Size matters: Biggest, smallest players for every SEC team

The late college basketball coach Marv Harshman used to say that he preferred size over speed, his reasoning being that quick guys get tired while big guys never shrink.

While there’s something to be said for such thinking in college football as well, bigger doesn’t always equate to being the best.

It just doesn’t hurt, either.

So while it’s true that the size of the dog in the fight matters less than the size of the fight in the dog, you can bet that Georgia and Tennessee won’t mind listing seven players each standing at 6-foot-6.

The SEC’s smallest player is easily Vols redshirt freshman holder Alex Jones. The diminutive son of UT coach Butch Jones stands at just 5-5 and weighs a mere 139 pounds.

Arkansas offensive lineman Dan Skipper is the league’s tallest player at a towering 6-10, while Kentucky defensive tackle Matt Elam checks in the heaviest at 360 pounds.

Here’s a look anyway at the shortest, tallest, lightest and heaviest players from every SEC team. All heights and weights come from the teams’ official rosters.

Alabama

Shortest: WR Thomas Woods, 5-foot-6
Tallest: OT Matt Womack, 6-foot-7
Lightest: Woods, 165 pounds
Heaviest: OT Cam Robinson, 327 pounds

Arkansas

Shortest: RB Connor McPherson, 5-foot-7
Tallest: OT Dan Skipper, 6-foot-10
Lightest: WR Deon Stewart, 163 pounds
Heaviest: OT Brian Wallace, 332 pounds

Auburn

Shortest: RB Eugene Govan, RB Cedric Chambers and RB C.J. Tolbert, 5-foot-7
Tallest: OT Prince Tega Wanogho, 6-foot-8
Lightest: WR Carson Griffis, 166 pounds
Heaviest: DT Derrick Brown, 330 pounds

Florida

Shortest: WR Glenn Jarriel, 5-foot-8
Tallest: OT Stone Forsythe, OT Marcel Benalcazar, 6-foot-7
Lightest: K Jorge Powell, 166 pounds
Heaviest: OT David Sharpe, 347 pounds

Georgia

Shortest: WR Isaiah McKenzie, PK Tanner Stumpe, 5-foot-8
Tallest: OT Kendall Baker, OT Tyler Catalina, OLB Lorenzo Carter, OT Ben Cleveland, OT Sage Hardin, TE Jackson Harris and OT Sam Madden, 6-foot-6
Lightest: PK Thomas Pritchard, 163 pounds
Heaviest: OT Ben Cleveland, 345 pounds

Kentucky

Shortest: WR Brayden Berezowitz, WR Bryan Berezowitz, WR David Bouvier, K Miles Butler, RB Sihiem King, RB William Mahone, 5-foot-9
Tallest: DT Matt Elam, OT Landon Young and WR Dakota Holtzclaw, 6-foot-7
Lightest: P Bryan Kirshe, 150 pounds
Heaviest: DT Matt Elam, 360 pounds

LSU

Shortest: WR Justin Jones and RB Reshaud Henry, 5-foot-8
Tallest: TE Colin Jeter, C Ethan Pocic and OT George Brown, Jr., 6-foot-7
Lightest: DB Narendra Itwaru, 159 pounds
Heaviest: OL Donavaughn Campbell, 349 pounds

Mississippi State

Shortest: WR Keith Mixon, WR Brandon Holloway and ATH Brad Wall, 5-foot-8
Tallest: OT Greg Eiland, 6-foot-7
Lightest: K Westin Graves, 163 pounds
Heaviest: OT Stewart Reese, 340 pounds

Missouri

Shortest: RB Shaun Conway, 5-foot-9
Tallest: OL Tyler Howell, 6-foot-8
Lightest: K Andrew Carr, DB Finis Stribling IV, 175 pounds
Heaviest: DL Josh Augusta, 345 pounds

Ole Miss

Shortest: CB Antwain Smith, 5-foot-7
Tallest: OL Talbot Buys, 6-foot-8
Lightest: DB Carlos Davis, 170 pounds
Heaviest: OL Jordan Sims, 334 pounds

South Carolina

Shortest: CB Shannon James, 5-foot-7
Tallest: OL Mason Zandi, 6-foot-9
Lightest: CB Demetrius Smalls, 170 pounds
Heaviest: OL DJ Park, 330 pounds

Tennessee

Shortest: H Alex Jones, 5-foot-5
Tallest: DL Jonathan Kongbo, WR Jeff George, OL Nathan Niehaus, OL Brett Kendrick, OL Marcus Tatum, OL Ryan Johnson, TE Ethan Wolf, 6-foot-6
Lightest: Alex Jones, 139 pounds
Heaviest: OL Charles Mosley, 340 pounds

Texas A&M

Shortest: RB John Clark, 5-foot-8
Tallest: WR Frank Iheanacho, OL Connor Lanfear, OL Trevor Elbert and OL Justin Dworaczyk , 6-foot-6
Lightest: DB Travon Fuller, 170 pounds
Heaviest: DL Daylon Mack, 335 pounds

Vanderbilt

Shortest: WR Trey Ellis, CB Taurean Ferguson, WR Darrius Sims, S Ryan White, 5-foot-9
Tallest: OL Will Holden and OL Devin Cochran, 6-foot-7
Lightest: WR Reese Wilson, 165 pounds
Heaviest: OL Bailey Granier, 320 pounds

John Hollis

John Hollis is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia and Florida.