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By Jeremy Hillman
SouthernPigskin.com Columnist
SoutheasternFootball.com
SouthernPigskin.com Jeremy Hillman, of SoutheasternFootball.com, talks about players around the SEC who will be presented with new opportunities thanks to the arrival of new coaches.
This offseason, there have been coaching changes throughout the SEC. New head coaches, new coordinators and new position coaches sprinkled around the conference. That will certainly make a difference in the media conferences, the locker room and on the field. But what individual players will be impacted most?
In this list, I preview the top 5 players that will receive a positive impact from a new coach. For these players, look for improved stats, improved draft position and more mentions on post season all-star lists:
Eric Berry – Sr SS Tennessee
New Coach: Monte Kiffin – Defensive Coordinator (former Tampa Bay Bucs DC)
Positive Impact: This impact could mean a couple million dollars for Berry and a few more wins for Tennessee. An already dominant safety, Berry will greatly benefit from Kiffin’s Tampa 2 scheme. He will meet or exceed his 72 tackles from last season and he could lead the nation in interceptions with as many as Nine. Look for Kiffin’s scheme and teaching, and a huge year in the stat book, to land Berry as the number one pick in the NFL draft next year.
Perry Riley – Sr. LB LSU
New Coach: John Chavis - Defensive Coordinator (former Tennessee DC)
Positive Impact: Riley (6-1 240), finished last season with 60 tackles and an interception. He also won the defensive MVP award in the bowl game. New DC John Chavis will bring a new energy to the Tiger defense and have his athletes flying to the ball. This new system will elevate Riley’s tackle total and give him chances to create more turnovers. Look for 80+ tackles and 3+ turnovers. Already a 4th or 5th round NFL draft projection, don’t be surprised if Perry Riley’s name is called as early as round 2, after this season.
Anthony Dixon - Sr. RB Mississippi State
New Coach: Dan Mullen – Head Coach (former Florida OC)
Positive Impact: As the Bulldogs learn Dan Mullen’s spread offense, look for them to lean on running back Anthony Dixon to grind yards and keep the chains moving. Dixon has trimmed down to 235, from 255 pounds last season, and should be able to get back to his stats of 2007 (1,066 yards and 14 TD) as opposed to his stats of 2008 (869 yards and 7 TD). Mullen’s offense will help spread the field and give Dixon room to burst through holes and rumble downfield. Look for another 1,000 yard double digit TD season from Anthony Dixon. Dixon will move up on draft boards and be selected as high as the 3rd round in the NFL draft.
Ben Tate – Sr. RB Auburn
New Coach: Gus Malzahn - Offensive Coordinator (former Tulsa OC)
Positive Impact: Tate (5-11 217) was limited to a disappointing 664 yards and 3 TDs last season, as the Auburn offense sputtered. Gus Malzahn brings a spread offense that focuses on running the ball in open lanes. Malzahn had one of the top rushing offenses in the country each of the last 4 seasons at Tulsa and Arkansas. Tate will be joined in the backfield with a slew of talented runners, but he should benefit most from the new system. Look for Tate to register his first 1,000 yard rushing season. This will be more like what we saw in 2007, when he ran for 907 yards. This breakout season, will end up with Tate being selected in the 5th or 6th round of the NFL draft.
Luke Stocker - Jr. TE Tennessee
New Coach: Jim Chaney – Offensive Coordinator (former Purdue OC)
Positive Impact: Stocker (6-6 245) was under-utilized by the previous coaching staff. He has good size, good hands and speed for a big guy. Jim Chaney put up big numbers at Purdue by teaching his QBs to find the open option in a series of reads. Look for the Vol’s QBs (which ever one grabs the starting role) to find Stocker often. Look for Luke Stocker to more than double his 12 catches for 129 yards from last season and improve upon his already solid down-field blocking. This will set up Stocker for a huge senior season in 2010, and position him as a consensus NFL draft selection.
Change can be a good thing, especially if you are one of these guys. They were happy to see the new coach coming into town.
As the season progresses, we will watch which new coaches make the biggest impact, and which players are added to the list above. Carl Torbush (new DC at Mississippi State), Scott Leoffler (new QB coach at Florida) and Steve Spurrier taking back the Offensive Coordinator duties at South Carolina, have a chance to make a big difference too.
Let me know your thoughts below or through email!
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Stories written by SouthernPigskin.com columnists are done independently. Views do not always coincide with those of the remainder of the staff or the ownership of SouthernPigskin.com.
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Comments
This article points out some very true facts. When coaching changes take place some players make out while others don’t. Good read.
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