Eight Breakout SEC Players for 2016
With fall camp just around the corner, here are eight players who could establish themselves in camp and shine on the field this fall.
RB Damien Harris — Alabama
This prediction could go to either Harris or Bo Scarbrough, Alabama’s pair of highly-touted sophomore halfbacks. Harris saw more time on the field last fall due to Scarbrough tearing his ACL last spring and capitalized on the opportunity to the tune of 46 carries. Harris also had the better A-Day performance, winning the Most Valuable Player award after carrying the ball 20 times for 114 yards.
The other concerning issue with picking Scarbrough over Harris is his injury history. Scarbrough not only tore his ACL last spring but also in high school as well a broken ankle. Both tears could’ve been isolated incidents, but Alabama’s coaching staff has to be wary about how well a running back with two ACL tears will hold up in a full-time role. If Harris and Scarbrough have equally impressive camps, the former could end up being named the starter just so the offense has some continuity in case Scarbrough’s spotty medical history pops up again.
Just by virtue of running behind Alabama’s offensive line, whoever gets named the starting back will have a decent season. However, with Harris’ experience last fall and his A-Day performance, along with Scarbrough’s questionable knees, there’s a good chance he gets the bulk of the carries early on and could solidify himself as the Crimson Tide’s starter
TE Jeremy Sprinkle — Arkansas
Sprinkle is on the shortlist of every analyst’s breakout player list. By definition, Sprinkle was the backup last season to now-San Diego Charger Hunter Henry, but, in the red zone, Sprinkle was the primary target. Arkansas’ offensive coordinator Dan Enos put Sprinkle’s 6-foot-6 frame to good use near the goal line, evidenced by his six touchdown catches last season.
With Henry gone, Sprinkle will inherit some of his 51 catches from last season and graduate to a more prominent role on the offense. With the loss of running back Alex Collins and his 20 touchdowns, Sprinkle’s touchdown numbers might increase, too. Sprinkle will become the go-to target near the end zone, as Dominique Reed is the only other receiving threat over six foot. With Sprinkle’s NFL stock soaring and Arkansas having a new quarterback needing a reliable scoring threat, Sprinkle’s numbers could surge this fall.
QB John Franklin III — Auburn
Gus Malzahn has yet to name a starting quarterback, but if Franklin wins the job in fall camp, SEC teams best look out. Franklin enrolled at Florida State in 2013 but transferred to East Mississippi Community College after his redshirt season. In one year at East Mississippi C.C., Franklin threw for 733 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for 451 yards and nine more touchdowns. Franklin could join the list of prominent SEC players produced by East Mississippi C.C. in recent years, including Ole Miss quarterbacks Chad Kelly and Bo Wallace, along with Alabama defensive linemen Jarran Reed and D.J. Petteway.
Malzahn’s offense relies on a dual-threat quarterback who can execute the read-option and then take advantage of the defense through the air once they commit to the stopping the run. Jeremy Johnson and Sean White were largely unsuccessful filling that role last season, opening the door for Franklin to come in and star. Franklin, who’s undersized at 6-foot-1, 174-pounds, might never be an NFL quarterback, could have a career akin to that of Nick Marshall’s. Franklin has the athletic ability and style of play to succeed in Malzahn’s system. If Franklin’s profile and Malzahn’s success with dual-threat quarterbacks isn’t enough to convince you, his personal trainer and quarterback coach this offseason was none other than Michael Vick. 2016 could be a resurgent year for the Tigers, which would in large part be due to the success of Franklin at the helm.
RB Jordan Scarlett — Florida
Florida has a lot of holes to plug on offense, but thankfully they’ve got Jordan Scarlett and Jordan Cronkrite, two halfbacks on their roster who saw success in limited in roles as freshmen last season. The more impressive of the two is Scarlett, a 5-foot-10, 198-pound bruiser who averaged 5.3 yards per carry last season. Scarlett was a four-star recruit out of Ft. Lauderdale who had 34 carries as a true freshman as backing up Kelvin Taylor Jr. The bulk of Scarlett’s load came against Georgia, rushing for 96 yards on nine carries, but showed promise in other games against East Carolina and New Mexico State.
Jim McElwain will likely go with a halfback by committee approach until either Cronkrite or Scarlett establish themselves. A good bet is on Scarlett doing so, as Cronkrite averaged only 3.6 yards per carry and may actually be utilized more as a pass-catching back as Florida needs receiving help in any way possible.
DL Bryan Cox Jr. — Florida
Bryan Cox Jr. is one of the remnants from last year’s impressive Florida defense that featured two first-round picks and a total of five players drafted overall. Along with Jalen Tabor and Jarrad Davis, Cox Jr. is expected to be a leader on the Gators’ 2016 defense, which still has a number of highly-talented players but will suffer from a lack of depth.
Cox Jr. will be expected to mitigate the loss of defensive end Alex McCalister and linebacker Antonio Morrison by improving on his 3.5 sacks last season. Cox Jr. showed the ability to penetrate into the backfield — he had 11 tackles for loss — but needs to get to the quarterback more. With Tabor back, along with safeties Marcus Maye and Quincy Wilson, Florida will have a secondary that can take advantage of quarterback’s mistakes forced by Cox Jr. The two units will need feed off each other if the Gators’ hope to repeat their success from last year.
At 6-foot-3, 260-pounds, Bryan Cox Jr. has the size to play in multiple defensive fronts. If Florida elects to show a 3–4, Cox Jr. can play either outside linebacker or defensive end, or in 4–3, Cox Jr. can set up as a pass-rushing defensive end. His versatility makes him dangerous, which not only will boost his draft stock and showcase his ability as a playmaker in his final season in Gainesville.
DE Arden Key — LSU
Key’s freshman year in Baton Rouge bodes well for his future in football, as the 6-foot-6, 231-pound defensive end recorded 6.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. More importantly, Key played better as the year went along, recording a sack in four of LSU’s last five games. Key’s signature game came against Texas A&M, in which he recorded eight tackles and 1.5 sacks en route to the 19–7 victory that probably saved Les Miles’ job at LSU.
LSU’s transition to a 3–4 defense means Key will be asked to more in a linebacker role, but it helps that new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda has a long history of developing linebackers. Key will also have the luxury of having Ed Orgeron as his defensive line coach, one of the best in the nation at his position. With Key being only 231-pounds, he’s too small to be a full-time defensive end in a 3–4 scheme, but that means he can line up farther outside as a linebacker and use his speed and length to get around tackles.
Key is a player who could breakout in a big way and be in the running for SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He has the benefit of learning from a superb coaching staff and has on-field success from last year. Key also said that LSU had already begun to transition to a 3–4 last season, the same period when he had his best stretch of football. Look for Key to become a household name by the end of November.
DT Terry Beckner Jr. — Missouri
Terry Beckner Jr. comes into the 2016 season with considerably less fanfare than when he arrived on campus in Columbia last fall as a five-star recruit. The reason for the lack of hype surrounding a former top recruit entering his sophomore season is the fact that Beckner Jr. tore his ACL and MCL in Missouri’s game against BYU last November. Beckner Jr. was coming into his own in the four games leading up to his injury, recording five tackles for loss and three sacks. His recovery has also been overshadowed by the emergence of teammate Charles Harris as one of the ten best defensive players in college football.
Beckner Jr. returned to practice this spring in a limited role, but should be full-go in fall camp. An ACL tear usually take about six months to fully heal, with an MCL tear taking less time, so Beckner Jr. has had all summer to workout at full strength. With Barry Odom taking over as head coach, Missouri will switch to a 3–4 defense, in which Beckner Jr. has the ability to play either end or tackle. Beckner Jr. will be moved around the defensive line to give himself and Harris the best mismatch possible. With his new role on defense and returning at full health, Beckner Jr. should show fans why he was such a highly-regarded recruit coming out of high school.
QB Kyle Shurmur — Vanderbilt
Confidence in y0ur job security goes a long way in the quarterback position, and Shurmur got exactly that when Derek Mason named Shurmur his starter at the SEC Media Days early July. Shurmur, son of longtime NFL coach Pat Shurmur, committed to Vanderbilt out of La Salle as a four-star recruit and started five of Vanderbilt’s last six games after taking over for Johnny McCrary. Shurmur didn’t exactly blow Commodore fans away but showed enough competence as a true freshman that Mason felt comfortable enough to move forward with him as the starter.
The biggest boon to Shurmur’s development as the starter is Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt’s all-purpose running back. Webb rushed for over 1,000 yards last season and caught 24 passes. Webb will be a Shurmur’s safety valve when he’s under pressure and could add another 10–12 catches to last season’s total. Also returning is Vanderbilt’s leading receiver, Trent Sherfield. Sherfield had 51 catches last season, 26% of Vanderbilt’s quarterback’s total completions. Sherfield and Shurmur seemed to click towards the end of last season, as he caught 10 passes in his final three games.
With Webb and Sherfield, Shurmur has enough weapons around him to prop up Vanderbilt’s offense and let the defense do the heavy lifting. Really, all Shurmur needs to do is not turn over the football and make the plays he’s supposed too. If Shurmur can do that, he’ll finish the 2016 season regarded as one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC.
