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Some sports records will never be broken, or at least fans like to think as such.
In 1981, few thought Herschel Walker’s single-season mark of 1,891 rushing yards would be duplicated or surpassed. But 34 years later, Derrick Henry broke the record during the SEC Championship Game against Florida and went on to add to the record with wins against Michigan State and Clemson. He finished the season with 2,219 yards.
After Henry became the first SEC running back to surpass 2,000 in a single season, it seems his record would be safe. While Henry had an amazing season, it wouldn’t be unforeseen if Leonard Fournette broke his record this season. What are some of the top school records that, if broken, would shock us the most? Let’s take a look:
- Greyson Lambert, Georgia — Lambert isn’t even assured of being the starting quarterback at Georgia this season, Lambert’s senior season. However, Lambert played well enough in a game against South Carolina last season to secure the starting job for 2015. Lambert completed 24 out of 25 pass attempts to set a school and NCAA record for highest completion percentage in a single game with a minimum of 20 pass attempts. Achieving a 96 completion percentage is a record that will stand up for years.
- David Greene, Georgia — Georgia has a steady succession of quarterbacks holding SEC records, but David Greene’s career wins record is perhaps the most impressive. AJ McCarron had a tremendous amount of success during his time at Alabama, capturing back-to-back national championships in 2011 and 2012 as the starter. Still, McCarron’s career record as a starter was 36-4. Greene’s winning percentage wasn’t as high, but 42 wins will be tough to surpass. Even Peyton Manning, who had a highly decorated career at Tennessee, finished his Volunteers career with 39 wins.
- Tim Couch, Kentucky — Couch holds the record for most pass completions in a season with 400, set during the 1998 season. His closest competitor? Himself, the 1997 version. During that season, Couch set an SEC record with 363 pass completions, which is now No. 2 on the list for the conference and at Kentucky.
- Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M — Johnny Manziel earned the nickname of Johnny Football during a record-setting 2012 season in which he topped the list for total offense in a single season with 5,116 yards. Yet another case of a player producing great back-to-back seasons, Manziel followed 2012 with what currently ranks as second in both the SEC and Texas A&M history for total offense in a single season with 4,873 yards in 2013. Now, if only he can shift his focus back to football.
- Kevin Faulk, LSU — Kevin Faulk was one of the greatest running backs to ever play in the SEC, and for that matter, he was one of the greatest athletes the conference ever had the pleasure of witnessing. His career mark of 6,833 all-purpose yards will likely never be broken. The closest competitor, Darren McFadden, is nearly 1,000 yards behind him in the record books in second place. Faulk went on to win three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots and displayed all the same skills at the NFL level that made him beloved among the Tigers’ faithful: an exceptional ability to return the ball during both kickoffs and punts, a toughness in running the ball with regularity and soft hands to catch the ball out of the backfield.
- Jim Arnold, Vanderbilt — Arnold has 12,171 career punting yards, an SEC record and a school record. It isn’t a sexy record and three of the four teams McAdams played for were flat out bad, but in 1982, the team finished 8-4. During that season, Arnold was named a First-Team All-American by the Associated Press right before going on to have a great pro career.
- Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt — Typically, if a receiver shows great promise during his freshman year, they will bolt for the NFL early, which is why Matthews’ record should be safe for a while. Matthews recorded 3,759 receiving yards while toiling with mediocrity at Vanderbilt for four years.
- Derrick Thomas, Alabama — Thomas holds the least likely record to ever be broken. In 1988, Thomas recorded a whopping 27 sacks in a single season. For all of his talent, Jadeveon Clowney set the South Carolina school record with 13 sacks in 2012, less than half of Thomas’ total. In second place on Alabama’s single-season list is Thomas again. In 1987, he recorded 18 sacks. Jonathan Allen moved to third place on the list with his 12 sacks last season. Thomas’ record has stood up as a school record, SEC record and NCAA record and that is unlikely to change any time soon.
- Tim Tebow, Florida — While Derrick Henry’s single-season rushing record may fall, Tebow’s career touchdown record is unlikely to be surpassed. Tebow moved ahead of Faulk’s old record of 53 touchdowns from scrimmage, eventually finishing his career with 57.
- Herschel Walker, Georgia — When it comes to Walker, it is unlikely his career rushing yards mark will be broken anytime soon. In just three years, Walker rushed for 5,259 yards, an SEC and Georgia record. The list behind Walker is impressive: McFadden, Faulk, Bo Jackson and Errict Rhett. Yet, none of the other top five on the list has come close to Walker’s mark, with McFadden at second with 4,590.
