Every SEC Team's Best 2016 Heisman Candidate
Derrick Henry got the SEC back on the board in a big way last year when he rushed for a conference-record 2,219 yards and became just the third running back this century to take home the Heisman Trophy.
Can the SEC make it two in a row?
Despite Henry, former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott and others leaving, the conference is loaded with talented players who could make a run at college football's most prestigious individual award.
Who's the best candidate for each team? Our picks based on production, potential and voting trends are in this slideshow.
Alabama Crimson Tide: RB Bo Scarbrough
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Alabama is as inexperienced at running back as it has ever been thanks to Henry's stellar season in 2015, which prevented a "No. 1B" back from ever emerging.
That doesn't mean that the Crimson Tide is without talent, though.
Sophomore Bo Scarbrough was suspended and recovering from an ACL tear suffered last offseason early in the year, but he rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown in late November in mop-up duty against Charleston Southern and looks to be the No. 1 back in Tuscaloosa this year ahead of potential No. 1B back Damien Harris.
Scarbrough is essentially a clone of Henry.
At 6'2", 230 pounds, the Tuscaloosa native has the size to take the punishment between the tackles but also the athleticism that a Tide running back needs to be a danger in space and hit those holes when they develop.
On an offense that is breaking in a new quarterback and has some questions up front, offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin will need a reliable running back to emerge to relieve some pressure. Scarbrough should be that guy.
If he is, expect a heavy dose of carries, which should please Heisman voters who will be looking to judge Henry's replacement early in the season.
Arkansas Razorbacks: RB Rawleigh Williams III
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When Rawleigh Williams III injured his neck in late October against Auburn, he was quietly putting together a solid campaign as one of Alex Collins' primary backups with the smashmouth Arkansas offense. He had rushed for 254 yards and a touchdown, posted a 100-yard game in the win at Tennessee and was averaging 4.54 yards per carry for a team that, after his injury, became a passing juggernaut.
Williams was in a non-contact jersey during the spring game, but head coach Bret Bielema is excited to see Williams at 100 percent come fall.
"I think Rawleigh Williams looked as improved as I could have imagined," Bielema said on the spring teleconference. "A very versatile player. Last year before he was injured, he was well on his way to being a 1,000-yard rusher. I picture him as a guy who can be a 1,000-yard rusher."
OK, well, a 1,000-yard rusher isn't going to get a ton of Heisman love. But with a new quarterback in Austin Allen and an offensive line that is replacing three key players, it's far more likely that Arkansas will revert back to its ultra-conservative nature this year than add fuel to the passing explosion that Brandon Allen created late last year.
Because of that, Williams has a chance to establish himself as a workhorse. If he does and Arkansas contends for the SEC West, he could end up on the periphery of the Heisman discussion.
Auburn Tigers: RB Jovon Robinson
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With quarterback issues dominating headlines and head coach Gus Malzahn squarely on the hot seat, the presence of running back Jovon Robinson provides stability for an Auburn offense that proved in 2013 that it can send a running back—Tre Mason—to New York as a Heisman finalist, even if it doesn't have quarterback problems.
Robinson was banged up in the season opener and struggled to get back on the field until November, when he shined. He rushed for 402 yards and two touchdowns during the final four games of the regular season, then took home Birmingham Bowl MVP honors with 126 yards and a touchdown.
With Peyton Barber gone to the NFL, it's Robinson's show on The Plains. Regardless of who wins the quarterback battle, expect him to get the same treatment Mason and former Tiger Cameron Artis-Payne got in 2013 and 2014, respectively, and break the 1,000-yard mark with ease.
Even if he's splitting carries with mobile quarterback John Franklin III, Robinson will garner most of the attention and could land in New York if Auburn contends for the division title.
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Florida Gators: QB Luke Del Rio
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Former Florida quarterback Will Grier wasn't exactly a Heisman candidate when he got suspended in mid-October of 2015. But he wasn't exactly out of it, either.
Luke Del Rio is likely to ascend to the top spot on the depth chart at quarterback for head coach Jim McElwain after sitting out following his transfer from Oregon State.
He looked solid in the spring game, when he completed 10 of 11 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns, and he looked like he was fully capable of managing an offense that will be much more efficient than the one that struggled down the stretch a year ago.
Can he truly put up Heisman numbers?
With quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson, J.T. Barrett and others playing in offenses that are more prone to video game numbers, it will take a lot for Del Rio to jump into that conversation.
But the Heisman is a quarterback-driven award, and he's the best chance Florida has.
Georgia Bulldogs: RB Nick Chubb
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When Georgia running back Nick Chubb injured his knee on his first carry against Tennessee last October, he had reeled off 13 straight 100-yard games since stepping in for a suspended Todd Gurley in 2014 and established himself as one of the best running backs in college football.
Will he be 100 percent, and will Georgia lean on him like it did when he was a true freshman who carried the ball 25 times or more in four separate games?
That remains to be seen, but he's the best option Georgia has at boasting a Heisman candidate in 2016.
It's safe to assume that he's going to be the focal point when healthy, and if the latter part of that equation happens early, he can put up the type of season that a running back needs to make it to the Big Apple. He's a track star disguised in the body of a Mack truck and will keep Georgia competitive in the SEC East.
Kentucky Wildcats: RB Stanley "Boom" Williams
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When it comes to electricity, nobody in the SEC is more electric than Stanley "Boom" Williams.
The Kentucky running back finished second in yards per carry among qualifying running backs at 7.07 despite an elbow injury that hampered him down the stretch.
He broke the 100-yard mark in five games, including a 115-yard performance against a Vanderbilt defense that, if you weren't paying attention last year, was actually really good.
With surgery in the rearview mirror, Williams is looking to make an impact as the unquestioned No. 1 back in Lexington. More than a home run hitter, Williams will be counted on behind a veteran offensive line to stabilize the offense and give quarterback Drew Barker an option out of the backfield.
LSU Tigers: RB Leonard Fournette
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So, LSU's candidate for the Heisman Trophy is about as predictable as the sunrise. Of course, it's running back Leonard Fournette.
The rising junior led the nation in rushing yards per game a year ago with 162.75 and was in the thick of the Heisman discussion before being shut down by Alabama in early November and dropping behind the back.
Will he make it a full three months in 2016?
That depends on how much pressure quarterback Brandon Harris and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron can take off the 6'1", 230-pound New Orleans native through the air. He was a monster last year when everybody on the planet knew that he was getting the ball. If LSU can just create the threat of a downfield passing attack, it'll vault into the national title picture for the entire season and likely send Fournette to New York in December as a finalist.
Mississippi State Bulldogs: QB Nick Fitzgerald
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No, Nick Fitzgerald hasn't officially locked up the starting quarterback job at Mississippi State after Dak Prescott moved on to the NFL. No, this isn't a prediction that he will win the three-man battle over Damien Williams and Elijah Staley.
The truth is, though, that any of the three potential starting quarterbacks in Starkville is the best Heisman candidate for the Bulldogs in Mississippi State, based on how head coach Dan Mullen uses his quarterbacks.
Whoever wins the job will be responsible for plenty of between-the-tackles carries, have a veteran receiver in Fred Ross to rely on and will be asked to replicate as much of the offense that launched Prescott into college football stardom as possible.
Right now, the likely winner of that battle is Fitzgerald. As a freshman in 2015, he passed for 235 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for 127 yards and three scores and operated within Mullen's scheme in essentially the same way as Prescott.
If he doesn't win the job, that's fine, too. Plenty of the offense will fall on either Staley's or Williams' shoulders, and that is a recipe for Heisman success.
Missouri Tigers: QB Drew Lock
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Drew Lock was thrown into a situation last year at Missouri that was nearly impossible for any freshman to thrive in.
Veteran Maty Mauk was erratic and then suspended, the wide receiving corps was incredibly inexperienced and former running back Russell Hansbrough was banged up. Not surprisingly, Lock—a former 4-star prospect—was inconsistent. He completed just 49 percent of his passes (129-for-236) for 1,332 yards, four touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Now, though, he's had a full offseason to acclimate to life as a college quarterback, knows the speed of the game and has become comfortable with wide receivers like Nate Brown and J'Mon Moore. It'd help Lock's case if a reliable running back could step up to take some pressure off, but even if one doesn't, things should go better for the Lee's Summit, Missouri, native during his second season in Columbia.
Ole Miss Rebels: QB Chad Kelly
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When you put your name in the SEC record book just behind former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and ahead of former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, you know you did something right.
Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly did just that last year, when he put up 4,542 total yards—the third most by a player in conference history behind Manziel's 2012 and 2013 seasons, respectively.
Kelly passed up the NFL to return to Oxford for his senior season in Oxford, and will be looking to lead the Rebels to their third straight New Year's Six bowl and perhaps their first SEC West title.
With a flare for the dramatic, the ability to make things happen with his legs and an offense under head coach Hugh Freeze that can put up video game numbers for quarterbacks, Kelly should be considered one of the favorites in the entire country heading into the season.
South Carolina Gamecocks: LB Skai Moore
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It might be easy to pick an offensive player for South Carolina and assume that he'd be the Gamecocks' Heisman candidate. Who are you going to pick, though? While quarterback Brandon McIlwain is ultra-talented and could evolve into one eventually, a true freshman is going to navigate through true-freshman speed bumps in 2016.
Because of that, let's get a little creative and nominate the most outstanding player on South Carolina's roster for the award that's given to "the most outstanding player in college football."
Linebacker Skai Moore.
The Cooper City, Florida, native has led the program in tackles in each of his three years on campus, has 11 career interceptions and could step back to play more of a hybrid safety/linebacker role under new head coach Will Muschamp.
"He's a talented guy," Muschamp told Bleacher Report. "We didn't have him on the field in the spring, so we'll see [where he'll play] during fall camp."
If he goes north of 100 tackles and challenges for the SEC lead in interceptions, he should deserve some consideration.
Tennessee Volunteers: QB Joshua Dobbs
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One look at the odds board will tell you who the real Heisman candidate at Tennessee is: Quarterback Joshua Dobbs.
The senior signal-caller is 25-1 according to Odds Shark, tied with Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley and just behind Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine and Oregon running back Royce Freeman.
A proven dual-threat, Dobbs accounted for 27 total touchdowns and led the team in passing, rushing and receiving in the rivalry game against Florida. That's the kind of stat line that will get any quarterback noticed among Heisman voters. Plus, if Tennessee again contends for the SEC East and perhaps something bigger, he'll generate even more buzz.
He has to become a better passer, for sure. He had just a 105.66 passer rating against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 last year, according to CFBStats.com, and averaged just 5.7 yards per attempt.
A more experienced wide receiving corps and head coach Butch Jones' trusting Dobbs just a bit more will go a long way, open up the entire offense and could land the Georgia native in New York City in December.
Texas A&M Aggies: WR/PR Christian Kirk
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Christian Kirk burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2015 when he posted 1,009 receiving yards, averaged 24.36 yards per punt return and 19.25 yards per kickoff return and scored nine times.
That, my friends, is what you call "the foundation."
With a little bit more stability at quarterback now thanks to the arrival of Trevor Knight, an offensive coordinator who will actually develop quarterbacks in Noel Mazzone and a system that produces yards in bunches, Kirk will likely be the focal point for the new-look Aggies.
What's more, Kirk will again be a weapon on special teams, and that versatility will provide another major bullet point on his Heisman resume.
Vanderbilt Commodores: RB Ralph Webb
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Nobody seems to talk about how good Vanderbilt running back Ralph Webb is.
That's a shame, because he's one of the best backs in the conference.
The 5'10", 202-pounder from Gainesville, Florida, rushed for 1,152 yards and five touchdowns last year for a Vanderbilt offense that provided virtually no threat in the downfield passing attack.
He didn't just load up on the yardage against lesser opponents, either. According to CFBStats.com, Webb averaged 4.7 yards per carry versus teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25—nearly one yard per carry more than he averaged against unranked teams.
Webb doesn't get the publicity that he deserves because Vanderbilt is often overlooked in the SEC. But if that changes and it gets back into the SEC East conversation, it will be because of Webb's success.
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