The SEC West is easily the deepest and most talented division in all of football. Alabama won it all last season and went on to celebrate SEC and national championships but in order to get there they had to beat out Ole Miss, Arkansas, LSU, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Auburn for the best record in the West. In order to stay at the top, Nick Saban has to reload with top-tier young talent in order to fill the holes created when the best players on his roster graduate and go on to become top picks in the NFL. No program from the SEC West has done a better job on the recruiting trail than the Crimson Tide, but they weren’t alone when it came to recruiting the top incoming talent in their division this year. Here is a look at the top incoming freshman that will make the biggest impact in the SEC West this season.
OT – Greg Little, Ole Miss Rebels
The Rebels are poised to challenge Alabama at the top of the SEC West this season with one of the best returning quarterbacks in the entire conference leading the way in Chad Kelly. Hugh Freeze lost his star left tackle Laremy Tunsil as a projected top-five pick in this year’s NFL Draft so he has to be thrilled that he landed a capable replacement for him in Little. The consensus top offensive lineman recruit in the nation will slide in immediately to protect Kelly’s blindside and there is every reason to expect him to thrive as both a pass protector and run blocker. The 6’5’’, 305-pound Little will be a key piece for the Ole Miss offense and should have a tremendous impact from the outset in his true freshman season.
DT – Derrick Brown, Auburn Tigers
The Auburn defense didn’t live up to lofty expectations last season but there is reason to expect improvement in 2016 thanks in large part to the return of star defensive end Carl Lawson and the arrival of the freshman defensive tackle Brown. The 6’3’’, 317-pound tackle is an absolute beast in the middle of the defensive line with great athleticism, explosiveness and push at the point of attack. The return of Montravius Adams and Dontavious Russell as starters might force Brown to come off the bench early on but it will be difficult to keep him off the football field once he gets the chance to show what he can do as a potential star with immense potential from the outset.
LB – Ben Davis, Alabama Crimson Tide
The Crimson Tide have been a factory for churning out elite NFL prospects and while replacing them isn’t easy you wouldn’t know it based on the job that Saban and his staff has done. Next in line to step in immediately for Alabama is the freshman linebacker Davis, who is expected to start right away. The 6’4’’, 237-pound linebacker can be a force both defending the run and getting after the quarterback in pass rush packages and fans will be excited to see how Davis is used as a true freshman this season.
QB – Blake Barnett, Alabama Crimson Tide
Davis isn’t the only stud freshman prospect that the Tide will turn to next season with the redshirt freshman Barnett set to step in at quarterback. Alabama has gotten the most out of Blake Sims and Jake Coker the last two years and it will be interesting to see what offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin and company are able to get out of Barnett as the favorite to land the starting job. The 6’5’’, 215-pound Barnett has excellent size, an outstanding arm and the athleticism to make plays with his legs so all eyes will be on him to see how he fares in his first year as the starter at Alabama. The good news is Alabama will have a strong defense and a quality running game – as per usual – so it will afford a lot of development time for Barnett.
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