Ad Disclosure
Every year, new names appear. From deep on the depth chart, as the SEC trench battles take their toll and attrition becomes a factor, new stars emerge.
The Sony Michel All-Stars represented the players from each East division team who are stars waiting to emerge — and they are only an injury, suspension or a coaching move away from emerging as All-SEC candidates.
Just as the team’s namesake emerged from the shadows of Nick Chubb to post 1,161 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns last season, this season some or all of these players don’t start the season on top of the heap — but they just might end up there.
Here’s a look at the players in the West that could give their teams the same performance.
Alabama
WR Derek Kief
Alabama has a ton of talented wide receivers ready to go in 2016. Sophomore Calvin Ridley was an All-SEC standout as a freshman (89 catches, 1045 yards, 7 TDs), and ArDarius Stewart added 63 grabs for 700 yards in his sophomore campaign. But if Alabama finds itself a little banged up at receiver, don’t be surprised if sophomore Derek Kief makes a move. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound sophomore from Cincinnati caught just one pass last season. But in the Tide’s spring game, he made 5 grabs for 58 yards, including the game’s only touchdown. Kief’s size and body control will also make him an attractive red-zone target for the Tide, and so even if Kief doesn’t approach the number of catches that Ridley or Stewart had in 2015, don’t be surprised if he makes his catches count for some big plays in 2016. And if he gets the chance, he may do even more.
Arkansas
DE JaMichael Winston
Winston is a rare species here, a senior former starter who fell down the depth chart but could pop back up. Winston started in 2014 but found himself as only a part-time starter in 2015, although he amped up his production late in the season and still had three quarterback hurries and a tackle for loss. Winston may not be the first option for the Hogs this fall, but if the opportunity comes his way to pressure opposing quarterbacks, he may show why he has been regarded as a solid 2017 NFL Draft prospect. Winston could end up playing a larger than anticipated role for Arkansas in 2016.
Auburn
DT Derrick Brown
Auburn has an experienced and hard-hitting defensive front. Brown will begin 2016 as a true freshman, stuck behind established veteran defensive tackles Dontavius Russell and Montravius Adams. But Brown is talented enough to earn some snaps as a true freshman, and if there’s an opening in the depth chart, don’t be surprised if he claims it. Brown was a five-star signing day surprise for Auburn as he chose the Tigers over his home-state Georgia Bulldogs, among others. At 6-foot-5, 330 pounds, Brown will doubtlessly help his veteran teammates stuff the middle. As the season progresses, don’t be surprised to see him on the field more and more.
LSU
RB Derrius Guice
If this were Vegas, Guice is the guy who would be named as the favorite to become a “Sony Michel All-Star.” Like the award’s namesake, he is a superstar running back who is stuck behind a slightly better superstar running back, in this case, Leonard Fournette. As a true freshman, Guice backed up Fournette to the tune of 8.6 yards per carry and 436 rushing yards. At 5-foot-11 and 222 pounds, Guice is two inches shorter and eight pounds lighter than Fournette, but his runs look very similar to those of his well-known teammate. His skills were also apparent on kick returns, where he averaged 23.6 yards per return. Guice may star even if Fournette stays healthy — Les Miles will probably want to rest Fournette a fair amount over the course of the season. If Guice could average even a dozen carries a game, he could rush for 1,000 yards.
Ole Miss
QB Shea Patterson
Patterson is a pure glamour choice, but if he gets the shot to play, look out. With senior QB Chad Kelly still around, there is no competition for the starting job — Kelly’s 4,000 passing yards and 31 TDs in 2015 assure that. But if Kelly were unable to play, it would just be an early beginning to what will become the Shea Patterson era at Ole Miss. Patterson was a five-star recruit who was on campus for spring drills, and with Kelly often sitting out, did absolutely nothing to hurt his standing. Early returns are that Patterson can make all the throws and has the sort of poise rarely seen in a true freshman. Odds are good that Hugh Freeze will try to get him a few snaps even if Kelly can remain upright and in the NCAA’s good graces. But if Kelly couldn’t play? Be ready for a show from Shea.
Mississippi State
WR Keith Mixon
After Fred Ross, Mississippi State has an open season on wide receiver depth. There are plenty of talented options for the Bulldogs: junior Donald Gray and sophomore Malik Dear are two players in the mix with experience. One guy who might be overlooked is Keith Mixon. The pint-sized Mixon (5-foot-8, 175 pounds) is far from the most imposing Bulldog, but as he showed in the spring, he can catch the ball and make plays. Mixon redshirted in 2015, but he had 6 catches for 70 yards and a score in the Maroon/White game. Mixon might be overlooked on the State depth chart, but if he gets a chance to show his skills in the SEC, he could surprise many.
Texas A&M
DE Qualen Cunningham
Snaps will be scarce behind returning All-American Myles Garrett. But Cunningham has enough skills to contribute anyway, and if an opportunity to play opened up, he could be a star in 2016. The junior defensive end had 2 sacks and 2 quarterback hurries in limited time in 2015. Demonstrating that he intends to continue on the same path, Cunningham had 2.5 sacks in the Aggies’ 2016 spring game. If Cunningham can help the Aggies pressure quarterbacks at that pace, coordinator John Chavis may have trouble keeping him on the A&M sideline.
Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.
