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Given the massive amount of talent recruited every year, the SEC can seem like an arms race. The top freshmen and sophomores will see the field and many will thrive.
But sometimes, the long, steady climb is the best one. Here are 10 fifth-year seniors who could have big impacts in the SEC this season:
Bradley Bozeman, C, Alabama
Bozeman was a second-team All-SEC pick by the media in the preseason. He red-shirted in 2013 and worked his way up the depth chart over the next two seasons before becoming a full-time starter and third-team All-SEC pick in 2016. The 6-foot-5 center was a key part of Alabama’s superb running attack in 2016 — one that rushed for 5.8 yards per carry on the way to the national title game. If Alabama works its way back to the title game, Bozeman will be front and center in that effort.
Daniel Carlson, PK, Auburn
The 6-foot-4 Coloradan has consistently been one of the best kickers in the nation. He likely will finish his Auburn career as the school’s leader in points and field goals, and with a career 83.1 percent conversion rate on field goals, he’s one of the most accurate kickers in SEC history — fourth best entering his senior season. The Tigers won the conference while Carlson red-shirted in 2013; if they’re going to win it again, Carlson’s clutch kicks will be a significant reason.
K.J. Malone, T, LSU
Malone (above) is a 6-4, 303-pound star who combines his own rugged build with the athleticism of his famous father (Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone). Malone, who red-shirted in 2013, worked his way into the starting lineup at left tackle last season and helped LSU rack up over 6 yards per carry. A preseason all-SEC second-team pick, Malone has NFL potential.
Austin Allen, QB, Arkansas
Once upon a time, Austin Allen was just the little brother to Arkansas QB Brandon Allen. Austin red-shirted in 2013, then sat behind his brother for two seasons. In 2016, Brandon’s UA career was over, and Austin became the man. All he did was pass for 3,430 yards and 25 touchdowns, giving the Hogs one of the best passing attacks in the SEC. A third-team All-SEC pick, Allen may be the single most important player to his team on this list. It’s been quite a promotion from the days as little brother to the big man on campus.
Nick Washington, S, Florida
Florida’s roster shows 65 players who have used a redshirt year, including 8 seniors.
Washington was getting less publicity than Florida’s other fifth-year safety, Marcell Harris, but with Harris lost for the year, Washington is one of very few familiar faces on the Florida defense. At 6-0 and 197 pounds, Washington is lean but tough. He started six games last season, making 45 tackles and recording an interception. With Harris out, Washington is UF’s second best returning tackler. As the wily old man of the secondary, he will be pivotal to Florida’s season without Tabor, Wilson and Harris.
Trevor Daniel, P, Tennessee
Daniel — a thick, athletic punter at 6-1, 248 pounds — was recruited for Butch Jones’s first UT team in 2013. He red-shirted that year, didn’t see any action in 2014, and then has started for the past two seasons. He averaged 44.6 and 45.7 yards per punt the past two seasons and was a third-team All-SEC preseason pick this year. Given UT’s depth and inexperience issues on both sides of the ball, another big year from Daniel is a must to camouflage some of the Vols’ weaknesses.
Skai Moore, LB, South Carolina
Moore’s redshirt year wasn’t based on him not being good enough to get on the field early. He made the SEC All-Freshman team as a true freshman in 2013, with a team-high 56 tackles. He did nothing but improve, leading the team in tackles with 96 and 111 the next two years. A neck injury caused him to miss the entire 2016 season, but there’s not a better fifth-year senior in the conference, or maybe the nation. A 6-2, 220-pound blazer, Moore can cover, rush, or stop the run.
Nick Haynes, OL, Kentucky
Haynes is an athletic, 6-foot-3 lineman who red-shirted for Mark Stoops’s first Kentucky team, which promptly went 2-10. Haynes started one game in 2014, nine in 2015 and every game — at left guard — in 2016. Haynes helped Kentucky have a pair of 1,000-yard backs and rush for 234 yards per game and 5.4 per carry. He could wind up in a new position this season. An under-the-radar guy, Haynes should garner NFL attention for his athleticism and speed.
J’Mon Moore, WR, Missouri
One of two 1,000-yard receivers in the SEC last season, Moore is as big-time of a playmaker as the league features. The 6-3, 205-pound senior had a shoulder injury in 2013 which helped cement the decision to red-shirt him. Moore caught two passes in 2014, 29 in 2015 and 62 in 2016. Moore not only eclipsed 1,000 yards last year, he also caught eight touchdowns, showing the ability to be a deep threat and a red zone target. The Tigers are intrigued to see what Moore’s fifth-year encore will be, and a first-team All-SEC preseason selection speaks volumes.
Ralph Webb, RB, Vanderbilt
Ralph Webb is one of 9 redshirt seniors on Vandy’s roster.
After Webb sat out James Franklin’s final year at Vandy, he quickly became the featured offensive option on some not quite as stellar Commodores squads. With 3,347 rushing yards entering the season, Webb is already Vandy’s all-time leading rusher. It’s noteworthy that as Webb has improved, so have the ’Dores — from three to four to six wins. Webb was fourth in the SEC in rushing last season, and while all of the players who ranked above him have returned, he could still move up the list in ’17.
Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.
