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Which players from each team should have been in the SEC Media Guide?
By John Brasier
Published:
Football seasons rarely, if ever, go “by the book.”
Maybe in the old days of the Big 2 and Little 8 (Michigan and Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten) or the Big 2 and the Little 6 (Oklahoma and Nebraska and the rest of the Big Eight).
But not in the SEC. And it definitely didn’t happen in 2015.
Auburn, with QB Jeremy Johnson expected to have a breakout season, was the preseason media pick to win the conference title. Leonard Fournette was considered the league’s top candidate to win the Heisman Trophy. Everything seemed peaceful at Missouri, where Gary Pinkel had guided the Tigers to back-to-back East championships.
Four months later, it’s easy to look back and realize everything didn’t happen as expected.
In the 2015 SEC Media Guide, the league’s preseason, all-encompassing book on SEC football, photos of four expected standout players on each team were featured.
Here’s a look back at the media guide choices with changes that would be made in a revised edition (postseason picks in bold with italics for changes):
ALABAMA: Media Guide–LB Reggie Ragland, C Ryan Kelly, RB Derrick Henry, DE A’Shawn Robinson. Revised–Ragland, Kelly, Henry, Robinson. No changes here. All four were All-SEC picks. Henry won the Heisman Trophy. Kelly won the Rimington Award and shared the SEC’s Jacobs Trophy as the conference’s best blocker. Ragland and Robinson were finalists for the Butkus and Outland awards, respectively.
ARKANSAS: Media Guide–QB Brandon Allen, RB Jonathan Williams, TE Hunter Henry, LB Brooks Ellis: Revised–Allen, Henry, OT Sebastian Tretola, RB Alex Collins. Tretola shared the Jacobs Trophy. Allen and Collins had outstanding seasons. So did Henry, whose heads-up lateral triggered the play of the year.
AUBURN: Media Guide–QB Jeremy Johnson, OL Avery Young, DB Jonathan Jones, DE Carl Lawson: Revised–PK Daniel Carlson, OL Braden Smith, S Rudy Ford, LB Cassanova McKinzy. Carlson was a unanimous All-SEC pick. Smith was All-SEC second team. Ford led the team in tackles with McKinzy on top in sacks. Lawson, the team’s best player, played in only six games.
FLORIDA: Media Guide–WR Demarcus Robinson, RB Kelvin Taylor, CB Vernon Hargreaves III, DE Jon Bullard. Revised: Hargreaves, Bullard, CB Jalen Tabor, LB Antonio Morrison. Easy to go all defense here. Hargreaves and Tabor were stoppers on the corners. Morrison led in tackles. Bullard led in tackles for loss and tied for the lead in sacks.
GEORGIA: Media Guide–RB Nick Chubb, LB Leonard Floyd, LB Jordan Jenkins, OT John Theus. Revised: Theus, Floyd, S Dominick Sanders, LB Jake Ganus. Theus was All-SEC, Floyd was at the top in tackles for loss, sacks and returned a fumble 96 yards for a TD, Sanders was All-SEC second team and Ganus led in tackles.
KENTUCKY: Media Guide–LB Josh Forrest, S A.J. Stamps, C Jon Toth, OT Jordan Swindle. Revised: Forrest, Toth, LT C.J. Johnson, RB Boom Williams. Forrest led the team in tackles. Toth was the top offensive lineman. Johnson made All-SEC second team. Williams rushed for 855 yards on 7.07 yards per carry.
LSU: Media Guide–RB Leonard Fournette, S Jamal Adams, OT Jerald Hawkins, LB Kendell Beckwith. Revised–Fournette, Adams, LB Deion Jones, OT Vadal Alexander. Fournette was one of the top players in the country. Adams led the team in interceptions. Jones was the top tackler and had the most tackles for loss. Alexander, the top blocker for Fournette, was All-SEC.
OLE MISS: Media Guide–WR Laquon Treadwell, OT Laremy Tunsil, TE Evan Engram, DT Robert Nkemdiche. Revised–Treadwell, CB Mike Hilton, DE Marquis Haynes, QB Chad Kelly. Of Ole Miss’ three expected first-round NFL Draft picks, only Treadwell shined the whole season. Hilton and Haynes were All-SEC second team picks. Kelly, also an All-SEC second team choice, had a tremendous first season.
MISSISSIPPI STATE: Media Guide–DT Chris Jones, QB Dak Prescott, CB Will Redmond, WR De’Runnya Wilson. Revised–Prescott, Wilson, DE A.J. Jefferson, DE Richie Brown. Prescott was All-SEC and kept the Bulldogs competitive. Wilson led the team in receiving TDs and yards per catch. Brown led the team in tackles and Jefferson led in tackles for loss.
MISSOURI: Media Guide–C Evan Boehm, LB Kentrell Brothers, RB Russell Hansbrough, QB Maty Mauk. Revised–Brothers, DE Charles Harris, DE Walter Brady, P Corey Fatony. Brothers led the nation in tackles and was All-SEC. Harris and Brady were Mizzou’s new dominant defensive ends. Fatony averaged almost 43 yards per punt and almost 42 percent of his kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Media Guide–WR Pharoh Cooper, PK Elliott Fry, LB Skai Moore, OT Brandon Shell. Revised–Cooper, Fry, Moore, TE Jerell Adams. Cooper was All-SEC on a team without a solid passing quarterback. Fry kicked 20 field goals. Moore led the team in tackles, tackles for loss and interceptions. Adams was the team’s second-leading receiver.
TENNESSEE: Media Guide–DE Derek Barnett, QB Joshua Dobbs, LB Curt Maggitt, CB Cameron Sutton. Revised–Barnett, Dobbs, LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin, RB Jalen Hurd. Barnett was a playmaker and led the team in sacks. Dobbs had a solid season running and throwing. Maybin led the team in tackles and tackles for loss. Hurd rushed for 1,158 yards and 11 TDs. Barnett, Maybin and Hurd were All-SEC team.
TEXAS A&M: Media Guide–OT Germain Ifedi, DE Myles Garrett, C Mike Matthews, P Drew Kaser. Revised–Ifedi, Garrett, Kaser, WR Christian Kirk. Ifedi is expected to go early in the NFL Draft. Garrett may be the most disruptive defender in the league. A Ray Guy Award finalist, Kaser averaged almost 48 yards per punt. Kirk was the most dynamic freshman in the league as a receiver and kick returner.
VANDERBILT: Media Guide–TE Steven Scheu, RB Ralph Webb, LB Nigel Bowden, OL Spencer Pulley. Revised–Webb, Pulley, LB Zach Cunningham, S Oren Burks. Webb rushed for 1,152 yards with little help from a passing game. Cunningham, an All-SEC pick, led the team in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks. Burks led in interceptions and was third in tackles. Pulley, the team’s top blocker, fought through injuries at a new position.
