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ESPN college football writer Travis Henry released his list of 15 breakout performers for 2016 recently. Five of them come from the SEC, including four in the top 10. Check out his list below, along with a bit about why he may be right about each of the five players.
Here’s the ESPN list, with SEC stars in bold:
- Arden Key, defensive end, LSU
- Mitch Trubisky, quarterback, North Carolina
- Lamar Jackson, quarterback, Louisville
- Christian Wilkins, defensive tackle, Clemson
- K.D. Cannon, wide receiver, Baylor
- Damore’ea Stringfellow, wide receiver, Ole Miss
- Jacob Eason, quarterback, Georgia
- Ronald Jones, running back, USC
- Josh Sweat, defensive end, Florida State
- Bo Scarbrough, running back, Alabama
- Chris Warren, running back, Texas
- Dede Westbrook, wide receiver , Oklahoma
- Kahlil McKenzie, defensive tackle, Tennessee
- Dwayne Lawson, quarterback, Virginia Tech
- Joe Williams, running back, Utah
Arden Key: Arden Key is a beast and with many of his teammates returning for their senior seasons at LSU, the Tigers defense is going to be awesome, probably its best in several years. With such a deep roster, Key isn’t going to get double-teamed often, and that’s going to be a big mistake for opposing offensive coordinators. Look for Key to have a double-digit sack year and push for making many All-American teams.
Damore’ea Stringfellow: Stringfellow has some big shoes to fill, taking over as the go-to guy at Ole Miss from surefire first-round pick Laquon Treadwell. Stringfellow has plenty of talent and he’s going to be benefit from the return of Chad Kelly at quarterback. No doubt Kelly is the best returning quarterback in the SEC. Look for 90 catches or more from Stringfellow, especially if the Rebels can finally play into December.
Jacob Eason: The recruiting – and eventual commitment – of any five-star quarterback recruit is always a big story and that’s certainly the case with Jacob Eason and the Georgia Bulldogs. What made it even bigger was the high-profile uncertainty of Eason’s verbal commitment after Georgia fired coach Mark Richt. Eason wanted to look around after the firing and even flirted with the hated Florida Gators, which had to drive Georgia fans nuts. In the end, he stuck to his commitment and immediately made new coach Kirby Smart a happy man. Does he start from Day One?
Bo Scarbrough: Talk about big shoes to fill? Scarbrough takes over at running back for Derrick Henry, and all he did was win the Heisman Trophy, a national title and break every important rushing record in the SEC. Don’t expect Scarbrough to rush for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns like Henry did – it’s possible that no one will ever do that again – but Scarbrough will be very good. He had a great high school career and got his cup of coffee this year as a third-string freshman, gaining 104 yards on 18 carries, an impressive 5.8 yards per carry. The spotlight will shine brightly on Scarbrough in 2016.
Kahlil McKenzie: The 2016 season is a make-or-break one for McKenzie and his Volunteers teammates. They have been trending upward under coach Butch Jones and are the favorites to win the SEC East in 2016, something that hasn’t happened in Knoxville since 2007. McKenzie is a mountain of a young man, checking in at 6-foot-3 and 344 pounds. He’ll anchor that talented Vols defensive line and should have a huge sophomore season. He was a stud in Tennessee’s rout of Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.
Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist and author who is covering SEC football for Saturday Down South.
