With a couple of months to go before the start of the college football season there literally isn’t a single area of the game that won’t be talked about at some point leading up to kickoff. We took the time to figure out just whom it is that gets the top SEC teams fired up before the second half of their games. Here is a look at who gives the halftime speeches to the top SEC teams.
Alabama: Alphonse Taylor
Guard
There is no doubt about the most vocal player in the Crimson Tide’s offense. Taylor is the massive offensive guard that his teammates refer to as “Shank”. You can see him making noise and thumping his chest on just about every play Alabama makes on the offensive side of the football. Taylor played an integral role in helping the Tide rushing attack get to another level last season with Heisman trophy-winning running back Derrick Henry leading the way on the ground. He will be back on the field and in the locker room to fire up the troops again this season. Of course, expect head coach Nick Saban to do his fair share of getting fired up but if we’re looking at players only, Taylor will be a mong the leaders.
LSU: Leonard Fournette
Running Back
Fournette is the spark plug for the LSU offense both on and off the field last season when he ran for 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns while earning Heisman consideration. Fournette’s dominance actually inspired conversation about the potential for the NFL to allow exceptional sophomore players to declare for the NFL Draft, but the Tigers absolutely have to be happy that isn’t the case since they will have him back in the mix this coming season. Fournette’s voice is the loudest in the LSU locker room and he backs up his words with his play on the football field. They really need him as they don’t have a ton of leadership at the quarterback position – Brandon Harris doesn’t have the on-field production to back it up – or anywhere else, so they need Fournette to fire them up.
Tennessee: Cam Sutton
Cornerback
Tennessee’s star cornerback Sutton is known for his powerful voice in the locker room as a player who is praised for his emotional halftime speeches as well as his play on the gridiron. Sutton turned down the NFL in order to play one more year for the Vols and it’s easy to see why. The Vols have been rebuilding under Butch Jones but finally look like they are ready to roll. They are very talented and highly-touted, and this could be the best Vols season in nearly 15 or 20 years. Sutton is a big part of that on and off the field. Hopefully it’s smooth sailing for the Vols this season but if they need someone to charge them up when they’re facing a halftime deficit, Sutton will be the guy.
Georgia: Nick Chubb
Running Back
Chubb’s return from a horrific knee injury suffered last season should provide an emotional spark for the Bulldogs this season as they look to contend for an SEC East title. The team has a new coaching staff with Kirby Smart running the show and they have a new quarterback with Jacob Eason under center. That means they’ll be looking to the running game – one of the team’s strengths – to provide a lift.
Chubb has all of the tools to be an elite running back when healthy and his return should help to elevate the Georgia offense to another level. If he gets back to the level of production he had before, he will be an inspiration to the team.
Ole Miss: Issac Gross
Defensive Tackle
There is no doubt about who gives the emotional speeches for the Rebels. Gross essentially became a student-coach a year ago after suffering a neck injury and with C.J. Johnson and Laquon Treadwell moving on this season his voice will be relied on more than ever. Ole Miss has the talent to make some serious noise in the SEC and it will be Gross helping to provide the inspiration as one of the leading voices in the locker room.
