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Top 2016 pass-catchers (and possible surprise players) in SEC West
By Joe Cox
Published:
The biggest names on the fall stage around the SEC used to be running backs. And while nobody is forgetting Leonard Fournette or Nick Chubb or Jalen Hurd, the focus for big plays on Saturdays has shifted from the backfield to the pass-catchers on the outside. Whether it’s big-play deep threats or crafty tight ends, every SEC team has capable receivers. So who’s the favorite to lead your team in receiving in 2016, and who’s a possible surprise who just may come up big? Catch it here …
Alabama
Sophomore star Calvin Ridley is probably the best receiver in the conference. Ridley, a 6-foot-1, 188-pounder, put up huge numbers in 2015 (89 catches, 1,045 yards, 7 touchdowns), and saved many of his best performances for big games as he topped 100 yards against Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, and Michigan State. If he’s healthy, he is the undisputed leader of this receiving corps, which also returns fellow receiver ArDarius Stewart (63-700-4 in 2015).
Anybody other than Ridley is a longshot to lead Bama, but tight end O.J. Howard might be the man. The 6-foot-6, 242-pound Howard combined for 529 yards the previous two seasons but performed better last season (38-602-2). If Ridley were injured and Alabama spread the ball around a lot, maybe he could become the Tide’s leading receiver.
Arkansas
The Razorbacks will miss starting tight end Hunter Henry (51 catches, 739 yards, 3 touchdowns) but do return all-SEC receiver Drew Morgan (63-843-10), who is the odds-on favorite to lead Arkansas in receiving again. Morgan topped 100 yards against Texas A&M, Tennessee and Ole Miss, against whom he caught 9 passes for 122 yards and 3 TDs. Dominique Reed (28-535-6) is an outside option with big-play ability as well.
Don’t sleep on tight end Jeremy Sprinkle. Arkansas is well-versed in utilizing the tight end, and Sprinkle, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound load to tackle, was good in 2015 (27-389-6) but will probably be superb in 2016.
Auburn
Auburn was fairly anemic through the air in 2015, but lost star Ricardo Louis (46 catches, 716 yards, 3 touchdowns) and starter Melvin Ray (20-279-2). The top returning Tiger is junior Jason Smith (13-203-2), who had a 77-yard score against Alabama.
Meanwhile, 5-foot-9 speedster Marcus Davis also has experience (30-182-1) and played well in Auburn’s A-Day spring game. Consider Davis the prohibitive favorite to lead the team in 2016, with Smith a second choice.
A surprise would be all-world recruit Nate Craig-Myers, who is probably good enough to play — and possibly star — from Day 1. By the end of the year, don’t be surprised if he is the first option for Auburn QBs.
LSU
Talented junior Malachi Dupre led the Tigers in 2015 (43 catches, 698 yards, 6 touchdowns) and stands likely to continue to do so in the new season. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Dupre topped 100 yards receiving against Florida and Arkansas and has the speed to burn defenses.
Returning starter Travin Dural (28-533-3) missed the spring game but is a solid second option for QB Brandon Harris. And, of course, all-everything RB Leonard Fournette is a receiving threat (19-253-1).
A surprise player might be freshman wideout Dee Anderson. The 6-foot-5 Anderson was on campus for the spring, and he snagged a 70-yard scoring strike in LSU’s spring game. Size and speed make Anderson a likely suspect as a Tiger surprise.
Mississippi
Top Rebel receivers Laquon Treadwell (82 catches, 1,153 yards, 11 touchdowns) and Cody Core (37-644-4) are both gone, but the cupboard is hardly bare for Ole Miss. Four returning Rebels topped 30 catches last season and promise big things this year, including senior Quincy Adeboyejo (38-604-7), who caught a 66-yard scoring pass in the win over Alabama. Junior Damore’ea Stringfellow (36-503-5) was a transfer from Washington who fit right in with a solid year, including two scores in the Egg Bowl.
Junior wideout Markell Pack also showed some skills last year. But the potential star of the group could be tight end Evan Engram. The 6-foot-3, 227-pound senior was capable last season (38-464-2) but will look to return to his 2014 form, when he totaled 662 yards as a First-Team All-SEC pick.
Redshirt freshman Van Jefferson might be a surprise for Ole Miss. He was awarded with the team’s most improved player honor after the spring and could step right into the shoes of Treadwell in making big plays time and again.
Mississippi State
Star De’Runnya Wilson (60 catches, 918 yards, 10 touchdowns) is no longer in Starkville, but quiet assassin Fred Ross (88-1,007-5) remains. Ross is a 6-foot-2 senior who has steadily improved each season and finds himself among the best in the conference as a senior. Running back Brandon Holloway is a threat as a receiver (33-396-5), and there are other playmakers for State.
One such playmaker, and a surprise choice for 2016, is sophomore Malik Dear. Dear split time running and receiving in 2015 (22-217-2 as a receiver, with an additional 11 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown on the ground). The 5-foot-9 Dear would be a good complement to the taller, stronger Ross and could thrive against soft coverages.
Texas A&M
Sophomore Christian Kirk, along with Alabama’s Ridley, make up the top two returning receivers in the conference. The small-but-speedy Kirk was spectacular in 2015 (80 catches, 1,009 yards, 7 touchdowns) and is likely to lead the Aggies again. Senior Josh Reynolds (51-907-5) would be the man for most teams, but he’ll be an outside receiver starring in the shadows of Kirk.
A surprise is hard to name alongside two established stars, but junior receiver Ricky Seals-Jones is another bona fide star who could explode in 2016. Seals-Jones is 6-foot-5, and along with Reynolds, gives opposing cornerbacks nightmares. His production was solid last season (45-560-4) but could be even better if Kirk or Reynolds is hurt or otherwise falters.
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.
