This week in the SEC East: Division fighting for respect, relevance

The SEC East is fighting a perception problem.

As its critics love to point out, it has seen better days.

And there are plenty of facts you can rattle off. One of the most oft-cited is how it has fared in the SEC Championship Game in the past decade. In each of the last eight years, the SEC West champ has emerged victorious. The only other streak that comes close to that was the East’s dominance from 1993-98, when it won six straight times.

Or consider that at one point last season, CBS Sports noted that the SEC East was rated as a weaker division than the Mountain West Mountain Division. Seriously. A division that includes Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Utah State and Wyoming was considered more formidable than one boasting storied programs such as Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

Another, more subtle, example of the East’s diminished status took place earlier this week, when Athlon Sports released its list of the “SEC’s Top 20 Must-See Games of 2017.” Run down the list, and you’ll notice no SEC East team is featured among the top four matchups. Georgia’s game at Notre Dame comes in at No. 5. And intra-division contests are even more of an afterthought.

The highest-ranked SEC East game on Athlon’s list is Florida-Georgia at No. 11.

Of course, these things go in cycles. Just re-read that part above regarding the East’s supremacy in the 1990s. The West’s superiority won’t last forever.

The formula for turning things around is simple: Start beating the West in the SEC Championship again. Do that, and national relevance will follow.

The problem, as always, is that beating the West — especially in this era of Nick Saban — is easier said than done.

Now let’s take a look at what else is going on around the SEC East:

Florida

The Gators are still looking for a starting quarterback. And with less than a week before Florida meets Michigan in Arlington, Texas, it doesn’t seem like coach Jim McElwain has many answers as the battle featuring Luke Del Rio, Feleipe Franks and Malik Zaire rages on.

“Will all play? I don’t know yet. Will a couple of them play? I don’t know yet,” McElwain said last week, according to ESPN.com. “I know we will have somebody at the position.”

And what will be the deciding factor?

“Ultimately the guy that the team moves with the best,” he said. “The guys that create positive plays on third down and get the ball in the end zone. That’s kind of where we’re at.”

As if the ongoing quarterback saga wasn’t enough drama, two players — freshmen Ventrell Miller and James Robinson — were cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession last week.

Miller was already under indefinite suspension after being caught misusing university funds. And this isn’t Robinson’s first citation for marijuana possession. In fact, this is his second brush with the law this year. During his official visit to Ohio State in January, he was cited for marijuana possession.

But in a bit of good news for the Gators, 11 of their players were named preseason All-SEC performers by the league’s coaches — the most selections of any East team. Offensive lineman Martez Ivey and defensive back Duke Dawson were named to the first-team, while nine others were spread across the second and third teams.

Georgia

Receiver is the biggest question mark offensively for the Bulldogs entering the season. And while the Bulldogs haven’t identified a go-to target just yet, coach Kirby Smart has found another positive about the group entering the season.

“There’s a lot of competition at those positions, but I’m most proud of those guys on the special teams,” Smart said, according to the Macon Telegraph. “They’re right in the core units. It used to be your DBs were your core units. Right now, our wide receivers — almost every one of them is on special teams.”

And according to DawgNation’s Seth Emerson, freshman linebacker Walter Grant is turning heads, particularly that of teammate Davin Bellamy.

“What stands out is the way he chases down plays that could be all the way down the field,” Bellamy said. “And you see one or two guys just sprinting all the way down to the other side of the field. It’s usually Walter. Yeah, just that motor he’s got.”

Kentucky

Redshirt freshman Jaylin Bannerman began his career at outside linebacker. But last month, the Wildcats shifted him to tight end, hoping to find a way to get him on the field more quickly.

So far, the move is paying off.

“When he knows what he’s doing, he can stretch that field,” tight ends coach Vince Marrow said, according to the Courier-Journal. “He looks real good. I think if he stays at this position and plays special teams for us this year and just keeps learning, I can see him as a real option next year. We’ve got some other guys coming in, but he’s got to be somewhere on the team. He’s an athletic guy.”

Kentucky offensive coordinator Eddie Gran also announced there was “no doubt” Sihiem King was the No. 2 running back on the depth chart behind starter Benny Snell.

Missouri

Though Missouri won’t release a game-week depth chart until later this week, it is expected to be littered with freshmen. Some of them might even start.

But no story on the team is as inspiring as defensive end Jordan Harold (below, 55). After beginning his career at Northwest Missouri State, Harold transferred to Missouri and joined the team as a walk-on. Now at redshirt senior, he’s in line to start — and was elected as a team captain by his teammates during preseason camp.

“Hats off to the young man,” defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He went from walk-on to scholarship to captain. That doesn’t happen, guys, really anywhere. It’s a rare thing. All he’s done is work and be consistent. He’s been a team guy, not an I guy. He really leads this entire team. I was really excited to see him get that opportunity to be a captain and lead this team. He’s done it the right way.”

Missouri is also set for a stadium expansion, as the University of Missouri System Board of Curators unanimously approved a $98 million football facility Friday that will be located at the south end zone of Memorial Stadium.

Construction on the three-story facility is set to begin at the end of this football season and scheduled to be ready to use in time for the 2019 campaign.

South Carolina

Freshman Shi Smith will be a starter for South Carolina when the team opens its season against N.C. State in Charlotte.

But that starting designation comes with a caveat: It will only occur if the Gamecocks open the game in a three-receiver set.

According to The State’s Josh Kendall, Will Muschamp said Smith would start in the slot, flanked by junior Deebo Samuel and sophomore Bryan Edwards on the outside.

“He’s an electric guy who can make some plays with the ball in his hand,” Muschamp said earlier this preseason. “Shi’s development puts more speed on the field, and anytime you do that, you put stress on the defense.”

In a bit of sad news for South Carolina fans, an enormous Gamecock statue the university plans to install outside Williams-Brice Stadium won’t be ready in time for the football season.

“The Gamecock sculpture is a complex piece, and we don’t want to sacrifice quality by rushing the project,” USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said, according to The State. “This will be an impressive sculpture that fans will be able to enjoy for many years to come.”

USC also considering building this incredible sculpture of an actual Gamecock outside Williams-Brice Stadium. pic.twitter.com/pQLHMWT4mL

— Avery G. Wilks (@AveryGWilks) September 16, 2016

Tennessee

John Kelly is set to start at running back this fall. And according to Wes Rucker of Tennessee’s 247Sports site, Kelly is taking his leadership role seriously.

“I’m just trying to motivate everybody and keep everybody positive and just provide some positive energy,” he said. “Whether it’s the offensive guys, the defensive guys, the coaches, specialists, everybody, I’m just trying to motivate them and make sure everybody’s got a positive attitude going out there to practice.”

Vanderbilt

Derek Mason knows a good defensive back when he sees one. After all, Mason was once Stanford’s defensive coordinator, where he coached all-world cornerback Richard Sherman. Now, Mason believes he might have another player of Sherman’s caliber on the Commodores’ roster: Joejuan Williams.

“I’m not saying Joejuan is Richard Sherman, because I want him to be better than Richard,” Mason said, according to the Tennessean. “But at the end of the day, he has some of the same tangibles. … They remind me of each other.”

Tweet of the week

An article published by SB Nation’s Steven Godfrey last Friday alleged that Mississippi State linebacker Leo Lewis received more than $21,000 from “multiple SEC programs” in the lead-up to National Signing Day in 2015.

When former Georgia-turned-New York Jets linebacker Jordan Jenkins caught wind of this report, he reached out to his former head coach, Mark Richt, on Twitter with a joking query.

@MarkRicht lol how come we didn't get recruited like this ?? https://t.co/wQk7RdrVIZ

— Jordan Jenkins (@jordanOLB) August 25, 2017

Quote of the week

Georgia freshman offensive lineman Andrew Thomas has been one of the team’s biggest storylines coming out of the preseason. He’s played well enough he might end up in the starting lineup, as he has worked at both left guard and right tackle.

But it was his rangy build that astounded defensive lineman Julian Rochester.

“He’s amazing,” Rochester told reporters. “He has arms — I think he can scratch his knees when he stands up. His arms are so long.”

Ryan Black

Ryan Black covers Georgia football for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanABlack.