Alabama Crimson Tide

Our SEC position rankings continue with a look at schools' wide receiver and tight end groups.

Past rankings:

• Quarterbacks
• Running backs

On to the league's wide receiver/tight end groups:

1. Tennessee: The Vols are equipped with two of the top wideouts in the league with Da'Rick Rogers, who was second in the SEC in receiving last year, and Justin Hunter, who might be the SEC's top deep threat. It sounds like Hunter will be 100 percent this fall after his ACL injury last year. Junior college transfer Cordarrelle Patterson is big, fast and possesses the big-play gene. The speedy Zach Rogers is back and is so is talented tight end Mychal Rivera.

2. Arkansas: Cobi Hamilton is now Arkansas' primary receiver, and he might be the league's most complete wideout. He can make the big-play and elude defenders along the way. While Marquel Wade's status is still unclear, if he does return, he'll be a major lift for this offense because of his playmaking ability in the slot. Julian Horton and Javontee Herndon have always impressed coaches in practice and now will get their chances to in games. Tight end Chris Gragg should be even more involved and is the league's top tight end.

3. Georgia: While Malcolm Mitchell could go back and forth between receiver and corner, when he's at receiver he's Georgia's top offensive threat and was one of the league's best as a rookie. There are vets behind him, starting with reliable senior Tavarres King, who had a very good spring, senior Marlon Brown, who seemed to take a big step in his game this spring. Sophomores Michael Bennett and Chris Conley combined for 48 catches for 608 yards and seven touchdowns last year. Unproven tight ends Arthur Lynch and Jay Rome will replace Orson Charles and Aron White.

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Never question the value of leaving a good impression. It's what University of Alabama kicker Jeremy Shelley did on Jan. 9 against LSU, nailing five field goals to beat the No. 1 team in the country and give the Crimson Tide its 14th national championship.

Today, that performance was rewarded as he was named to the Lou Groza Award watch list. The award is handed out annually to the nation's best kicker by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. Texas A&M's Randy Bullock took home the honor last season.

Shelley is entering his junior year at Alabama. Last season, he connected on 21 of 27 kicks and accounted for 86 points in total -- enough to finish second on the team behind Heisman Trophy finalist Trent Richardson. Shelley finished the season tied for 11th in the country in field goals.

He and fellow kicker Cade Foster shared placekicking duties in 2011-12, with Foster coming out for mostly long-range attempts. The unit was much maligned heading into the national championship game against the Tigers, but Shelley's strong performance was enough to quell those criticisms. Had it not been for a late touchdown by Trent Richardson in the fourth quarter, Shelley would have accounted for all of the Crimson Tide's points en route to claiming the BCS title.

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From now until kickoff in Arlington, Texas, we'll be counting down the days before Alabama and Michigan get the season started. Today, we move to No. 52 and what it means to UA football. See all the previous editions here.

There are some records that are meant to be broken. And then there's Derrick Thomas' career sacks record. The 1988 Butkus Award winner had 52 sacks in his career at the University of Alabama. The next closest? Kindal Moorehead with 25.

To put that number into further perspective, Thomas had 27 sacks in one season in 1988. The season before, he had 17. Both his 1988 and 1987 seasons rank No. 1 and 2 in the Alabama record books. In fact, Thomas holds more than 10 UA records, including most sacks in one game (5) and most tackles for loss in a single game (7).

Thomas signed on to play at Alabama under coach Ray Perkins in 1985. He went on to be a unanimous All-American selection and finished 10th in the Heisman balloting in 1988.

The Kansas City Chiefs took Thomas with the fourth pick in the 1989 NFL draft. He spent his entire career with the organization, earning Defensive Rookie of the Year, two All-Pro selections and nine trips to the Pro Bowl. He was a member of the 1990s All-Decade Team and was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

Thomas passed away in 2000 after a car accident in Kansas City left him paralyzed. A blood clot claimed his life at age 33.

Had it not been for the NCAA's lack of defensive statistics before 2000, Thomas' sack record might be the best of all time. Currently, Arizona State's Terrell Suggs holds the records for a career (44) and single season (24).

The SEC has seven players on the 2012 preseason watch list for the John Mackey Award, which is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding tight end.

Here are the seven SEC players who made the Mackey watch list:

• Chase Clement, Sr., LSU
• Chris Gragg, Sr., Arkansas
• Malcolm Johnson, So., Mississippi State
• Philip Lutzenkirchen, Sr., Auburn
• Mychal Rivera, Sr., Tennessee
• Jordan Reed, Jr., Florida
• Michael Williams, Sr., Alabama

For the full Mackey watch list, go here.

The SEC leads the nation with 10 players on the 2012 preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding center.

Here are the 10 SEC players:

• Dillon Day, RSo., Mississippi State
• Reese Dismukes, So., Auburn
• Jonotthan Harrison, RJr., Florida
• T.J. Johnson, Sr., South Carolina
• Barrett Jones, Sr., Alabama
• Patrick Lewis, Sr., Texas A&M
• P.J. Lonergan, Sr., LSU
• Matt Smith, Sr., Kentucky
• Travis Swanson, Jr., Arkansas
• Evan Swindall, Jr., Ole Miss

For the full Rimington watch list, go here.

Earlier, we ranked all 14 SEC running back groups, so it's time to look at the league's top 10 rushers heading into the 2012 season. As usual, there are some pretty talented backs in the league, so narrowing it down to just 10 backs wasn't easy to say the least. But someone had to do it!

Past rankings:

• Top 10 quarterbacks

Like all the other positions, we're looking at overall talent, game-changing ability and experience. We also looked at past performances and projections for 2012.

Here are our top 10 SEC running backs:

1. Marcus Lattimore, Jr., South Carolina: He might be the nation's best all-around running back, and all indications are that he's ahead of schedule with his rehab after tearing his ACL halfway through last season. Before his injury, he led the SEC in rushing and has a tremendous combination of size, speed and strength that make him one of the toughest players to stop.

2. Knile Davis, Jr., Arkansas: Like Lattimore, Davis is coming off of a devastating injury from last year. He had yet another ankle injury that cost him all of his 2011 season, but it sounds like he's more than ready to return to the playing field. He's one of the most dynamic rushers in the country, and when he was healthy in 2010 he averaged 146.9 yards in the last seven games of the season.

3. Christine Michael, Sr., Texas A&M: He's another back coming off a season-ending injury. Before he tore his ACL last fall, Michael rushed for 899 yards and is a true workhorse. His punch-you-in-the-mouth, explosive, downhill running style will fit right in in the SEC. He should be good to go this fall, and if he's 100 percent he'll certainly challenge for the rushing title.

4. Zac Stacy, Sr., Vanderbilt: He was a real surprise in the SEC last season and returns as the league's top statistical rusher, with 1,193 yards from a year ago. He isn't the fastest back, but he's strong, works hard and has excellent vision. Last season, Stacy tied for the SEC lead with runs of 40 or more yards, and averaged 5.7 yards per carry against SEC defenses.

5. Eddie Lacy, Jr., Alabama: Lacy takes over for the very talented Trent Richardson, but he's no slouch. Lacy has shown pretty good explosion and strength when he's had the ball, averaging 7.1 yards per carry last season. Nagging injuries have slowed him in the past, but if he's healthy he'll make plenty of defenders miserable -- and sore -- this fall.

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There's no reprieve when it comes to expectations. On the heels of winning the Outland Trophy Award for his play at left tackle, Barrett Jones is already being hailed as a potential award-winner at center, his new starting position. The University of Alabama fifth-year senior was named to the Rimington Award watch list today.

The Boomer Esiason Foundation hands out the award annually to the nation's top center. Jones, who started two years at guard before playing left tackle last year, hasn't started a game at center.

But while the physical evidence to name Jones one of the country's top centers might not be there, the circumstantial evidence certainly is. Despite playing three positions in four years, the 6-foot-5 Tennessee native has earned All-SEC honors twice, a unanimous All-American selection last season and has blocked for two Heisman Trophy finalists since his freshman year in 2009.

Jones joins seven teammates who were named to award watch lists this week. On Tuesday, tight end Michael Williams was named to the Mackey Award watch list, given annually to the nation's best tight end. Quarterback AJ McCarron and running back Eddie Lacy made the Maxwell Award watch list. Nico Johnson, Robert Lester, C.J. Mosleyand Jesse Williams were named to the Bednarik Award watch list.

The SEC has the reputation of being the toughest conference to play/coach in. But what is it like to be in charge of one of these high-profile programs?

That's where we come in. As we take a deeper look into programs around the country this week, we're looking at how each program stacks up in every conference. In the SEC, there's always a fierce arms race going on, and getting left behind can be dangerous.

Today, we're ranking each coaching job in the SEC. We considered a lot of factors, including location, tradition, support, fan bases, facilities and recruiting access.

Here's how we ranked all 14 SEC jobs.

1. Florida: For starters, Florida is all about location, location, location. It's in a state that produces some of the country's top talent and it's a state that players around the country will flock to. Thanks to Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer, Florida has become a national brand like Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame and Texas. Recent significant facility upgrades and a tremendous fan base have only helped this be the top job in the SEC.

2. LSU: It's one of just a handful of schools around the country that's considered the school in the state. Every football player in Louisiana grows up wanting to play in Tiger Stadium. Louisiana is also extremely bountiful when it comes to producing football players, and Texas is right around the corner. The facilities are top notch and the program has great tradition and a tremendous fan base.

3. Alabama: Talk about extraordinary tradition. Though there were some down years before Nick Saban took over, there's no escaping the success this program has had. Prospects from all over are drawn to Alabama. There's tremendous support inside and outside for the program, and the facilities are some of the best in the nation. This is also a school that didn't hesitate to pay Saban the big bucks when the opportunity arose.

4. UGA: There is so much talent around Athens that it's hard for Georgia not to have a top recruiting class year in and year out. Georgia's facilities are near the top of the conference, and the campus is gorgeous. The tradition and game-day atmosphere would draw anyone in.

5. Auburn: While it's constantly knocking heads with Alabama, Auburn has plenty going for it. The campus is gorgeous, the stadium is one of the best game-day venues in the league and the fan base is extremely passionate. Auburn is in the heart of recruiting central in the Southeast, and the recently updated facilities are a major plus.

6. Tennessee: While the Vols have struggled with consistency on the field lately, this is still an attractive job. Nearly $50 million was spent to build a brand-new football complex, Neyland Stadium has been spruced up over the years and the program does have a rich tradition. Though with the state not being so talent-rich, coaches are forced to target other areas in the Southeast to recruit.

7. Texas A&M: The Aggies' tradition is well-known in college football. The game-day atmosphere is one of the best in the country, there is a great alumni base, their home state is filled with elite talent and the school is huge. Now Texas A&M can sell playing in the SEC to Texas athletes. But one thing that does hang over the program is that it's still playing second to the Longhorns.

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From now until kickoff in Arlington, Texas, we'll be counting down the days before Alabama and Michigan get the season started. Today, we move to No. 53 and what it means to UA football. See all the previous editions here.

The University of Alabama has never had a pass-happy football program. Since 1970, only once has a Crimson Tide quarterback attempted 50 or more passes. The last time: In 2007 against Florida State, John Parker Wilson completed 28 of 53 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns. Alabama lost, 21-14.

In 2007, Wilson attempted a school-record 462 passes. Averaged over 13 games, he threw the ball 35.5 times per contest.

Compare that with last season. In 2011-12, AJ McCarron threw 134 passes in the same number of games. McCarron waited until the final game of the season against LSU to attempt a season-high 34 passes. In all but five games, he attempted 25 or fewer passes.

Since 2007, no Alabama quarterback has attempted more than 328 passes in a season.

From 2008-11, the most passes attempted in a single season was 700 from Case Keenum at Houston. Last season, Keenum attempted the most passes in college football again, slinging the ball 603 times.

LEADERS IN PASS ATTEMPTS

2011-12
1. Case Keenum -- HOU: 607
2. Seth Doege -- TTU: 581
3. Brandon Weeden -- OKST: 564
62. AJ McCarron -- ALA: 328

2010-11
1. Landry Jones -- OKLA: 617
2. Dominique Davis -- ECU: 609
3. Bryant Moniz - HAW: 555
67. Greg McElroy -- ALA: 313

2009-10
1. Case Keenum -- HOU: 700
2. Tyler Sheehan -- BGSU: 575
3. Tyler Hiller -- WMU: 514
57. Greg McElroy -- ALA: 325

2008-09
1. Graham Harrell -- TTU: 626
2. Case Keenum -- HOU: 589
3. Chase Daniel -- MIZZ: 528
T-66. John Parker Wilson -- ALA: 321

2007-08
1. Graham Harrell -- TTU: 713
2. Matt Ryan -- BCU: 654
3. Curtis Painter -- PUR: 569
23. John Parker Wilson -- 462