In today’s age of college football, it’s not uncommon for a majority of the top draft-eligible underclassmen to leave school early to begin careers in the NFL.

There’s simply too much money and too much of an injury risk at stake for many of college football’s brightest stars to return to play a dangerous game they’re hardly compensated for playing. If you’re projected to be drafted, 9 times out of 10 you’ll leave school as soon as possible to forge ahead to the high-paying professional ranks, no matter how fun the college experience turned out to be.

What’s left is a group of seniors with a wealth of experience whose strengths are maturity, poise and football savvy more so than any physical gifts. Of course any player playing in the SEC is a rare athletic specimen, but comparatively speaking the seniors in the SEC are more locker room leaders and less on-field playmakers.

However, there are always exceptions to any rule. Players like All-SEC first-team quarterback Dak Prescott and 1,000-yard rusher Jonathan Williams both opted to return for their senior seasons when they knew the NFL was an option, and they’re not alone. Every SEC team has at least one senior who’s as dynamic as he is experienced, and those seniors could prove to be the most important players on a given roster.

So without further ado, here’s our prediction for one “super senior” from each SEC roster entering the 2015 season.

Alabama: LB Reggie Ragland. Capable of flying sideline-to-sideline to make plays from the heart of the defense, Ragland returns to Alabama on the heels of a 93 tackle season that included 10.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He’ll be Alabama’s most capable defender by far in 2015, and should be freed up to make plays in the run game with the likes of star defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson occupying blockers in front of him.

Arkansas: RB Jonathan Williams. One of two 1,000-yard rushers returning from a year ago, Williams appears to have slid ahead of teammate Alex Collins on the depth chart entering training camp. Collins has rushed for 1,000 yards twice, but has never run for 100 yards in any game past September, indicating it will likely be Williams who takes on a bulk of the work in the Razorbacks’ potent run game this fall.

Auburn: WR D’haquille Williams. After turning down a chance to be one of the top receivers in the past draft class, Williams returns to Auburn where he’ll likely be the top receiver in the SEC as a senior. He posted 45 catches and 730 yards last season, his first in the SEC after transferring from junior college, and with an immaculate combination of size, strength, length, speed and leaping ability, he’ll likely prove to be one of the most unstoppable weapons in the conference.

Florida: LB Antonio Morrison. A holdover from Will Muschamp’s vaunted Florida defenses (defense wasn’t the reason he was fired), Morrison is one of few established talents left on Florida’s roster as Jim McElwain aims to rebuild the program from scratch. Expect Morrison to post near or beyond 100 tackles this fall as the team’s primary run-stopper at the second-level, and as its primary coverage option against tight ends and backs. Morrison will be asked to do a lot, and he’ll have plenty of say in the success of Florida’s defense this fall.

Georgia: LB Jordan Jenkins. The Dawgs star linebacker may be the most NFL-ready player to return to the SEC this offseason, even more so than D’haquille Williams or Dak Prescott. He’s the SEC’s active career leader in sacks and tackles for loss, and he’ll spend much of the coming season in opposing backfields, especially playing alongside the likes of Lorenzo Carter and Leonard Floyd.

Kentucky: LB Josh Forrest. Returning as the starting middle linebacker on a Mark Stoops defense has its perks, as Forrest learned last year and will be reminded this year. Forrest was a do-everything linebacker for UK last year, leading the team in tackles with 110 (no one else had more than 74) while adding 8.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions, proving he can stop the run, defend agains the pass and get downhill in a hurry to make plays in the backfield.

LSU: DB Jalen Mills. After working his way into the lineup last year, Mills will finally take on a starting job as a senior in Baton Rouge. He was buried beneath impressive NFL-laden depth in the Tigers secondary, and will prove he’s learned a few tricks along the way from his mega-talented teammates of past and present. Mills is a rangy safety who can keep the lid on any defense, which will be vital in showdowns with the SEC’s potent offenses.

Mississippi State: QB Dak Prescott. After throwing for 3,000 yards, rushing for more than 850 for the second year in a row, earning first-team All-SEC honors and finishing eighth in Heisman voting, Prescott was a lock to be drafted had he declared this offseason. Instead he returned to try and build of Mississippi State’s success in 2014, and with a sturdy frame and a dual-threat skill set he has a chance to post even better numbers in 2015.

Missouri: RB Russell Hansbrough. With Marcus Murphy on to the NFL, Hansbrough will handle much more of the work out of the backfield in 2015. And considering Mizzou just lost its top three wideouts from a year ago, the Tigers may be more dependent on Hansbrough than any other player on offense, which could result in a huge season from the star tailback.

Ole Miss: DT Issac Gross. Although he’s often overshadowed by fellow star defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, Gross is one of the SEC’s top talents at the position as well. He’s physically imposing and almost always generates a push, and along with Nkemdiche the tandem should enable the Ole Miss linebackers to make plays all over the field with plenty of space in front of them.

South Carolina: RB Brandon Wilds. With Mike Davis on to the pros, the backfield now belongs to Wilds, another strong, durable tailback capable of wearing down a defense over the course of a game. He’ll split carries with speedster David Williams, but it will be Wilds who’ll need to have a big season to complement star wideout Pharoh Cooper and to balance an offense lacking a quarterback or depth at receiver.

Tennessee: LB Curt Maggitt. For all the new, young, touted defensive line signees Tennessee brought in this offseason, Maggitt may still be the team’s most versatile pass rusher. He can play with his hand in the ground like a defensive end, or can play as a standing outside linebacker who can rush the passer off the edge and occasionally play in coverage. That versatility should serve him will in the NFL, and this season it should result in plenty of sacks opposite Derek Barnett.

Texas A&M: C Mike Matthews. The next brother in a long line of Matthews heading to the NFL, Matthews chose to wait one more year before making the leap to the pros. He’ll anchor the A&M offensive line once again this fall, and his ability to diagnose defenses and to captain the offensive line could determine the fate of the Aggies spread offense in 2015.

Vanderbilt: TE Steven Scheu. The Commodores star tight end will likely serve as the team’s top receiving option again in 2015, and if Vandy can find any consistency at quarterback it would only stand to further benefit Scheu. He’s lethal across the middle of the field, especially in play-action situations, and the better he blocks for star tailback Ralph Webb, the more he’ll likely be rewarded when Vanderbilt takes to the air.