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The bowl season is a time for teams to try to finish their seasons on a high note and often give younger players a chance to shine on a national stage heading into the 2019 season.
But fans should not forget to say goodbye to the stars their teams are about to lose.
Seniors know that they are putting their soon-to-be alma maters’ uniforms on for the last time when they suit up for bowl games. For the three SEC teams which did not qualify for bowls, those farewells have already happened.
So here is our look at one senior each SEC program will miss most.
Alabama: Ross Pierschbacher
The versatile veteran has been a starter on the offensive line all four years on campus. He mostly played left guard his first three seasons but started one game at right guard. This season he made the transition to center, starting every game, and was so good that he was one of three finalists for the Rimington Trophy, which is given to the nation’s best center.
Arkansas: Hjalte Froholdt
The former defensive line prospect switched to offense after his freshman season and turned out to be a gem as a guard. Froholdt, a 6-foot-5, 315-pound native of Denmark, was named second-team All-SEC this season by the Associated Press, a rare bright spot in a lost season for the Razorbacks.
Auburn: Ryan Davis
As a junior last season, Davis set a single-season school record with 84 receptions, and he has followed that up with 60 catches in 2018. Davis and quarterback Jarrett Stidham have connected on more passes than any duo in Tigers history.
Florida: Martez Ivey
Ivey has been a dependable cog on Florida’s offensive line. The Gators improved from 110th in 2017 to 47th this season in total offense, though no one player’s statistics really jump off the page. The left tackle has played 45 games in orange and blue and started the past 23.
Georgia: Deandre Baker
Todd McShay of ESPN released a mock draft this week which had Baker as a projected first-round pick. The cornerback was a consensus first-team All-America selection and won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back. Baker helped the Bulldogs finish 15th in the nation in regular-season pass defense at 180.5 yards a game.
Kentucky: Josh Allen
Is Allen the best player in Wildcats football history? It’s worth arguing. The former 2-star recruit swept all before him in 2018: He was a consensus first-team All-American and was named the best defensive player in the country by several selectors, garnering him the Chuck Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Lott Impact Trophy. He is a consensus top-10 pick in various NFL mock drafts.
LSU: Nick Brossette
In his first three seasons, Brossette was little more than a spare part in the Tigers offense. But as a senior, the running back has grown into a key element. In 2018 Brossette rushed for 14 touchdowns, second in the SEC, and gained 922 yards on 211 carries.
Ole Miss: Jordan Ta’amu
Ta’amu came into his own as a quarterback late last season after Shea Patterson went down with an injury. This season Ta’amu was the key driver on a talented Rebels offense. The senior racked up 3,918 passing yards — first in the SEC and fourth in the nation — with 19 touchdowns and also ran for 6 TDs. He also led the conference in completions, attempts and total yards.
Mississippi State: Montez Sweat
The Bulldogs had one of their best defenses ever this season, and Sweat was a major reason. The defensive end was named first-team All-American by TSN and the FWAA after a season in which he had 11 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. Safety Johnathan Abram is another senior whom MSU will miss in 2019.
Missouri: Drew Lock
The quarterback stayed for his senior season to try to lead the Tigers to a fine season as well as improving his NFL Draft stock. It’s iffy whether he did the latter, but the former definitely happened as Mizzou went 8-4. The Tigers likely would not have made a bowl without Lock, who passed for 3,125 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2018.
South Carolina: Deebo Samuel
The Gamecocks miss Samuel already, as he has announced that he will not play in the Belk Bowl so he can focus on preparing for the NFL Draft. Samuel had 62 catches for 882 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. He also led the SEC with 570 kick return yards and tied the league record with 4 career kickoff returns for touchdowns.
Tennessee: Kyle Phillips
The defensive end had solid stats in just about every category in 2018. Phillips was third on the Volunteers in total tackles with 56 (28 solo). He was second on the team in sacks (5), tackles for loss (8) and pass breakups (4). He led Tennessee in quarterback hits with 5 and even blocked a kick.
Texas A&M: Otaro Alaka
The linebacker leads the Aggies in total tackles (79), solo tackles (39) and tackles for loss (14.5) this season. He also has 4 sacks, 4 QB hits and a forced fumble for Texas A&M, which was second in the country in rushing defense, allowing just 92 yards a game and 3.2 yards per carry.
Vanderbilt: Kyle Shurmur
Shurmur has passed for at least 2,400 yards in each of his three years as the starting quarterback. He has a career-high 2,844 yards passing for the Commodores with the Texas Bowl against Baylor remaining. Shurmur holds the program’s career mark with 63 TD passes and needs 119 yards passing against the Bears to break the school’s all-time record of 8,697, held by Jay Cutler.
Longtime newspaper veteran Jim Tomlin is a copy editor and writer with SaturdayDownSouth.com.
