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Athlon Sports jumped to the head of the class by putting out its all-SEC teams last week. But Athlon might have belonged in summer school. Here are 10 surprising omissions from their all-SEC squads.
1. Drew Lock, Missouri
In his first year as a full-time starter, Lock passed for 3,399 yards and 23 scores last year in Columbia. Now, he’s a junior with an improved offense, including returning 1,000-yard receiver J’Mon Moore and running back Damarea Crockett, who did make Athlon’s list. Mizzou may not be en route to a division title, but Lock will be a top passer in the SEC.
2. Jacob Eason, Georgia
The all-world freshman had an up-and-down 2016 season, passing for 2,430 yards and 16 touchdowns. It is worth noting that Athlon freely admits that their selections “are based on how players will perform in 2017.” Give Eason a year of experience, bring back Chubb, Michel, Godwin, and Nauta, and I’m hard pressed to believe that third- and fourth-team picks Austin Allen and Nick Fitzgerald will have better years than Eason.
3. Shea Patterson, Ole Miss
There may be a theme here, but seriously, if Patterson doesn’t have an all-SEC type season in Oxford, it’ll be a shock to everybody who saw his impressive three-game trial in 2016, which included a big comeback win on the road at College Station. Nick Fitzgerald will outrush Patterson, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Shea outpassed him by a thousand yards.
4. Damien Harris, Alabama
Tide back Bo Scarbrough was named to the second team, but the guy who outgained Scarbrough 1,037 to 812 (and did it with a 7.1 yards per carry average) is nowhere to be found. Harris broke the thousand yard plateau despite never carrying more than 18 times in a game. Najee Harris may push for time, but Damien Harris shouldn’t have been forgotten.
5. Kerryon Johnson, Auburn
We understand Kamryn Pettway getting all the attention. But there are plenty of touches to go around on the plains, and Johnson had a phenomenal sophomore season in 2016, gaining 895 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns. Johnson outgained Athlon’s fourth-team pick Jordan Scarlett (and reached the end zone more), but he was off the all-SEC squad.
6. Van Jefferson, Ole Miss
Review #3 above, and remember that somebody is going to have to catch all of those passes. Jefferson is a solid candidate, coming off a freshman campaign that included 49 receptions for 543 yards. Those numbers are better than a good half of the receivers Athlon selected — and they’ll only go up in 2017.
7. Bryan Edwards, South Carolina
At Carolina, Deebo Samuel is the pass catcher who grabs the attention (and Athlon’s first-team choice). But all Edwards did as a true frosh was haul in 44 passes for 590 yards and four scores. SEC defenses will shadow Samuel — likely giving Edwards a chance to improve his numbers next season.
8. Josh Allen, Kentucky
After barely playing as a freshman, Allen had seven sacks as a pass-rush specialist in 2016. He’s still growing into his position, and while UK’s Denzil Ware is a more finished player (and a second-team choice by Athlon), Allen’s 2016 stats were better than Ware’s.
9. Jamarcus King, South Carolina
As a JUCO defensive back, King didn’t have as much hype as many of the players Athlon chose — but his play in 2016 speaks for itself. He broke up nine passes and intercepted three more — superior stats to half of the DBs who Athlon selected.
10. Corey Fatoney, Missouri
A punter? Sure, why not? Athlon went with Josh Growden from LSU in the fourth-team spot. Growden averaged 41.4 yards per kick in 2016. Fatoney averaged 43.8, and he has been a rare bright spot for the Tigers’ special teams. He’s more experienced, has been more productive, and would have been a better selection than Growden.
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.
