Who had been the breakout stars in SEC spring soccer practices? Listed here are 2 for every staff.

Spring follow is over for Southeastern Convention soccer groups. The annual spring exhibition video games are within the books, and gamers and coaches have turned the web page to offseason exercises and preparation for the autumn.

The USA TODAY Community tasked its staff of writers who cowl league groups to determine an rising participant on either side of the ball popping out of spring follow. These are gamers who may make massive impacts when the 2021 season begins.

From Alabama to Vanderbilt, listed below are a team-by-team have a look at the breakout spring soccer gamers from every SEC staff as chosen by USA TODAY Community reporters:

Alabama

2020 report: 13-0

Rising offensive participant: Bryce Younger, sophomore quarterback. Younger got here to Alabama as one of many prime prospects within the nation and sat behind Mac Jones. Now could be his likelihood to shine. He completed 25 for 44 passing for 333 yards and a landing within the spring sport.

Rising defensive participant: Ga’Quincy McKinstry, freshman cornerback. McKinstry is already elite in protection after only one spring at Alabama. He demonstrated within the spring sport why it is going to be laborious to maintain him off the sphere with an interception and a fumble restoration.

— James Fletcher

Arkansas

2020 report: 3-7

Rising offensive participant: KJ Jefferson, sophomore quarterback. He solely full 6 of 11 passes in Arkansas’ spring sport, however two of these had been for touchdowns. He is in line to interchange Feleipe Franks.

Rising defensive participant: Chris Paul Jr., freshman linebacker. Arkansas returns most of its defensive manufacturing from final season, however the Razorbacks want linebacker depth. Freshman Chris Paul had eight tackles within the spring sport, greater than every other participant.

— Will Backus

Auburn

2020 report: 6-5

Rising offensive participant: Elijah Canion, sophomore broad receiver. Ja’Varrius Johnson was the speak of spring follow, nevertheless it was the 6-foot-4 Canion who shined with six catches for 51 yards and a landing on A-Day, constructing on his breakout three-catch, 80-yard, one-touchdown efficiency in January’s Citrus Bowl.

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Rising defensive participant: Ladarius Tennison, sophomore security. Tennison turned a starter at nickelback late final season, moved to security this spring and immediately turned one of many gamers Auburn’s new teaching workers is essentially the most enthusiastic about on protection. He has an excellent likelihood to begin subsequent to senior Smoke Monday.

— Josh Vitale

Florida

2020 report: 8-4

Rising offensive participant: Emory Jones, redshirt junior quarterback. After backing up Heisman Trophy finalist Kyle Trask for 2 seasons, Jones now takes the reins at quarterback. Florida’s offense will probably be much less pass-heavy with the dual-threat potential of Jones, who averaged a team-high 6.8 yards per carry final season.

Rising defensive participant: Mohamoud Diabate, junior linebacker. Diabate recorded the second-most tackles on the staff final season, his first taking part in inside linebacker. With a spring underneath his belt, he’s now extra snug on the place and will probably be “particular” this 12 months. in response to place coach Christian Robinson.

— Zach Abolverdi

Georgia

2020 report: 8-2

Rising offensive participant: Adonai Mitchell, freshman broad receiver. He made a splash in G-Day spring sport with seven catches for 105 yards and a TD. Mitchell may soften blow of shedding star George Pickens to a torn ACL.

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Rising defensive participant: Devonte Wyatt, senior defensive sort out. On a protection that misplaced key secondary starters, Wyatt took an enormous step for a formidable entrance seven. That was highlighted by his two-sack spring sport.

— Mark Weiszer

Kentucky

2020 report: 5-6

Rising offensive participant: Wan’Dale Robinson, junior broad receiver. Robinson just isn’t a brand new identify for faculty soccer followers after two productive seasons at Nebraska, however he’s new to the SEC. The previous Mr. Kentucky soccer ought to be Kentucky’s most dynamic offensive playmaker, incomes raves all through spring follow from teammates and coaches.

Rising defensive participant: Marquan McCall, senior nostril guard. Following the commencement of Quinton Bohanna, McCall will assume a beginning function. The Michigan native appears poised to lastly money in on his recruiting hype after a breakout spring that noticed defensive coordinator Brad White proclaim McCall has an opportunity “to be a drive for us.”

— Jon Hale

LSU

2020 report: 5-5

Rising offensive participant: Garrett Nussmeier, freshman quarterback. An early enrollee in January, Nussmeier put his identify within the combine for the beginning quarterback job by simply trying the half. He threw three interceptions within the spring sport, however he has some clear zing on the ball and a presence as he accomplished 15 of 25 passes for 132 yards and a landing.

Rising defensive participant: Jared Small, senior linebacker. It could simply be a spring factor as Small has not performed in a sport since 2018, however he was all around the area with 14 tackles, together with 9 solo stops and an interception. He’s at a place the place LSU is skinny, so if he does this in August, he’ll play.

— Glenn Guilbeau

Mississippi State

2020 report: 4-7

Rising offensive participant: Lideatrick Griffin, sophomore broad receiver. Final 12 months’s main receiver Jaden Walley went down with a knee harm within the first quarter of the spring sport. Griffin stepped up and had 5 catches for 107 yards and a landing.

Rising defensive participant: Jalen Inexperienced, senior security. The Texas switch scored on a fumble restoration within the spring sport. He provides expertise and depth to a secondary that’s making an attempt to rebound from ending tenth in passing protection within the SEC final season.

— Tyler Horka

Missouri

2020 report: 5-5

Rising offensive participant: Mookie Cooper, freshman broad receiver. One dimension Eli Drinkwitz’s staff lacked final season was a vertical passing sport. Enter Cooper, a speedy redshirt freshman and Ohio State switch who ought to be a featured Tiger within the coming season.

Rising defensive participant: JC Carlies, sophomore defensive again. He noticed somewhat taking part in time final season as Missouri’s roster depth lessened. Now, with a number of starters from the secondary making an attempt to make NFL rosters, Carlies may step right into a management function.

Ole Miss

2020 report: 5-5

Rising offensive participant: Braylon Sanders, senior broad receiver. It is laborious to name a fifth-year senior an rising participant. However after ready his flip behind the likes of AJ Brown, DK Metcalf and Elijah Moore and sustaining harm after harm, Sanders emerged as Ole Miss’ No. 1 receiver, catching for greater than 100 yards within the spring sport.

Rising defensive participant: Tysheem Johnson, freshman defensive again. Johnson was the speak of camp for Ole Miss. An early enrollee, he intercepted a go within the spring sport and was the reply each teammate gave when requested the query, “Which freshman has stood out this spring?”

— Nick Suss

South Carolina

2020 report: 2-8

Rising offensive participant: Dakereon Joyner, redshirt junior broad receiver. In simply his second full season on the place since transitioning from quarterback, he continues making massive strides. Joyner by no means discovered a distinct segment on a final 12 months’s unhealthy offense and now appears to make his mark.

Rising defensive participant: Tonka Hemingway, redshirt sophomore defensive finish. The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder has continued to develop his physique and information of the sport. He confirmed flashes close to the tip of final 12 months and has acquired rave evaluations from coaches this spring.

Tennessee

2020 report: 3-7

Rising offensive participant: Dayne Davis, sophomore offensive lineman. The previous walk-on emerged as a severe candidate at left sort out in the course of the spring.

Rising defensive participant: Byron Younger, junior linebacker. The junior-college switch signed with Tennessee in December and generated buzz all through the spring for his velocity and pass-rush strikes.

— Mike Wilson

Texas A&M

2020 report: 9-1

Rising offensive participant: Haynes King, freshman quarterback. The most important query for Texas A&M? Changing Kellen Mond. King, who was his backup final season, has emerged as the highest candidate to take the reins.

Rising defensive participant: Edgerrin Cooper, sophomore linebacker. Cooper did play in all 10 video games as a freshman, principally as a particular teamer. Jimbo Fisher has raved about Cooper all through the spring and that was mirrored in his spring sport efficiency, with 9 tackles, 2.5 for loss, one sack and one quarterback hurry.

— Will Backus

Vanderbilt

2020 report: 0-9

Rising offensive participant: Will Sheppard, sophomore broad receiver. He caught three landing passes within the spring sport and one other one in an earlier intrasquad scrimmage. New coach Clark Lea stated Sheppard wants extra consistency, however his goal-line work is already noticeable.

Rising defensive participant: Alex Williams, junior defensive lineman. This Ohio State switch had a few tackles for loss within the spring sport, which was in any other case lackluster by the protection. Williams’ 6-foot-6, 270-pound body may discover a function in Lea’s protection.

This text initially appeared on Nashville Tennessean: From Alabama soccer to Vandy, these SEC gamers had breakout springs