Each SEC Football Team's MVP for 2015 Season
Ten SEC teams will play in bowl games this year, and for the second straight season, Alabama will participate in the College Football Playoff fresh off an SEC title.
Starting with the Texas Bowl on Dec. 29 between LSU and Texas Tech, SEC teams will dominate the bowl landscape over the New Year's celebration.
Who were the most important players who got their teams to bowl games? How about the other teams that didn't get bowl invitations?
The MVPs for each team based on statistical output and importance to a team's depth chart and success are in this slideshow.
Alabama Crimson Tide: RB Derrick Henry
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You can make a strong case that center Ryan Kelly or defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson could be considered Alabama's MVP, but running back Derrick Henry's 1,986 rushing yards—a single-season SEC record—and 23 touchdowns are the biggest reasons why Alabama became the first SEC team to repeat as conference champion since Tennessee in 1997 and 1998.
Think about where the Crimson Tide running back position was headed into the season. Senior Kenyan Drake was coming off a gruesome leg injury, true freshman Damian Harris had just arrived on campus, and the rest of the once-loaded backfield had deteriorated due to transfer, dismissal and injury.
No problem for Henry.
He took the ball from the moment his toe met leather and became the every-down workhorse that head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin needed. The 2015 Heisman Trophy winner topped the 200-yard mark on the ground three times in the month of November, put his team on his back and carried it to the College Football Playoff.
Arkansas Razorbacks: QB Brandon Allen
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For the majority of his career in Fayetteville, Brandon Allen has been a game manager at best and a liability at worst for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
He became a difference-maker in 2015.
The senior completed 65.1 percent of his passes (224-of-344) for 3,125 yards, a conference-best 29 touchdowns and only seven interceptions as the Hogs earned their second straight bowl appearance. Despite that, Allen was not recognized by the coaches—who voted Mississippi State's Dak Prescott and Ole Miss' Chad Kelly as the first- and second-team All-SEC quarterbacks, respectively.
"#WoooPig love it! @BrandonAllen_10 https://t.co/qT6LtreHeJ
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) December 9, 2015"
Just in the month of November, Allen tossed 14 touchdowns and just two picks as Arkansas won three of its last four games.
Auburn Tigers: "Buck" Carl Lawson
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For the first 30 minutes of the season, Auburn's defense looked like a force thanks to the return of "Buck" Carl Lawson to the lineup after a year off recovering from a torn ACL. The Tigers held Louisville scoreless through the first half and made a living in the Cardinals backfield.
A hip injury kept him out of action in the second half of that game and every remaining game up to Halloween, when he returned to action against Ole Miss. Lawson wasn't 100 percent healthy against the Rebels and couldn't stay on the field as much as he wanted, but he gave Tigers fans glimpses of what might have been in his return to action.
From that point forward, Auburn's defense became more of a power than punch line. Over the final four games of the season, the Tigers gave up just 372.5 yards per game and notched 13 tackles for loss. Lawson demanded the same kind of attention that Louisville gave him in the opener.
"(You all hated/laughed at the defense until Carl Lawson came back)
— WarBlogle.com (@WarBlogle) December 3, 2015"
Had he been healthy all year, would it have changed Auburn's season and launched it into SEC West title contention? Probably not, because he doesn't play quarterback. But the margin for error for the Auburn quarterbacks would have been much greater, and the Tigers certainly could have improved upon that 6-6 record.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Florida Gators: DL Jonathan Bullard
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Jonathan Bullard came back to Florida in order to become a more complete defensive lineman.
Mission accomplished.
The 6'3", 283-pounder notched 63 tackles, 17.5 for loss, 6.5 sacks and two pass breakups for the 2015 SEC East champion Gators. He moved inside this year for first-year head coach Jim McElwain and defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, and it paid off.
"I've bought in, I embrace it. I actually like it a lot now," Bullard said on the players teleconference prior to the SEC Championship Game. "I like it kind of more because I'm closer to the ball and I can make plays left, right, up the middle, outside, no matter where it's at. I just embrace it."
His ability to get into the backfield became apparent from the jump, and whether he was sacking the quarterback or simply taking up double-teams, we can't ignore his impact on the Florida defense as a whole.
Georgia Bulldogs: LB Jake Ganus
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When UAB shut down its football program a year ago, linebacker Jake Ganus was left without a football program. Luckily for the 2015 Georgia defense, he found Georgia.
The 6'2", 233-pounder from Chelsea, Alabama, landed in Athens, led the Bulldogs in tackles with 96 and established himself as one of the best middle linebackers in the SEC.
The team recognized Ganus with the team MVP award during the senior gala over the weekend:
"Big awards given out to @jakeganus_51 at last nights Senior Gala Receiving the Vince Dooley MVP Award..well done! pic.twitter.com/6uLgug4TSQ
— Ken Ward (@WardPhoto1) December 13, 2015"
Ganus proved this season that he has a nose for the football, is capable of picking up a new system in a hurry and deserves a shot at the next level.
Not bad for a guy who had no idea where he would play football at this time last year.
Kentucky Wildcats: RB Stanley "Boom" Williams
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Kentucky running back Stanley "Boom" Williams further established himself as one of the most electric players in college football in 2015, despite missing two games this year for the 5-7 Wildcats.
He finished the season second in the SEC among qualifying running backs with 7.07 yards per carry, gaining 855 yards and scoring six rushing touchdowns on the season. He finished third in the SEC in rushes of 20 or more yards with 14, behind Alabama's Derrick Henry (16) and LSU's Leonard Fournette (15).
"UK's Stanley Boom Williams named "Most likely to breakaway." Reminder: UK forgot it had him in backfield vs Auburn. https://t.co/EsAFTdSIZb
— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) December 9, 2015"
Quarterback Patrick Towles struggled down the stretch for the second straight season, but the threat of Williams taking it to the house from anywhere on the field was present even as the passing game sputtered. He should be back for his junior season and could become one of the SEC's best running backs.
LSU Tigers: RB Leonard Fournette
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In the most obvious pick of this entire article, LSU running back Leonard Fournette is the most valuable player of the 2015 LSU Tigers.
I'll give you a second to get over the shock of this stunning development.
Fournette led the country with 158.27 rushing yards per game, gained 1,741 yards in his 11 games, scored 18 touchdowns and was the unquestioned Heisman Trophy front-runner for the first two months of the season. That season took a turn once November hit, as LSU lost three straight thanks to the Tigers' one-dimensional offense that essentially was "Fournette left, Fournette right."
Despite that, he still managed to finish sixth in Heisman Trophy voting and topped the century mark in nine games.
If Fournette wasn't around, what would LSU have been? That's a terrifying thought.
Mississippi State Bulldogs: QB Dak Prescott
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Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott came back to help build on the success of 2014 that saw him finish eighth in Heisman Trophy voting and lead his team to its first No. 1 ranking ever.
While he didn't quite reach that bar, he solidified himself as the best player not only on his team but perhaps in the history of the Mississippi State football program.
Prescott threw for 3,413 yards, 25 touchdowns and just four interceptions, rushed for 541 yards and 10 touchdowns and led the Bulldogs to an 8-4 record and a berth in the Belk Bowl.
"Dak Prescott may be the best player in Mississippi St. history. At the toughest position and in an offense that isn't easy to run.
— Chuck Oliver Show (@Chuckolivershow) December 10, 2015"
Prescott helped raise the floor and the ceiling of the Mississippi State football program. He left a legacy in Starkville that will last forever.
Missouri Tigers: LB Kentrell Brothers
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Missouri linebacker Kentrell Brothers can do just about anything on a football field.
The senior led the entire country with 152 tackles. He had 12 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, broke up three passes, picked off two, forced two fumbles and blocked three kicks.
If you asked him to shoot under par at Pebble Beach, he could probably do that too.
"Pinkel says Kentrell Brothers has a great future at the next level. @KOMUsports
— Sam Knef (@Sam_on_cam) November 27, 2015"
Brothers was a monster in the middle of a Missouri defense that finished ninth in the country in total defense (302 yards per game) and sixth in scoring defense (16.2 points per game). Without him, Missouri wouldn't have had the opportunity to turn down a bowl bid at 5-7. He did all that he could to keep his team in as many games as possible.
Ole Miss Rebels: QB Chad Kelly
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In his first season with Ole Miss after winning a junior college national championship for East Mississippi Community College, Chad Kelly became a superstar.
He threw for a conference-best 3,740 yards and 27 touchdowns and rushed for 427 yards and 10 more scores. He did so behind an offensive line that was without star tackle Laremy Tunsil for seven games and minimal threat from his running backs.
Ole Miss was one fluke 4th-and-25 play by Arkansas away from winning the SEC West, earned its second straight New Year's Six bowl appearance and will play in its first Sugar Bowl since 1970. Kelly's dual-threat and big-play ability was the biggest reason why.
He stepped right in for Bo Wallace and took Ole Miss to another level. He should be on the short list of every preseason Heisman list next August.
South Carolina Gamecocks: WR Pharoh Cooper
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South Carolina sputtered to a 3-9 season in 2015, but it wasn't wide receiver Pharoh Cooper's fault.
The junior caught 66 passes for 973 yards and eight touchdowns, rushed for 111 yards and a score, completed two of his five passes for a touchdown and returned 12 punts for 55 yards.
It was par for the course for the ultra-versatile weapon, who made a name for himself throughout his three-year career as one of the most dangerous all-purpose weapons in college football.
"Pharoh Cooper completed his career at USC by being named first-team All-SEC as a wide receiver and all-purpose player.
— David Cloninger (@DCTheState) December 8, 2015"
He was the focal point of a Gamecocks offense that went through massive quarterback, offensive line and running back issues, and he still managed to put together an impressive season with all eyes squarely on him.
Tennessee Volunteers: LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
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Quarterback Joshua Dobbs was awesome at a position that had very little depth, and running back Jalen Hurd was a monster for Tennessee in 2015.
But neither should be considered the MVP of the Volunteers, because that honor belongs to linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
The 6'0", 225-pound junior finished the season eighth in the SEC and tops on the Vols with 99 tackles, 13 of which were for a loss. He also sacked the quarterback five times and forced two fumbles. His nose for the football and ability to make big plays in key spots were big reasons why Tennessee finished with the best third-down defense in the country and was one fourth-down touchdown against Florida away from winning the SEC East for the first time since 2007.
Despite that, he was left off both All-SEC teams by the conference's coaches.
"Jalen Reeves-Maybin not being named All-SEC is one of the most laughably horrible omissions I can remember.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) December 8, 2015"
"Against OU and Bama this year, #Vols’ Jalen Reeves-Maybin had 36 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble. But no All-SEC?
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) December 8, 2015"
He was the centerpiece of a defense that was better than it gets credit for, and he should be a force again in 2016.
Texas A&M Aggies: DE Myles Garrett
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The Texas A&M offense struggled down the stretch in 2015, which is a departure from the norm in College Station. In the past, it's been the defense that's been the sore spot.
It wasn't this year, as defensive end Myles Garrett solidified himself as one of the best defensive ends in college football. The sophomore superstar notched a conference-best 11.5 sacks, 18.5 tackles for loss and 57 tackles. He also picked off a pass, forced five fumbles and blocked a kick.
He demanded constant double teams, was chipped by tight ends and running backs all season long and was a big reason why the Texas A&M defense took a huge step forward under first-year coordinator John Chavis.
Vanderbilt Commodores: LB Zach Cunningham
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Head coach Derek Mason and the Vanderbilt Commodores missed a bowl game for the second straight year, but this year's 4-8 record was much different than the 3-9 mark the 'Dores posted in Mason's first year in 2014.
The reason? A defense that, despite not getting a lot of publicity, was one of the best in the nation.
Linebacker Zach Cunningham was the biggest reason why.
The sophomore from Pinson, Alabama, finished fifth in the conference with 103 tackles, with 16.5 for loss. He sacked the quarterback 4.5 times and helped Mason's crew give up just 350.5 yards per game in 2015.
"Sophomore LB Zach Cunningham named to Coaches' First Team All-SEC Defense. Congrats Zach!! pic.twitter.com/Iah2nw0UX0
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) December 8, 2015"
With the leader of the defense now established, Vandy is on the right track headed into the offseason. The combination of Mason calling plays and Cunningham establishing himself as a star has the program on solid footing on one side of the ball.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of cfbstats.com and recruiting information is courtesy of247Sports.
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")
