10 5th-year seniors sure to make a big impact in SEC this fall
They are older and wiser, as the old saying goes, except the saying wasn’t meant for football. No matter. It holds very true for fifth-year seniors, the few and the proud players who’ve stuck around long enough to become household names even if they haven’t always been stars.
They dot every SEC roster, those fifth-year guys, and they can fill the role of player/coach since they’re so ingrained in everything that their team does. Their value is unquestionable in making average teams turn out a little better than that and good teams become great.
You’re thankful they’re still around, in other words, because they know what it means to persevere, and they were in it for the long haul, obviously. So in the spirit of the SEC’s special fifth-year seniors of 2016, we’ve made a list of 10 of these “old, young guys” who can make a difference this fall for their programs before they, finally, exit stage left.
Our countdown will not include graduate transfers such as Trevor Knight, who is sure to be huge for Texas A&M this season but doesn’t have “senior” next to his name anymore. These are mostly guys who are finishing their college football marathon where it all began, and are likely to leave a solid legacy with one last call this fall.
Chad Kelly, QB, Ole Miss
OK, we’ll start “at the top” with the headliner of our fifth-year senior crop. Kelly didn’t start his career in Oxford, of course. He began at Clemson, redshirting in 2012 and barely playing the following season before being dismissed in the spring of 2014 for detrimental conduct.
At that point, seeing Kelly’s name on a list like this would have been a total long shot. But here he is.
The nephew of Hall of Famer Jim Kelly found a safe haven in the fall of 2014 at East Mississippi Community College, where he threw for 47 touchdowns and won a national title. That was the springboard to Ole Miss, where he rewrote the record books with 4,042 yards passing and 41 total touchdowns. He also led the Rebels to their first 10-win season in over a decade.
This is all why Clemson feels like a really long time ago. Kelly is bubbling with confidence as the season approaches, despite playing just one full season at the FBS level. He’s thinking real big, and if he continues to play big he can lead the Rebels to the greatest heights they’ve seen in program history.
This is a top-notch talent who is motivated to go out with a bang. That will be a dangerous combination for SEC defenses this fall.
Marcus Maye, S, Florida
The 6-0, 215-pound Maye redshirted as a freshman in 2012, and three years later he was named a first-team All-American by USA Today and Pro Football Focus. And normally, those accolades are a prelude to a first-class ticket to the NFL as a high draft pick.
But Maye wanted more in Gainesville. So he’s returned for Year 2 of the Jim McElwain Era, and the Gators will benefit.
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Maye’s career arch has been steady and strong, and he finally nailed down a starting spot last fall and took off with it. Maye had 82 tackles, forced five fumbles and had two interceptions as part of a defense that led the Gators to the SEC East title while the offense sputtered.
Maye can run a sub-4.5 in the 40, so he can fly as well as be a tremendous ball hawk. He chose UF over SEC rivals Alabama, Auburn and LSU, and in-state rival FSU. He’s the quintessential fifth-year senior: Insanely loyal, patient and invested in the program. The Gators are fortunate to have him for one more fall.
Travin Dural, WR, LSU
Dural is also the quintessential fifth-year senior because of one other wonderful quality: He’s totally unselfish. Not to mention driven to finish things at LSU in the best way possible, after a torn hamstring last November required surgery.
Dural began his career by getting injured, too, which is why he’s on this list. Dural sustained a season-ending knee injury during preseason practice as a freshman in 2012, and so he redshirted.
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Jim Kleinpeter of NOLA.com said Dural has “been drawing the eye of pro scouts for years and could have been a first-round pick in 2016 because of his size (6-2, 203) and smooth stride.”
But instead of being in an NFL training camp, Dural is back for one final Baton Rouge bash. He can get deep, as his 19.9 career yards-per-reception average proves. He has great hands. And he can fly, with a sub-4.4 time in the 40.
Dural will help the Tigers win because of his senior presence and because he keeps drives moving and cashes drives in. During his career, 56 of Dural’s 72 catches have resulted in either first downs or touchdowns. Dural being back for one more year could be the difference between a great season and a truly special one for the Tigers.
Corey Thompson, LB, LSU
Dural’s presence on offense should be matched on the other side by Thompson, a 6-2, 222-pounder who has done a lot more than just return to Baton Rouge for a fifth year. Thompson also made a position change from safety to outside linebacker during spring ball to fit new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda’s system.
Talk about being selfless and a self motivator. Thompson’s team-guy attitude obviously has many layers. He’s only made eight starts, but that number is expected to change a lot this fall, as Aranda is likely to make coming back extremely worth it for Thompson.
Thompson’s redshirt season that caused his fifth-year status this fall happened in the middle of his career. He sat out his junior season in 2014 and came back as a redshirt junior last fall, playing in nine games and starting at free safety in showdowns against Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
Thompson is solid in coverage and against the run, so he’ll likely have a lot of opportunities to be a leader on the field as well as in the locker room.
Maybe it’s his athletic family background that has instilled such loyalty and sacrifice. Thompson’s dad played football at Texas A&M and his mom was a track star in college and internationally. Generally, the sons of parents like that are likely to stick it out as Thompson has, and now he’ll be a big part of LSU’s lofty expectations for the 2016 season.
Richie Brown, LB, Mississippi State
Brown isn’t just the typical fifth-year senior bit player who is back to put his final stamp on things.
The 6-2, 240-pound inside linebacker led the Bulldogs last year with a whopping 109 tackles and 6.5 sacks, and he was second on the team with 13 tackles-for-loss. The 109 tackles was third among SEC linebackers.
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Every fifth-year senior is appreciated by his team for still being around, but in this case Brown returning was more like something the Bulldogs program needed rather than just wanted.
And his presence will be even more vital with the program having its third defensive coordinator (Peter Sirmon) in as many seasons, and the Bulldogs will be forced to adjust to a 3-4 scheme that last year’s coordinator, Manny Diaz, did not use. Nothing like having a dominant fifth-year senior linebacker around to ease the young ones in yet another transition.
A.J. Jefferson, DE, Mississippi State
What could be better than one fifth-year senior stalwart at a program clawing for every win it can get with a questionable offense? That would be two fifth-year seniors, and another on the defensive side.
The 6-3, 277-pound Jefferson briefly considered declaring for the NFL Draft but returned to Starkville.
Jefferson had a big first half of the season last year but faded down the stretch, so you know he’ll have motivation to finish it off right in 2016. He had 47 tackles, was second on the Bulldogs with five sacks and led the team with 13.5 tackles-for-loss in 2015.
“Jefferson may be the most talented defender on MSU’s roster. He played as one of the best defensive ends in the country through the first six games last year. As a senior, the goal will be to continue that play throughout the entire season. MSU will need the production through the entire year to be successful,” wrote the Clarion-Ledger.
Deatrich Wise Jr., DE, Arkansas
Wise is appropriately named as an intelligent fifth-year senior, and he’s just plain massive at 6-5 and 271 pounds.
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He was injured as a freshman and redshirted, and so here is in Year 5 with a million preseason accolades lined up, including being on the watch lists for the Chuck Bednarik, Bronko Nagurski and Ted Hendricks awards. This is all without even starting one game last season.
Beyond all his other statistics last year, one stood out: He led the SEC with eight sacks during conference play. Also, of his 31 tackles, 24 came in SEC games. That means he showed up for the biggest matchups.
And that means him showing up for a fifth year in Fayetteville will be a total difference-maker for the Razorbacks defense.
Jason Croom, TE, Tennessee
The Volunteers have a crowded picture at wide receiver (crowded and talented, that is), so Croom is making the transition to tight end in his final run in Knoxville. At 6-5, 246 pounds, Croom is probably better suited at tight end anyway, and this is where he can make the biggest impact on a loaded offense — and where he can positively impact his draft position in 2017.
Croom redshirted as a freshman after sustaining a shoulder injury. After combining for a so-so 39 catches for 574 yards and six touchdowns the following two seasons, Croom suffered another lost year when a knee injury ruined his 2015 campaign.
The twist this fall will be Croom’s ability (or inability, we suppose) to be a tough cover for defenses as a tight end, with his size and savvy. If he succeeds, it’ll just be another “toy” for an already dominant offense.
Greg Pyke, OG, Georgia
Pyke’s play dipped a little last season after a redshirt sophomore year in 2014 when he made second-team All-SEC and was named Georgia’s Most Improved Player after helping the Bulldogs rush for 257.8 yards per game.
Watch for the 6-6, 325-pound Pyke to bounce back this fall under the tutelage of new Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman, who has a history of getting the most out of huge interior lineman like Pyke. He could play right guard or right tackle, or both.
The Bulldogs are fortunate to have a likely 2017 early-round NFL Draft pick at their disposal for a fifth season, a preseason All-American to make holes for a loaded backfield. Add a new voice in Pittman to the mix and it’s the recipe for a dominant fifth season in Athens.
Bryan Cox Jr., DL, Florida
Since redshirting as a freshman, Cox has steadily increased his role on the Gators’ defense, capped by last season’s 45 tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks, six quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles.
He started 13 of 14 games last season, and now is back for a fifth year that should be a launching point for the son of former NFL linebacker Bryan Cox.
The younger Cox became a big part of the Gators’ dominant defense in 2015, and his staying power in Gainesville should be rewarded with an even bigger season as the linchpin of UF’s pass rush along with Caleb Brantley.
