SEC Football Q&A: Will the SEC Produce a Second Straight Heisman Trophy Winner?

Former Alabama running back Derrick Henry ran into the SEC record books in 2015 with a single-season record 2,219 yards, which carried him to New York in early December, where he became the first SEC player since former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel in 2012 to claim college football's most prestigious award.

With LSU running back Leonard Fournette, Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly, Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs and several other talented players in the conference, SEC players will rise and fall throughout the three-month journey that culminates in the Big Apple.

Could the SEC make it back-to-back Heisman winners?

That question and more are answered in this week's edition of SEC Q&A.

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@BarrettSallee do you predict another SEC Heisman winner?

— Strictly Gamecocks (@GamecocksOnly) June 27, 2016"

I do think that Dobbs, Kelly and Fournette will be mentioned prominently in the discussion throughout the season; and there will be at least one player from the SEC in New York as a finalist. But no, I don't think that anybody from the SEC will win the award.

It takes a special set of circumstances for a running back to win an award that has been dominated by quarterbacks this century, and Henry benefited from that. A non-quarterback has to have a ridiculously filthy year stat-wise and lead his team to the playoff.

Fournette can provide the former, but I don't think LSU has an offense that's aggressive enough to take pressure off him when teams load the box for him to accomplish the latter. 

Kelly and Dobbs are both ultra-talented dual-threat quarterbacks who can post those video game numbers, and they could end up in New York if either of their teams makes the SEC Championship Game and flirts with the College Football Playoff.

But for my late-June, write-it-in-pencil-in-case-you-have-to-erase-it pick for the 2016 Heisman Trophy, I'm going with Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett.

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

The Buckeyes lost a lot to the draft but will benefit from an offseason in which quarterback issues are in the rearview mirror and Barrett is allowed to grow with an offense under head coach Urban Meyer that's a perfect fit for his skills.

People seem to forget that Barrett threw for 2,834 yards and rushed for 938 essentially in a pinch in place of injured quarterback Braxton Miller in 2014, and that he helped lead the Buckeyes into the thick of the national title picture before his season-ending injury in the regular-season finale against Michigan.

Bri'onte Dunn is a physical back who can help Barrett out, redshirt freshman Mike Weber's upside is huge and Meyer has had success recruiting wide receivers over the last few years including K.J. Hill, Noah Brown, Parris Campbell and the ultra-versatile Torrance Gibson. Throw veterans Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson in the mix, and Barrett will be fine.

The relatively unknown playmakers outside will actually boost Barrett's Heisman case. If he can lead Ohio State to the Big Ten title and the College Football Playoff, the fact that he will have done it in spite of massive roster turnover will push him over the top in the minds of voters.

It certainly helps, especially since Auburn announced earlier this month that former 5-star prospect Roc Thomas left and ultimately landed at Jacksonville State.

Kameron Martin, the 4-star former Baylor signee who was granted a release in the wake of the sexual assault scandal in Waco, has tremendous straight-line speed, is dangerous in space and can absolutely be a weapon in any spread offense—especially one like Auburn's (or Baylor's, for that matter) that thrives with multiple running backs filling roles that fit their strengths.

Thomas' departure opens the door for Martin to push for playing time right out of the gate. As Mike Farrell of Rivals.com noted when Martin committed to Baylor, Martin's strength is obvious:

He'll have to contend with former Alabama Mr. Football Kerryon Johnson—who's coming off a shoulder injury but certainly can provide an option or some insurance for head coach Gus Malzahn and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee.

He won't be the No. 1 back at Auburn until he puts on a little more weight. But as a speed sweep option like former Tigers Corey Grant (2013) and Onterio McCalebb (2011), Martin certainly fits the bill. 

More of the same would be a huge development in Athens, and I don't think the Bulldogs will match last year's production in Year 1 under new coordinator Mel Tucker and head coach Kirby Smart.

Georgia finished with the nation's seventh-best defense last year at 305.9 yards per game, held opponents to 4.76 yards per play (13th in the nation) and posted the best pass defense in the country (156.5 yards per game). 

"More of the same," roughly translated, means "elite."

Georgia might be "really good," but the inexperience along the defensive line and uncertainty at outside linebacker will prevent the Bulldogs from matching last year's production.

In my post-spring depth-chart projection, there's only one upperclassman on Georgia's two-deep along the defensive line—junior John Atkins. That depth chart is certainly fluid, and other players could make bigger pushes for playing time during fall camp, but the overwhelming lack of experience up front is something that Smart is very concerned about.

"We have to do a great job of getting more physical in all areas, especially up front on the offensive and defensive lines," Smart said after the spring game. "First of all, we're not as big as we need to be, but we don't play as tough and as physical as we need to."

John Bazemore/Associated Press

On top of that, the loss of Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd outside, combined with the sophomore slump that Lorenzo Carter endured in 2015, makes it hard to trust Georgia to replicate last season's success, even though Tucker's defense is very similar to the one Jeremy Pruitt ran in Athens.

With that said, if Georgia's offense can be a little more dynamic under first-year coordinator Jim Chaney, it will take a little pressure off Tucker's defense and could vault the Bulldogs back into the SEC East title race. 

Yes, although it might not look like it for the first half of the season.

James White and Keith Ford are both very talented running backs who have the capability to top the 1,000-yard mark and will likely enter the season as co-No. 1 running backs for head coach Kevin Sumlin and offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone.

It won't stay that way for the entire season, though.

Mazzone helped Paul Perkins (2014 and 2015) and Johnathan Franklin (2012) blow past the 1,000-yard mark during his four seasons as the Bruins' offensive coordinator, and his power attack out of the spread is a perfect fit for what Sumlin wants to do (and wanted to do last year, had former offensive coordinator Jake Spavital actually called the plays that fit the philosophy).

Both primary running backs in College Station are true all-purpose backs who can hit the home run and also take the pounding between the tackles, and one will emerge by season's end as the primary back.

Texas A&M will never go fully conservative with a run-heavy offense and certainly shouldn't this year, considering the bevy of wide receivers on the roster. But a more focused rushing attack that looks like a diet version of Malzahn's offense at Auburn will materialize in College Station this year and produce a 1,000-yard back for the Aggies.

Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information 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.