SEC Football Skill Position Players Who Will Carry Their Teams in 2015
You don't win big without big-time players in the SEC, and this year several SEC stars will have the light shining brightly on them.
For several, the success or failure of their teams will rest squarely on their performances and ability to accept the spotlight.
Which SEC skill position players will carry their teams in 2015? Here are our picks based on talent, scheme and surrounding personnel.
Georgia RB Nick Chubb
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All Nick Chubb did during his freshman campaign at Georgia was finish second in the SEC in rushing with 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns despite only starting half the season, navigate Georgia through rocky waters after the Todd Gurley suspension and then close the season out as a bona fide stud after Gurley's season-ending ACL injury vs. Auburn.
Not a bad debut, to say the least.
Now it's time for his encore, with Georgia searching for a new quarterback and looking to replace its top two wide receivers under new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
Hello, opportunity.
Chubb was phenomenal in a pinch in place of Gurley last year and will be the workhorse again for Georgia in 2015, despite the presence of veteran Keith Marshall and sophomore Sony Michel.
Auburn WR D'haquille "Duke" Williams
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Wait just a second...can a wide receiver for Auburn—a decidedly run-first team—really carry the Tigers?
Yep, as long as that wide receiver's name is D'haquille "Duke" Williams.
The 2015 Auburn offense won't be the same as the multidimensional running scheme head coach Gus Malzahn employed with quarterback Nick Marshall at the helm, though there will be elements of that under new quarterback Jeremy Johnson.
The junior signal-caller is much more of a passing threat, and Williams is the ultra-versatile, big target Johnson and Malzahn need to kickstart the passing game.
As Williams goes, Auburn will go in 2015. He's physical at the line of scrimmage, has the speed to stretch the field deep and is a first-down machine, hauling in 17 passes on third down last year—15 of which moved the chains.
At 6'2" and 216 pounds, Williams has already impressed NFL scouts after hauling in 45 passes for 730 yards and five touchdowns a year ago.
"Duke Williams will be the elite guy, you would think and you would hope next year," ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper said in January via James Crepea of the Montgomery Advertiser. "I think when you look at Duke Williams he'll be the No. 1 guy, and next year he'll go into the season right there at the top."
Auburn's coaching staff is smart enough to adjust on the fly without Williams in the lineup but would rather not go down that road.
Florida RB Kelvin Taylor
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Sure, Florida running back Adam Lane looked solid in the Birmingham Bowl, and first-year head coach Jim McElwain orchestrated a recruiting coup by flipping Jordan Scarlett from Miami prior to national signing day.
But make no mistake: It's Kelvin Taylor's show in Gainesville in 2015.
Taylor rushed for 565 yards and six touchdowns last year behind Matt Jones and obliterated Georgia in the surprising 38-20 win in Jacksonville, rushing for 197 yards and two touchdowns.
He's adjusted well to McElwain and new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, according to Morgan Moriarty of the Alligator.
"This offense here is just an offense that’s really, to be honest, just a running back’s dream to be in," Taylor said. "It’s perfect for a back. Zone read, one cut, downhill, catch the ball out the backfield. You got so many things you can do in this offense, and I think it just fits me perfect."
The absence of a proven starting quarterback and Florida's seemingly endless quest to find a consistent wide receiver will put the onus squarely on Taylor's shoulders in 2015. From the sound of it, he's up for the challenge.
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Texas A&M QB Kyle Allen
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Sure, Texas A&M signed superstar 5-star dual-threat stud Kyler Murray—he of three straight Texas state titles—to battle sophomore Kyle Allen for the starting job in College Station as early as 2015.
But will he even arrive on campus?
As Brandon Wheeland of The Dallas Morning News notes, Murray is also a top-tier Major League Baseball prospect, and that guaranteed baseball money and career longevity will be difficult to pass up if he's picked high in the upcoming baseball draft.
If he chooses baseball over football, that puts head coach Kevin Sumlin in quite a bind for his backup quarterback spot. After all, running back Tra Carson and punter Drew Kaser are Texas A&M's most experienced passers behind Allen as of right now—with one pass attempt each.
Allen is critical to the Aggies' success in 2015. He received first-team snaps in a camp-like setting for the first time in his career prior to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and all he did was light up West Virginia with five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing). Now he's got all offseason with the same reps in practice.
He likely has to be a superstar this year for Texas A&M to contend in the SEC West.
South Carolina WR Pharoh Cooper
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Last season, South Carolina needed Pharoh Cooper to do just about everything. The 5'11", 200-pounder caught nine touchdown passes, rushed for two, threw for two and returned 15 punts.
That was with veteran quarterback Dylan Thompson and star running back Mike Davis lining up in the backfield.
Now that they're gone, head coach Steve Spurrier's crew might as well be known as the South Carolina "Pharoh Coopers," because the junior will have to be a superstar in Columbia in 2015.
Sure, the tandem of Brandon Wilds and David Williams will be solid in the Gamecock backfield, but Cooper's ability to ease the transition to the starting role for the eventual starting quarterback will be paramount to South Carolina's success in 2015. If he can not only replicate last season's success but also build on it, South Carolina will get back in the mix in the SEC East.
If the spotlight is too bright, the Gamecocks will be fighting for bowl eligibility.
Alabama RB Derrick Henry
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Alabama is replacing nine starters on its offense in 2015, and while running back Derrick Henry is one of them, he also was Alabama's leading rusher last year when he gobbled up 990 yards and scored 11 touchdowns as the "thunder" to T.J. Yeldon's "lightning" for the SEC champs.
The 6'3", 242-pound monster has proven to be the ultimate closer in college football, wearing out the opposition in the second halves of games to the tune of 590 yards and 6.86 yards per carry last year. Now it's his show at running back, and he has to take full control of the No. 1 spot on the depth chart.
Are there options at running back? Sure. Kenyan Drake has been compared to former USC running back Reggie Bush by offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin and Crimson Tide wide receiver Chris Black, among others, and will be most effective with Henry providing that consistent inside running threat.
If Drake is going to be truly effective as "Reggie Bush," he needs Henry to serve as "LenDale White" and routinely soften up defenses and demand the attention of defensive coordinators.
Behind them, there's a ton of uncertainty.
After Altee Tenpenny transferred and Tyren Jones was dismissed, suddenly Alabama's running back depth—which was at one point as deep as the submarine on The Abyss—isn't as great as anticipated.
LSU RB Leonard Fournette
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Is there any doubt whom the LSU offense will revolve around in 2015?
If you have some, you probably were living under a rock late last season, when Tiger running back Leonard Fournette established himself as not only a true superstar but a player who can succeed in an offense that was one-dimensional by necessity.
The New Orleans native rushed for 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns, with 670 of those yards coming in the final seven games of the year. There are talented backs behind him, including Darrel Williams and incoming freshmen Derrius Guice and Nick Brossette, but considering LSU's lingering quarterback woes, Fournette has to be the workhorse early if LSU is going to get back in the thick of the SEC West title hunt.
He can take the punishment between the tackles, has the jets to be a home run threat and is underrated as a receiver out of the backfield. The quarterback will ultimately be what makes or breaks the Tigers, but that's dependent on Fournette's avoiding the sophomore slump.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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