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With fall camps coming to a close, it’s time for the teams in the SEC West to turn their full attention to upcoming opponents. We, on the other hand, can still look back and evaluate what we’ve learned up to this point.
Here are 10 things we learned about the West:
1. Stidham key to Auburn’s season
During Auburn’s last two national championship appearances, the team was led by transfer quarterbacks — Cam Newton (2010) and Nick Marshall (2013). The Tigers are hoping Baylor transfer Jarrett Stidham will continue the trend. If he falters, so does Auburn.
2. Multiple coaches could be on hot seat
The obvious coach on the hot seat is A&M’s Kevin Sumlin, but there could be some additional names added to the list. As previously mentioned, the hype train on Auburn has officially left the station. If the Tigers don’t capitalize on the roster they have, Gus Malzahn could find his seat heating up. Arkansas, on the other hand, isn’t receiving a lot of hype, but there are rumors that Bret Bielema could join the list if the Razorbacks struggle.
3. Jeudy to be Bama’s next elite receiver
Jerry Jeudy has already made a name for himself in Tuscaloosa. If you’re not familiar with the 5-star freshman, don’t worry. You will be soon enough. During the Nick Saban era, there have been several receivers come through (Julio Jones, Amari Cooper and most recently Calvin Ridley) who have emerged as some of the country’s best. Despite his slender frame (6-1, 187), Jeudy is ready to join that group. Keep an eye on the guy wearing number 4 for the Tide.
4. LSU’s offensive line is in flux
Versatile offensive lineman Maea Teuhema is looking for a new home following his indefinitely suspension for academic reasons, Will Clapp is learning a new position after moving from guard to center, and former center Ethan Pocic is trying to earn playing time with the Seattle Seahawks. Toby Weathersby returns at right tackle but is still settling in after starting only three times last year. Can LSU survive that much turnover?
5. Tide’s offense will have different feel
When Clemson’s offense managed to keep Alabama’s defense on the field for 99 plays in the national championship, it was obvious that some changes were going to need to be made. New offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is the perfect guy to help with those changes. The former New England Patriots assistant coach will look to retain some of the spread principles from the Lane Kiffin era, but will also add elements that will allow more consistency running the ball in crunch time.
6. Whaley poised to be SEC’s biggest breakout RB
Everyone knows about Derrius Guice, Kamryn Pettway, Trayveon Williams and all 37 running backs that Alabama has on campus, but who is going to emerge and join the conference’s elite? If you’re a gambling man, take Devwah Whaley. With Rawleigh Williams III being forced into early retirement due to injury, Whaley, a former 4-star prospect, will be asked to pick up the slack for Arkansas. Trust me, he’s ready.
7. LSU could start season without Key
There has been so much going on with Arden Key this offseason, it’s tough to know where he stands exactly. He left the team for personal reasons back in the spring, and when he returned, he was dealing with a shoulder injury that could cause him to miss the start of the season.
8. A&M doesn’t have a starting QB … yet
Aggies’ head coach Kevin Sumlin keeps pushing back the date when he will announce the team’s starting quarterback for the opener Sept. 2 against UCLA. No one really knows why, but it could be a bad sign — or, it could be that Sumlin doesn’t want UCLA to be able to focus on preparing for one particular quarterback.
9. Auburn’s Davidson will be as advertised
Even though he was a true freshman, Marlon Davidson became an impact player for Auburn’s defense last season. He played in all 13 games, totaling 38 tackles with 6 for loss and 2.5 sacks. With the losses of Montravius Adams and Carl Lawson to the NFL, the Tigers are going to need Davidson to live up to SI’s prediction that he’ll be college football’s No. 90 overall player. Expect the 6-3, 282-pound defensive lineman to live up to the hype.
10. Fitzgerald single-most important player to his team
There are a lot of key players in the SEC West, but none will be more important to his team’s success than Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald. After totaling 3,798 total yards and 37 touchdowns last season, the redshirt junior is looking to turn that level of production into more victories. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares without his go-to receiver in Fred Ross, but there is no doubt that his performance will greatly affect State’s win-loss total.
Clint helps cover the SEC West for Saturday Down South. His work can also be found on USA TODAY Sports, The 'Bama Beat podcast and The Bullpen with TonyMac and The Lamb. Previous stops include SEC Country, 247Sports and Touchdown Alabama Magazine.
