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Now is the time of year where players can make a statement — from the veteran finally getting his shot to the true freshman looking to make a lasting first impression.
Several players are creating a buzz in the first week of training camp throughout the SEC.
Here is a look at a few players making an impact early on in camp this summer:
DE Charles Harris, Missouri
Missouri needs players to step up on defense without the likes of Shane Ray, Markus Golden and Harold Brantley.
Harris registered 19 tackles, 4 tackles-for-loss and 2 sacks, serving as Ray’s understudy last season. He came out firing in the spring and has yet to let up, impressing coaches early on with his play and newfound leadership role. Harris is drawing rave reviews from the offensive line, as reports of epic 1-on-1 battles with left tackle Connor McGovern are becoming commonplace in practice.
“I don’t know if you guys have seen him do his stuff,” Missouri center Evan Boehm told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “But Charles, whooo, Charles is good. He’s a stud. I’m excited to see what Charles does.”
FS Isaiah Johnson, South Carolina
Isaiah Johnson knows how to make a first impression. The former Big 12 Newcomer of the Year is looking to reprise that title, only this year in the SEC.
The senior transfer from Kansas is getting noticed after just a week in camp — along with fellow safety Jordan Diggs — in a Gamecock secondary that struggled against the pass last season, surrendering 219.2 ypg in the air.
Johnson and Diggs began working out with the first team this week, which should help amend some of the unit’s issues.
A 6-foot-3, 206-pound free safety, Johnson was second on the Jayhawks in tackles last season with 75 stops. He is eligible to play immediately after graduating from Kansas in May. Prior to that as a sophomore, Johnson helped lead Iowa Western Community College to a NJCAA national title.
DT D.J. Jones, Ole Miss
According to NFL.com, you don’t mess with D.J. Jones. The league named the Ole Miss junior as one of the strongest players in college football this season, behind only Tennessee DL Owen Williams and Missouri LT Connor McGovern.
Jones arrives in Oxford via East Mississippi Community College, where he was a two-time NJCAA champion. He currently lines up behind Robert Nkemdiche on the Rebels’ depth chart, but his stock is on the rise in camp. Hugh Freeze will likely use Jones and his immense physical stature (6-foot, 325 pounds) as depth at the tackle positions. The Rebels could go as many as 8 to 10 deep along its defensive front, so Jones should have plenty of opportunities to flatten opponents.
LB Tim Kimbrough, Georgia
Tim Kimbrough is making the most of his opportunity to lead the Georgia linebackers this season after serving primarily as a backup the last two years.
Kimbrough has moved to the first team this summer where he’s been lining up in the Will linebacker slot. The Bulldog named “most improved player” after spring drills provides additional depth for a Georgia squad stocked at linebacker with Lorenzo Carter, Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins. Specifically, Kimbrough will be tasked with helping to replace the loss of ILBs Amarlo Herrera and Ramik Wilson.
At 6-foot, 226 pounds, Kimbrough tallied 32 tackles, one of them for a loss. A minor leg injury in camp this week isn’t expected to cost the junior any playing time.
DL Kahlil McKenzie, Tennessee
Kahlil McKenzie’s weight and condition have been a concern in camp, but you’d never know that by watching the 6-foot-3, 327-pound freshman defensive lineman move this summer.
McKenzie is garnering attention during the first week of camp and not just for dwarfing his own teammates in size. The true freshman from Walnut Creek, Calif., has created a buzz in camp with his agility and hands — and also his size. Seriously, he’s a big guy. Still very raw and new to the college game, McKenzie should only prosper along the Volunteers defensive front flanked by pass-rushing specialists Derek Barnett and Curt Maggitt.
All three freshmen along the defensive line, including Kyle Phillips and Shy Tuttle, are generating plenty of attention this summer. Phillips, who should spell Barnett at defensive end, was the second Volunteers freshman (RB Alvin Kamara was the first) to have the black stripe removed from his helmet during camp, a symbol of acceptance by the squad due to hard work.
Between McKenzie, Phillips and Tuttle, as well as Kamara, Tennessee’s top-5 2015 recruiting class already appears poised to pay off immediately.
WR Calvin Ridley, Alabama
Alabama has a big void to fill with the departure of Amari Cooper to the NFL.
Luckily, we’re talking about Alabama and the Crimson Tide always reload. This year’s specimen is Calvin Ridley, who has been drawing similar comparisons to Cooper early on in camp. As well he should, considering he’s thought to be the No. 1 wide receiver in the Class of 2015.
Alabama’s wide receiving corps is essentially wide open after the loss of its top three pass-catchers. He’ll battle with ArDarius Stewart, Chris Black, Robert Foster, Richard Mullaney and Daylon Charlot for catches as he learns the playbook and bulks up — the latter which will be vital for the 6-foot, 170-pound Ridley.
RB Ashton Shumpert, Mississippi State
Ashton Shumpert has been paying his dues out of the Mississippi State backfield and now it appears the hard work has earned dividends for the junior.
Early reports out of Starkville suggest Shumpert has command of the Bulldogs’ vacant running back position. The junior’s familiarity with the system and game-experience helped give him an early boost in camp over freshman Aeris Williams and Dontavian Lee.
A bruising runner, Shumpert backed-up Josh Robinson for most of the season, but saw his carries steadily increase over the final five games. He finished with 274 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.
