SEC Football: Players Who Will Exceed Expectations in 2015
In 2015, every SEC football team will be relying on players who've not necessarily spent most of their careers in the national—or even team—spotlight.
Almost everybody must replace major pieces from last year. Some teams desperately need playmakers to take a step forward or to carry bigger roles in order for them to be successful.
Each season, players emerge who aren't on the radar, be it guys who are coming off injuries or who've been mired on the depth chart. Sometimes, those players become All-Americans. Other times, they at the very least play key parts in their teams' respective surges.
The SEC is going through a bit of a megastar drought.
With players such as Amari Cooper's departure to the NFL, national analysts are looking toward a sophomore class of runners, such as Nick Chubb, Leonard Fournette and Jalen Hurd, and a junior class of defensive linemen, such as Robert Nkemdiche, A'Shawn Robinson and Chris Jones, to carry the torch as the next elite prospects.
But other studs will emerge. The league is too loaded with talent for them not to. Who are some players who'll become the next household names?
From someone you've never heard of in South Carolina running back David Williams to another you may have forgotten about in Georgia's Keith Marshall, there are candidates everywhere. This is by no means an all-inclusive list, so please share your own candidates in the comments section below.
Let's take a look at some players who'll exceed expectations in 2015.
David Cornwell, Alabama Quarterback
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The quarterback situation at Alabama is tenuous at best.
A spring free-for-all didn't lead to very many solid conclusions, and while it currently appears that senior Jacob Coker is the favorite heading into the season, there are others very much in the race.
One of those is redshirt freshman David Cornwell. The former 4-star prospect enjoyed a stellar spring despite completing 12 of 24 passes and tossing a couple of interceptions in the A-Day Game.
Speaking about Cornwell, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban told BamaOnline.com's Charlie Potter:
"He has done probably as good a job as anybody this spring. He's very bright, has a great understanding of the offense, does a great job from a leadership standpoint of helping other players play better when he's in there, and he has played smart for the most part all spring.
It was going to be interesting today to see, we put him in situations today where, even though he doesn't have game experience, how he would handle those things, and in some cases he did a really good job. A couple of other times I'm sure he’s going to learn from that experience and have a chance to do better. So we’re really encouraged by the progress he's made all spring.
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At 6'5" and 240 pounds, Cornwell certainly looks the part, and he'd be the most out-of-nowhere player on this list. In the aforementioned article, he's merely the No. 23 player on the list of Bama's 25 most important players.
But that's because he's not expected to be in the starting lineup. Coker's grasp on the quarterback lead is shaky. Even if he starts the season at that spot, there's no guarantee he'll finish it there.
Without a Blake Sims-esque turnaround, Coker has his own issues. That's why the door is open for the big, talented, strong-armed Cornwell.
While true freshman Blake Barnett may have a more well-rounded skill set, Cornwell is the kind of pro-style quarterback who has thrived under coordinator Lane Kiffin.
If he gets the opportunity this year, he may just be tough to take out.
Chad Kelly, Ole Miss Quarterback
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Former Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace took coach Hugh Freeze's program to heights not seen in many years, and he had a very solid career in Oxford.
But it isn't like his replacement will have to emerge from the shadow of a legend.
Wallace was very good at his best, but when Bad Bo reared his head, the entire offense struggled. That's why if the next man up can provide a little more consistency and stability, the Rebels may be better for it.
Transfer quarterback Chad Kelly appeared to be that guy this spring. But Freeze didn't share that same belief, telling Scout.com (h/t Al.com's Mike Herndon) after the spring game that Ryan Buchanan had a slight lead in a battle that is "so far from being over."
Kelly had off-the-field issues at Clemson and again before arriving at Ole Miss, so there's always the fear that he'll do something to fall back down the list. But colleague Barrett Sallee described Kelly as "the perfect fit" for what the Rebels want to do offensively.
If they want a seamless transition from the past few years, Kelly's skill set resembles Wallace's dual-threat ability more so than the drop-back style of Buchanan.
Talent supersedes many other things in football, and even after his transgressions, Kelly was a hot commodity following a stellar season at East Mississippi Junior College for a reason.
He's a box-score filler who can produce yards and points with his arm and legs. He's big enough to be a Tim Tebow type, and he also can manage the offense.
If he can stay out of trouble, he'll get to display those talents this year.
Ricardo Louis, Auburn Wide Receiver
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After discussing two quarterbacks who may or may not start, it's time to get into a little bit more of a sure thing.
Auburn must replace the receiving production of departed playmaker Sammie Coates. While Duke Williams is the next superstar receiver on the Plains, the Tigers are expected to throw the ball around the field more with Jeremy Johnson at the helm than they did under Nick Marshall's regime.
That bodes well for a player such as Ricardo Louis.
The rising senior is a blazer who can blow past opposing defenders and could help make up for the deep threat Coates provided. At 6'2" and 215 pounds, he's not exactly a diminutive presence, either.
While he isn't the guy who will battle defenders for space in short-yardage situations, he won't have to. That's where Williams will excel. Instead, Louis will be the big-play man.
He's no stranger to that role. After all, he's the player who caught the 73-yard, tipped-pass touchdown on 4th-and-18 with 25 seconds remaining that won the 2014 Georgia game.
Louis started five games last year. Though he saw a dropoff in production, recording just 21 catches for 261 yards, he was mired behind Coates and Williams on the depth chart of a team whose forte wasn't throwing the ball. He scored three touchdowns and also amassed 220 rushing yards on just 18 carries.
As the Ledger-Enquirer's Ryan Black wrote recently, it's all about consistency and catching the football with Louis. AU coach Gus Malzahn said of him:
"Ricardo's a guy that has made some big plays for us the last two years. He understands our offense very well. He's one of those guys—one of those seniors that has a lot of experience, a lot of big game experience and has played well in big games. We really just want [him] to take that next step. He's one of our leaders, so we'll expect big things out of him next year.
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Malzahn loves to get the ball to players in space, and Louis is the kind of guy who can turn the corner and produce touchdowns once he hits the edge. If he turns that mental corner, he'll have a big year complementing Williams.
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Keith Marshall, Georgia Running Back
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There was a time a couple of years ago when the Gurshall duo at Georgia—Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall—was the talk of college football.
Though Gurley was the one who eventually made all the headlines, Marshall received the team's Newcomer of the Year award in 2012, rushing for 759 yards on 117 carries and eight touchdowns.
Unfortunately, Marshall tore knee ligaments in the Tennessee game of his sophomore year, derailing his career. He has missed most of the past two seasons since with various injuries. In 2014, he was never himself and had just 24 yards on 12 carries.
Gurley has gone to the NFL, but Marshall won't be the starter in Athens. He may not even be a second-teamer. The Dawgs have one of the nation's most intriguing running backs in sophomore Nick Chubb, who put up Herschel-like numbers a season ago.
Fellow sophomore Sony Michel also proved he's the kind of player who can be relied upon for home-run yardage.
But if Marshall returns to his old form, he'll play a big role as a senior. He entered spring practice with no limitations, and Michel told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chip Towers that Marshall was, "100 percent, going full speed."
The Bulldogs have had a rough time keeping runners healthy recently. They had a bevy of injuries in 2013 and Gurley tore his ACL and Michel missed time battling injuries last year.
That's why coach Mark Richt told Dawgs247's Jake Rowe that he plans to not just ride Chubb all the time:
"That's why we have the philosophy of wanting to share the load and not put it on one guy. I think if you have everybody healthy and you share the load with a bunch of quality backs, I think you are going to help them individually and help our team. So hopefully they'll stay healthy to do that.
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Marshall will have some opportunities. What he does with those will determine how many. But with UGA breaking in a new quarterback, its offense should be a steady stream of handoffs. If Marshall is healthy, he'll do plenty with his.
Brandon Powell, Florida Wide Receiver
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For a team looking for as many offensive playmakers as it can find, having a sophomore such as Brandon Powell returning is a luxury.
Last year, the 5'9", 177-pound wide receiver-cum-running back saw action in 11 games. He finished with 16 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown and added 15 catches for 147 yards and another score.
With Kelvin Taylor, Adam Lane and Jordan Scarlett all set to log carries, Powell gets to move back to the slot full time. There, he can become a dynamic pass-catcher who will play a vital role in new coach Jim McElwain's scheme.
"The whole spring [the new coaches] were trying to figure out who their playmakers were," Powell told ESPN's Edward Aschoff, "and I guess I was making plays so they started to put me in the rotation a lot more and I started picking things up a lot more."
Powell's recruitment was out of the ordinary, as he went from being committed to Tennessee to spending most of his senior year as a Miami Hurricanes recruit. Once Miami pushed his mid-term enrollment back, Powell reneged and pledged to Florida.
As the Gators needed some speed and ability any way they could find it a season ago, Powell played right away. This year, his role will expand. He is hiccup quick, can make players miss in space and has that second gear that Florida is used to seeing in its skill-position talent.
If they need to hand him the ball on a jet sweep, Powell's that guy who can go the distance. Though he isn't big, he can attack seams and turn short passes into big gains.
He's the type of player who has thrived in McElwain's scheme in the past, and this should be his year to announce to the rest of the SEC that he's going to be a force for the remainder of his career.
David Williams, South Carolina Running Back
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For a while, there were questions about whether South Carolina senior running back Brandon Wilds would test the NFL waters or return for a final year in Columbia.
Junior running back Mike Davis decided to leave early when Wilds chose to return, which will be a big boost to Steve Spurrier's rebuilding offense.
As it turns out, however, Wilds may not be the starter. Sophomore David Williams enjoyed a breakout summer, and there's now a full-fledged battle to see who'll be the first man up taking snaps for the Gamecocks.
To discount Wilds wouldn't be smart, considering he's amassed 1,277 rushing yards and five yards per carry backing up Davis throughout his career. But Williams has the higher upside.
Both will play a lot, but Williams has that big-play capability that is so coveted in running backs. He had 256 yards and two touchdowns on just 45 carries as a freshman.
"There's a big running back competition, and I respect Dave to the utmost," Wilds said this spring, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Andy Johnston. "He reminds me of a great running back. We are coming out here competing every day."
Obviously, Spurrier is going to do everything in his power to get the ball into the hands of superstar receiver Pharoh Cooper. But that isn't always going to be so easy while breaking in a new quarterback.
You need dependable runners who can get tough yards when things aren't going your way. Williams has the speed to take it the distance. At 6'1" and 216 pounds, he's also got the size to run between the tackles too.
The former No. 6 all-purpose running back and 4-star prospect from Philadelphia may wind up being the best running back in the league of whom you've never heard.
Stanley 'Boom' Williams, Kentucky Running Back
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The other potential sleeping star runner who isn't yet a household name is another Williams: Kentucky rising sophomore Stanley "Boom" Williams.
The Georgia native and speedy standout showed big-play capability in limited action a season ago, and if the Wildcats are going to finally make a bowl game, it'll be because Williams plays a big role in the offense.
Williams' nickname doesn't really come from his ability to pack a punch. Instead, it comes from his ability to punch an opponent in the mouth with a huge gain. At 5'9" and 196 pounds, he can hit a small seam and be gone.
In last year's season finale against Louisville, Williams rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries, showing signs of things to come. He was explosive again all spring.
Running backs coach Chad Scott couldn't praise him enough to the Courier-Journal's Kyle Tucker this spring:
"I've seen Boom Williams progress—big-time. I'm talking about his confidence is at a whole other level.
...
He's just understanding all the little things that it takes. He's so talented, he always wanted to just make a big play every play, wasn't really satisfied with getting what was there, wouldn't just stick his foot in the ground and get the tough yards. Now he's understanding that, and because he's understanding that, the defense softens up a little bit and he's in position.
When the line blocks everything right and he's one-on-one with that safety, he can hit that big play.
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This year, Williams will see an increased workload, and he'll be depended on for a 1,000-yard season. If he can get there, stay healthy and be an every-down weapon for coach Mark Stoops, UK is going to have a stout offense.
Ethan Wolf, Tennessee Tight End
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When Tennessee coach Butch Jones' offenses channel through an elite tight end, they're at their best.
Back in his days at Cincinnati, Jones turned Travis Kelce into a star and an NFL prospect who wound up with 45 catches for 722 yards and eight touchdowns in 2012.
During Jones' first two seasons at UT, the Vols have struggled to find the same consistency from their tight ends. But rising sophomore Ethan Wolf should put an end to all that in 2015.
Early in his freshman year, it appeared Wolf would be an immediate star. In the season's first three games, he had 13 catches for 115 yards before suffering a high ankle sprain against Oklahoma.
Once he returned, given UT's offensive line struggles, he was asked to be more of an in-line blocker rather than a target, and he battled the inconsistency that comes with being a freshman. He told GoVols247's Wes Rucker this spring:
"Now that I'm more familiar with the offense and not having a lot of things that are changing, I need to make sure I just mentally lock down and not have any mental errors. Every freshman has 'em, but now that I'm not a freshman anymore, I feel like I definitely know the offense that much more in and out and I won’t have any mental mistakes.
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Now at 6'5" and 240 pounds, Wolf has all the skills to be UT's best tight end since his idol, Dallas Cowboys and former Vols great Jason Witten. Wolf has soft hands, ideal size and strong blocking ability.
With the UT receivers needing to make a major move forward and with quarterback Joshua Dobbs' need for dependable safety valves, this is exactly the kind of offense on which Wolf can thrive.
Expect him to have at least 30-35 catches and provide UT with a valuable weapon who can move the chains, as well as find wrinkles in the red zone for touchdowns.
All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings unless otherwise noted. All statistics gathered from CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted. Quotes and observations gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Brad Shepard covers SEC football for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.
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