The SEC lost a lot of talented running backs, but it returns plenty of talent, too.

This could be the final year of college for Georgia’s D’Andre Swift and Alabama’s Najee Harris, and they both should be heavily featured for top 5 teams. Beyond them, there are a number of players ready to take the next step or burst onto the scene in a big way.

As I ranked the top 10 running backs heading into the 2019 season, though, I couldn’t rank guys who might end the year in the top 10 — incoming freshmen like Alabama’s Trey Sanders, LSU’s John Emery and Ole Miss’ Jerrion Ealy (assuming he doesn’t choose baseball).

Still, there’s plenty of talent to go around. Here’s a look at the top 10 SEC running backs following spring practices:

10. Ty Chandler, Tennessee

Tim Jordan got 17 more carries than Chandler last year, and I’m not sure why. Chandler averaged 1.5 more yards per carry than Jordan (5.5 for Chandler to 4.0 for Jordan).

Yes, Chandler was injured early in the opener against West Virginia and missed Week 2 against East Tennessee State with that injury, but when you have a guy averaging that many more yards per carry than your other back, you play him more.

Plus, Chandler is a better receiver and contributes in the return game. We’ll see if new Tennessee OC Jim Chaney recognizes what a weapon he has in Chandler and gets the ball to him more this fall.

9. Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas

Boyd averaged 6 yards per carry last season, so he should be a little higher on this list. However, with Devwah Whaley still in the mix and Chase Hayden returning from injury, the Arkansas backfield is going to be a bit crowded.

Boyd should get a bulk of the work, but he’ll probably end up with right around the 123 carries he got last year. That will limit his ability to eclipse the coveted 1,000-yard mark.

8. Boobee Whitlow, Auburn

Whitlow only ran for 757 yards in 2018, ending Auburn’s streak of 9 consecutive seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher. Still, he only had 150 carries, which isn’t that many for a top back. Backup Kam Martin had 103 carries for and seven other Auburn rushers had at least 10 carries, taking work away from Whitlow.

This fall, Martin and Whitlow are both back, but I expect Whitlow to get more work if he can stay healthy. Whitlow averaged 5.2 yards per carry to Martin’s 4.4-yard average.

Give Whitlow closer to the 200 carries that a true feature back usually gets and he’ll definitely go over 1,000 yards for the season.

7. Scottie Phillips, Ole Miss

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Much like Ke’Shawn Vaughn at Vanderbilt, Phillips is going to miss some of the talent that is moving on from Ole Miss this offseason. Ole Miss is replacing its QB, top WRs and LT Greg Little.

That’ll have an impact on the rising senior, who had over 1,000 yards from scrimmage last fall (928 rushing, 105 receiving, 14 total touchdowns). How quickly he can adjust will be a big key to the Rebels’ offense.

6. Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt

Vaughn is the SEC’s leading returning rusher after putting up 1,244 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2018 (and adding two more scores as a receiver). He went over 100 yards in 4 of his final 5 games last fall (including an insane 243-yard performance in Vandy’s bowl game), so he has serious momentum heading into this year.

He’ll definitely miss QB Kyle Shurmur, though, as the Vandy offense might take a step back as a whole to start the year while a new quarterback gets comfortable. That will probably affect Vaughn’s stats early on.

5. Lamical Perine, Florida

Perine averaged an impressive 6.2 yards per carry in 2018, splitting carries with Jordan Scarlett and Dameon Pierce. Now, with Scarlett gone, Perine and Pierce are the top backs, and Perine should get the bulk of the carries.

After going for 826 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2018, the sky is the limit for him in 2019. Yes, he’ll miss Jawaan Taylor on the offensive line, but the Gators have enough talent up front to let Perine become a breakout star.

4. Kylin Hill, Mississippi State

Hill seems poised for a breakout 2019 season. After appearing in only 11 games last season, he will no longer have to split carries with Aeris Williams (and QB Nick Fitzgerald) this fall.

Yes, new QB Keytaon Thompson is also a talented runner, but we should see Hill greatly improve upon his 734 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns (and 176 receiving yards with 4 more scores) in 2019. Look for him to go over 1,000 yards and approach 1,500 total yards in Joe Moorhead’s offense this year.

3. Larry Rountree III, Mizzou

Yes, I’m a Mizzou homer, but I think Rountree is criminally underrated in the SEC and on the national scene. He ran for 1,216 yards and 11 touchdowns last year while splitting carries with Damarea Crockett and Tyler Badie.

Badie is the better pass-catcher, but Rountree will likely be featured in the passing game a little bit more this fall with new QB Kelly Bryant running the show. Don’t be surprised if he’s the SEC’s leading rusher in 2019.

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2. Najee Harris, Alabama

Some might look at Harris’s numbers from his first 2 years in Tuscaloosa as “disappointing,” but I’d disagree. The former No. 2 overall player in the 2017 recruiting class has split carries with guys like Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs the past two years, but he has shown flashes of brilliance.

Now, it’s his time to shine, and I expect him to easily break 1,000 yards this fall. He’ll be the featured back, with Trey Sanders and Brian Robinson as his main backups.

It’ll be interesting to see if he improves as a receiver this year, as he only had 4 catches for 7 yards in 2018. If he can do that, he might work his way into Round 1 consideration for the 2020 NFL Draft.

1. D’Andre Swift, Georgia

People thought last year was going to be Swift’s breakout year in Athens, but it wasn’t quite as great as predicted. Nagging injuries were partly to blame. Still, he managed to run for 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns and added 297 yards and 3 scores as a receiver.

With the Georgia backfield without Holyfield, and with the receiving corps depleted after losing Riley Ridley, Terry Godwin, Mecole Hardman and Isaac Nauta, Swift should have plenty of work this fall. Expect him to put up another 1,000-yard season and come closer to the 500-yard mark as a receiver, assuming he can stay healthy.