SEC Football Q&A: Who Are Top RBs for 2016?
One look at the rosters of SEC schools, and one thing is apparent—the conference has a major lack of quarterback experience coming back in 2016.
The running back position, though, is a much different story.
The conference has become synonymous with boasting top-tier ball-carriers over the last few years, including 2015 Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry, 2013 Heisman Trophy finalist Tre Mason and superstar Todd Gurley.
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Who are the best running backs in the SEC in 2016? That question and more are answered in this week's edition of SEC football Q&A.
The top spot is no contest—it's LSU's Leonard Fournette.
The rising junior for the Tigers led the nation in rushing yards per game last year with 162.75—nearly 15 yards per game more than Henry, who finished second in the nation. That on an LSU team that didn't exactly do much to take pressure off of Fournette by boasting a threat in the downfield passing game.
At 6'1", 230 pounds, Fournette has the speed of a track star, the power of a bulldozer and the best vision in college football. Not only is he the best running back in the SEC, he's the best player in the SEC, and could make a strong case for the same title nationwide.
Behind Fournette in the SEC, it's a little bit hazy.
Georgia's Nick Chubb would be the shoo-in for the No. 2 spot prior to his knee injury, but it's impossible to determine just how good he will be once he returns to 100 percent (or what his new "100 percent" will be). Despite the injury concerns, I'll give the nod to Chubb because, let's be honest, his 90 percent is still better than virtually everybody else other than Fournette.
Chubb took the rock in a pinch as a true freshman and ripped off eight straight 100-yard games, including three games in which he topped the 30-carry mark. He followed it up with five more 100-yard games to open his sophomore campaign before tearing up his knee.
He stepped in right away and became a workhorse for a Georgia team that needed someone to pound the rock consistently and effectively.
The No. 3 spot, for now, will go to Tennessee's Jalen Hurd. However, I wouldn't be surprised if some other players made a run at him during the season, including Auburn's Jovon Robinson, Texas A&M's Keith Ford and Alabama's Bo Scarbrough.
Hurd is as much of a Henry clone as there is in college football. At 6'4", 240 pounds with impressive speed, Hurd forces opposing linebackers and safeties to make "business decisions" when encountering him one-on-one in space.
He rushed for 1,288 yards and 12 touchdowns as a true sophomore in 2015, sharing time and carries in a loaded Tennessee backfield that includes Alvin Kamara and quarterback Joshua Dobbs. He isn't just a bruiser, though. Hurd caught 22 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns, establishing himself as one of the most complete running backs in the nation.
I've already written that the Alabama at Ole Miss game in Week 3 will decide the SEC West, and that those two teams are a cut above every other team in the division.
The rest of the division is loaded with questions.
If you're looking for a dark-horse contender in the division, though, don't rule out Texas A&M.
I wrote earlier this year that, despite the widely publicized quarterback exodus and the temperature of head coach Kevin Sumlin's seat, the program has made several moves that directly address pressing issues that could help get the Aggies back into contention for the division for the first time since 2012.
Plus, check out the schedule.
The Aggies' cross-division road game is the annual game versus South Carolina, which doesn't exactly strike fear in the hearts of opponents anymore. It draws Tennessee at home one week after Tennessee's road trip to rival Georgia. It has two weeks to prepare for the road trip to Alabama on Oct. 22, which just so happens to be the week after Alabama plays rival Tennessee and is the final game of an eight-game stretch Alabama has to open the season.
Texas A&M will beat South Carolina on Oct. 1. If it can go 2-1 against Arkansas, Tennessee and at Auburn prior to the bye week, it's in contention—no questions asked.
That would set up an intriguing showdown with the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa before Texas A&M closes the SEC slate at Mississippi State, versus Ole Miss and versus LSU.
Yes, renew your season tickets even though this transition year might be rough.
Why?
Because while South Carolina might struggle to make a bowl game, it will show flashes of what's to come thanks to true freshman quarterback Brandon McIlwain—who will be the Gamecocks' starting quarterback.
With Lorenzo Nunez out for spring, McIlwain will get all of the snaps designed for mobile quarterbacks primarily out of the shotgun—which is a trait that head coach Will Muschamp wants. He told Bleacher Report in December:
"In the recruiting process, high schools run this offense a lot. It's very difficult at times in the evaluation process to project a young man when you're projecting a quarterback. Can he go under center? Can he go through the decision-making process and deliver the ball down the field?
You become good at what you're accustomed to doing, and a lot of guys are coming from the gun. A lot of running backs are running from the gun. So it's easier to project players to your offense because there are so many teams doing that. Projecting players to your offense is much easier now, and you're much more accurate in your evaluation process.
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With all due respect to Connor Mitch and Perry Orth, McIlwain is, by far, the best runner of the group. Plus, his polish in the passing game is incredibly underrated. The staff wants him to be the guy, and considering this is a transition year, Muschamp and Co. will use that insurance and let McIlwain learn on the fly.
When he hits the field, you're going to see flashes of stardom—especially with fellow true freshman wide receiver Bryan Edwards lining up outside for him. If those great moments come at the right time, South Carolina can get back to a bowl game.
With every day that goes by, I become more confident that it will be true freshman Jacob Eason.
For many of the same reasons I feel that Muschamp will trot out McIlwain, first-year Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has a little bit of a leash after coming over from Alabama, and should take advantage of that by starting Eason against North Carolina in the season-opening Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.
You know what you're getting from Greyson Lambert. He started every game except the Florida game last year and isn't the deep threat Georgia needs to take pressure off of the running game.
Eason is.
He has the arm strength to stretch the field deep, can make the tough throws sideline-to-sideline and has more upside than any quarterback in the 2016 class.
Will he make mistakes? Of course.
He's a true freshman who, while talented, isn't accustomed to the speed of defenses he will see in the SEC.
That's OK.
A 10-win season caused consternation at Georgia over the last two seasons, to the point where athletics director Greg McGarity made a move and dismissed head coach Mark Richt. But a 10-win season in Smart's first year won't be met with the same anger, especially if Eason is the man during said season.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.
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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