SEC Football: Who Will Be the Biggest Stars of Opening Weekend?
We are a week away from toe meeting leather and the kickoff of the 2015 college football season.
Opening weekend has brought us several surprise stars over the last few seasons, including former Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill, former Georgia star Todd Gurley, current Auburn wide receiver "Duke" Williams and current Tennessee linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
The SEC has plenty of big games in Week 1 this year that can vault players into college football stardom in 2015.
Who will be the stars of Week 1? Our picks based on talent, matchup and exposure are in this slideshow.
Auburn RB Roc Thomas
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Auburn's running back battle this August, which includes junior Jovon Robinson and sophomores Peyton Barber and Roc Thomas, is still heated, and that's a good thing for the Tigers.
Barber is the most experienced within the system, Thomas has the explosiveness to be a star, and Robinson is the bruiser who can lean on worn-out defenses late in games.
"They don't care who is getting the ball. They don't care who is getting the credit," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said, according to Charles Goldberg of AuburnTigers.com. "They're just out there working. They're responding to the coaching. They're trying to do everything we ask them to do. There seems to be that sense of hunger a little bit, which there should be after the way we finished."
Give me Thomas as the top performer in Week 1 against Louisville. The former "Mr. Football" in the state of Alabama is known for his wiggle but ran north/south in the spring game, which was the one remaining piece of his puzzle.
He'll be an important part of the running game, hit a big play or two and catch a few passes for large gains out of the backfield for the Tigers on a big stage in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.
South Carolina LB Skai Moore
2 of 10
South Carolina will get the big stage on opening night on Thursday, Sept. 3. Expect that showdown with cross-state rival North Carolina to be the Skai Moore show.
The 6'2", 218-pound junior has led the Gamecocks in each of his first two seasons in Columbia and can play the "Mike" or "Will" linebacker spot under new co-defensive coordinator Jon Hoke.
He's stout against the run, isn't a liability in coverage and gets into the backfield in a hurry.
Against a team such as North Carolina that gets its playmakers in space, Moore will be a tremendous asset. His experience in the system, speed and ability to make tackles in space will be what make or break the Gamecocks on opening night.
He'll be up for the challenge.
Alabama WR ArDarius Stewart
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Aside from the lingering quarterback issue, one of the biggest questions at Alabama is the search for the next Amari Cooper.
The void left by the former stud receiver and 2014 Heisman Trophy finalist will likely be filled by a committee rather than one person, with 6'1", 204-pound sophomore ArDarius Stewart being its chairman.
Stewart was the co-offensive MVP of Alabama's spring game and has been turning heads during fall camp despite the seemingly never-ending quarterback rotation.
"I thought ArDarius Stewart had a really good day today," Saban said after Monday's practice, according to Matt Zenitz of AL.com. "He had eight catches and made some really good catches—adjusted to the ball well, made some contested plays—which was good to see."
Wisconsin has a solid secondary, but Bama will pound the rock and set up play action, and Stewart will be the beneficiary with a couple of long touchdowns and a 100-yard game in Arlington, Texas, in the AdvoCare Classic.
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Texas A&M DE Daeshon Hall
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With all of the focus on stud sophomore defensive end Myles Garrett, his defensive linemate Daeshon Hall on the other end of the line is going to have a field day against Arizona State at the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff in Houston.
This game has all the makings of being a shootout, with the Aggies' new-look defense going through some growing pains against the potent Sun Devils and the Sun Devils bringing the house down early and often. As a result, you're going to see a lot of passing and a lot of attention on Garrett, which means Hall will be quarterback Mike Bercovici's worst nightmare.
New defensive coordinator John Chavis is pretty high on Hall, according to Sam Khan Jr. of ESPN.com: "I think we have two of the best defensive ends in college football."
He'll have a couple of sacks on opening night and make a living in the backfield in a big win for Texas A&M.
Florida QB Will Grier
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No, Florida hasn't officially named redshirt freshman pro-style passer Will Grier the starting quarterback; and no, the game against New Mexico State isn't exactly high-profile.
But it'll be Jim McElwain's first game as the Gators head coach, and whether it's the Will Grier show or he splits snaps with sophomore dual-threat Treon Harris, expect Grier to attempt to stretch the field early and often whenever he's in the game.
Florida hasn't had a downfield passing threat in seemingly a half-decade, and Grier will be the guy to provide it. Look for the Gators to establish that element of their identity early in the season so they can hit the ground running when the SEC schedule opens in Week 3 on the road against Kentucky.
Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara
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Alvin Kamara took a rather circuitous route to get to Tennessee, going to Alabama and then Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College, before signing with the Vols in December.
Now, the 5'10", 210-pounder is set to be the "lighting" to Jalen Hurd's "thunder" in a Tennessee backfield that could be one of the SEC's best. Add in dual-threat quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who was supposed to redshirt last year before coming in for pro-style passers Justin Worley and Nathan Peterman midway through last season, and the stage is set for a great multidimensional ground game on Rocky Top.
Kamara has to get acclimated to the SEC, though. Sure, he played a scout team role at Alabama before starring at junior college, but the game against Bowling Green in Nashville will serve as his first real action at this level. It seems like he's planning accordingly.
"He's fit right in because he's a hard worker, he's a guy to watch in the weight room," Dobbs said, according to Brian Rice of UTSports.com. "He knows what his job is and knows what he needs to get done. Out on the field, he understands the schemes and his assignments and is ready to attack the field."
He's going to attack the Bowling Green defense—to the tune of a 100-yard performance and impressive debut for the Vols.
Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott
7 of 10
OK, this one's obvious.
What will Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott do for an encore after putting together a successful junior season in Starkville? Light up Southern Miss on the road in a late-night showdown in Hattiesburg, of course.
This game has a lot working for it. It's a rivalry game on the road in a year in which Mississippi State will want to make a statement that last year was not a fluke. With emotions running high, a stable force such as Prescott is the right guy to make sure the Bulldogs take care of business.
As a result, he'll have a typical "Dak Prescott" day, pound the rock on the ground and have a great night through the air.
LSU RB Derrius Guice
8 of 10
Derrius Guice is one of two stud freshmen running backs at LSU along with Nick Brossette, and expect Guice to be one of the stars of the opener against McNeese State.
Star running back Leonard Fournette should be out by the end of the first quarter in what should be a blowout, which will give Guice a chance to show what he's capable of—likely with the first-team quarterback, who will need to get some game reps to get comfortable.
That means the 5'11", 222-pounder from Baton Rouge will show what he's made of as a runner and a receiver, just like this, courtesy of The LSU Logo.
He's not going to be the No. 1 running back at LSU. That job belongs to Fournette. But with Fournette also returning kicks and LSU's tendency to rotate backs to keep everybody fresh, Guice will be a big part of the 2015 offense. You'll see why in the opener.
Arkansas QB Brandon Allen
9 of 10
Could Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen evolve from a game manager to a difference-maker?
Yep, and he'll show how in the season opener against UTEP.
Of course, Arkansas will pound the rock with Alex Collins, Kody Walker and the rest of the running back corps, but new offensive coordinator Dan Enos produced 3,000-yard passers in four of the last five seasons at Central Michigan.
That bodes well for Arkansas and for Allen, because Enos will want to work on an offense that he hopes is more than just a one-dimensional, ground-and-pound force.
According to Kurt Voigt of the Associated Press, Allen is closing fall camp strong: "Breathe easier, Arkansas followers. Brandon Allen was back in form today - 16 of 21 for 236 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs."
Allen will have a great day throwing and become a threat deep, which will be something opposing defensive coordinators will take notice of.
Georgia RB Sony Michel
10 of 10
There's understandable hype revolving around Georgia running back Nick Chubb after the 5'10", 220-pounder topped the 1,500-yard mark in essentially a half-season as the No. 1 running back in Athens.
Don't forget about fellow sophomore Sony Michel, though.
Michel rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns over the first three games of last season, before a shoulder injury hampered his freshman campaign. Now healthy, Michel will be one of Chubb's primary backups and, as Cox Media' Group's Logan Booker noted earlier this summer, could be featured prominently as a wide receiver.
With Louisiana-Monroe in town for the opener, Chubb will get loose and then get comfy on the bench, allowing Michel to show what he's made of.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports. Statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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