Everybody knows the stars. Kerryon Johnson, Nick Chubb, Calvin Ridley. And those are guys you’ll find on both the Associated Press and SEC Coaches’ all-SEC teams.

But there are plenty of guys who slide under that radar who are still pivotal to their respective teams. Here’s one player from each team who missed all-SEC acclaim but was still a very important part of his team’s season.

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Alabama: Damien Harris, RB

Harris will enter the CFP 94 yards shy of his second consecutive 1,000-yard season.

A few points about how incredible Harris was:

  • He approached 1,000 yards and scored 11 TDs while averaging only 9.2 carries per game.
  • He averaged 8.2 yards per carry.
  • He had 5 negative yards all season.

So he has big play explosiveness, but basically never loses yardage. Sounds like he’ll surface again for the Tide in a couple of weeks.

Arkansas: De’Vion Warren, KR

All Warren did was finish second in the SEC in kick return average (26.4 yards) and even break one of the SEC’s six kick return touchdowns for the season. That’s all the more impressive considering the team finished only 11th in the SEC. Well, the rest of the team averaged exactly 12 yards per return — which, of course, Warren more than doubled in his efforts.

Auburn: Ryan Davis, WR

Sure, the addition of Jarrett Stidham was expected to make the AU offense go. But the rub is that somebody had to catch the ball in order for the passing game to work. Enter Davis, whose 76 catches for 768 yards and five touchdowns were pivotal in establishing some balance to the Tigers’ attack. He led the SEC in catches and finished sixth in receiving yards.

LSU: Darrell Williams, RB

A year after Derrius Guice frequently stole the show from highly-regarded but oft-injured star Leonard Fournette, Williams pulled much the same trick. He rushed for 776 yards and 9 touchdowns, ending up with 5.7 yards per carry. If that wasn’t enough, Williams also finished second on the Tigers in both receptions and receiving yards. Guice made the headlines, Williams made the plays.

Mississippi: Jordan Ta’amu, QB

When all-world QB Shea Patterson went down with a season-ending injury, things didn’t look good. But Ta’amu, a first-year Rebel fresh from the JUCO ranks, actually bested Patterson’s passing stats. He threw for 1,682 yards, 11 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. He also has rushed for 165 yards and 4 scores — Patterson had negative rushing stats.

Mississippi State: Nick Fitzgerald, QB

If you somehow don’t know what Fitzgerald meant to the Bulldogs, look at how flat they fell in the Egg Bowl without him. All the unheralded 2-star recruit did was rush for 984 yards and 14 touchdowns and pass for another 1,782 yards and 15 scores. Granted, State’s passing game struggled this year, but Fitzgerald has been the backbone of this very underrated team.

Texas A&M: Tyrell Dodson, LB

A&M’s offense took a big step back, so the defense had to keep the Aggies competitive. It often did, and an unheralded hero was Dodson, the sophomore linebacker who ended up 7th in the SEC in tackles with 97. He also had 11 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 6 pass break-ups. His name might not be as famous as the linebackers who made all-SEC, but his skills were just as strong.

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Florida: David Reese, LB

All Reese did while Florida’s season crumbled was provide a steadying influence at linebacker. His 102 tackles ranked sixth in the SEC, and his 10 tackles for loss ranked second on the UF squad. Reese amassed those stats despite the Gators having a game cancelled and losing their coach during the season.

Georgia: Rodrigo Blankenship, K

Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Sure, Jake Fromm could have been included, but even if he wasn’t all-SEC, everybody knows about him. How about Blankenship, the guy who looks more like Buddy Holly than a football star? He was 15-for-17 on field goals (his misses came from 42 and 44 yards, so he was perfect inside of 40). He made all 55 of his extra-point tries. Just in case UGA needed a bonus, 60 of his 82 kickoffs were touchbacks.

Kentucky: Stephen Johnson, QB

A recruiting afterthought, Johnson was claimed by Kentucky over suitors such as Arkansas State and Hawaii. When top QB recruit Drew Barker suffered a severe back injury, Johnson stepped in and led the UK offense. Of course, that was last season. This year, Johnson held off challenges for his job, improved his accuracy (from 54.7% in ’16 to 60.7% this year), and led UK to four SEC wins in consecutive years for the first time this century.

Missouri: Emmanuel Hall, WR

Drew Lock and J’Mon Moore both earned all-SEC honors off of the Tigers’ big-play passing game, but Hall was sneaky good for Mizzou. He racked up 817 yards and 8 touchdowns, averaging 24.7 yards per catch. He ended up fourth in the SEC in yards and third in touchdowns, and helped Lock stretch the field and keep defenses from focusing solely on Moore.

South Carolina: Bryan Edwards, WR

When all-SEC talent Deebo Samuel was seriously injured in the season’s third game, the Gamecocks’ offense was in danger. The ground game, while improving, was not strong enough to carry the team. Tight end Hayden Hurst was a solid pass-catching threat, but Edwards quietly filled much of the void Samuel left. His 59 catches for 705 yards led Carolina, and helped the USC offense grind out eight wins without its premier playmaker.

Tennessee: John Kelly, RB

Kelly, despite missing a game due to suspension, was by far the most consistent performer on this Tennessee team. His 778 rushing yards and nine touchdowns were really more impressive than the numbers reflect. Tennessee’s line was awful, and its passing game alternated between horrible and downright embarrassing. Kelly deserved better than this 4-8 season.

Vanderbilt: Kyle Shurmur, QB

His stats took a dive late in the season, but Shurmur has been Vandy’s best quarterback since Jay Cutler was in Nashville. He went from 9 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in ’16 to 26 scores and 10 interceptions this season. Shurmur may well break Cutler’s Vandy passing yardage record next season.