It's never too early to start looking ahead.
After all, if you never look ahead, you might find yourself running face first into a stop sign. Or you might open a carton of milk, only to find chunks of sour disgusting dairy gunk floating around in it.
Or you might go buy a new Xbox, only to remember two weeks later that you still have to pay this thing called rent.
The same goes for football. It's easy to get swept up in the sorrow of a bad season, wallowing in self-pity on account of the woes of your favorite team.
Conversely, it's just as easy to focus too much on the current success of your team and ignore the fact that they lose 25 seniors and an All-American quarterback after January (looking at you, 2011 Auburn).
No matter how good your team is or isn't this year, it can always be better next year. That's why it's important to look ahead, so you can know what to expect beyond this season.
If you're not good at looking ahead, I'm here to help.
I've compiled a nifty little list of current freshmen around the SEC who have A) made a big splash in the conference and will do so again in 2015, or B) weren't the number one guy this year, but are worth paying attention to next year.
These are the young men of whom I speak:
Nick Chubb, Running back, Georgia
Meet Todd Gurley 2.0. This freshman phenom was thrust into service when Gurley, a Heisman candidate, was sidelined by a suspension. And due to injuries in the Bulldogs' backfield, Chubb was the only option left.
Turns out it wasn't a bad option, making Chubb the most obvious choice for this list.
This freshman phenom took the SEC by storm, running for 1547 yards and 14 touchdowns, most of which came over the course of eight games, including his 266-yard, two touchdown explosion against Louisville in the Belk Bowl.
Despite being the starter for a little over half the season, Chubb finished second in the SEC in rushing, only behind Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne.
Displaying an angry, downhill running style combined with good breakaway speed, look for this tough, young tailback to carry the load for the Georgia offense in the coming season.
Leonard Fournette, Running back, LSU
Say hello to the second most obvious choice for this list.
If not for Nick Chubb’s midseason explosion, Fournette would likely have finished as the SEC’s Freshman of the Year.
Like Chubb, the conference’s other freshman phenom didn’t quite hit his stride until midseason. However, unlike his Georgia counterpart, Fournette was not thrust into action due to a lack of depth at his position.
He played early on because he was that good. And as the season wore on, he got better, so much so that by the end of the season, he was the primary ball carrier for LSU.
Eclipsing the 1000-yard mark, along with ten touchdowns, this bruising back saved his best for last, running for 289 yards and three touchdowns on just 30 carries over his final two games.
He’s probably the most naturally athletic player on this list, and combined with great balance, tailback vision, and homerun speed, he’s the ideal running back.
Don’t be shocked by an even bigger sophomore season out of him.
Myles Garrett, Defensive end, Texas A&M
This absolute stud of a defensive end was the only bright spot on an otherwise abysmal Texas A&M defense in 2014.
The naturally gifted 6’5”, 250-pound lineman broke the SEC freshman sack record, tallying 11.5 sacks to go along with 70 total tackles (14 for loss).
Garrett’s speed around the edge is the immediate focal point of his uncanny pass rush ability, but he also displays considerable strength in fighting through blocks.
He provided the Aggies’ secondary with a bit of a safety net; it wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t stick with the opponent’s receivers, because Garrett would already have the quarterback on the ground.
JK Scott, Punter, Alabama
If you're scoffing at me for getting excited about a punter, you clearly haven't seen this kid punt.
This skeletal 6’4”, 185-pound freshman booted his way into the SEC’s top spot, averaging 48 yards a punt through the 12 games in which he recorded a punt. In all but one of those games, he averaged at least 42.8 yards per punt.
He sailed no less than six punts of at least 60 yards, as well as blasting two punts 70 and 73 yards (the latter of which occurred in the Sugar Bowl).
Those numbers probably sound really boring, but consider this: Alabama goes three-and-out at its own 25-yard line and is forced to punt. With normal punters, you would expect their opponent to take over outside of at least its own 30-yard line.
But instead, after a 70-yard punt, the other team is starting with the ball inside their own 15-yard line.
He’s the ultimate field position flipper.
Roc Thomas, Running back, Auburn
One could argue that this highly touted freshman would have started for Auburn had he not been behind the SEC’s leading rusher, Cameron Artis-Payne, on the depth chart.
Despite only tallying 214 yards and two touchdowns, this freshman showed us exactly why the hype surrounding him was so big on those few carries.
He displayed a rare explosive ability through the tackles, locating the holes and quickly accelerating through them. He’s also as shifty as they get.
In the latter half of the season, he was used as a change of pace back when Artis-Payne needed a breather, and returned kickoffs alongside speedster Corey Grant.
Despite being part of a loaded backfield for 2015, Thomas appears first on the pecking order to be Auburn’s third straight 1000-yard rusher.
Derek Barnett, Defensive end, Tennessee
Second only to the freakish Myles Garrett, this extremely talented freshman made a lot of noise for a young, resurgent Tennessee squad.
Although the Vols only finished 7-6, they turned a lot of heads with their energy and physical play, and Barnett was right in the middle of it.
The 6’3”, 267-pound wrecking ball finished second in the SEC in tackles for loss with 20.5, and tied for fourth in sacks with ten.
It should be a treat watching this young star grow with an Butch Jones’ ever-improving squad.
Treon Harris, Quarterback, Florida
2014 started with Jeff Driskel as Florida’s quarterback. Under new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper, Driskel was supposed to finally be transformed into the standout quarterback many thought he could be.
Instead, he got benched in the middle of the season, during a bizarre 42-13 blowout loss at home to Missouri. Enter freshman Treon Harris.
Though Harris couldn’t quite salvage the day against Missouri, he did make his first collegiate start the next week; and led the Gators to a 38-20 blowout win over Georgia, despite throwing only six passes.
He’s been Florida’s go-to quarterback ever since.
Now with Driskel transferring away, Harris will be the undisputed starter, and it’s probably a good thing, too. During a year in which Florida suffered from severe offensive ineptitude, Harris was one of the few players who could actually give the Gators a spark.
His ability to extend plays with his legs was especially invaluable, as well as his ability to run the read option with Florida’s talented tailbacks. His accuracy leaves a lot to be desired, but give him a break, people. He’s just a freshman.
A natural playmaker, look for Harris to put up significant numbers with Jim McElwain at the helm in 2015.
Stanley “Boom” Williams, Running back, Kentucky
“Boom’s” numbers won’t blow you away at first: 486 rushing yards with five touchdowns, 162 receiving yards and one touchdown, and 511 kick return yards.
But put that all together, and what do you have (this is the part where you pull out your calculators)? For you lazy ones out there, it comes out to 1159 total yards.
Still not impressed? He only played in ten of Kentucky’s 12 games. And once we do math one more time, we see that he averaged 115.9 total yards per game.
That’s good for 14th in the SEC, while playing for a team that prefers to throw the ball more often than not.
That’s a pretty successful freshman campaign, in my book. And with the constant improvement the Wildcats are under with Mark Stoops at the reigns, it’s hard not to see this kid’s numbers vastly increasing in the future.
Speedy Noil, Wide receiver, Texas A&M
This youngster wins the “best name” award for this list, hands down. And what a fitting name it is.
The fastest player checking in here, this speedy receiver provided explosive plays all over the field, especially as a punt and kick returner.
Although he didn’t put up incredibly stout numbers in his freshman campaign, he displayed enough of his game breaking speed to leave Aggies fans licking their chops.
He averaged 12 yards a punt return, 23.9 yards per kick return, and put up a solid 583 yards and five touchdowns as a receiver. He ranked seventh in the SEC in all-purpose yards per game with 118.2 per outing.
What he lacks in size (5’11”, 190), he certainly makes up for with a 4.4 40-yard dash time and blazing quickness.
Ralph Webb, Running back, Vanderbilt
Absolutely the only thing Vanderbilt had going for it on offense this season. That’s why Mr. Webb is on this list, in fact.
At the surface, his numbers aren’t that fantastic. You have to consider, however, who he’s playing for.
In a year of being on the 3-9 team that gets absolutely (and consistently) demolished by nearly every opponent, rushing for 907 yards and four touchdowns is quite an accomplishment.
And the best part? He’s just a freshman.
With even some adequate coaching and talent around him, Webb could develop into a true star in the SEC.
Goodness knows Vanderbilt needs him.
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