SEC Football: Ranking the top special teams units for 2017

As all college football fans know, in many cases, special teams can determine the outcome of a football game. Here’s a ranking of SEC football’s best units.

In the opening game of 2016, South Carolina defeated Vanderbilt 13-10 on a 55-yard field goal by kicker Elliott Fry. In a different case, Vanderbilt gained a huge confidence swing when kick returner Darrius Sims opened the team’s game against Georgia with a 95-yard return that resulted in a Ralph Webb touchdown. Vanderbilt narrowly won the game, 17-16.

In 2017, some SEC teams will bring seasoned, reliable kickers, while other teams will break in kickers with absolutely no previous college experience.

Punters, while vastly underappreciated, play an impact in a team’s field position. Having punters like Alabama’s JK Scott and Tennessee’s Trevor Daniel can help a team pin the opponent into unpleasant territory, giving the defense a strategic advantage.

Having an electric kickoff returner or punt returner can help in terms of field position as well. Johnathon Johnson posted impressive numbers on punt returns and scored on a 54-yard touchdown.

What follows is a ranking of each SEC team’s special teams unit. Bear in mind these rankings are highly subjective. There are so many elements of a special teams unit: kicker, punter, punt returner, multiple kick returners and even a long snapper (although, long snappers weren’t assessed here). Pertaining to the kicker position, it is quite common to see schools use one kicker to handle kickoffs and one kicker to handle place kicking (field goals and extra points).

That said, the goal is to show the relative strengths and weaknesses of each team’s special teams unit. Let’s take a closer look.