SEC Football: Each Team's Most Loaded Position Group for 2015
In an ideal world, every SEC team would prefer to have the same amount of balance and depth at every position, both offensively and defensively. It doesn't happen that way, though, thanks to injuries, graduation, early NFL departures and recruiting.
Instead, what more often happens is that teams end up looking OK in most areas but really good in a few others. Not surprisingly, those loaded positions tend to determine how those teams will fare.
Taking a look at the SEC rosters as they sit now, including the expected arrivals of recruits who are set to sign on Wednesday, we've identified a position group that each school can be proud of. It might not be the team's best unit, but it is the one with the least depth-related questions.
Alabama: Defensive Line
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Top returners: DE Jonathan Allen (Jr.), DE Da'Shawn Hand (So.), DE D.J. Pettway (Sr.), DE Jarran Reed (Sr.), NT A'Shawn Robinson (So.), DE Dalvin Tomlinson (Jr.)
Key losses: NT Brandon Ivory
Notable newcomers: DE Mekhi Brown, DE Anfernee Jennings, DT Daron Payne
Alabama avoided any early losses to its defensive line, with Jarran Reed deciding to stick around for his senior season. His return clinches this already deep group as the Crimson Tide's most dominant for 2015, and that's before we talk about the next batch of linemen coming in the 2015 class.
Jonathan Allen had the best season of the lot last year, with five sacks and 11 tackles for loss, while A'Shawn Robinson was a key to the interior run defense. With so many bodies to rotate through, Alabama might be able to redshirt one or more of its high-profile incoming prospects.
Chances are, though, that Daron Payne, a 5-star prospect who's considered the seventh-best defensive tackle in the nation, will get into that mix.
Arkansas: Offensive Line
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Top returners: OG Denver Kirkland (Jr.), C Frank Ragnow (So.), OT Dan Skipper (Jr.), C Mitch Smothers (Sr.), OG Sebastian Tretola (Sr.), OT Brian Wallace (So.)
Key losses: OT Brey Cook, OT Cameron Jefferson
Notable newcomers: OT Colton Jackson, OG Jalen Merrick, OG Zach Rogers
Since coming to Arkansas from Wisconsin three years ago, Bret Bielema has been working to install his system and his approach. It all starts up front, with big and athletic offensive linemen who open holes and protect the pocket.
Not surprisingly, this is where the Razorbacks are most stacked in terms of roster depth. Four of five starters are back, as well as several key reserves, and now they have another strong crop of newcomers on the way. It's how they averaged 218 yards per game and 5.09 yards per carry in 2014, and why they ranked fourth nationally in time of possession at more than 34 minutes per game.
The loss of right tackle Brey Cook is big, but potential replacement Brian Wallace is talented. And the other returning starters are all projected to be among the top offensive linemen taken in their respective draft classes, per NFLDraftScout.com.
With those hosses up front working hard, expect both Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams to top 1,000 yards again.
Auburn: Wide Receiver
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Top returners: Marcus Davis (Jr.), Ricardo Louis (Sr.), Melvin Ray (Sr.), D'haquille Williams (Sr.)
Key losses: Quan Bray, Sammie Coates
Notable newcomers: None
Sammie Coates had another year of eligibility, but the leading receiver for Auburn the past two seasons decided to turn to the pros with his degree in tow. The Tigers won't see too much of a drop-off, though, because D'haquille Williams figures to take over that No. 1 receiver spot, while Marcus Davis and Melvin Ray will take on bigger roles.
Auburn will still be a run-heavy team in 2015, but with the switch from dual-threat quarterback Nick Marshall to more pro-style Jeremy Johnson, expect better numbers across the board from the wide receivers.
Nine players caught touchdown passes last season, and four return.
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Florida: Secondary
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Top returners: S Duke Dawson (So.), CB Vernon Hargreaves III (Jr.), S Marcus Maye (Jr.), S Keanu Neal (Jr.), CB Brian Poole (Sr.), CB Jalen Tabor (So.), CB Quincy Wilson (So.)
Key losses: CB Neiron Ball, S Jabari Gorman
Notable newcomers: None
New defensive backs coach Kirk Callahan might be the happiest member of Florida's new staff, other than well-paid head coach Jim McElwain. That's because he has an overflowing crop of cornerbacks and safeties to work with in his new gig, including players who can handle both positions.
Senior Brian Poole has worked at both the nickelback and both safety slots, helping lead the team in interceptions with four. He's benefited from having lockdown corners Vernon Hargreaves III and Jalen Tabor covering the toughest receivers, so he can capitalize on quarterbacks who try to challenge his area of the field.
Tabor, Poole and safety Marcus Maye also proved valuable up near the line of scrimmage, combining for 10 tackles for loss.
Georgia: Secondary
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Top returners: CB Aaron Davis (So.), CB Shattle Fenteng (Jr.), S Quincy Mauger (Jr.), CB Malkom Parrish (So.), S Dominick Sanders (So.)
Key losses: S Casey Moore, S Damian Swann
Notable newcomers: S Rashad Roundtree
Returning depth on the back line has been among the issues Georgia has seemed to deal with annually over the last few years, but not in 2015. Other than Damian Swann, the entire starting lineup from the Belk Bowl will be back, as will most of the key reserves.
The Bulldogs were fifth nationally in pass defense at 170.4 yards per game allowed, and they gave up only 13 touchdowns through the air. Young defensive backs Quincy Mauger and Dominick Sanders combined for seven of the team's 16 interceptions.
And an incoming safety, 4-star prospect Rashad Roundtree, might be the young playmaker whom defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt needs to turn this unit into one of the best in the country.
"Roundtree is smart, and he plays with discipline, which are two things Pruitt likes," Bleacher Report's Brian Jones wrote.
Kentucky: Running Back
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Top returners: Mikel Horton (So.), Jojo Kemp (Jr.), Boom Williams (So.)
Key losses: Braylon Heard
Notable newcomers: None
While it might have been somewhat of a surprise that Braylon Heard decided to turn pro after his redshirt junior season, despite only rushing for 368 yards and four touchdowns, the choice had something to do with Kentucky's depth in the backfield. Had he returned, he'd again be fighting with three young, up-and-coming players for touches.
That's why losing Heard to the NFL draft isn't that big of a loss for the Wildcats, who had 300-plus rushing yards from three other rushers as well as quarterback Patrick Towles. No player had more than the 486 yards that Boom Williams had, as the offense spread out the touches between him, Heard, Mikel Horton and Jojo Kemp.
Kentucky would have been even more loaded had in-state 5-star running back Damien Harris chosen to stay close to home. Instead, he just added to Alabama's riches by pledging to the Crimson Tide.
LSU: Wide Receiver
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Top returners: John Diarse (So.), Malachi Dupre (So.), Travin Dural (Jr.), Trey Quinn (So.)
Key losses: None
Notable newcomers: Jazz Ferguson, Tyron Johnson
LSU had the worst passing offense in the SEC last season, gaining less than 163 yards per game through the air. But that was far more a result of the people throwing the ball than those making the catches.
The Tigers bring back their entire receiving corps, including three players who as freshmen in 2014 combined for 46 receptions and eight touchdowns. Travin Dural is the leader of the wideouts, and his 37 catches were more than any other two players, but it's a pretty balanced group after him.
And LSU's depth will be even more pronounced on the outside with two highly touted receivers coming in. Tyron Johnson, the state's top overall prospect, was ranked as the fifth-best receiver in the 2015 class, while Jazz Ferguson's 6'5" frame will make for a great target.
Mississippi State: Quarterback
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Top returners: Dak Prescott (Sr.), Damian Williams (Jr.)
Key losses: None
Notable newcomers: Nick Tiano
Mississippi State has the fewest returners of any team in the SEC, as it saw 12 starters graduate and two juniors turn pro. Yet what the Bulldogs have that most other teams in the conference don't is an experienced quarterback who is talented enough to overcome a lack of worldliness around him.
Dak Prescott is the top player at his position in the SEC, and he heads into his senior season with more than 7,400 yards of total offense and 72 touchdowns, including 31 rushing scores. He was a viable Heisman candidate for much of last season and will be among the top contenders next fall.
MSU also has one of the more experienced backups in Damian Williams, who has appeared in 13 games the past two years and started in place of the injured Prescott during the 2013 Egg Bowl.
Missouri: Linebacker
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Top returners: Eric Beisel (So.), Kentrell Brothers (Sr.), Clarence Green (Sr.), Donavin Newsom (Jr.), Michael Scherer (Jr.)
Key losses: Darvin Ruise
Notable newcomers: Franklin Agbasimere
Missouri has developed a reputation for producing top-tier defensive linemen under coach Gary Pinkel, and last season was no different. But the loss of another strong group of talent up front opens the door for the Tigers' deepest position in 2015 to stand out.
Five of the six players on the two-deep depth chart return at linebacker, led by Kentrell Brothers and Michael Scherer. That duo combined for 236 tackles last season, wrapping up whoever Markus Golden and Shane Ray weren't able to take down behind the line of scrimmage.
Missouri ranked 23rd nationally in total defense in 2014, and that unit was key to the Tigers winning the SEC East for a second straight season. If there's going to be a three-peat, the linebackers will pace it.
Ole Miss: Offensive Line
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Top returners: OG Justin Bell (Sr.), OT Fahn Cooper (Sr.), Ben Still (Sr.), Rod Taylor (So.), OT Laremy Tunsil (Jr.)
Key losses: None
Notable newcomers: OG Javon Patterson, OT Drew Richmond
The second half of Ole Miss' 2014 season was filled with a series of injury-fueled snakebites. The most notable of those was the broken leg that top receiver Laquon Treadwell suffered late in a loss to Auburn.
Equally devastating was when promising offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil broke his leg during the Peach Bowl after quarterback Bo Wallace fell on him. Tunsil figures to miss spring practice, but thankfully the Rebels have a lot of capable linemen to work with including some big names they're hoping to hold onto in their recruiting class.
"We really are struggling right now to get people in the offensive line in positions that they've played and guys that have played a lot of snaps this year," Ole Miss coach Huge Freeze told Hugh Kellenberger of The Clarion-Ledger after the Peach Bowl. "The only thing I know to fix that is recruiting, and we've got to go and build some depth there and talent."
The Rebels have done just that, getting commitments from 4-star linemen Javon Patterson and Drew Richmond. However, Patterson is visiting Texas this weekend, and his loss could have a major impact on the value of the 2015 class.
South Carolina: Defensive Line
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Top returners: DE Gerald Dixon (Jr.), DT Gerald Dixon Jr. (Sr.), DT Phillip Dukes (Sr.), DE Darius English (Jr.), DE Mason Harris (Sr.), DE David Johnson (So.)
Key losses: DT J.T. Surratt
Notable newcomers: DE Shameik Blackshear, DE Marquavius Lewis, DE Dexter Wideman
South Carolina's defensive line was among the best in the nation in 2013, and then last year it was arguably one of the most underachieving in FBS.
But the lessons learned from last year's poor showing, combined with a buildup of depth and experience and another influx of promising talent, make it appear like the Gamecocks are headed in the right direction on their line heading into this fall.
Only J.T. Surratt leaves the rotation, and senior Phillip Dukes looks ready to move into the starting lineup after logging 20 tackles and three tackles for loss last season. He's appeared in 31 games in his career, developing slowly over that time.
South Carolina's edge depth gets a big boost from its recruiting class, with seven defensive ends committed, signed or already enrolled.
"We're in good shape," South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier told Willie Smith of the Greenville News. "I think our defense is certainly going to look a lot different next year."
Tennessee: Wide Receiver
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Top returners: Jason Croom (Jr.), Pig Howard (Sr.), Josh Malone (So.), Marquez North (Jr.), Von Pearson (Sr.)
Key losses: None
Notable newcomers: Preston Williams
Tennessee's season turned around when it put Joshua Dobbs into the starting role at quarterback, as his athleticism and mobility added a new wrinkle to an offense that struggled for consistency. His addition also made the already strong receiving corps look much better, and heading into 2015, it's the area that expects to make the biggest leap forward for the Volunteers.
Senior wide receivers only made two receptions last season; five returning wideouts each logged at least 20 catches. Pig Howard had the most at 54, but Von Pearson's five touchdown catches brought the most excitement.
Throw in Preston Williams, a 6'4" 4-star prospect, and Tennessee will have no shortage of weapons to turn to at receiver.
Texas A&M: Wide Receiver
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Top returners: Boone Niederhofer (Jr.), Speedy Noil (So.), Edward Pope (Jr.), Josh Reynolds (Jr.), Ricky Seals-Jones (So.)
Key losses: Malcome Kennedy
Notable newcomers: Christian Kirk, Kemah Siverand
Texas A&M has all of the wide receivers.
Not really, but it seems that way. Last season, the Aggies had six players with at least 29 receptions, while seven wideouts had at least two touchdowns. And only one of those, the dependable Malcome Kennedy, won't be back in 2015.
Josh Reynolds set the school's single-season TD record last fall with 13, while Speedy Noil and Ricky Seals-Jones had stellar debut years (combining for 95 catches, 1,048 yards and nine scores) and figure to only get better.
And A&M just keeps getting better at the position, with early 5-star prospect Christian Kirk already enrolled and 4-star recruit Kemah Siverand set to sign on Wednesday.
Vanderbilt: Linebacker
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Top returners: Nigel Bowden (So.), Zach Cunningham (So.), Darreon Herring (Sr.), Stephen Weatherly (Jr.)
Key losses: Kyle Woestmann
Notable newcomers: Josh Smith
Little about Derek Mason's first year in charge of Vanderbilt's program was memorable. The 3-9 record was its worst since 2010, and the offense was atrocious.
The Commodores weren't particularly strong defensively either, but the effort of some young players makes for a lot of hope that the future will be much better. Particularly, first-year players Nigel Bowden and Zach Cunningham looked great, combining for 145 tackles.
Stephen Weatherly, one of the veteran returners, had 12.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, both team bests. And more help is on the way, possibly to replace longtime contributor Kyle Woestmann, as 4-star prospect Josh Smith has a chance to play immediately.
All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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