Who Will Lead the SEC in Receiving in 2015?

Crack open one of those preseason magazines, and you'll undoubtedly see that this is the "year of the running back" in the SEC.

The combination of several talented, established running backs with a quarterback crop that's relatively inexperienced has created a narrative that seemingly puts the SEC back in the dark ages of the "three yards and a cloud of dust" offense.

Wide receivers inside the SEC hope to change that narrative.

There are several top-tier pass-catchers who not only are talented enough to be superstars but also play for teams who will count on them to ease new starting quarterbacks into the fold.

Players such as Ole Miss' Laquon Treadwell, Auburn's D'haquille Williams, South Carolina's Pharoh Cooper and Tennessee's Marquez North are all established downfield threats who have either brand-new starting quarterbacks or signal-callers who are getting their first offseason as the starter under their belts. 

Who will lead the SEC in receiving in 2015?

Richard Shiro/Associated Press

I'll take Cooper and watch him work his magic.

No, South Carolina doesn't have a quarterback set in stone, and yes, true freshman dual-threat QB Lorenzo Nunez could factor into the equation and take away from some of the Gamecocks' 2015 passing attack.

I don't care, because when South Carolina does let it fly, it'll likely be headed in Cooper's direction.

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

He caught 69 passes for 1,136 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago. Had it not been for Alabama stud and Heisman Trophy finalist Amari Cooper, the South Carolina superstar would have led the conference—and every "Cooper"—in receiving as a sophomore.

At 5'11", 208 pounds, he doesn't possess the size of Treadwell, Williams or North, and he won't have the benefit of having a quarterback with starting experience like North or Texas A&M's Josh Reynolds.

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

He also doesn't have the supporting cast in his wide receiving corps like the rest of those stars have, which means he'll be targeted early and often in head coach Steve Spurrier's system. 

He does, however, have the experience of being the go-to receiver in a system during a season in which his team is breaking in a new quarterback when he became Dylan Thompson's primary target a year ago. That was with Mike Davis, Shaq Roland and other established options around him.

This year, he'll be counted on even more.

Connor Mitch, the front-runner to start the season as South Carolina's starting quarterback, only has six career passing attempts. That puts more pressure on Cooper to keep defenses off Mitch and running backs Brandon Wilds and David Williams.

Despite the pressure on Cooper—and his success from a year ago—he's still flying under the radar, as Heath Cline of 107.5 in Columbia, South Carolina, notes:

Despite Cooper's success, teams will undoubtedly key on Wilds and Williams due to the inexperience of the eventual winner of the quarterback battle and the track record of running-game success for Spurrier's South Carolina's teams.

The lack of established wide receivers will force attention of defenses on Cooper as well. But the coaching staff has shown tremendous creativity using Cooper in a variety of ways, which will keep defenses honest and open up passing lanes when the Gamecocks decide to stretch the field.

Cooper will be to this South Carolina team what Amari Cooper was to last year's SEC champs.

In a year with a major unknown at quarterback, a go-to receiver has to step up.

That receiver will be Pharoh Cooper, and he'll ride it all the way to the SEC lead in receiving yards in 2015.

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.

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.

Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.