The SEC wasn’t very good this year. Is it acceptable to say that yet? Regardless, choosing the league’s MVP is a tall task this year, which saw Alabama separate itself from the rest of the mediocre pack. Trevor Knight and Joshua Dobbs certainly come to mind. Knight demonstrated his value most in getting injured at Texas A&M. Dobbs just didn’t have the season many (myself included) expected him to have.
Rawleigh Williams is the league’s leading rusher, but it wasn’t enough to make Arkansas a contender in the vaunted SEC West. Leonard Fournette and Nick Chubb were veritable non-factors in 2016. And, the league’s leading receiver, J’Mon Moore, played for a (4-8) Missouri team.
Nick Fitzgerald is going to be in this conversation in the coming seasons, but his Bulldogs just weren’t ever a real threat in the SEC this season. I guess you could say, “Hey – they’re going to a bowl because of him.” But, I’m not a fan of 5-7 teams going to bowls. Losers are losers.
My closest second – believe it or not – would be Vanderbilt’s Zach Cunningham, who is the leader of a Commodores defense that beat Ole Miss and Tennessee to close out the season and get to the Independence Bowl.
But, this year’s MVP honors don’t go to any of those guys. The absolute most dominant force in the SEC this year was the Alabama defense. How do you go about choosing one guy to give this award to? Jonathan Allen was in the Heisman race at one point because of his ability to absolutely take over a game (and partly because he gave Trevor Knight a spear that was reminiscent of something you’d see in a WWE ring). Some NFL scouts have Allen pegged as a top five prospect next spring.
Then, there’s Tim Williams, the walking embodiment of a pure pass rush. Williams’ nine sacks have cost opposing teams 93 yards. Think about that – the Alabama linebacker has set teams back nearly the length of an entire football field on just nine sacks.
What about Ryan Anderson? The tackling machine is a constant disruptor, with eight sacks on the season and a forced fumble. Or, what about the guys leading the defensive backfield? Minkah Fitzpatrick is tied for the league lead in interceptions, and Marlon Humphrey can cover a receiver or two.
You could put a blindfold on, point at the Crimson Tide defense and come away with a MVP-caliber player, but I’m going with the guy who makes the whole thing tick.
The heart and soul of Alabama’s defense: Reuben Foster.
Foster closed 2016 with 94 total tackles, four sacks, and two passes deflected. That’s not an overly dominant stat line, but make no mistake, Foster was an overly dominant player. It’s what the stats don’t show that made him so valuable.
At 6’1″ and 230 pounds, he used his stout frame to make commanding tackles. He used his tremendous range to stop plays from developing, and he used his spirit to raise the defense up around him and demoralize opposing offenses. Foster is an elite athlete that has the instincts and technique to make him one of the best linebackers in the country.
Actually, Dick Butkus would consider him the best linebacker in the country, considering he was recently announced as the Butkus Trophy winner.
Perhaps the SEC title game paints the clearest picture of why Foster deserves this award. With 11 tackles and two sacks, the Auburn native seized control of the game for his team and rightfully won the game’s MVP honors.
He was so menacing that Austin Appleby tackled himself:
“Nope.” – Austin Appleby pic.twitter.com/VtJh1csqqM
— Justin King (@JustinKing) December 5, 2016
Some are calling Foster a top-ten prospect in next year’s NFL draft. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but I can guarantee he’ll be yet another first round linebacker to come out of the Alabama program.
Greg McElroy sums it up pretty nicely in 140 words or less:
He has no chance of winning the Heisman, but you could make a case that Reuben Foster is the best player in college football.
— Greg McElroy (@GregMcElroy) December 4, 2016
That’s your SEC MVP, folks.
Stoney Keeley is the editor of the SoBros Network, Tennessee Titans Featured Analyst for Pro Football Spot, Contributor to FanSided’s Bama Hammer, and covers the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @PFSpot, @WrestlingNewsCo, @Bama_Hammer
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