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It’s time to dole out a few of our postseason awards from the SEC’s regular season.
The envelope, please.
SEC Player Most Likely to be Drafted First
Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss: Offensive tackles are hot commodities on draft day and Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil is considered among the best in the nation. Injuries and off-the-field issues appear to be in the past as Tunsil has become a big name being bantered about as a potential No. 1 pick, especially if the pass-protection needy Tennessee Titans retain the spot as the league’s worst team (record-wise).
He-Is-Man Award
Derrick Henry, Alabama: Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry ran away with the Heisman Award this season, easily earning the nod as well as our SEC Player of the Year honor. The numbers and feats are a bit staggering, but fun to roll through. Henry’s accomplishments include:
- Single-season SEC rushing record (1,986 yards);
- Tied Tim Tebow for most rushing touchdowns in a season (23);
- Longest active touchdown streak in nation (18 games) and longest in Alabama history;
- First player to rush for more than 100 yards in two SEC Championship games;
- Tied with Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram for most 100-yard games in a single-season (9 times) for Alabama;
- Rushed for 125 or more yards against seven ranked teams.
Most likely assistant to become a head coach somewhere
Arkansas OC Dan Enos: The Razorbacks finished second overall in total offense in the SEC (No. 31 in the nation) and appear ready to reload once again on offense. Enos coached Central Michigan for five seasons, going 26-36, but after just one year in Fayetteville he is already drawing interest from other programs. Most notably from Georgia, where new head coach Kirby Smart tried to poach Enos to run the Bulldog offense. Bret Bielema balked at the idea quite vehemently and Smart settled for Jim Chaney as his OC, instead. With an offense that should be loaded with talent and veterans, 2016 could easily be the last at Arkansas for Enos.
Upset of the Year
South Carolina, good and bad: It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a team being upset or doing the upsetting, because both belong to South Carolina. The Gamecocks upset cross-border rival North Carolina in Week 1, doling the Tar Heels their only loss until the ACC Championship Game and essentially denying their northerly neighbors any true shot at the College Football Playoff. On the flip side, South Carolina’s loss to The Citadel goes down in the latter half of the upset category. The Gamecocks’ 23-22 loss marked the first time the Bulldogs downed South Carolina since 1950 and was the first time in Columbia since Woodrow Wilson was President (1919). Other upsets considered were Ole Miss over Alabama, Arkansas over Ole Miss, Arkansas over LSU and Tennessee over Georgia.
Best Press Conference
Nick Saban, Alabama: A bottle of Coke declined comment on the likelihood of Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart leaving Tuscaloosa for Georgia’s head coaching gig after Tide head coach Nick Saban redirected all questions on the matter to the inanimate plastic bottle. Saban to wit:
“I don’t have anything else to say about it. So don’t ask. There is no more. I know you would like to some kind of way extract something out of this bottle that’s not there. It’s not there. You all speculate and create things and then you want people to respond to it. You can get this bottle to respond to it because I don’t know anything more about it. I told you everything I know, so you can ask the bottle but don’t ask me.” Refreshing.
Transfer of the Year
Chad Kelly, Ole Miss: Alabama quarterback Jake Coker deserves his share of recognition for leading the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff after transferring from Florida State. But it was another ACC castaway that rippled bigger waves in the SEC. That’s Ole Miss signal-caller Chad Kelly, who entered his first season in Oxford via Clemson with many question marks surrounding his talent and character. Kelly went on to lead the SEC in passing with 3,740 yards to go along with 27 touchdowns.
Loyalty Award
Shawn Elliott, South Carolina: Shawn Elliott loves the South Carolina Gamecocks. No one can ever question that. The South Carolina offensive line coach received his dream job, replacing Steve Spurrier after the Head Ball Coach abruptly resigned after the ‘Cocks fell to 2-4 with a Week 6 loss to LSU. Elliott finished 1-5 as interim head coach, but his fervor on the field was infectious. South Carolina fought hard in every game, injecting some life into what was a moribund season up to that point. Elliott could easy have parlayed this season into a bigger role for himself somewhere. Instead, he returns to once again lead South Carolina’s offensive line under new Gamecock head coach Will Muschamp.
Best Player Heading into Next Year
Leonard Fournette, LSU: Leonard Fournette was on his way to superstardom via a monster first half of the season that had the Tigers sophomore barreling toward almost all the rushing records the SEC and NCAA offer. But Fournette suffered when it counted most and slipped out of Heisman contention to Derrick Henry. Fournette returns to Death Valley next year with a chance to be stronger, wiser and more experienced. It could make for a scary offense in Baton Rouge if LSU can fix some of its quarterback problems. Also considered for this honor was Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs, should he return to Knoxville next season for his senior campaign. If Dobbs can improve upon his 2015 season, which saw him throw for 2,125 passing yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for another 623 rushing yards and 9 scores on the ground, the Tennessee offense will be in a position to win its first SEC East since 2007.
Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.
