Around the SEC West: 2nd Year Players who will Breakthrough in 2020
Every year new recruits arrive on campuses around the country with high hopes and dreams of stardom. Fans are ready for them to take college football by storm and the recruits are ready to be the next superstar. Truth is not many true freshmen become impact players in their first season, and need time in the weight room and experience to have an impact. The next year new recruits arrive and last years class is no longer on fans minds. This feature will focus on recruits from the 2019 recruiting class who will breakthrough and make their mark in 2020. Note: All recruiting rankings are referencing the 247 Sports composite.
Alabama
Jordan Battle was a top 50 recruit coming out of high school. He played a good amount in a reserve role as a true freshman last year recording 30 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 PBU, and 1 Int. Battle is a long lean athlete at 6’1″ 201 lbs who has good speed and covers a lot of ground in the secondary. Battle has good cover skills and there were some who thought he could play corner at the collegiate level. He is a reliable tackler even though he is not yet known as a big hitter. Battle has the tools to be an excellent cover safety who can provide support in the run game as well. He got his feet wet in 2019 and will be ready to dive into 2020 and breakthrough.
Both of Alabama’s starting safeties from the 2019 season are no longer at Alabama. Xavier McKinney is in the NFL and Jared Mayden also exhausted his eligibility. Battle played a decent amount in 2019 and is the likely front runner to take over at one of the two safety spots. Battle’s range and speed will be an asset in the defensive backfield. His instincts and ability to find the ball should create big plays for the Tide defense in 2020. Battle is the type of player who can not only erase everyone else’s mistakes, but create plays of his own as well. We will be surprised if he does not win the job and have a big season.
Arkansas
Hudson Henry arrived at Arkansas a top 150 recruit. Henry played sparingly in a reserve role for the Razorback catching only 3 passes for 15 yards. The 6’5″ 238 lb Henry needed to add some strength and was blocked on the depth chart by veteran TE Cheyenne O’Grady. Henry has all the tools to be a great TE with a good frame which will continue to add good weight. He uses his body well in traffic making contested catches look easy. He has good speed and quickness which helps him excel against man or zone defenses. As he gets stronger his run blocking should continue to improve. Henry has the talent to become a major player for the Razorbacks in 2020.
Cheyenne O’Grady was dismissed from the Arkansas football team late in 2019. O’Grady was fourth on the team in receiving yards and no other TE had more than six catches. With a thin depth chart, Henry is likely the favorite to emerge this fall. New coach Sam Pittman will be looking for weapons on offense and Henry can be a major weapon. He can be used in a variety of ways due to his complete skill set. Look for Henry to increase his production exponentially now that he will have opportunities to make plays in the passing game.
Auburn
Derrick Hall was an exciting end prospect who ranked in the top 150 recruits in the country. He cracked the two deep as a freshman and was the primary backup to Marlon Davidson by the end of the season. The 6’3′ 230 lb Hall was able to pick up 13 tackles and 1.5 TFL in this role. Hall is a classic fast twitch athlete, he has an explosive burst which will serve him well at the defensive end position. Hall has good speed and can chase plays down from behind. He needs to continue to add strength to play on the defensive line but has the tools to be a good DE for the Tigers. He gained some experience in 2019 and with a good off season will be ready to play a prominent role this season.
Star DE Marlon Davidson will be plying his trade on Sundays now and this leaves an opening at DE for the Tigers to fill. Hall served as a backup for Davidson this past season and will be given the chance to win the starting job outright this season. With some added strength and bulk, Hall should take the job and run with it. Combining his speed and burst with more strength will be a dangerous combination for offensive linemen to deal with. Most believe Hall can be a good pass rusher, but if he can also be a capable defender against the run he will be a star for Auburn in 2020.
LSU
Maurice Hampton arrived in Baton Rouge in 2019 as a Top 150 recruit. Hampton has good size at 6’0″ 214 lbs and is a strong defensive back. He was able to pick up two starts in 2019 but was primarily a backup for the Tigers. He did manage 10 tackles and 1 PBU in limited time this past season. Hampton has the ability to cover receivers if needed but excels at safety because of his excellent range. He has good ball skills and will compete for the football in contested situations. There is some scheme versatility to his game as he can do many things at the safety position and possibly play some corner in a pinch. With some playing time under his belt, Hampton should be ready to take on a larger role this season.
JaCoby Stevens returns at safety but Thorpe Award winner Grant Delpit has moved on to the NFL. There is an opening at one safety spot but LSU produces defensive backs as good as anyone and will have many options to fill the opening. Hampton is not guaranteed to be the starter but his diverse skill set and experience last season will likely give him a leg up. He is the type of player coaches find a way to get on the field because he can make plays. Hampton will be a good counterpart to Stevens and the two should work well together in the secondary. LSU has a lot of openings after having 14 players drafted this past season, we are betting on Hampton filling one of those, and filling it well.
Mississippi State
Charles Cross was a five star recruit and the crown jewel of the Bulldogs 2019 recruiting class. Cross (6’5″ 270 lbs) redshirted as a true freshman but did play sparingly under the new redshirt rules. While he is a fantastic tackle prospect it was evident that Cross needed to bulk up for the rigors of college football. Cross is an excellent athlete on the offensive line and possesses good quickness and agility. As he adds bulk and technique the athletic package will be second to none. His feet and length will be assets at the tackle position. Cross needed time to add bulk and work on that technique, but the sky is the limit for the prized recruit.
2019’s starting left tackle, Tyree Phillips has graduated leaving a vacancy on the Bulldogs offensive line. The team could move RT Greg Eiland over to the left side or just choose a new start at left tackle. New Coach Mike Leach will bring his air raid offense to Starkville, which means pass blocking is needed to protect transfer QB KJ Costello. Cross has the skill set to be an ideal tackle in Leach’s offense. Whether it’s on the right side or the left side, Cross is a good bet to win the open tackle spot and become a star for the Bulldogs.
Mississippi
It wouldn’t be fair to pick Jerrion Ealy here as we rated him our #4 RB in college football already. Instead we went with Nick Broeker who was a three star recruit but saw playing time as a true freshman last season. Broeker needs to add some more weight but held his own at 6’4″ 298 lbs last season. He is a good run blocker who gets good leverage and drives defenders off the ball. He has good feet but needs to get better with his technique in pass blocking. He does not have quite as much length as the best tackles but makes up for it with his quick feet. With a good off season in the weight room and time to perfect his technique Broeker is primed for a big sophomore campaign.
Broeker split time last season with senior Michael Howard. Howard is now gone meaning Broeker is in the poll position to be one of the starters at tackle next season. He is still a young player but has shown a good amount of development in his young career. We expect that development to continue, look for Broeker to be one of the best lineman in the SEC next year. Lane Kiffin and his staff are new in Oxford, so there could be some shake up in the hierarchy, but we are confident that Broeker will be one of the five best lineman on the team.
Texas A&M
Baylor Cupp was a top 60 recruit in the 2019 recruiting class but broke his leg before the season began. In his absence Jalen Wydermyer emerged and became our #6 ranked TE in college football. Cupp will return this fall and look to put his incredible tools to work. Cupp is a 6’6″ 245 lb athletic freak. He has the frame to add more weight while maintaining his athleticism. He is a big and fast player who often overwhelms defenders. Cupp will need to work on the nuances of the position and become more technical as the competition level increases. He also needs to prove that he can be a good run blocker. Regardless, if Cupp is healthy he has all the tools to be a dangerous weapon for the Aggies in 2020.
Wydermyer did a fantastic job in 2019 and is not going to the bench. He is a quality TE in his own right but that will not keep Cupp off the field. The plan all along was for the Aggies to use both TEs together and create mismatches all over the field. Cupp and Wydermyer together will provide a nightmare match-up for any defensive coordinator. Cupp will need to be healthy and have an understanding of the playbook to make this projection a reality, but the talent is there and it will be tough for Texas A&M to keep the young star off the field this coming season.
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Students at Kyle Field image taken by StuSeeger is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
