Bo Scarbrough looks primed for a huge year at Alabama.
Bo Scarbrough, RB, Alabama: Scarbrough was a fairly exciting player last season and he is similar to other great Alabama before him with his great power and running ability. Bo is a legitimate Heisman contender and it will be interesting to see if he can play at the level of other Heisman winners from Alabama like Mark Ingram or Derrick Henry.
Frank Ragnow, C, Arkansas: Arkansas isn’t going to contend for a SEC title this year but Ragnow has a chance to contend for the best center in the entire country. Ragnow does not have a ton of talent around him but he does have the benefit of having one of the best coaches in the SEC with Bret Bielema.
Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn: Stidham transferred to Auburn from Baylor and it will be fascinating to see how he adjusts to the intense defenses of the SEC. Stidham posted fairly good numbers at Baylor as a freshman throwing twelve touchdowns and only two interceptions but we have yet to see how he adjusts to the SEC which is a step up from the Big 12.
Martez Ivey, OT, Florida: Ivey is one of the best offensive linemen in the SEC and he excels as both a pass and run blocker. It will be incredibly important that Ivey and the rest of the Florida offensive line is at the top of it’s game not only because of the dominant front sevens that they will face in the SEC but also because they have a bit of a QB controversy going on and it will be important that they protect their QB to ensure that he has a clean pocket.
Jacob Eason, QB, Georgia: The Georgia Bulldogs have a history of big name QB’s like Matthew Stafford and Aaron Murray and I am interested to see if Murray can make the leap and become a legend at Georgia. Last season Eason posted good numbers throwing sixteen touchdowns and only eight interceptions but the completion percentage has room to improve (threw for 55.1% last season).
Courtney Love, MLB, Kentucky: Love is a former Nebraska player but he transferred out and this year will be his second season playing for Kentucky after sitting out an entire season. I am excited to see if he can make the leap and become a top linebacker in the SEC, last season he had one sack and a fair number of tackles. The Wildcats are returning nine starters on defense and they have the potential to be a force if Love can make the leap.
Kevin Toliver II, CB, LSU: The Tigers will be headlined by their running game but their defense looks tremendous headed into the season with Toliver as one of their top corners. Toliver is a lanky corner at 6’ 2’’ and 196 pounds and tall corners are my favorite kinds of corners, his height will help him out tremendously at the next level and I can’t wait to see how he plays against the top receivers in the SEC.
Martinas Rankin, OT, Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have a top QB in the SEC with Nick Fitzgerald but they also has a force at the tackle position with Martinas Rankin. The Mississippi State Bulldogs have a chance to be one of the worst teams in the SEC but their offense looks fairly good and Rankin will be one of the key players on his team. Rankin came close to making my Future Five list when I ranked tackles and I think he has a great future in football.
J’Mon Moore, WR, Missouri: The Tigers have a threat in both deep and short throws down the field with Moore and he has the potential to be an impact player across the SEC. Moore is a very strong and tall receiver who reminds me a little of Mike Evans when I watch him, his QB Drew Lock should also be pretty good as well this season.
Shea Patterson, QB, Ole Miss: Ole Miss is fairly chaotic headed into the season after the resignation of Hugh Freeze but they should have stability at the most important position on the field with Patterson. Patterson had six touchdowns and three interceptions in three games during his freshman season and it will be exciting to see if he can turn into one of the premier QBs of the SEC.
Jamarcus King, CB, South Carolina: King is another tall corner and he will be a leader in the Gamecocks secondary. The play of King last season was very impressive last season with three interceptions (two of them were against Tennessee) and he is a very good tackler in the open field. The Gamecocks haven’t been quite as good the past few seasons as they were under Steve Spurrier but they still should be fairly good in the SEC this season.
Quinten Dormady, QB, Tennessee: Butch Jones and the Volunteers will have to find stability at the QB position after the departure of Joshua Dobbs to the NFL and Dormady is the main candidate to replace Dobbs in Knoxville. Dormady was a top QB in high school and it will be interesting to see if he can replicate the success that Joshua Dobbs had.
Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M: Kirk is projected to be one of the top receivers in the 2018 draft and he will be the go to receiver for the Aggies this season. They use him in many different ways and he is a very quick receiver with nice hands and it will be interesting to see who wins the battle for the top receiver in the SEC between him and Calvin Ridley.
Ralph Webb, RB, Vanderbilt: Webb is an underrated back in the SEC considering he doesn’t get the attention that the running backs from Alabama and LSU get but what people don’t realize is that he has run for at least 1100 yards in each of the past two seasons while playing for a mediocre team. Webb is a speedy back who makes tremendous contributions as both a running and receiving threat and has the potential to play pro football someday.
