SEC Football Preview: The 10 Biggest Breakout Stars of the 2011 Season

By now, we all know the big name players in the SEC.

Players like Alshon Jeffery, Trent Richardson and Marcus Lattimore are soaking up most of the preseason publicity this summer, and rightfully so.

The SEC is once again stocked full of star power and it should have no problem holding onto its reputation as the most talented conference in college football.

Even though there are already plenty of established stars like Jeffery, Richardson, Lattimore and others, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t any room for some under-the-radar players to make a name for themselves in 2011.

Last year, we watched guys like Cam Newton, Nick Fairley and Knile Davis wildly exceed modest early expectations and become dominant forces in the SEC.

So now the question becomes, who will be the conference’s biggest breakout stars this season?

Let’s have a look at 10 players who have a chance to produce breakout campaigns in 2011.

1. QB Chris Relf, Mississippi State

If Mississippi State truly wants to contend in the stacked SEC West this season, the Bulldogs will need a huge year out of their QB Chris Relf.

If he continues to develop as a passer, Relf is definitely capable of leading his team to glory as the trigger man of Dan Mullen’s spread offense.

The versatile signal-caller is a great athlete who has already proven he can be a valued asset in the running game. Now it’s time for Relf to take the next step and become a truly two-dimensional weapon.

The 6’4’’, 245-pound senior totaled nearly 2,600 yards of total offense and scored 18 TDs in 2010, but there were times when he struggled throwing the football.

While he may not be the next Tim Tebow or Cam Newton, Relf has a chance to make a huge impact in Mullen’s offense this season, and if he can show that he’s improved as a passer, he  just may lead the Bulldogs to a surprising trip to Atlanta.  

2. DE Ronald Powell, Florida

Ronald Powell quickly came to the realization that just because you’re a big name recruit, it doesn’t automatically guarantee you success in college.

Powell arrived in Gainesville as the highest ranked recruit of the 2010 class, but he soon found out that the competition in the SEC was a little more fierce than what he was used to facing in high school.

Powell showed off flashes of his remarkable athleticism and overall ability in his initial season with the Gators, but he failed to live up to his enormous recruiting hype.

Expect this season to be a different story.

Now that he knows what it takes to compete in the toughest conference in America, Powell has an idea of what he has to do to be successful, and I expect him to make a major impact at his hybrid defensive end/linebacker Buck position this year.

When Will Muschamp was at Texas, he turned Sergio Kindle into a sack machine and he could have the same effect on Powell, or "Powie" as he likes to refer to him as.

3. WR Rueben Randle, LSU

LSU has produced its fair share of quality wide receivers in recent years, but outside of Dwayne Bowe, none of them could really be considered a bona fide star.

Sure, we’ve seen guys like Early Doucet, Brandon LaFell and Terrance Toliver all make a substantial impact in the passing game, but it seems like none of them actually lived up to the mighty large expectations that many had for them.

Another LSU receiver who has yet to live up to expectations is Rueben Randle. Randle, a former 5-Star recruit, has only caught 44 passes in his first two seasons.

The 6’4’’, 205-pound junior has the the talent, he just hasn’t produced the results.
Part of that has to do with lousy quarterback play, and part of that has had to do with his lack of consistency.

Randle will now be counted on to be the No. 1 receiving threat in the LSU passing game and it could finally be time for him to put his tremendous physical ability to good use.

Look for a highly productive season out of the Louisiana native in 2011.

4. LB Nico Johnson, Alabama

There’s no debating about which team has the best and deepest linebacker corps in the country this season.

Alabama has the luxury of having five players who could be featured ‘backers for almost any other team in the country.

Dont’a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw are the standouts of the unit but one player who has a chance to make just as big of an impact this year is Nico Johnson.

Johnson, a former 5-star recruit, only finished the 2010 season with 33 tackles, but that number should go way up this year.

The 6’3’’, 245-pound junior has all the physical tools to be a stud in the middle of the Alabama defense, and with guys like Hightower, Upshaw and C.J. Mosley flanking him, Johnson should have enough freedom to make a ton of plays in 2011.

5. DE Nosa Eguae, Auburn

Losing DT Nick Fairley is a huge blow to the Auburn defense and it leaves the Tigers defensive line with just one returning starter. But that one returning player happens to be a potentially dominant pass-rusher.

DE Nosa Eguae came in and made his presence known as a redshirt freshman last season, tallying 3.5 sacks and four tackles for loss.

Eguae showed that he knows how to find his way into the opposing backfield on a regular basis and he’ll now be asked to take on an even bigger role as the new leader of the front four.

The 6’2’’, 255-pound sophomore isn’t the biggest end that you’re ever going to lay your eyes on, but he’s quick, powerful and he knows how to beat blockers off the edge.

After losing eight starters and six of its top seven tacklers from last year’s national championship team, the Auburn defense is basically starting over from scratch this season.

If the Tigers can get a big year out of Eguae, it should help to ease the pain a bit.

6. S Janzen Jackson, Tennessee

At one point this spring, it appeared as if Janzen Jackson’s time at Tennessee had come to an end when word broke that the talented safety was leaving the team due to personal reasons.

It would have been a major blow considering Jackson, who finished the 2010 season with 69 tackles and five interceptions, is the unquestioned top player on the Tennessee defense. But the crisis was averted when it was announced that Jackson had overcome his problems and returned to Knoxville.

If the 6’0’’, 185-pound junior has his head fully in the game this year, Jackson could be the type of player who makes an early dash to the NFL if he plays up the standard he displayed a season ago.

Alabama’s Robert Lester and Mark Barron may form the best safety tandem in the SEC, but Jackson and Prentiss Wagner aren’t very far behind.

7. WR Chris Rainey, Florida

It remains to be seen how well the small, speedy skill players that fit into Urban Meyer’s spread system so well will be able to transition into new coordinator Charlie Weis’ pro-style offense. But one player who should have no trouble making an impact this season is RB-WR hybrid Chris Rainey.

Rainey endured a rough 2010 season, dealing with an arrest and failing to produce on the field as expected, but now that he has a new-found focus, he should be able to put his talent to good use.

Although he doesn’t possess the world class speed of teammate Jeff Demps, Rainey is still one of the fastest players in the SEC and he’s a home run waiting to happen.

The 5’9’’, 175-pound senior is a threat to take it the distance any time the balls in his hands and he should be able to make his fair share of big plays in both the running and the passing games this season.

8. QB Tyler Wilson, Arkansas

Over the last two seasons, former Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett put up huge numbers in Bobby Petrino’s pass-heavy offense.

When push came to shove, though, NFL teams decided to take a pass on the big QB with the cannon arm and Mallett dropped all the way to the third round of this year’s draft.

Mallett’s successor, Tyler Wilson, may not put up the same type of gaudy numbers as his predecessor, but he could develop into a much more desirable pro prospect.

Wilson was efficient in relief duty in 2010 and he solidified himself as a quarterback to watch with a dazzling performance in the Arkansas spring game.

This season, Wilson will have plenty of help at his disposal to help him get through his growing pains.

The 6’3’’ 215-pound junior will be surrounded with star power at the offensive skill positions with players such as running back Knile Davis, the leading returning rusher in the SEC, and a receiving corps made up of Greg Childs, Joe Adams, Cobi Hamilton and Jarius Wright, which could be the best in the nation.

Wilson has all the talent he needs around him to have the Razorbacks in contention for an SEC West division title this season.

9. LB Cornelius Washington, Georgia

It won’t be easy for the Georgia defense to find a replacement for super pass-rusher Justin Houston, who left a year early for the NFL after racking up 10 sacks last season. But the Bulldogs could have another edge-rushing terror waiting in the wings with Cornelius Washington.

At 6'4'', 260 pounds, Washington fits the physical mold of a typical 3-4 outside linebacker and he has the size, speed and strength to develop into an equally effective rusher as Houston.

Washington only finished the 2010 season with one sack and two tackles for loss, but now that he has a bigger role as a full-time starter, he should be much more productive.

Look for the junior linebacker to have a big season coming off the edge in Georgia's 3-4 defense.

10. S Winston Guy, Kentucky

LB Danny Trevathan, who led the SEC with 144 tackles in 2010, gets most of the attention as the face of the Kentucky defense, but Trevathan isn’t the only impact defensive player lining up for the Wildcats.

Although he doesn’t receive the same type of fanfare as his more heralded teammate, versatile safety Winston Guy plays just as big a part in the success of the Kentucky defense.

Guy, who can move around the field and line up at either linebacker or safety, racked up 106 tackles and picked off three passes last season.

The 6’1’’, 210-pound senior should be one of the most coveted prospects in a weak safety class, and, like Trevathan, he definitely has an NFL future ahead of him.

10 Other Offensive Players to Watch

WR Emory Blake, Auburn

QB Tyler Bray, Tennessee

WR Chad Bumphis, Mississippi State

OT D.J. Fluker, Alabama

WR Cobi Hamilton, Arkansas

RB Spencer Ware, LSU

WR Justin Hunter, Tennessee

RB Isaiah Crowell, Georgia

WR Marquis Maze, Alabama

OT Bobby Massie, Ole Miss

WR Ace Sanders, South Carolina

10 Other Defensive Players to Watch

CB Corey Broomfield, Mississippi State

DE Collins Ukwu, Kentucky

CB Morris Claiborne, LSU

DT Josh Boyd, Mississippi State

DE Barkevious Mingo, LSU

CB Jeremy Brown, Florida

DE Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina

CB Darius Winston, Arkansas

DE Kentrell Lockett, Ole Miss

LB Jerico Nelson, Arkansas

DT Kwame Geathes, Georgia