SEC Football: Biggest Injuries That Could Impact 2015 Season
Injuries are an unfortunate reality in football, and the old bug already has bitten several SEC football teams since last season.
Considering they can be the difference between wins and losses, it's at least worth mentioning several impact bumps and bruises, twists and tears that could keep a few league members from winning championships.
And there are more than a few.
From a superstar running back on a team built to overpower opponents with the rushing game, to several road-grading offensive line starters, to a trio of defensive leaders, it hasn't been a kind offseason for several SEC teams.
Some of those setbacks happened in fall camp, and a few more were known coming into the season.
For some teams, they've got personnel who can step in and fill the void. But, in a lot of cases, it's difficult to replicate the production of the missing players no matter how much you want to paint the pig's face in the wake of the injury.
Arkansas has a stable of talented runners, but replacing Jonathan Williams will be a chore. LSU may be the new "DBU," but you can't just plug and play somebody who will match Jalen Mills' production.
Let's take a look at a few injuries facing SEC teams and what the coaching staffs may do to combat their departures.
Harold Brantley, Missouri Defensive Tackle
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The Missouri Tigers are known for producing marquee defensive linemen, and the focus of this year's defense was expected to shift inside with the departures of ends Shane Ray and Markus Golden to the NFL.
Massive trio Harold Brantley, Josh Augusta and freshman Terry Beckner Jr. were all set to keep D-line coach Craig Kuligowski's dynasty intact.
That'll unfortunately be reduced by one following a June car wreck in which the 6'3", 280-pound rising junior tackle sustained injuries that will keep him out of this entire season. Thankfully, Brantley is expected to make a full recovery and didn't sustain any life-threatening injuries.
Still, it's a veritable sucker punch to a Tigers defense that must reinvent itself with the losses on the edge.
Brantley's injury is one that quarterback Maty Mauk didn't sugarcoat to the Kansas City Star's Tod Palmer at SEC media days, calling it a "huge blow" not only because of Brantley's ability as a player but also as a team leader.
As a sophomore, Brantley was an interior force playing alongside Ray and Golden, finishing the year with 54 tackles, including seven for a loss to go along with five sacks.
With Brantley watching from the sideline this year, Mizzou must get a lot more production from 350-pound "juggernaut" Augusta, according to Palmer. Also, Beckner needs to live up to the massive hype surrounding his recruitment.
If that happens, Kuligowski and new defensive coordinator Barry Odom have plenty of other able playmakers on that side of the ball.
Marcus Jackson, Tennessee Offensive Guard
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Tennessee's offensive line issues are well-documented by now, and they're likely the biggest obstacle standing in the way of coach Butch Jones' program revitalization.
So, when you take away a player who has the most starts of anybody else on the entire unit with 17, it is a huge void to replace.
Marcus Jackson has already redshirted, so the torn bicep tendon could cost him the rest of his career. That would be a massive blow, especially considering Tennessee now has lost another guard for an extended amount of time with the same injury in reserve Austin Sanders.
"Yeah with Marcus, there's no timetable set," Jones said recently, according to FoxSports.com. "It could be the season, it could be eight months, it could be nine months. It's really based on how his surgery comes, and how his body performs."
The fifth-year senior wasn't the most talented lineman on the roster, but he was arguably one of the top two or three off last year's porous unit. He was expected to be an almost-certain starter.
Now, with him out, the Vols will go with incumbent starter Jashon Robertson at one guard spot and are holding open auditions for the other one. Right now, true freshman Jack Jones is getting most of the first-team reps over redshirt sophomore Brett Kendrick, but that battle is still being waged.
Other players such as Charles Mosley, Venzell Boulware and Dylan Wiesman could get meaningful reps there.
Thanks to some solid recruiting by Jones, the Vols have bodies there. But you can't replace Jackson's experience, which is what UT is facing.
When you throw in starting nickelback Rashaan Gaulden is expected to miss at least a month with a foot injury, according to GoVols247's Ryan Callahan, that's two big camp losses for the Vols.
Andrew Jelks, Vanderbilt Offensive Tackle
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As if Vanderbilt didn't already have myriad issues on both sides of the ball, starting left tackle Andrew Jelks went down with a knee injury in Wednesday's practice that will cost him the season.
According to the Tennessean's Adam Sparks, Jelks' injury makes two significant offensive contributors on the Commodores who've been lost for the season so far in camp, joining sophomore receiver C.J. Duncan.
"It’s time for others to step up and claim a more substantial role in the success of our offense," head coach Derek Mason said in a media release. "We definitely have players on our roster that can fill the void left by Andrew’s departure."
Sparks listed redshirt freshman Bailey Granier, converted tight end Blake Fromang, JUCO transfer Egidio DellaRipa and true freshmen Justin Skule and Jared Southers as players who could fill that role.
But replacing Jelks is going to be tough.
He was reportedly having a quality camp, and at 6'6", 307 pounds, the two-year starter—who chose Vanderbilt over Tennessee, Alabama and others during the recruiting process back when James Franklin was the coach—had finally reshaped his body to look like a prototypical tackle.
Now, he's going to have to wait a year to make an impact on the field, and Mason is going to be scrambling to fill a major hole along his offensive front.
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Jalen Mills, LSU Safety
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The first player on the list not expected to be facing a season-ending injury may be the best pro prospect of the entire bunch.
LSU senior safety Jalen Mills—the leader of that loaded Tigers secondary—suffered a leg injury this past week.
According to a New Orleans Times-Picayune report, it was initially feared to be a fractured fibula. However, the Advocate's Ross Dellenger quoted Mills' mother saying it was an ankle injury.
Regardless of what the injury is, Mills is going to miss a chunk of time.
According to Dellenger, the best-case scenario is for Mills to return by the season's third game against Auburn, which would be huge news for a Tigers defense needing one of its top playmakers against Gus Malzahn's Tigers.
Junior Rickey Jefferson is expected to take the place of Mills in LSU's secondary, and Corey Thompson will enter the picture as well. Depth is a luxury the way Tigers defensive backs coach Corey Raymond has recruited in recent years, but losing Mills is a major blow.
Just how good is Mills? In a program that produces NFL defensive backs like Lay's produces potato chips, the 6'0", 196-pound safety from DeSoto, Texas, has started all 39 games in his LSU career.
He has the versatility that NFL teams love, having played his first two seasons at cornerback before being shifted to the back line a season ago. After starting 12 games there and one at nickelback, Mills wound up with 62 tackles, three tackles for a loss, five pass breakups and an interception.
NFL.com reporter Chase Goodbread referred to Mills as one of the top senior players in the draft and projected him to be "a potential top-50 pick in the 2016 draft."
With his versatility, Mills will provide new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele a dependable athlete no matter where he plays. Without him on the field, the Tigers become a little more susceptible against the pass.
That's what makes his return important. It looks like he may not miss too much time after initial concerns.
Antonio Morrison, Florida Linebacker
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Florida linebacker Antonio Morrison was supposed to have a monster senior season after earning second-team All-SEC honors last year in leading the Gators with 101 tackles.
But the Bellwood, Illinois, defender has to make it onto the field first.
Morrison injured his left knee in last year's season-ending Birmingham Bowl victory over East Carolina, but he has been forced to get two operations on it since that time.
According to an Associated Press report this week: "Florida is hoping he will play this season, but no one has put a timetable on his return."
"I can't tell you what a great job he's done to put himself in position to have an opportunity to play this season," coach Jim McElwain told GatorZone.com's Scott Carter. "He has had a huge impact as guys have seen how hard he has worked, what he has invested and what he was willing to do to define who he is and what he's all about."
Morrison is still only going through non-contact drills, and while he is expected to play, the Gators are being mum on when that may be.
With him not yet on the field and the departures of seniors Michael Taylor and Neiron Ball from 2014, somebody needs to step up alongside Jarrad Davis.
That may be former Georgia Tech linebacker Anthony Harrell, who is a graduate transfer. Junior Alex Anzalone is another possible plug after spending most of his career as a special teams player.
The Gators are a better defense with a healthy Morrison on the field. It's just a matter of when that may be.
Rod Taylor, Ole Miss Offensive Guard
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Easily the most bizarre preseason injury so far belongs to Ole Miss sophomore offensive guard Rod Taylor, who tore his labrum in an accident suffered while participating in a boxing match.
His setback could be a sucker punch to a Rebels squad that isn't too deep on the offensive front.
The 6'3", 320-pound sophomore had been getting first-team reps at right guard, and, according to the Clarion-Ledger's Riley Blevins, offensive line coach Matt Luke recently noted he was "very pleased" with Taylor's camp so far.
Taylor was a highly rated prospect who was beginning to live up to the hype following an inconsistent freshman season.
While it hasn't been discussed officially just how much time Taylor may miss, normally an injury such as that costs players a significant chunk of the year. Last season, Tennessee wide receiver Marquez North tried to play with the same injury for a couple of games before he had season-ending surgery.
Still, according to Ole Miss Spirit's Chuck Rounsaville, Taylor is expected to try to play through the injury after missing just a couple of weeks before having surgery on it after the season.
That would be huge news for the Rebels, who don't have a ton of viable bodies on the line to go along with stud tackle Laremy Tunsil, who is returning from injury himself.
If Taylor can't go, the guards will probably be manned by Aaron Morris or Justin Bell. A player who could make a major move is incoming former star recruit Javon Patterson, who is talented enough to vie for a starting spot right away.
But the best-case scenario for the Rebels is Taylor playing and performing well. And to stay out of the boxing ring.
Jonathan Williams, Arkansas Running Back
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The other superstar on this list besides Jalen Mills is Arkansas running back Jonathan Williams, a rising senior who was sure to be one of the league's top rushers and biggest NFL prospects.
The difference between the two is Williams unfortunately is expected to miss the entire regular season after suffering a foot injury in a recent practice.
Sure, the Razorbacks have stockpiled talented runners such as junior Alex Collins, along with Rawleigh Williams and Kody Walker, but how can you replace the production of Jonathan Williams?
Last year, he finished with 1,190 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he did that despite defenses loading the box because they knew what was coming. In a statement shortly after the injury, Arkansas coach Bret Bielema noted:
"I have no doubt that Jonathan will come back stronger than ever. Anyone that knows Jonathan Williams knows this is just another opportunity for him to prove the man of character and substance that he really is. It's an unfortunate injury to a great young man, but we are in the process of gathering as much information as possible. There are short- and long-term impacts of how he proceeds, and we want to make sure he does what's best for him and his family and his career beyond Arkansas.
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On the positive side for Bielema and offensive line coach Sam Pittman, they have built one of the nation's biggest and best lines, a veritable bulldozing force that can open holes for anybody.
There are other talented runners on the roster, and with quarterback Brandon Allen and tight end Hunter Henry, the Razorbacks can alleviate some of the pressure on the runners by keeping defenses honest.
But make no mistake: Losing Williams is huge. It's probably worth at least one loss, and when you're battling for the rugged SEC West, that is no small thing.
Williams likely has played his final game for the Hogs, unless he returns for the bowl game. What Arkansas does between now and then will determine the quality of that postseason game in which Williams may participate.
All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings unless otherwise noted. All statistics gathered from CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted.
Brad Shepard covers SEC football for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.
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