Sep 20, 2021; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Fall Ball at Plainsman Park. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Shannon/AU Athletics

Inside The Numbers: Fewer Repeat Opening Day Starters

SEC Extra Mark Etheridge - February 20, 2023

Did anyone else feel like there were more new starters on opening day this spring? That stands to reason, considering the preponderance of transfers dotting rosters all over the country. However, sometimes what we think and what is reality doesn’t correlate with reality.

So, I went back and checked the last five years, detailing the opening day lineups for the 14 SEC teams. Those five years give us four seasons to see how many repeat starters we have. Players that started in different positions were counted – i.e., a center fielder that started in left field the prior opening day.

In 2020,[…]