A healthy Todd Gurley is a problem for SEC defenses to deal with. (Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports)
For the first time in several years the Southeastern Conference opens the season without the big name quarterbacks.
Gone are the ones who made the headlines for the past couple of years—Aaron Murray, Zach Mettenberger, AJ McCarron, Connor Shaw, and Johnny Manziel. That’s not to say there isn’t talent returning at the position with the likes of Nick Marshall, Bo Wallace, Dak Prescott and Jeff Driskel back.
But the SEC, long known as a breeding ground for great quarterbacks, will be known more for the talented running backs. The league lost some good ones with Tre Mason, Rajion Neal, Henry Josey, LaDarius Perkins, Jeff Scott and Jeremy Hill among them. But there are plenty of talented backs returning.
Perhaps the best will be Georgia’s Todd Gurley … if he can stay healthy. Last season Gurley had 989 yards rushing and north of 1,400 yards in total offense. He was hit by the injury bug last season but still managed to put up good numbers. If he stays healthy, this could be a banner year for Gurley and the Bulldogs.
South Carolina has designs on winning the school’s first SEC championship, and Mike Davis will be a big part of that push. Davis rushed for 1,183 yards last season and averaged almost six yards per carry. Like Gurley, Davis will have a monster year if he stays healthy. If he goes down, South Carolina has plenty of help in Brandon Wilds and freshman David Williams.
Alabama is never without a stable of running backs and T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry fit that mold. Yeldon had 1,235 yards rushing last season and Henry had 100 yards on eight carries in the Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma. Henry remains the all-time leading rusher in high school history. He and Yeldon could have a big season if they don’t steal too many carries from each other.
LSU is also set at running back with Terrence Magee and Kenny Hilliard, but much of the buzz about LSU surrounds incoming freshman Leonard Fournette, a 6-foot-1, 224-pound rock from New Orleans who averaged 9.6 yards per carry. He was the nation’s top prep running back last season.
Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne averaged 6.7 yards per carry last year but he only had 91 carries due to the presence of Mason. That won’t be the case this year although he will have to compete with Corey Grant, redshirt freshman Peyton Barber, and Alabama’s Mr. Football, Roc Thomas, for carries.
Arkansas has a couple of outstanding running backs in Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins. Collins topped 1,000 yards as a freshman, and Williams ran for 900 yards on 150 carries. They both scored four touchdowns. Sophomore Korliss Marshall is also a pretty dangerous runner as well.
There are other good running backs who could have big seasons—among them are Kelvin Taylor and Matt Jones of Florida, Jojo Kemp and Braylon Heard of Kentucky, Josh Robinson of Mississippi State, Russell Hansbrough and Marcus Murphy of Missouri, Marlin Lane and Jalen Hurd of Tennessee, Tra Carson and Trey Williams of Texas A&M and Brian Kimbrow and Jerron Seymour of Vanderbilt.
