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Replacing all-time players will not be easy for teams across the SEC in the coming season. Coaching staffs will be looking for underclassmen already on campus and highly rated recruits to step up.
Here’s our view of the largest void each team faces entering 2017:
Alabama: Defensive end Jonathan Allen was an AP first-team all-SEC selection and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. He leads the Crimson Tide with 9.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. His 62 tackles are fifth on the defense. Allen was selected as one of the Crimson Tide’s permanent team captains and the winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award and Ted Hendricks Award.
Arkansas: A four-year starter, 6-foot-10 offensive tackle Dan Skipper was named to multiple all-SEC teams for this season. Skipper was named SEC Lineman of the Week twice this season. He started all 12 regular season games at left tackle, helping Rawleigh Williams III win the SEC regular season rushing title with 1,326 yards. Skipper also received an SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honor this season. Arkansas was one of nine FBS teams with a 1,300-yard rusher and a 3,000-yard passer. Skipper entered the Belk Bowl with 46 consecutive starts.
Auburn: Six-foot-4, 309-pound defensive tackle Montravius Adams was a first-team all-SEC selection and drew plenty of attention away from fellow defensive lineman Carl Lawson. Against LSU, Arkansas and Georgia he had at least two tackles for loss and totaled 4.5 sacks. He started all 12 games in the regular season and set career highs with 8.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks.
Florida: Cornerback Quincy Wilson often stood in the shadow of Jalen Tabor, but he’s gaining attention from NFL scouts as one of the best cornerbacks on the board. That’s partly because his 6-foot-1, 213-pound frame is unusual for his position. Wilson made 33 tackles this past season, with six pass breakups and three interceptions, returning one 78 yards for a touchdown against Missouri.
Georgia: Safety Maurice Smith was a key part of the Georgia secondary as he started 10 games and played in all 12 in the regular season. He’ll be most remembered for the key play in the Auburn win, a 34-yard interception return for a touchdown. He had a career-high seven tackles against Tennessee.
Kentucky: Jon Toth was an AP first-team SEC selection, and at the end of the regular season, he had started 47 straight games at center, the longest streak in the nation. He led the team with 69 knockdown blocks and 195 blocks at the point of attack this season. Toth will be remembered as a foundational piece on the offensive line early in Mark Stoops’ tenure after he was recruited as a guard and tackle. Not to mention, the line produced two 1,000-yard rushers.
LSU: Linebacker Kendell Beckwith has been among the top two tacklers for the Tigers the last two seasons, and he was a Butkus Award finalist this season. Despite not playing in the Citrus Bowl because of a torn ACL and missing most of the Florida game and all of the Texas A&M game, he racked up 91 tackles, highlighted by 16 against Alabama. After LSU allowed just seven red-zone touchdowns in his 10 games, he leaves a position that will be especially young next season.
Missouri: Widely considered a first round NFL draft pick, defensive end Charles Harris has blossomed after transitioning from basketball early in his career. Harris ranks seventh in Mizzou history with 18 career sacks and 12th with 34.5 tackles for loss. For the season, Harris led Mizzou with a career-high nine sacks, 10 quarterback hurries and 12 tackles for loss. He has declared for the NFL draft, forgoing a final season with the Tigers.
Mississippi State: Fred Ross led the team with 68 receptions, second-highest in the SEC and nearly twice as many as his closest teammate, and led the SEC with 12 touchdown catches. He was held without a score in only three games. He also racked up several school records, including all-time receptions, receiving yards and 100-yard games.
Ole Miss: Tight end Evan Engram quickly became one of the best receivers in the SEC regardless of position as he led the Rebels with 65 catches for 926 yards and eight touchdowns. He had four games of at least 102 receiving yards and two more with 95. The three-year starter is the all-time Ole Miss leader in receptions (97) and receiving yards (1,394) by a tight end.
South Carolina: Defensive end Darius English was a second-team all-SEC selection after recording nine sacks, tied for fourth in the league and tied for fifth all-time in a single season at South Carolina. He had at least a half sack in nine games and three against Kentucky. His season-high in tackles was 10 against Florida.
Tennessee: Defensive end Derek Barnett was the best pass rusher for the Vols since Reggie White, and he broke White’s career record for sacks with 33 when he had one in the bowl win over Nebraska. Barnett’s 33 sacks are the most in the country over the last three seasons, a half sack better than Texas A&M junior defensive end Myles Garrett. Barnett ended the regular season tied with White for second in program history with 51 tackles for loss. He had seven multi-sack games in his three-year career.
Texas A&M: Defensive end Myles Garrett had 32.5 sacks and 48.5 tackles for loss in three seasons, is projected to be a top-10 NFL pick and is ranked the No. 1 overall NFL prospect by ESPN’s Mel Kiper. The 6-foot-5, 270-pounder had 8.5 sacks after battling an ankle injury most of the season.
Vanderbilt: Linebacker Zach Cunningham will look to add size to his 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame. Rated a sleeper to start the season, he is drawing rave reviews from scouts. Cunningham finished the season as the SEC leader with 125 total tackles, putting him in the top 10 nationally. His 71 solo tackles ranked second in the SEC. Cunningham became first Commodores player to earn unanimous first-team All-America recognition (selected by all five of the major groups who name All-Americans) and the seventh Vandy player to claim consensus All-America honors (chosen by at least three of the five).
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
