspan will make things difficult for opposing players trying to finish at the rim. Expect him to lead the team in blocked shots, as well as alter plenty of other shots, too. His offense is still coming along and he could be of some use within the playbook, but right now, defense is his calling. Baptiste will get better as the season goes on.