Ground Gainers
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I’m excited about sports returning in 2020.
We all are ready, especially considering how many were cancelled thus far. Let’s take a look at the best running backs in college football heading into the season.
- Javian Hawkins, Louisville: He was a redshirt freshman and established himself as one of the best ball carriers in the ACC.
He carried the ball 266 times for 1,525 yards, 9 touchdowns and averaged 5.7 yards per carry. His 40-yard dash time is reportedly in the high 4.3s, which would make him one of the fastest players in the nation.
Hawkins is the focal point of Scott Satterfield’s spread offense so he will have a chance for an even better 2020 season.
- Kenny Gainwell, Memphis: As a redshirt freshman in 2019 Gainwell had 2,069 yards of total offense and 16 touchdowns, averaging 7.3 yards per touch.
He is the new generation at the position that can catch passes and run the ball.
He ran for 1,459 yards on 235 carries with 13 rushing TDs. He caught 51 passes for 610 yards and 3 scores. He had 37 plays of 15 or more yards, so he makes explosive plays.
- Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas: The Last Chance U star is the only bright spot for the Razorbacks.
Last season he rushed for 1,133 yards, 8 scores on 184 attempts (6.2 YPC). It was his second consecutive year as the team’s leading rusher. He managed five 100-yard games and averaged 94.4 rushing yards per game.
First-year head coach Sam Pittman should help strengthen the offensive line. If that happens Boyd should have the best numbers of his career.
- Najee Harris, Alabama: He was the Crimson Tide’s best playmaker last season.
The former 5-star recruit ran for 1,224 yards, 13 TDs on 209 carries (5.9 YPC). He also had 27 receptions for 304 yards and 7 scores. Harris’ 13 rushing touchdowns in 13 games tied for second in the conference.
He ranked third in carries (209), fourth in rushing yards (1,224), and sixth in yards per game (94.15). He is only 1,214 yards behind former Heisman winner Derrick Henry as Alabama’s all-time leading rusher with 2,377 yards for his career.
1.Travis Etienne, Clemson: He doesn’t have anything left to prove at the college
level, so I was surprised he did not declare for the 2020 draft.
Etienne rushed for over 1,600 yards the past two seasons. He’s the Tigers all-time leading rusher and two time All-ACC.
He ran for 1,614 yards and 19 scores last year. In 2018 he led FBS with 24 touchdowns and he rushed for 1,659 yards. He should be a Heisman contender this season.
Honorable mention Kylin Hill, Mississippi State: He’s currently making headlines for threatening to sit out the 2020 season unless the state flag is changed.
Hill is the most talented player the Bulldogs have. He rushed 242 times for 1,350 yards (5.8 YPC) and 10 touchdowns in 2019. He’s currently tied for sixth all-time in 100-yard performances at Mississippi State.
Mike Leach is now the head coach in Starkville and he’s known for the Air Raid. Hill won’t get as many opportunities to carry the ball in 2020.
Beast Of The East
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
College football in the SEC is back operational again with players being back on campus and working out getting ready for the 2020 football season. Here is my predicted finish for the SEC East this fall.
1.Georgia: The Georgia Bulldogs have out-recruited everyone in the SEC East by a mile lately.
The roster is stacked with the only legit question is what will UGA do at the QB position.
The QB room is stocked from a talent perspective. Will JT Daniels be granted a waiver to play immediately like Justin Fields was at Ohio State? We all know UGA has that road trip to Alabama on 9/19. Many think that will be a loss.
The QB job looks like it is Jamie Newman’s to lose right now. If Newman lives up to the hype this team will be in the national title hunt.
Games of concern for 2020: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and South Carolina. Final regular season record: 11-1 with a loss at Alabama or Auburn.
2.Florida: The Gators are on the way back and are the trendy pick in the SEC East this fall.
Why is that the case? They don’t have a more talented roster than UGA and Dan Mullen is 0-3 against Kirby Smart as a head coach.
I see question marks at running back, wide receiver, and defensive line for Florida.
Florida should be recruiting at a higher level than they currently are.
Can Brenton Cox live up to his five-star hype and be the pass rusher the Gators need?
Dan Mullen is regarded as a great game day coach. I don’t think the Gators are there yet. Close but not there.
Games of concern this fall: Kentucky, Tennessee, LSU, Ole Miss, Georgia, and FSU. Final regular season record 10-2 with losses to LSU, and Georgia. Ole Miss is a trap game.
3.Tennessee: I was on vacation in North Georgia this week and I saw Tennessee shirts everywhere on tourists. I haven’t seen that in years, which means the Tennessee fan base is getting excited again about Tennessee football.
There are plenty of reasons to be excited because Jeremy Pruitt is turning this thing around in Knoxville.
Tennessee has been a dumpster fire for a decade now. QB is a concern along with roster depth across the board. We will know all we need to know about the Vols when they travel to Oklahoma in week 2.
Games of concern this fall: Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia. Final regular season record 8-4 with losses to Oklahoma, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia.
4.Kentucky: The Cats have as many as 18 starters returning and will be a thorn in the side of just about everyone they play, but this is not March and Kentucky finds ways to lose football games they can win. Games of concern this fall: Florida, South Carolina, Auburn, Tennessee, and Georgia. Final regular season record 8-4 with losses to Florida, Auburn, Tennessee and Georgia.
5.South Carolina: Will Muschamp is on the hot seat in Columbia.
The schedule is brutal once again. Can Carolina get six wins and a bowl game?
Games of concern this fall: Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU, Clemson. Carolina will have to beat Kentucky in Lexington to go 6-6. I see Carolina losing all of the games above and finishing 5-7 with a decent football team.
6.Missouri: The Tigers are in full rebuild mode.
Games of concern this fall: Every SEC contest. I see the Tigers going 4-8 with its lone SEC win being over Vanderbilt.
7.Vanderbilt: The only win I can see on Vandy’s schedule this fall is opening day against Mercer.
Final record 1-11 and the firing of Derek Mason. Good football coach at an impossible place to win.
Labor Day weekend can’t get here quick enough.
Rush Hour
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The defensive end is usually the most intimidating defender on the field. It takes great hand movement, flexibility, and a nonstop motor to be a successful pass rusher in the SEC.
Every defensive end wants to wreak havoc and there’s nothing like beating an offensive tackle and making a quarterback eat grass. These individuals display what it takes to be an effective edge rusher and they look to continue their relentless pursuit in the 2020 season.
Here are my top five defensive ends-edge rushers in the SEC.
- Brenton Cox Jr., Buck, Florida: Cox, a former five star and rising redshirt sophomore didn’t see the field for the Gators in 2019 after transferring from Georgia.
The 6-foot-4, 247 pounder will fill the spot of SEC sack leader Jonathan Greenard.
In Todd Grantham’s defense Cox will have to be flexible playing linebacker, strong side end, and buck.
Cox is an explosive player who will line up all over the field and will get after the quarterback from all angles. Cox is going to be one the most disruptive players in the SEC, and it doesn’t mean much that he hasn’t played a snap yet.
- DeMarvin Leal, DE, Texas A&M: Leal emerged as the starting edge rusher for the Aggies in his very first season.
As a former five-star prospect, Leal played in all 13 games in 2019 and started seven.
He recorded 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
The 6-foot-4, 290 pounder showed some versatility lining up at both end and tackle. I expect Leal’s production to jump next season as he now has one year of experience under his belt.
- Aaron Sterling, DE, South Carolina: The senior defensive end, who is coming off his best season as a Gamecock, is Aaron Sterling.
He led the team with 10 tackles for loss and tied the team lead of 6 sacks. Sterling is shorter than most edge rushers, standing 6-foot-1, but at 250 pounds he gets the job done.
Sterling has a motor that does not stop, and with the loss of Kinlaw and Wonnum, the senior is more than capable to lead the Gamecock defense in 2020.
- Markaviest “Big Kat” Bryant, Buck, Auburn: Auburn lost three starters on its defensive line but got a big boost when “Big Kat” announced he would return for his senior season.
Bryant is strong off the edge for 6-foot-5, 247 pounds. He has waited his turn after splitting time in Auburn’s deep defensive line rotation and will be a key to the Tigers’ front seven’s success in 2020.
In Kevin Steele’s defense, look for Bryant to lead the Tigers in sacks.
- LaBryan Ray, DE, Alabama: Ray had his 2019 season cut short due to a devastating.
season ending foot injury.
Ray was a preseason All-SEC selection in 2019 and was figured to be a key piece of the Crimson Tide’s front seven.
As a sophomore, Ray had 39 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
The redshirt junior will be an important piece of the Alabama defense. Ray is a dominant force against the run and surprisingly explosive off the edge for a 6-foot-5, 292 pounder.
Ray is your prototypical strong side defensive end, but he needs to improve on his rip and swim moves, and he NEEDS to stay healthy. If he polishes his pass rushing skills, this could lead to a double-digit sack season.
Just outside the top five: Jamar Watson, Kentucky; Sam Williams, Ole Miss; Zachary Carter, Florida; Kobe Jones, Mississippi State; Malik Herring, Georgia;
Breakout Player: Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
The Golden Arms
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Clemson has been the dominant program in the ACC for the last six years.
The rest of the conference is a distant second place to the Tigers. There are still some very talented players in the conference. Let’s take a look at the 5 best quarterbacks going into the 2020 season.
- Kenny Pickett, Pitt: He’s started the last two years for the Panthers. He’s listed on the preseason watchlist for the Davey O’Brien Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm.
In his 12 starts last season, Pickett completed 62% of his passes for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.
He led the conference in completions per game (24) and he had five 300-yard passing games.
He’s one of only four QB’s in the ACC entering his third season as the starter. I expect to see major improvement in his touchdown to interception ratio.
- Sam Hartman, Wake Forest: This might shock the Georgia fans that have fully bought in to the Jamie Newman hype.
You remember him from season 2 of QB 1Beyond the Lights, which got popular when it was picked up by Netflix.
He set a Wake Forest program freshman record with 16 TD’s during the 2018 season. He was injured in early November and that allowed Newman to emerge as the starter.
Hartman has put on 20 pounds of muscle in his time at Wake. He will lead the Demon Deacons as the starter again this Fall.
- D’Eriq King, Miami: The transfer from Houston is a major addition for the Hurricanes.
He’s a true dual threat so if the offensive line continues to struggle, he can still make plays.
He tore his meniscus and underwent successful surgery in November 2018. At the time of his injury, King was leading college football with 50 total touchdowns (36 pass, 14 rush).
He decided to redshirt last season after Houston started 1-3. In his four starts he threw for 663 yards, 6 TD’s, 2 picks while rushing for 312 yards and 6 scores.
- Sam Howell, North Carolina: As a true freshman Howell passed for 3,641 yards and 38 touchdowns.
He led multiple game winning drives. His touchdown-pass total was third-most in league single-season history.
He ranked behind future first round picks Deshaun Watson and Jameis Winston. Players typically make the biggest improvement going in to their second year so he should be better in 2020.
Mack Brown is also entering his second season as head coach, in his second term in Chapel Hill. I believe the Tar Heels are one of the best teams in the ACC.
- Trevor Lawrence, Clemson: This was an obvious choice. He should be the top pick in
the 2021 draft. Lawrence has only lost one game in his two seasons as a starter. At this point he just needs to add a Heisman to his list of accomplishments. He’s passed for 5,778 yards, 58 TD’s and 12 interceptions.
The Tigers are better than every team they will play during the regular season so that will allow Lawrence to have impressive stats.
A Brave Future
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There may not be any actual baseball being played right now but the march of business continues on, as the 2020 MLB Draft has come and gone.
For the Atlanta Braves, it’s a chance to restock the farm system as more and more of their highly touted prospects show up to the big-league club.
All signs were pointing to Alex Anthopoulos aiming for high school pitching as his focus – let’s see how that played out and what kind of potential gold Atlanta struck last week.
The first pick for Atlanta, and the number 25 pick overall, was Wake Forest lefty Jared Shuster.
An interesting pick, without a particularly long track record. Shuster broke out last summer during the Cape Cod League and continued to impress during (an albeit shortened) spring.
He may not end up being an ace, but the potential is there for a solid middle-of-the-rotation guy. The kind of draft pick that’s not very sexy, but one that could pay out in a big way.
Quick note: what would have been Atlanta’s second pick was given to the Cardinals after the Braves signed Marcel Ozuna.
It’s always a calculated risk when a team signs a player that costs them a draft pick, but this one will sting a little extra since at best Ozuna will play about half-a-season’s worth of games or at worst won’t play a single game for the Bravos.
So, with what should have been their third, but in reality, was their second pick, Anthopoulos and company took outfielder Jesse Franklin from Michigan.
An injury that COVID-19 never left Franklin recover from might be the only thing that kept this power and speed guy from going top 50 in the draft (a skiing accident shut him down for a month or two, and had Michigan played their whole season he would have been able to show off his recovery).
He’s shown the ability to hit for power, but he’ll need to couple that with a higher average to sniff the Majors.
Spencer Strider, a right-handed pitcher from Clemson, came off the board as the Braves’ fourth-round pick. Yet another guy who could be seen as a risk, Strider was a huge recruiting get for Clemson and played a lot as a freshman, though he struggled with his command.
Tommy John surgery took him out of the game last year, though he did make it back to show off in a short sample size this season before it was shut down.
Strider didn’t appear to be on a lot of radars since he hit the college circuit, but the Braves liked his live arm enough to pull the trigger and hope he shows more of what made him so highly-sought-after in high school.
Lastly, we have Bryce Elder right-handed pitcher from Texas. He’s been the Longhorns’ ace despite not being an overpowering-type pitcher.
However, he’s got a good mix of all of the things that made a good pitcher and could be a rotation mainstay for a lot of years if he develops right.
So, as you’ve probably noticed, there were no high school pitchers drafted.
This is a very interesting class; it’s not a flashy group, and a couple might have needed more time to prove themselves, but given the situation baseball is in, a lot of teams had to take leaps of faith in this draft.
It isn’t the greatest class Atlanta has ever seen, but there’s potential here to supply the Braves with valuable pieces in the future.
In The Trenches
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Who are the defensive tackles who’ll make a key impact on the SEC 2020 season? There will be a changing of the guard in the defensive front across the SEC in 2020.
The SEC had a wealth of talent in the trenches this past season, but many of the conference’s top defensive tackles including Auburn tackle Derrick Brown, who was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, are off to the NFL.
In fact, all the first and second team All SEC defensive tackles are headed to play on Sundays next season. This opens the door for the next group of athletes for fans to get excited about.
Here’s a look at my top five defensive tackles in the SEC for 2020.
- Tedarrell Slaton, Florida: Slaton is a 6 foot 5, 343 pounds, senior for the Gators.
Slaton recorded 29 tackles with 2 sacks and a pass defended in 2019.
He played well to close out the 2019 campaign. Slaton is a big nose tackle that caused a lot of disruption and plugged gaps at the point of attack.
I found him wise to come back for his senior year. Slaton needs to work on his pad level and hand strength.
- Christian Barmore, Alabama: Barmore was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.
Barmore, a redshirt freshman, played in 12 games and started 2.
He emerged as a key backup for the Crimson Tide by recording 2 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, and 26 total tackles.
The 6 foot 5, 310 pounder made an impact in the Citrus Bowl against Michigan with two tackles, a pass breakup and quarterback hurry.
3.Tyler Shelvin, LSU: Shelvin is your prototypical nose tackle. He is one of the best nose guards in college football’s best conference, the SEC.
The 6 foot 3, 346 pounder was the Tigers’ most productive interior defensive lineman in 2019.
He posted 39 tackles and 3 tackles for loss. Shelvin didn’t have any tackles against Oklahoma, but influenced the coaching by getting double teamed on 94% of the snaps he played.
Shelvin’s pass rushing has a long way to go, but he is the best run stopper returning for 2020.
- Tyrone Tuesdell, Auburn: Tuesdell started every game in 2019 alongside All-SEC Defensive Player of the Year Derrick Brown.
He racked up 31 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks in 2019.
Tuesdell has been a critical part in the Tiger’s defense success but now serves as a leader on a line that lost two All- Americans.
The 6 foot 2, 310-pound junior has taken his game to a whole new level. It is no surprise to Auburn and SEC fans, now it just a matter of time before everyone else in college football knows Tyrone Tuesdell.
- Jordan Davis, Georgia: Jordan Davis is a massive starting nose guard and is a big
reason why the Dawgs only allowed 100 rushing yards in 4 of their 14 games.
He started eight of 14 of them and finished the season with 18 total stops and 2 sacks. In two games Davis missed with an ankle sprain, Georgia allowed 142 yards rushing to South Carolina and 163 yards to Kentucky.
He demanded a double team on basically every play. Which allowed Monty Rice and Tae Crowder to lead the team in tackles.
Even though his stats may not jump out at you, he is the most impactful player on the Bulldogs starting defense.
The 6 foot 6, 330 pounder will lead what I think will be the best defense in the SEC.
Just outside the top five: Xavier Kelly, Arkansas; Aubrey Solomon, Tennessee; Kobie Whiteside, Missouri; Glen Logan, LSU, Drew Birchmeier, Vanderbilt. Freshman Impact Player: Jordan Burch, South Carolina.
The Chiefs
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Florida State has fallen on hard times recently, but they used to be one of the best football programs in the nation.
The Seminoles have produced several talented players that have had success in the NFL. I’m going to look at the best players in program history.
Chris Weinke (1997-2000): This is a name that may be forgotten, and I don’t know why. Weinke played minor league baseball right after high school so it took him a few years to arrive in Tallahassee. He was 25 when he enrolled at FSU and he did not become a starter until the following year.
As a Sophomore in 1998 he led the Seminoles to a 9-1 record before suffering a season ending neck injury against Virginia.
In 1999 FSU went undefeated and beat Virginia Tech in the national championship game.
As a senior, in 2000, Weinke led the nation in passing yards with 4,167 and 33 touchdowns. He won the Heisman Trophy, Davey O’Brien Award and Johnny Unitas Award. FSU played in their third consecutive national championship game. He finished his career with a 32-3 record.
Peter Warrick (1995-99): He’s one of the best wide receivers in program history.
Warrick was First-team All-ACC three times and a consensus All-American twice.
Statistically his junior year was the best. He had 1,232 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He had another rushing TD.
He was suspended two games his senior year, but he still had 934 yards, 8 receiving touchdowns and 3 rushing touchdowns. In the national championship game, he had over 160 receiving yards and 3 TD’s.
Warrick Dunn (1993-96): He was First-team All-ACC three times and a Second-team All-American in 1996.
He rushed for over 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. He rushed for 1,026 in 1994, 1,242 in 1995 and 1,180 in 1996. He holds the receiving TD record with 31.
Dalvin Cook (2014-16): I knew he was a good player, but I was surprised to find out he’s the leading rusher in school history. He ran for 4,464 yards in his three seasons.
He also has the best rushing season in program history with 1,765 yards in 2016. He was a two time First-team All-American. Cook is also the rushing touchdown leader with 46.
Charlie Ward (1989-93): He started his final two years and he drastically improved.
As a junior he passed for 2,647 yards, 22 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. As a senior he had 3,032 yards, 27 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
In 1993 he won the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien Award. He led Florida State to their first national championship. They beat Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, 18-16.
Terrell Buckley (1989-91): He’s the school interception leader with 21. He has the most picks in a season with 12 in 1991.
He won the Jim Thorpe Award and Jack Tatum Trophy in 1991.
Deion Sanders (1985-89): Prime Time is tied with Lee Corso for third in interceptions with 14. He also played baseball and ran track.
He was a two-time unanimous All-American and won the Jim Thorpe Award (1988). He also had his jersey retired.
Peter Boulware (1994-96): He’s second in career sacks with 34. He had 19 sacks in 1996.
He was a consensus All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 96.
Jameis Winston: He was 26-1 as a starter.
He won the Heisman Trophy as a redshirt freshman and led the team to an undefeated season and national championship.
In his career he completed 66% of his passes for 7,964 yards and 65 touchdowns.
Tip It Off
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Well, after months of watching old games, listening to pundits regurgitate the same storylines, and reading enough Top Ten articles that even David Letterman would roll his eyes, the return of sports is now on the periphery…in a limited capacity…at the end of the summer…for only a select number of teams.
The first domino to fall was hockey, which came up with a creative approach to the remainder of their season, consisting of qualifying rounds and round robin seeding games, to determine the 16 playoff teams.
With an expected start date sometime in late July, I imagine Gary Bettman must have been optimistic- if you’re starving for fan attention being the only game in town has its’ advantages.
It’s like being stranded on a deserted island for six months before realizing there’s someone of the opposite sex on the island with you. That person may not be your ideal mate, but after a certain amount of time, you’re not going to be picky.
Then, of course, the NBA announced their plans to finish their season with qualifying games among a select group of teams to narrow the field down to their playoff participants.
One of the aspects included in each league’s proposal I can easily get behind is they are only including teams that were in playoff contention at the time their respective leagues shut down. If we’re truly trying to be safe, there’s no reason to put players at risk by making them play meaningless games.
The main difference between the hockey and basketball plans is hockey is scheduling their games in at least two different hub cities, while the NBA will hold all their games at Disney World, requiring everyone to stay in a designated area throughout their time there.
The current NBA schedule has them resuming games in late July also, and running through October.
Besides the encouraging signs the sports world may be starting to open back up, the timeline of when everything takes place means September and October have the potential to be two of the most exciting months in recent memory.
Even if college football and the NFL delay their starts by a few weeks, there’s a very realistic possibility you could have multiple weekends consisting of NHL and NBA playoff games, to go along with football.
As much as people are tired of being stuck at home now, with all those options to choose from, I bet many of those same people would be staying indoors, deciding they needed to “self-quarantine”.
As much as I think most of us are looking forward to watching again, we may want to temper our expectations. We’re still weeks away before the first game will be played, and as positive Covid cases continue to rapidly increase in almost half the states across the country (many college programs are now announcing outbreaks among their players), it may be delayed even more.
Regardless of what you read into that, even the most skeptical critic would have a difficult time arguing an increase of positive test results would cause any league to speed up their return date.
If both leagues are able to resume their seasons in July it will have been a long four months in sports purgatory. And even though we won’t have technically been deserted on a desert island during that time, we’ll welcome the first puck drop, or opening tip, as if we had been.
The Future IS Now
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic remain in place in relation to NCAA sports, college football teams are managing to remain as active as ever.
Players are working out on their own at their respective houses and online video meetings are allowing the various meetings for teams, players and position groups that normally fill the schedule preceding fall camp.
However, there is one aspect of the summer months that has had to change drastically. From the end of spring practice up through the long days of June and July, most college football coaches are racking up the mileage as they attend camps and start to make contacts with recruits they hope to sign at the end of the season.
Several members of the Georgia Southern coaching staff joined a Zoom meeting on where much of the discussion with media members was centered on how the team is continuing to recruit despite no visits allowed and few opportunities for athletes to showcase their skills.
“I’ve tried to embrace this as an opportunity,” Georgia Southern associate head coach and running backs coach Chris Foster said. “I think I’m a little more tech savvy than some others and things were leaning towards more technology even before (the virus). The teams who are going to succeed are the ones who are going to adapt.”
Coaches may not be able to see prospective recruits go up against live competitions, but the advancement of cheap video technology and the explosion of social media over the last decade allow many hopeful high-schoolers to provide colleges with expansive highlight reels.
That sort of accessibility allows coaches to evaluate film in their meetings and make informed decisions on who to pursue and what to focus on in their game.
There is also a silver lining for the coaches as meeting with a dozen recruits over the course of a few days is now as easy as setting up a streaming meeting instead of putting hundreds of miles on a vehicle and waking up in a different hotel every day.
Still, there are new issues as meetings have had to work around school and work schedules for athletes and their parents.
“Depending on when you can schedule a meeting, there have been some 14 and 15 hour days,” GS defensive coordinator Scot Sloan said. “We’re still doing all of our homework. We’re meeting with these kids and the high school coaches have been great about keeping us in touch and getting us in contact with teachers, counselors and anyone else who we might want to talk to about a guy.”
The recruiting game has certainly been turned on its’ head. If anything, it could become a net benefit for smaller schools like Georgia Southern.
No matter how good Georgia Southern coaches are at evaluating prep players or selling them on the Eagles, they don’t have the ability of larger schools with much larger budgets to employ dozens of people to scour every corner of the country.
And most schools certainly don’t have the luxury of putting a coach on a private jet straight into a player’s backyard on a moment’s notice in order to gain an edge in the recruiting battle.
The playing field has leveled in that regard, meaning that originality and innovation off of the base model of Twitter highlights and Zoom meetings is now something that can make a school stand out to a prized recruit.
It’s a whole new ballgame in the high-stakes world of football recruiting. Now it remains to be seen how the new methods of selling teams and schools will pan out.
The Beef
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The SEC is known as a Line of Scrimmage League and the strength up front won’t decrease much in 2020.
These players have demonstrated what it takes to effectively run-block, pass protect, and fight like hell in the trenches.
There’s nothing as satisfying as watching mammoth individuals opening holes, or being that stone wall that cannot be penetrated, or my personal favorite, pancaking a defender as big as they are.
Here are my top five offensive linemen in the SEC for 2020.
- Landon Dickerson, Center/Guard, Alabama: Dickerson was a graduate transfer from Florida State, who had a breakout season in 2019 with the Crimson Tide.
He started all 13 games, four at guard and nine at center. His versatility allows him to play every position on the offensive line effectively. The six-foot-six, 318 pounder will help set the tone for the boys up front this fall.
- Darin Kinnard, Tackle, Kentucky: Kinnard is an old school masher at right tackle for the Wildcats.
The six-foot-seven, 340 pounder will join senior teammates Drake Jackson, Landon Young and Luke Fortner as four of the top ten returning lineman in the SEC.
Kinnard’s running blocking is on an elite level; he must improve his pass protection and hand placement. Kentucky has one of the top offensive lines in the SEC in 2020.
- Deonte Brown, Guard, Alabama: Brown is an absolute beast at every bit six-foot four, 340 pounds.
He grew up in the Auburn game against Derrick Brown as a true testament to his strength.
Deonte Brown is a smooth athlete who gets to his spots on time. If he is to grow, he must improve his pass protection, especially against quicker pass rushers.
Expect another strong season from Brown as the Crimson Tide looks to regain the SEC West title.
- Trey Smith, Guard, Tennessee: Smith is one the most seasoned offensive linemen in the SEC, with 31 career starts.
He played tackle in his freshman season and earned Freshman All American and second team All SEC honors. Smith moved to Guard last season and earned first team All SEC while battling blood clot issues. I won’t be surprised if he is on the short list for the Outland Trophy in 2020.
- Alex Leatherwood, Tackle, Alabama: If you haven’t noticed, The Crimson Tide will have the best offensive line in the SEC and arguably all of College football in 2020.
Alex Leatherwood will be the heart and soul of the Tide’s offensive line. Bama returns four starters from a line that allowed the fewest number of sacks in the SEC last season.
They were also fourth in the SEC in rushing offense. The six-foot-six, 310-pound Leatherwood allowed only two sacks in the past two seasons.
Leatherwood was also first team All SEC and many experts predict he’ll follow in the footsteps of Jonah Williams, a first round draft pick.
Just outside the Top 5: Cade Mays, Tennessee; Drake Jackson, Kentucky; Trey Hill and Ben Cleveland, Georgia; Austin Deculus, LSU; Steward Reese, Florida; Dylan Wannam, South Carolina.
