SEC Football: Surprise Stars Who Have Shined in 2015
SEC fans knew players such as Georgia's Nick Chubb and LSU's Leonard Fournette would be stars in 2015, but what about the players who have come out of nowhere during the first five weeks of the season?
Did you see Texas A&M's Christian Kirk evolving into the SEC's most dangerous receiver?
How about Florida's Will Grier becoming one of the most reliable quarterbacks in the country?
Our picks for surprise SEC stars based on depth, production and position battles heading into the season are in this slideshow.
Auburn RB Peyton Barber
1 of 10
It's not a surprise that Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn has found a running back. After all, the third-year head coach of the Tigers has produced 12 1,000-yard rushers in nine seasons as a college head coach and offensive coordinator.
The man doing most of the work this year, though, is quite surprising.
This summer when talking about Auburn's running backs, Peyton Barber was the last one mentioned out of the trio that included home run hitter Roc Thomas and bruiser Jovon Robinson. It turns out Barber took the job when both got hurt in the opener and has run with it.
He has 558 rushing yards on 109 carries, six rushing touchdowns and 43 receiving yards for an Auburn offense that has been one-dimensional by necessity thanks to struggles at the quarterback position.
"We knew he had the chance to be a very good running back," head coach Gus Malzahn said on Saturday, according to quotes emailed by Auburn. "The thing that stands out to me about Peyton is it is very important to him. He reminds me of Cameron Artis-Payne, about the importance of the game, the team, and everything that goes with it. He shows great toughness."
Vanderbilt WR Trent Sherfield
2 of 10
If I gave you 20 guesses to land on the SEC's second-most productive wide receiver through five weeks, how many would you need to land on Vanderbilt's Trent Sherfield?
All of them? Perhaps 50 more?
Sherfield is averaging 93 receiving yards per game, has caught 34 passes for 465 yards and has scored two touchdowns for the Commodores so far this season. Against Austin Peay in Week 3, he hauled in 16 passes for 240 yards and a score.
Jesse Johnson of 247Sports noted his impressive numbers: "Vanderbilt sophomore Trent Sherfield is currently on pace to catch 87 passes for 1,116 yards this season."
Not bad for a guy who moved from quarterback after starring at Danville (Illinois) High School.
Alabama CB Minkah Fitzpatrick
3 of 10
Alabama freshman cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick has done a little bit of everything in 2015.
Difference-maker for a secondary that needs a little help? Check. Fitzpatrick has 21 tackles, three for loss, two sacks and four pass breakups through five games.
Special teams star? Check. Fitzpatrick blocked a punt and returned it 16 yards for a touchdown that put the game on ice on Saturday against Georgia.
As Andrew Bone of Rivals noted, Fitzpatrick looks nothing like a freshman: "Minkah Fitzpatrick doesn't look like a freshman. There is a reason @rivals ranked him five-stars."
There's no margin for error for Alabama after the loss to Ole Miss in Week 3, but Fitzpatrick has brought some stability to a defensive backfield that needed it.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Florida QB Will Grier
4 of 10
I thought Florida redshirt freshman quarterback Will Grier would have a solid season in Gainesville under first-year head coach Jim McElwain this offseason. But after true sophomore Treon Harris was named the starter for the first game, I had my doubts.
Grier erased them.
He has started each of the last four games for the 11th-ranked Gators, led a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback win over Tennessee in Week 4 and then wiped the floor with Ole Miss on Saturday with four touchdown passes in a 38-10 win.
ESPN CollegeFootball highlighted the significance of his Week 5 performance: "Will Grier’s 92.6 Total QBR was the 2nd-highest against Ole Miss in the last two seasons. pic.twitter.com/ZlLP5AHuxQ."
Not bad for a guy who, one month ago, didn't know if he would even be a starter.
Missouri DL Charles Harris
5 of 10
Remember when Missouri's defensive line was loaded with questions on the heels of the departures of Shane Ray and Markus Golden, as well as the automobile accident that ended Harold Brantley's season before it started?
Charles Harries doesn't.
The 6'3", 255-pound sophomore from Kansas City, Missouri, is tied for the SEC lead with 9.5 tackles for loss, has three sacks and four quarterback hurries, and has forced a fumble for the 4-1 Tigers.
Former wide receiver T.J. Moe is impressed: "Defensively, Mizzou mah have the best defensive end tandem in the SEC for the 3rd straight season with Charles Harris and Walter Brad."
Is Missouri a contender for the SEC East? That might be a stretch. But the defensive front will keep it in a lot of ball games, and Harris is the biggest reason why.
Mississippi State LB Richie Brown
6 of 10
Mississippi State's front seven entered the season as one of the Bulldogs' biggest question marks.
There's still some concern but certainly not at linebacker, where Richie Brown has become a star.
The 6'2", 245-pound junior from Long Beach, Mississippi, is fourth in the SEC with 50 tackles, has 4.5 for loss and three sacks, and picked off a pass for head coach Dan Mullen's crew.
As Bob Carskadon of HailState.com noted last month, he's multitalented: "Linebacker, husband, pianist, tightrope walker - @HailStateFB's Richie Brown does everything https://t.co/3AFW3DuX0M pic.twitter.com/Zjx1pP34QZ."
His talents on the football field have stabilized the Bulldogs' front seven and will keep the team competitive in the SEC West.
Texas A&M WR Christian Kirk
7 of 10
I thought Texas A&M true freshman wide receiver Christian Kirk would be good in 2015, but "first-team All-American good"?
That's not out of the question.
Kirk is currently 12th nationally with 103.8 yards per game in the high-octane Aggies offense. He has 32 total catches for 519 yards and four touchdowns for the 5-0 Aggies, and he has returned seven punts for 190 yards and a score.
NFL.com's Gil Brandt seems impressed: "If you want to see the most exciting freshman in the country, watch Texas A&M WR Christian Kirk tonight vs. Mississippi State."
It'd be one thing if Kirk was a star out of necessity, but wide receivers grow on trees in College Station, and Kirk has already established himself as the best of the bunch.
Arkansas WR Drew Morgan
8 of 10
Not many people expected Arkansas to be a big-play passing offense in 2015, and they certainly didn't expect Drew Morgan to be the biggest deep threat in a wide receiving corps that included Keon Hatcher.
But that's what has happened in Fayetteville.
The 6'0", 195-pounder has 23 catches for 413 yards and three touchdowns for the Hogs, and he has hauled in 18 passes of 10 or more yards—tied for the most in the conference.
"DREW MORGAN 💪
— Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) October 4, 2015"
Arkansas got a little too pass happy early in the season but has found a nice balance now. With Morgan as the deep threat and Alex Collins toting the rock, the Hogs might turn this season around before it's all said and done.
Tennessee S/KR Evan Berry
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Tennessee safety Evan Berry has played a rotational role on the Tennessee defense, notching 11 tackles on the season.
That's a side gig, though, as Berry has established himself as one of the best special teams players in the nation.
The younger brother of former Vol and current Kansas City Chief Eric Berry has returned 11 kickoffs for 447 yards and two touchdowns on the season, including an 96-yarder to open last week's game vs. Arkansas.
SEC Network has taken notice: "You’ve got to be kidding me, Evan Berry! @Vol_Football starts the game with a #SCTop10 96-yd TD return: http://t.co/glW7NXdXP1 #ARKvsTENN."
Tennessee's offense has been a mess, but Berry's ability to not only get good field position but also make a dent on the scoreboard has been huge for Tennessee this year.
South Carolina QB Lorenzo Nunez
10 of 10
What if I told you that a true freshman quarterback who didn't ascend to the starting role until Game 4 would be the SEC's 10th-best rusher after Week 5?
That's exactly what's happened to South Carolina's Lorenzo Nunez.
The 6'3", 210-pounder from Kennesaw, Georgia, has rushed 45 times for 299 yards and a touchdown for South Carolina, while adding 374 passing yards and three scores.
As Brandon Larrabee of TeamSpeedKills.com noted on Twitter, he's one of the lone bright spots for the Gamecocks in 2015: "Lorenzo Nunez could be a great player. If he has a coach that can recruit a team around him. And now I’ll stop there."
He's a little raw through the air, but Nunez has brought the run threat back to the quarterback position in Columbia and brought a little bit of identity back to an offense that desperately needed it.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Statistics are 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.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
