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Maybe it’s spatially contagious.
Some of the SEC’s biggest positional competitions during spring practice are taking place at quarterback and center, with schools like Georgia, Auburn and Mississippi State featuring important battles in the middle of the offensive line.
RELATED: SEC’s greatest talent drain entering 2015 lies at center
Players like David Andrews, Reese Dismukes and Dillon Day are headed to the NFL draft, giving way to a new crop of star centers. Which ones will play the best in 2015?
5. Ethan Pocic, LSU — He’s the Barrett Jones of 2015, a player capable of lining up at all five positions along the offensive line. For now, the Tigers will stash his 6-foot-7 frame in the middle of the formation. Although he came to LSU as a tackle, Pocic is more of a mauler who will clear brush from Leonard Fournette’s path this fall. If the Tigers face injuries or poor play at other positions, Pocic easily could move back to guard or even right tackle, but for now he’s a center.
4. Mitch Smothers, Arkansas –At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, Smothers is small for an offensive lineman by Razorbacks standards. Part of an offensive line that allowed just 14 sacks in 2014, Smothers and Arkansas will be focused on trying to get Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams more than 1,000 rushing yards once again. The former guard may need to return to the position if he wants an NFL career, but within the SEC and especially within this offense, he’ll play well.
3. Evan Boehm, Missouri — Boehm’s personality presents an interesting dynamic. He’s a goofball who enjoys interacting with his teammates and not being so serious all the time. Yet he’s also a perfectionist who at times last year said he pressed because he was trying too hard not to mess up. An underrated run blocker at 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, expect some more consistency out of Boehm as a senior. If he can string together a full season of his best games, he could earn All-SEC accolades.
2. Ryan Kelly, Alabama — An honorable-mention All-SEC player last season, the 6-foot-5 Kelly weighs more than 300 pounds for the first time in his life. A smart player with an all-around game, he’ll anchor an offensive line that’s tailed off from its high-water mark in 2012. Kelly is a certifiable Rimington Trophy candidate. Can he keep the award for the nation’s best center within the state of Alabama for a third time in four years?
1. Mike Matthews, Texas A&M — Out for spring practice due to injury, Matthews returns to the Aggies as a two-year starter at center. At 6-foot-2 and 290 pounds times he’s not played as well against bigger defensive tackles, but he’s got a chance to emerge as the top-rated center entering the 2015 NFL draft. His strength is as a pass protector, which bodes well for Texas A&M’s offense. He’s also got the pedigree. His dad, Bruce Matthews, is in the pro football Hall of Fame.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
