In 2016 there were a number of great players who were able to out-perform even their own impressive statistics. And there were also players whose numbers might have gone under the radar for various reasons.

Here are 10 players returning this season whose numbers last year did not tell the whole story about their performance.

WR Dimetrios Mason – Missouri

As a freshman last season, Mason’s numbers were solid: 47 receptions, 587 yards and 3 TD catches. But Tigers fans really got a good look at what to expect from Mason during the second half of the season.

Over his last five games, Mason averaged 5 receptions for almost 70 yards. And Mason produced against some quality competition. Against Kentucky, the fifth-ranked pass defense in the SEC, Mason had his second 100-yard receiving day and first two career touchdowns.

Against Will Muschamp’s South Carolina defense: 8 catches for 88 yards.  On the road at Tennessee: 66 yards and another score.

It will be worth watching to see if Mason can build on that strong finish.

LB Tre’ Williams – Auburn

On a defense that featured big names such as Carl Lawson, Montravius Adams and Rudy Ford, it’s worth noting that Tre’ Williams was second on the team in tackles (67) and led Auburn in tackles per game (6.1).

It took a while for Williams to get going in his junior season, and he missed two games because of injuries. But over his last seven games, Williams was a tackling machine, averaging nearly 7 tackles with half of those solo stops.

And just ask Alabama about Williams. Although they cruised past the Tigers 30-12, the Crimson Tide saw Williams all day long, as the standout from Mobile, Ala., had a season-high 10 tackles, 7 of them solo.

WR D.J. Chark – LSU

Twenty-six catches for 466 yards.

Ho-hum, you say?

Not quite.

D.J. Chark proved to be one of the most consistent performers for the Tigers last season. A look inside his numbers shows that despite having fewer than 30 catches and 500 yards, Chark was a very dependable receiver.

Take a look at Chark’s receptions totals from late September to early November:

Mississippi State (3 receptions)

Auburn (3 receptions)

Missouri (3 receptions)

Southern Miss (3 receptions)

Ole Miss (3 receptions)

Alabama (3 receptions)

As the only player returning to the Tigers receiving group with more than 10 catches last season, Chark will be expected to put up even better numbers this year.

And by the way, Chark’s TD catch total from 2016? Three.

QB Danny Etling – LSU

Fans may not have been overly impressed with 11 TD passes last season from Danny Etling, but for a player who wasn’t supposed to see the field (Brandon Harris started the first two games), his overall numbers were more than respectable.

True, a completion percentage under 60 is nothing to write home about, but look at his numbers as a starter minus the Alabama game:

7-2 record, 61.9 completion pct, 214.6 passing YPG, seven 200-yard passing games, 10 pass TDs, 4 interceptions.

On a team that had a superstar running back (Leonard Fournette) and a 1,300-yard rusher (Derrius Guice), Etling was still able to produce solid numbers.

RB Kerryon Johnson – Auburn

Kamryn Pettway led the Tigers in rushing last season with 1,224 yards. There is no denying that fact.

But, who led Auburn in rushing TDs?

Who rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown against eventual national champion Clemson?

Who had 93 rushing yards against LSU’s defense?

Who averaged nearly 5 yards a carry against the best defense in the nation in Alabama?

The answer to all of these questions is Kerryon Johnson. It’s one reason why he was able to perform even better than his 2016 numbers, which were nearly 900 yards on the ground and 11 scores.

Getting stuck behind one of the SEC’s leading rusher doesn’t always leave a lot of opportunity to show what you can do. Johnson was able to make the most of his chances.

QB Stephen Johnson – Kentucky

The Wildcats offense last season featured a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Boom Williams and Benny Snell.

It also featured the emergence of Stephen Johnson as the starting quarterback.

After taking over for Drew Barker early in the season, Johnson showed that he could handle the job, especially early on, passing for 310 yards and 3 TDs in a Week 3 win over New Mexico State.

But it was his play in the Wildcats’ biggest game of the season that showed why fans needed to overlook Johnson’s 54.7 completion percentage and less than 200 yards of passing per game.

On the road at Louisville, a team Kentucky had not beaten since 2010, Johnson outplayed eventual Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. Finishing with career highs in passing (338) and rushing (83) yards, Johnson led the Wildcats to a shocking 41-38 win over the Cardinals.

RB John Kelly – Tennessee

Tennessee’s rushing offense was a mess in 2016. Jalen Hurd, who led the Volunteers in rushing in 2014 and 2015, left the team midway through the season and eventually transferred to Baylor.

Alvin Kamara, second on the team in rushing in 2015 behind Hurd, missed a pair of games midway through the season, and when he did return averaged just 71 yards per game.

That’s why John Kelly’s performance should not be overlooked. Yes, Joshua Dobbs was the team’s leading rusher with 831 yards and 12 TDs. But despite being fourth on the team in carries with 98, Kelly finished second in yards with 630.

And over his final six games, Kelly averaged 85.8 rushing yards on 6.5 per carry. Kelly produced despite never getting more than 18 carries in a game.

RB Rico Dowdle – South Carolina

By the end of last season, the freshman getting the most praise on the Gamecocks’ offense was quarterback Jake Bentley. But another freshman put up some numbers that should not be overlooked.

Running back Rico Dowdle led the Gamecocks in rushing with 764 yards despite missing the first four games. His performance might have gone unnoticed because Dowdle ranked just fifth among freshmen in the SEC in rushing yards.

But at the end of the season he was coming up with some big-time efforts. In back-to-back weeks against Tennessee and Missouri, Dowdle carried the ball 27 times in each game, averaged 138 yards and scored twice.

He racked up 226 yards on the ground against Western Carolina, and though he was only given the ball five times against eventual national champion Clemson, Dowdle still averaged 6 yards a carry.

S Ryan White – Vanderbilt

It might have seemed as if there was only one player on Vanderbilt’s defense last season, with the SEC’s leading tackler Zach Cunningham getting so much well-deserved praise.

But safety Ryan White more than held his own for the Commodores. Although his 75 tackles were third-most on the team, and he did not come away with an interception, White showed he could come up big in big moments.

Against Georgia in Athens, White had a career-high 12 tackles. And against Tennessee in the regular-season finale, with the Commodores needing a win to become bowl-eligible, White had 10 solo tackles, also a career high.

RB Bo Scarbrough – Alabama

Bo Scarbrough’s 2016 numbers were solid on a team loaded with stars. Although he was third on the team in rushing, 812 yards is nothing to sneeze at.

It’s what Scarbrough did at the end of the season, in Alabama’s biggest moments, that put him on this list.

Coming back from a right knee injury that forced him to miss two games, Scarborough’s final four games of the season were against rival Auburn, Florida in the SEC Championship Game, and against Washington and Clemson in the College Football Playoff.

All Scarbrough did was rush for at least 90 yards in each game and average 113.5. He averaged 7.2 a carry and scored 6 TDs. Against Washington in the national semifinals, he ran for 180 yards and two scores. And against Clemson in the national championship game, Scarbrough was cruising along with 93 yards and two TDs before suffering a broken leg in the third quarter.

In the end, Scarbrough was able to make 812 yards look like a 1,500-yard season.