Who’s the biggest star on each SEC team?
People might talk about who the most important player is on every team, and someone will doubtless quote “The Blind Side” and talk about the importance of the left or right tackle from stopping the quarterback getting nailed.
But when I think about the best Alabama players in the last five years, I don’t think about spectacularly brilliant offensive line play. But then again, we only really talk about offensive linesmen as being part of a unit, until they get to NFL Draft level, and then someone goes on about their hand size and other stuff that often confuses me (I generally go with: “How many sacks got allowed on him as part of the unit? How many were his fault? What’s he liked as blocker? How big is he?”).
So here we are with the biggest stars on each SEC team:
ALABAMA
Najee Harris. Yes, we’ll talk about how brilliant Mac Jones has been as a part of the Steve Sarkasian offense. We’ll talk about Jaylen Waddle and how much he’s missed, or the fact that he doesn’t seem to be because there’s so much depth in that Alabama receiving corps, but here’s why for Harris. This year he’s got 714 yards rushing and 14 TDs. He’s had one 200 yard game, two 100-yard games, and two games over 90-99 yards. He’s averaging 5.8 yards per carry, and he’s a constant danger. He’s a good receiver (183 yards on just 20 passes), which means that he’s a problem everywhere. If Alabama did not have the great rushing game, DCs would be able to dial in on Smith and Mechie. Maybe.
ARKANSAS
Grant Morgan. A keystone of a much-improved defense, the senior linebacker has posted 85 tackles, five tackles for loss, one interception and two passes defended. Oh, and a pick-six.
AUBURN
Bo Nix. While he’s also the most annoying player on Gus Malzahn’s roster, he certainly makes the team tick. When he’s good, he’s great, and when he’s bad….Dear Lord. But everything goes through him. That’s why he’s the star. When Auburn fails, generally, it’s because Bo Nix has ****ed up. That makes him the biggest star. By the way, the future megastar on The Plains is going to be Tank Bigsby, who does everything for the Tigers.
FLORIDA
Kyle Pitts. This is a toss-up between the Kyles (Trask is the other one), but 6-6 Pitts is a match-up nightmare. He averages a frightening 17.3 yards per catch. He’s grabbed 8 touchdowns so far on just 24 passes (414 yards total), and he’s hard to work away. And yes, we know that Trask’s the one to get the passes with him, but Pitts is so, so special. We can’t wait for him to get back. Hopefully against Vanderbilt.
GEORGIA
Zamir White. On the first play of the Cocktail Party, Stetson Bennett gave the ball to White, who ran 75 yards to the house. White got the ball SIX times after that, as Georgia was trounced 44-28. It was a season-low for a player who before that had averaged 18 carries)….against a Florida team who really wasn’t great against the run. He’s carried Georgia’s poor offense on his back at times.
KENTUCKY
Chris Rodriguez. In a season when your defense is pretty exceptional, you don’t tend to need much of an offense. Then there’s games like the Vanderbilt games, when the team’s already been ripped apart by the loss of their O-Line coordinator from cancer, and the defense has looked piss-poor. Step forward Rodriguez, who had 149 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 11 attempts. He’s been under-the-radar one of the best players in the conference.
LSU
Terrace Marshall Jr. LSU is absolute crap. We all know that. But still, Marshall has been brilliant, grabbing nine TDs and 540 yards on 31 receptions. If it wasn’t for him, we might be talking about one-win LSU team right now. And yes, there are issues with drops, but right now, it’s the scores that matter for a team who needs them to keep their team in games.
Mississippi State
Osirus Mitchell. Leading the wide receiving corps with 336 yards receiving and 3 TDs at a clip of 12.9 yards per reception, Mitchell’s been one of the few positives that Cowbell Nation will take away from what has been a pretty awful first year for Mike Leach in Starkville.
Missouri
Nick Bolton. On a team that’s been bad on offense but marginally better on defense, Bolton’s stood out with 53 tackles, 3 1/2 tackles for loss, a sack, a fumble recovery and three passes defended. The junior linebacker has been the focal point of the Tigers defense, and has been brilliant.
Ole Miss
Elijah Moore. A lot of people will try and tell me about the importance of Matt Corral, but it was Coral’s putrid performance against Arkansas that cost his team victory. Moore has been amazing this season, grabbing 74 passes for 1,054 yards and 8 TDs – including back-to-back 200-yard games in the last two outings. Yes, we know that Ole Miss’ horrific defense means that the ball’s going to be on offense more than most teams, but Moore has been a joy to watch.
South Carolina
Kevin Harris. One of Mike Bobo’s best discoveries offensively this season, the sophomore running back has been a beast for not only his team, but in the conference too. Harris’ 817 yards leads the SEC (from Najee Harris) by 100, and also he’s the top RB for attempts too (from Najee Harris, 131-124). He’s been a monster, breaking off big play after big play. He’s scored 13 TDs (second to Najee, who has 14). He won’t be in any Heisman talk because of the poverty of South Carolina, but he should be.
Tennessee
Deandre Johnson. I sent a screengrab of Tennessee’s stats (102nd in the country in offense, 75th in defense) and asked: “Who do I put here”. I even considered Paxton Brooks, UT’s kicker, and then realised that although he was first in punts, he was sixth in yards per punt. Dammit Tennessee, even your punter’s mediocre. But as I was thinking, I texted a UT fan to ask him, and he immediately said: ‘Deandre Johnson. Kid’s been massive out there’. Johnson leads the SEC in sacks (5).
Texas A&M
Isaiah Spiller. While Kellen Mond has improved throughout the season, Spiller has been relentlessly solid all season long. If you look at his season, he’s averaged over 100 yards per game for the Aggies each week – with his ‘season moment’ game against Florida, where he annihilated Florida for 174 and two TDs.
Vanderbilt
Ken Seals. The freshman quarterback – despite what’s been happening around him – has been pretty good for the Commodores, throwing for 1,291 yards and 8 TDs at a QB with a 66.84% completion percentage. He’s one for the future. Whether it’s Derek Mason’s future is another question, entirely.