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SEC Football: Top 100 SEC players to watch in 2016

By Nicholas Ian Allen

Nov 7, 2015; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama won 30-16. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2015; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama won 30-16. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 7, 2015; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Damore'ea Stringfellow (3) runs the ball during the third quarter of the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Arkansas won 53-52. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2015; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Damore’ea Stringfellow (3) runs the ball during the third quarter of the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Arkansas won 53-52. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

Damore’ea Stringfellow 2015 Season Statistics

  • Games Played: 12
  • Receptions: 36
  • Receiving Yardage: 503
  • Yards Per Catch: 14.0
  • Receiving Yards Per Game: 41.9
  • Receiving Touchdowns: 5
  • Notable: Caught five passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns in 38-27 victory over Mississippi State.

The Ole Miss Rebels posted explosive offensive numbers in 2015, and led the SEC in passing with an average of 334.7 yards per game through the air. Quarterback Chad Kelly and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell were one of the league’s top duos last season, and the pair combined for 1,153 passing yards and 11 touchdowns.

However, Treadwell is off to the NFL, as is second-leading receiver Cody Core. That leaves Quincy Adeboyejo and Damore’ea Stringfellow as Kelly’s top returning targets for 2016.

The Washington transfer caught 36 passes for 503 yards and five touchdowns as a third-year sophomore, and as a physical 6-foot-3, 229-pound wideout, Stringfellow has a very similar skill set to Treadwell. Expect him to emerge as the Rebels’ top playmaker next year.

Braden Smith 2015 Season Statistics

  • Games Played: 13
  • Team Rushing Yards Per Game: 196.3 (No. 5)
  • Team Passing Yards Per Game: 173.7 (No. 12)
  • Team Sacks Allowed: 19 (No. 4)
  • Notable: Voted Second Team All-SEC guard by the league coaches in 2015. Likely to move to tackle.

In addition to Barber, Auburn lost two other underclassmen to the NFL Draft – starting tackles Avery Young and Shon Coleman. While the losses are big (had both juniors decided to stay in school, the Tigers would made have a strong case for the SEC’s top offensive line in 2016), moving Braden Smith from guard to tackle will provide a smooth transition at one spot should the Tigers decide to go that route. Smith started at tackle in the Outback Bowl following the 2014 regular season and also made one start in Young’s spot in 2015.

Smith, a second-team All-SEC performer as a sophomore in 2015, is listed at 6-foot-6 and 286 pounds, but is one of the strongest players on the team and has a reputation around the league as one of its best run blockers.

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