6 biggest threats to outduel Tua Tagovailoa and win SEC Offensive Player of Year in 2019
Did you know Tim Tebow was the most recent player to win back-to-back SEC Offensive Player of the Year Awards?
And it wasn’t all that recent, either. Tebow repeated in the coaches’ vote in 2008-09.
A decade later, Tua Tagovailoa is a heavy favorite to do the same. It’s not a lock. We thought Johnny Manziel and Jalen Hurts were safe bets to do the same, and they fell short the following year.
If Tagovailoa doesn’t repeat in 2019, who will win the SEC Offensive Player of the Year Award?
Here are the top 6 candidates to grab his title if he can’t match his 2018 totals.
6. Lamical Perine, Florida
Tebow not only was the last player to win back-to-back awards, he was the last SEC East player to claim the award.
There are two primary reasons: The winner almost always comes from a title-contending team, and the SEC West dominated most of the past 10 years.
Perine, who rushed for a career-high 826 yards last year while still splitting carries, is a candidate to lead the SEC in rushing in 2019. That’s also important. All 5 RBs who won the offensive award also led the SEC in rushing, including Darren McFadden twice.
5. Kellen Mond, Texas A&M
Mond’s numbers might be worthy, but coaches covet and reward victories, and A&M’s schedule is so brutal an 8-4 regular season should be considered a successful year.
Remember, Drew Lock didn’t win the offensive player of the year award in 2017, when he set the SEC record with 44 TD passes.
4. Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
Tagovailoa spreads the wealth, and Alabama has no shortage of riches on the outside.
Jeudy, however, has separated from his talented teammates much like he pulls away from defensive backs.
He specializes in splash plays, turning simple slants and double moves into viral breakaways.
Across the board, he led the SEC in 10+, 30+, 40+, 50+ and 60+ yard catches. He was second in 20+ yard catches. Every ball thrown his way has the potential to become a Heisman moment.
He also led the SEC with 14 TD catches in 2018 and there’s little reason to think he won’t match or exceed that in 2019.
Amari Cooper in 2014 is the only WR to win the SEC OPOY award since it split into offense and defense in 2003. Cooper’s numbers: 124 catches, 1,727 yards and 16 TDs — all 3 program records. All within Jeudy’s reach.
3. Najee Harris, Alabama
Trey Sanders already promised he’s going to win the Heisman as a true freshman. I admire the confidence. The reality is: This is Najee Harris’ backfield until it’s not.
Harris averaged an absurd 6.5 yards per carry during his first two years and it still doesn’t feel like he’s even come close to maximizing his skill set.
Would it surprise anybody if he goes off for 1,600 yards and 20 TDs in 2019? It shouldn’t. His first two years, in usage and performance, are very Derrick Henry-like.
Alabama can only hope Harris’ third year comes close to matching Henry’s historic junior year.
2. Jake Fromm, Georgia
Fromm isn’t viewed as a stat-stuffer, and game-managers might win national championships, but they don’t win this award.
Fromm has a good chance, however, because he’s the face of the Bulldogs, and the Bulldogs are the favorite again to win the SEC East.
He’ll need a career-year, which means exceeding 3,000 yards passing and 30 TD passes for the first time. He had exactly 30 TD passes last season, but 11 SEC QBs averaged more passes per game than Fromm did.
It’s time to shed the game-manager label and unleash the right arm. He played his best game in the SEC Championship against Alabama, throwing for 301 yards and 3 TDs without an interception.
That stat line should be the norm in 2019.
1. D’Andre Swift, Georgia
Swift has everything an SEC Offensive Player of the Year candidate needs.
He’s a threat to lead the SEC in rushing. His team is favored to get back to Atlanta. And, let’s not forget, he’s a breakaway specialist.
Georgia is in the midst of another outstanding run of feature backs. But as great as Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel were, they couldn’t join the list of Georgia RBs to win a Player of the Year Award. Herschel Walker is the most prominent, obviously, winning 3 consecutive titles from 1980-82. Garrison Hearst is the most recent, winning in 1992.
It’s going to take an upset to upstage Tagovailoa in 2019, but Swift has the best chance.
How is Monds on here but not Bentley.
I like Bentley, I even like Muschump and root for the hens when they aren’t playing UGA. I think Bentley is underrated.
My guess would be the vibe for A&M and Fisher is stronger than that for Bentley/Mushamp/SCAR. The logic being the better the team the better the QB.
Because Bentley managed zero points against Virginia in SC’s bowl and a worse overall record last year than in 2017.
There’s little reason to assume that after 3 years, Bentley is going to massively improve.
He also put up more points and more yards against Clemson than any other team in the nation so yeah
Ok, but you have to admit his bad performances are still on a much broader scale. He’s simply far too inconsistent, and he doesn’t have the talent around him that Kellen will.
There are some rumors that Bentley is on a short leash this year with Hilinski behind him. Bentley was above average for a freshman, about average for a sophomore, and didn’t take the big step forward people thought ht would as a Junior. And now he’s lost his most dangerous weapon.
Everyone forgets about Joyner
Is Joyner as good as Deebo? Be honest.
Deebo played WR, but Joyner did do very well at the Opening along with Fields. Georgia was chasing after him for a while when our 2018 recruiting class was an unholy mess.
But I doubt it the only way Bentley comes out is if he gets hurt
Mond has shown dramatic improvement from year 1 to year 2 all while learning a new offensive system. He threw for 430 yards against Clemson. The assumption is that will correlate into a continued improvement in year 3 after another year in Fisher’s system. Time will tell whether that theory holds true. Bentley already seems to have hit a ceiling.
Because Bentley threw 14 picks as a 3rd year starter. Franks is more of a threat to win it than Bentley.
And Franks is flat out terrible!
This list is a micro for the macro. Fromm/Swift/UGA vs chumps/bama.
2017 A slightly lesser UGA team took bama edge and lost in OT.
2018 A slightly better UGA team ran out gas and gave one away to bama.
.
2019 UGA fulfills its manifest destiny and trucks bama. Fromm and Swift All-SEC with Swift being All-American.
.
book it tards
Now that is funny.
So this year’s Bulldogs are going to expand into and settle 19th century America?
Naw, just qwell the insurgency in medevel minded alabamastan
*quell
*medieval
*dear God, you are embarrassing yourself.
That’s an interesting take given UGA was better in 2017 than they were in 2018, but they will be better in 2019 than 2017. Maybe.
I wasn’t clear, my “better” comparison was between UGA and bama.
2015 bama was much better, not even close. Bye bye Richt.
2017 bama was still the better team but oh so slightly.
2018 UGA’s starters slightly better than bama.
2019 should be a ride, can’t wait to see UGA vs bama in the SECGC.
We weren’t “slightly” better last year. We were a clear underdog in terms of on-field talent and production.
Uncle Lou, is that you?
I was thinking the same thing
Went to UGA/SCAR game in Columbia this past season. Nice stadium and fans, great experience outside the 90 degree heat.
3rd qtr was the worse beat down I have ever witnessed in football. Right up there with UGA hanging 21 on UF in first 8 minutes of 2017 game.
Uncle …. Good start.
Get use to saying uncle when it comes to the Dawgs.
Who’s Uncle Lou?
You mean Lou Holtz?
Too funny!
Always next year… Moraly Victory U… Preseason Champions… Dreamer U…. So many good names for UGA.
UGA-University of Greatness, Almost
(I’m just tying to be funny. Don’t take it personal you fellow Dawgnation peeps.)
University of “If that one play had been different”.
The 2019 SEC Offensive MVP’s, it’s not even close.
Thomas
Kindley
Hill
Cleveland
Wilson
Mades
et al
Mayes
lol, Mays
Swift might have a chacne but unless you run for 1800+ yards, this is a QB’s award. Plus UGA will still be splitting carries with the top 3 backs, they always have and always will, regardless of how talented the top guy is.
That’s so true. I don’t recall Hershel sharing carries, maybe to catch a breath or two.
I would put the odds of Tua repeating pretty low. It’s hard for any player to win that honor much less repeat.
Beyond that, it’s safe to say Tua got exposed by the two best defenses he played last year. Had to be replaced against Georgia, and didn’t do anything against Clemson. Alabama was fortunate to play a weak schedule and to have Hurts. Tua is a good but vastly overrated player.
Weak schedule? I guess UGA is lucky to play in the east since they managed to go 1-2 against its opponents from the west…
The SEC East won more cross division games against the West. So, what’s your point. You don’t have one.
Yes, weak schedule. You can pretend if you want. Everybody knows Alabama plays one of the weakest SEC schedules.
That’s a stupid post for even you to make. UGA beat every team in the east yet lost to two teams from the west… LSU finished ranked higher than both UF and UGA in the AP… You better thank UF and UT for the improvement in the cross division record because it wasn’t UGA….
Make it up as you go U…..
Tua isn’t just “good”. He simply put up those mind-boggling numbers for so long that everyone got bored about them and started to take them for granted. Yes, he played like a flustered freshman from the Pac 12 in the SECCG and NCG, but he’s definitely a step above “good”.
I’m really interested to see what kind of offense Bama runs this year. Is it gonna be the Locksley style wide open offense or are they going to go more towards the 2016 offense when Henry got 30 touches a game and ran over everyone? If it’s the latter and the RB on an undefeated Bama team has 1800+ yards, Harris or Sanders, they would probably get the award over Tua.
Can’t wait to see what Colely does with UGA offense.