One position -- on the field or sideline -- each SEC team needs to improve most during offseason
Never does an SEC program carry only one position of weakness into an offseason. The lucky coaching staffs are the ones with only a few areas of real need that will keep them up late at night as National Signing Day approaches.
What every team does have is that one area or position that, if nurtured properly and shined up just right through recruiting and offseason coaching, can make all the difference when the fall arrives and the curtain rises.
This one particular position doesn’t always have to be a team’s most glaring weakness but rather the one spot on the field (or even the sidelines) that holds the key to maximizing those areas of strength and that all-important win column.
After a busy SEC bowl season capped by Alabama’s near-miss, here is that one crucial position that will challenge each team through the winter, spring and summer:
Alabama: Defensive leaders
The word “leaders” is the key here, because there will always be immense talent on the defensive side of the ball in Tuscaloosa with each top-notch recruiting class mixed with Nick Saban’s deep-rooted winning culture. But what the Tide will sorely be lacking, at least at first this offseason, is the leadership the dynamic duo of Jonathan Allen and Reuben Foster provided.
Time and effort and growth will surely bring another special tandem like Allen and Foster to the forefront in Tuscaloosa. That whole process begins now for a program that entrusts its leaders to help produce national titles.
Arkansas: Wide receiver
The Hogs made their living last season with an offense they just hoped would cancel out a shaky defense, but now they’re faced with a problem at wideout. Yes, Jared Cornelius announced he is returning for his senior year. But Arkansas is still losing four of its top five receivers, including 2016 starters Keon Hatcher and Drew Morgan (pictured).
Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
The good news is that the Razorbacks seem to have an early jump in recruiting at the position. Then again, that nice influx of talent in Fayetteville will be new and raw. But how raw by September?
Auburn: Pass rusher
The Tigers will have to replace the production that defensive end Carl Lawson (9.0 sacks, 30 tackles) and defensive tackle Montravius Adams (4.5 sacks, 44 tackles) provided along the line, as well as a bond that creates intangibles in a defense that you can’t quantify. If Auburn can get just one player, never mind another dynamic duo, to blossom into a ferocious pass rusher in 2017, it should be enough to keep it in contention for big things this fall.
The Tigers might not have to look very far for help, if junior-to-be Dontavius Russell and sophomore-to-be Marlon Davidson can be better in 2017. Russell was durable last year but had zero tackles-for-loss and sacks. Davidson, the first true freshman to start on Auburn’s defensive line since at least 1985, had six tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks. Time will tell, not to mention hard work.
Florida: Quarterback
Back-to-back SEC East titles during the first two years of the Jim McElwain era has brought delight but also frustration, because the Gators’ offense and specifically the quarterback position haven’t lived up to their end of the bargain.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to point out that if Florida is going to be more than an annual bully within its own shaky division, it needs a severe upgrade in play at the most important position. It doesn’t necessarily need to uncover the next Tim Tebow, although UF has been searching for its next QB standout since Tebow exited the scene eight years ago.
Gators fans have been clamoring for Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask to get their shot.
Offensive weapons Jordan Scarlett, Antonio Callaway and Tyrie Cleveland all return in 2017. Now all they need in Gainesville is a quarterback to finally emerge and complement them.
Georgia: Offensive line
The Bulldogs ran for fewer than 4.0 yards per carry as a team last year during awful losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee, and in a game against Missouri they were fortunate to win at the bitter end. So while Georgia was explosive in the running game with Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, it didn’t always get the push necessary in front of the star duo. With Chubb and Michel coming back this season and Jacob Eason still developing, better line play will be critical.
The good news? The Bulldogs have multiple commitments who should beef up the line, which could have at least three new starters on it come fall.
Kentucky: Secondary
The Wildcats aren’t losing a lot, but safety Marcus McWilson and nickel back Blake McClain are two valuable pieces on the way out. Coach Mark Stoops engineered a breakthrough season in Lexington last fall, leading the Wildcats to their first bowl game since 2010. If the Cats are to go bowling in back-to-back years, they’ll need Stoops to work his magic again with a secondary.
LSU: Offensive coordinator
This is one SEC team whose most important position in the offseason can be found on the sideline. Finding the right head coach was the first task. Check. Next was getting the right guy to run its long-maligned offense, and the Tigers think that is Matt Canada, who turned Pitt into an offensive force. Now Canada will have better, faster athletes at his disposal in Baton Rouge. It’ll be his task this fall to make it all work, but the first, crucial steps will be molding Derrius Guice and the rest of the offense during the long offseason.
Mississippi State: Wide receiver
Fred Ross is one of the best if not the best wide receiver in program history. Either way, he was really, really good, to the tune of 72 catches and 12 touchdowns last fall, and Nick Fitzgerald won’t have him now as he tries to blossom into one of the SEC’s better quarterbacks.
If Fitzgerald and running back Aeris Williams are going to maximize their immense potential in 2017, Dan Mullen is going to need at least an adequate group of receivers, if not the next version of Ross, so defenses can’t stack the line. Donald Gray (below) and Malik Dear are the Bulldogs’ top two returning receivers, and they combined for eight fewer catches (and five fewer touchdowns) than Ross had in 2016.
Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Missouri: Secondary
While Josh Heupel and the offense looked to be turning the corner as 2016 ended, it’s the Tigers defense and specifically the secondary that will need more revamping in the offseason. Cornerbacks Aarion Penton and John Gibson are gone, and there’s a lot of inexperience behind them. And while the safety position looks better right now, that same safety group wasn’t exactly world beaters in 2016.
Ole Miss: Defensive coordinator
New defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff has a lot of work to do. He’s now in charge of a unit that allowed a whopping 408 points last season. Only Ole Miss’ prolific offense piloted by Chad Kelly kept the Rebels in contention for a bowl before they fell short. McGriff made some magic last fall at Auburn in a number of statistical categories, especially points per game allowed, and his ability to bring along the defense in Oxford will be huge, especially with Kelly gone and Shea Patterson still developing.
South Carolina: Offensive line
The Gamecocks allowed 41 sacks in 2016, which ranked last in the SEC and was six more than the next team in the conference. It was also a line that struggled in short-yardage situations, a brutal quality for an offense with such little margin for error. Zack Bailey is a fixture at left guard, but he can’t do it alone in 2017, and Jake Bentley will need time to operate in his first full season under center.
Tennessee: Quarterback
This one is simple: The dynamic Joshua Dobbs is gone, and while the Volunteers have many other holes, finding a competent and mentally tough replacement in what looks to be a rebuilding season will be crucial. The early names in the QB race for 2017 are Quinten Dormady, Sheriron Jones and redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano, the top-rated dual-threat in last year’s recruiting class. (For perspective, Alabama’s Jalen Hurts was No. 3.)
Texas A&M: Defensive end
Like Tennessee, Texas A&M has major holes to fill. But the Aggies’ main concern, out of many concerns, should be at defensive end, where Myles Garrett is heading to the NFL Draft and James Lockhart is transferring. Development on that defensive line, if not finding the next Garrett, would at least give Texas A&M a chance to stay in more games in 2017.
Vanderbilt: Quarterback
It’s all set up for Kyle Shurmur in 2017. Ralph Webb, already Vandy’s career rushing leader, is back for one more victory lap, the receiver position will return everyone who was crucial last season and most of the offensive line is back. Now, it will be up to Shurmur to show some real progress as he returns for his junior season. For example, Shurmur was great in the season finale against Tennessee and bad in the bowl game. He’ll need to achieve that elusive consistency if the Commodores are going to cross that six-win threshold.
