AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2007 > July > 26
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Five SEC stars I’d pay to see
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hoover, Ala. — The SEC media days continue Thursday and my fellow sportswriters are starting to fill out their all-conference preseason ballots. This is bound to start an argument, but here are five offensive players from the SEC I’d pay to see. Have I left somebody more deserving off the list? Let me hear about it.
1. Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas. He finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy last season and as 2007 begins it is his to lose. He ran for 1,647 yards last seson and proved that he could do just a little bit of everything — including passing the ball — from Arkansas’s “Wildcat” formation. Only two backs in SEC history have run for over 1,000 yards as a freshman and a sophomore. Herschel Walker is one. McFadden is the other. He is big-time.
2. Percy Harvin, WR, Florida. Like McFadden, Harvin gets high marks for his versatility. Despite being hobbled for the first half of the season with injuries, Harvin racked up 855 yards of total offense on just 75 touches. He had 105 yards rushing in the SEC championship game from the wide receiver position. With sprinter’s speed, he can score from anywhere on the field. He is the kind of difference maker that every team wishes tit had.
3. Earl Bennett, WR, Vanderbilt. Think about all the great receivers who have played in this league. Then think about the fact that Bennett has played only two seasons. Still, the junior from Birmingham needs only 48 catches to become the leading receiver in SEC history. He has 161 career catches. He is the only receiver in SEC to post two seasons with 75 or more catches.
4. Rafael Little, TB/KR, Kentucky. He was banged up last year and never got a chance to really show what he could do. But in 2005 he ran for over 1,000 yards and caught 46 passes for 449 yards. He is also the top punt returner in Kentucky history. Last season when he was healthy, Little averaged 22.6 yards on punt returns. If this guy can stay healthy the whole season, Kentucky is going to make some noise in the SEC East. He is just fun to watch.
5. Early Doucet, WR, LSU. Last April, LSU had two receivers drafted in the first round (Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis). Doucet, who is back for his senior year, may be better than both of them. Doucet had a great 2006 season with 59 catches for 772 yards. When the game was on the line last season in Knoxville, quarterback JaMarcus Russell found Doucet for the winning touchdown in a 28-24 win over Tennessee.
HONORABLE MENTION
— BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, Ole Miss. Ole Miss had the worst offense in the SEC and Green-Ellis still ran for 1,000 yards.
— Jacob Hester, FB/TB, LSU. This guy is just a gamer. He can run the ball from both the fullback and tailback position and can catch the ball (35 catches last season). Runs with a great forward lean.
— Marcus Monk, WR, Arkansas. Monk has played on a running team his entire career but has 24 touchdown catches, just seven shy of the all-time mark of 31 held by Florida’s Chris Doerring. He’s 6-6, folks.
— Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky. He’s 6-5, 230 and led the SEC in passing yardage (3,515) and touchdown passes (31) last season. Threw only seven interceptions in over 400 passing attempts. He should be the All-SEC quarterback this season.
