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Recapping the biggest storylines in the SEC since the national championship game

Tom Brew

By Tom Brew

Published:

It’s been very busy around the SEC since Alabama won its national championship in mid-January, beating Clemson in a classic title game. But the news never stops in America’s best college football conference.

Here are the top 10 storylines since the title game:

1. Sexual assault case goes forward at Tennessee

Excitement over Tennessee football has been tempered by a federal lawsuit filed in February claiming the university of has created a culture that enables sexual assaults by student-athletes, especially football players, and then adjudicates the accusation with a process that is biased against the victims in favor of the athletes accused of the sexual assaults.

The suit was amended a few days later, adding more victims and three more football players. The amendment also included a declaration from former player Drae Bowles attesting to allegations that he was beaten by a teammate and that coach Butch Jones later told him he had “betrayed the team” following the alleged rape of a student by players A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams in November 2014.

Jones’ actions have been questioned throughout these events. This story isn’t going away and everything that goes on in the athletic department – especially the football program – will be closely monitored.

2. Laremy Tunsil’s draft night nightmare

Former Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil was the highest-rated player on the board when the NFL Draft rolled around in late April. A few pre-draft trades set the stage for quarterbacks to go early, but the consensus still was that Tunsil would be picked somewhere in the top five.

But just minutes before the draft, a video appeared on Tunsil’s Twitter feed that showed him smoking marijuana with a gas mask contraption. It blew up the internet, and while it did one team after another – including several who desperately needed a left tackle – passed on Tunsil. He fell all the way to Miami with the 13th pick, costing him an estimated $7 million. Tunsil admitted it was him in the video, but said he didn’t post it and his account had been hacked. While meeting with the media, he also admitted to other hacked tweets that involved him taking money while at Ole Miss. This, too, is a story that won’t go away.

3. Alabama’s Cam Robinson gets arrested

Alabama star left tackle Cam Robinson is facing a felony weapons charge after being arrested in Louisiana earlier this week. Robinson was charged with illegal possession of a stolen firearm, illegal carrying of a weapon in the presence of narcotics, and possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor. Alabama defensive back Hootie Jones was with him, and is facing charges of illegal carrying of a weapon in the presence of narcotics and possession of a controlled substance.

This is a huge problem for Alabama in general, and Robinson specifically. Robinson might be the best left tackle in college football and was a sure-fire first-round draft pick next April. Felony charges are hard to shake, so it will be interesting to see how this legal process plays out in the next few months. From a football standpoint, certainly, losing Robinson would be a devastating blow for the Tide.

4. LSU keeps its best juniors for a change

LSU has continued to come up a little short in the SEC the past several years, and one of the big reasons is that it has lost more juniors to the NFL than anyone in the past five years. But this year, for a change, many of LSU’s top juniors decided to stick around, making LSU a potential top 5 team next year.

Defensive stars Lewis Neal, Kendell Beckwith, Christian LaCouture, Tre’Davious White and Ethan Pocic all are returning, even though they could have been drafted high this year.  With all of them back, LSU could very well have the best defense in the country this fall. It has to make coach Les Miles very happy, especially since he nearly lost his job a year ago after an ugly three-game losing streak.

5. Chad Kelly stays at Ole Miss for another year

Another player who passed up money was Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly. He had a brilliant first year in Oxford, leading the Rebels to a 10-3 record and huge Sugar Bowl win against Oklahoma State. Had he decided to come out early, he would have been one of the top five QBs in the draft and likely drafted somewhere in the first two rounds.

Kelly threw for 4,402 yards and 31 touchdowns last year. And even though he lost star receiver Laquon Treadwell to the NFL, he still has plenty of weapons coming back in 2016 and should have another banner year. He missed some of spring practice after requiring sports hernia surgery, but is expected to be 100 percent when workouts resume this summer.

6. Missouri’s Maty Mauk done for good

No one expected Missouri to contend for conference titles when the Tigers joined the SEC in 2012, so it was a real shock when the Tigers won back-to-back SEC East crows in 2013 and 2014. Sassy quarterback Maty Mauk had a lot to do with that success. But 2015 was a rough one for Mauk, getting suspended twice during the season.

When Barry Odom took over as head coach, he decided to give Mauk one more chance and he reinstated him. But just weeks later, Mauk was in trouble again over some alleged drug issues caught on video and Odom booted him for good in February. Mauk graduated last week and still has one year of eligibility left, so he may be out on a football field with another team this fall, possibly Eastern Kentucky. His career ended badly in Columbia, but his accomplishments won’t soon be forgotten.

7. Florida’s Will Grier transfers to West Virginia

The crazy Will Grier saga at Florida finally ended this spring when he announced he was transferring to West Virginia. It ended a whirlwind six months, where Grier went from adoring campus hero to a jilted black sheep.

The Gators were unbeaten and rolling last fall when Grier was suspended for a year for violating NCAA drug testing policies. After he got the boot, the UF offense struggled under the leadership of Treon Harris. Everyone presumed Grier would do his time and be back for the second half of the 2016 season, but after not getting guarantees that his starting spot would be waiting for him, Grier bolted from Gainesville, angering coaches and fans on the way.

8. Top Mississippi State recruit arrested

Mississippi State signee Jeffery Simmons – the Bulldogs’ highest rated recruit this year – was charged with simple assault and disturbing the peace after a video was released showing him striking a woman who was fighting another woman.

According to the Clarion-Legder in Jackson, Miss., the video shows a woman, surrounded by a large group of people, lying in the street, covering her head. A man who has been identified as Simmons stands over her and strikes her with his fists as she covers her head. Screaming can be heard in the background as children stand watching. Mississippi State officials are reviewing the situation, but for anyone who has seen the video, it’s a ugly situation.

9. Trevor Knight wins starting job at Texas A&M

It’s been a rough several months at Texas A&M, especially for quarterbacks. Prized recruits Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray – both five-star prospects – bolted the school after struggling to win games last season. Coach Kevin Sumlin is on the hot seat, but it looks like former Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight is coming to the rescue.

Knight is a graduate transfer who arrived at A&M in January, and he came with an excellent resume that includes a big Sugar Bowl win over Alabama. But he still needed to play well in spring practice and Knight didn’t let anybody down. He looked good all spring and made a quick connection with the talented group of Aggies receivers. This might turn out all right after all.

https://twitter.com/TannerHolley16/status/728348735021850624

10. Arkansas hires Paul Rhoads to coach defensive backs

Arkansas’ pass defense was atrocious in 2015, finishing No. 121 in the country in passing yards allowed. To clean up the mess, coach Bret Bielema hired Paul Rhoads to coach the defensive backs in February. It was a huge get.

Rhoads is a former head coach (Iowa State) and longtime defensive coordinator (Pittsburgh, Auburn), but he made his bones early in his career coaching up defensive backs, many of whom who have had great careers in the NFL like All-Pro Darrelle Revis.

Rhoads made an immediate impact on the DBs in Fayetteville this spring and there are high hopes that the Razorbacks will be much better defensively in 2016.

Tom Brew

Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist and author who is covering SEC football for Saturday Down South.

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