SDS Mailbag: New SEC football title game locations, early 2022 Heisman pick, Mock Draft top 5

College baseball starts this weekend, y’all! There will be some great college action throughout the weekend, with the SEC leading the way (as usual).

I would like to suggest, if you enjoy SEC baseball, making sure you read everything Saturday Down South’s Joe Cox writes this season. He’s already hit the ground running this preseason, putting together his preseason power rankings and his list of the 10 best players.

He’ll be doing plenty more throughout the year, which is sure to be a great one across the SEC!

Now, here are your questions for this week’s Mailbag:

Robert:

Who’s your early pick for the 2022 Heisman Trophy?

I’m not going to pick Bryce Young. I know that’s going to upset some Alabama fans, but if you look at the history of Heisman voters, it’s nearly impossible for a guy to win 2 years in a row.

Young threw for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 2021 and ran for 3 additional touchdowns. To even sniff the Heisman again in 2022, he has to improve on those insane numbers. Heisman voters don’t want to give a guy the trophy for simply repeating what he did the previous year.

So, Young would realistically have to put up 5,000 passing yards, 50 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and at least 5 rushing scores, in my opinion, to have a shot at repeating.

Is that possible? Of course. Young is insanely talented and I wouldn’t be surprised at anything he accomplished on a football field.

But, I do have some concerns about the offense. Jameson Williams and John Metchie will be tough to replace, as will Brian Robinson Jr. at running back. Now, Alabama will still have plenty of talent (Jermaine Burton, Jahmyr Gibbs, etc.), but will it be enough for Young to put up even bigger numbers in 2022? I don’t think so.

Oh, wait … I’ve gone off on a tangent here, haven’t I? You asked who I thought would win the Heisman, not why Bryce Young wouldn’t win it.

OK … I’ll take a bit of a dark horse. How about Myles Brennan at LSU? He showed flashes of brilliance in 2020 before suffering a season-ending injury. He’ll have Kayshon Boutte to throw to and he has a cannon for an arm.

If LSU manages to surprise people and win 10 games or more in 2022 (which won’t be easy, but is certainly possible), Brennan will be a hot name in the Heisman race down the stretch next year.

Eddie:

Atlanta has served as host for the SEC Football Championship Game since 1995. If SEC basketball could only host in 1 city for the SEC Tournament, which would be the perfect city for it?

The SEC Tournament has moved around quite a bit in recent years. Since 2010, the men’s tournament has been held in Nashville, Atlanta, New Orleans, St. Louis and, this year, will be held in Tampa.

Then, though, it returns to Nashville from 2023-2030, so it seems the SEC has already answered your question. I don’t mind the event in Nashville, but I would like to see Atlanta and New Orleans get to host more often.

If I had to pick just 1 city to host the event, I’d probably side with the SEC. Nashville is a great event city and a solid basketball city. You won’t be overshadowed by a pro team. And, Bridgestone Arena is exactly what you want in a conference tournament site.

The Georgia Dome and the SuperDome have hosted in years past, but hosting a conference tournament in a football stadium is strange to me. That’s way too big of a space. Save that for the Final Four.

So, yeah, I’m on board with the SEC’s decision to keep the event in Nashville from 2023 to 2030. (I also love the SEC football title game in Atlanta, by the way. Great spot for it.)

Michael:

How would you project the top-5 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft going as things stand right now?

Good question. I am usually not too good at making these predictions, but hey, I’ve never let that stop me before! Here’s how I’d have the top 5 shaking out prior to next month’s NFL Combine:

  • No. 1 – Evan Neal, OL, Alabama – Jacksonville Jaguars
  • No. 2 – Aidan Hutchinson, DL, Michigan – Detroit Lions
  • No. 3 – Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame – Houston Texans
  • No. 4 – Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU – New York Jets
  • No. 5 – Charles Cross, OL, Mississippi State – New York Giants

Yeah, I went a little SEC-heavy there, but what can I say. When you cover the greatest conference in college sports, you become a bit biased toward its players.

Neal is an absolute monster of a lineman. Trevor Lawrence would be very happy with that pick. Keeping Hutchinson in Michigan makes sense, too. The Texans need to take the best player available at their spot, since they need to completely remake their roster. The Jets desperately need a corner, and Stingley is the top guy there. And the Giants need to overhaul their offensive line. I love Cross in that spot.

Will the actual draft go that way? Of course not. But, that’s how I see it playing out right now.

@Dobbe8:

Of all the teams in the current AP Poll top 25 for men’s hoops, who is the most overrated? Underrated?

As far as overrated, that one is easy. It’s Houston. The Cougars are 0-3 in Quad 1 games, yet somehow, they’re No. 4 in the NET rankings. That doesn’t make sense to me. The NCAA supposedly values Quad 1 wins above all, but has a team with 0 Quad 1 wins at No. 4 overall? I don’t get it.

The Cougars are No. 14 in the current poll, but with a recent loss to Memphis, expect that to change. Other candidates for overrated teams are Illinois (No. 12), Michigan State (No. 19) and Providence (No. 8).

As far as underrated, to me, it’s Tennessee. The way the Vols are playing right now is a lot better than their spot at No. 16 is way too low for me. The NET rankings has the Vols at No. 9, which seems more accurate.

Tennessee heads to Arkansas this weekend with a chance to prove itself worthy of a top-10 spot in Monday’s new AP Poll. We’ll see how the Vols handle the incredible atmosphere at Bud Walton Arena.

Have a question for next week’s Mailbag? Tweet at us using #SDSMailbag or email me at ASpencer@SaturdayDownSouth.com.

View Comments

  • That's what I call going out on a limb, and no sarcasm intended. Myles Brennan? LSU has a lot of questions to answer, including Brennan, before we can make that leap.

    • I can agree, but if most of his targets go to Boutte, and similar stats get put up, both will be mentioned as contenders.

      • An all-new offensive line. A QB with very limited mobility, who has missed multiple games in 2018, 2020 and 2021 due to injuries. Sure, the potential is there, but so are the questions.

    • Don't sleep on Brennan! It's never been his play thats in question its his durability. When he is on the field he is lights out. Even the Mizzou game we lost he still killed it... wasn't his fault we lost, but the ds.

      Brennan is a dual threat qb. He doesn't have very limited mobility. That statement is just wrong. The problem with Brennan is he tends to be too mobile at times and too physical when running with the ball. He needs to stay in the pocket more and when he does tuck it he needs to slide more. Watch any of his film and youll see what I mean. Kid is a warrior no doubt but come on man slide a little! Or even better stay in the pocket more and sling it, heck you have a better deep ball than Joe Burrow for crying out loud!

      Peeewww just thinking about this year 1 coach Kelly offense has me so excited. This wr core maybe the best we have ever had. Serious question tiger fans, is Boutte or Chase the better wr? Ok. Next question who was better as a freshman or sophomore? Plus, Malik Nabers would be several SEC teams go to star wr and he barely saw the field over BTJ, Bech, Jaray and several others. And this Lacy kid coming in already has draft grades... you can't cover them all!

      Think about that backfield for a second... 5 star Cain 5 star John Emory or last year's starter Mr Ohio c kiner? Peeewwwww we got options in the stable!

      Now the big question mark is the o line. Who will get the nod week 1? I'll make my guess below but I guarantee whoever we roll out will be significantly better than last year. Thank goodness all those starters are gone lol.

      I'd imagine the two all american transfer tackles are coming into the program expecting to start but I'm not so sure they will be starting at tackle. To me the 5 best lineman are dellinger, wire, bradford, shorts, frazier. I expect the number 1 transfer tackle in the country the freshman all American Miles Frazier to start at the all important left tackle spot. They will probably keep Shorts who played LT at ETSU on the left side but play him at LG bc his size is more of a guard in the league so it will probably boost his draft profile to get experience there. Center is the big question to me. Marlon Martinez was the back up last year and he's back, but he isn't one of the best 5 lineman if you ask me. He is the popular off-season pick to be the center but I see someone else maybe a Dellinger(our best lineman) sliding in there. The RG will probably be Bradford if he can hold off Emory Jones and the RT will probably be Cam Wire unless Will Campbell takes it from him. Trust me this unit got way better and way more talented this off-season.

      LT Frazier 6 6 321
      LG Shorts 6 4 326
      C Dellinger 6 5 303
      RG Bradford 6 5 365
      RT Wire 6 6 307

      First man off the bench Will Campbell

      Heck are 6th man now is a 5 star for crying out loud! GEAUX TIGERS! Geaux Myles win the Heisman!

      • Lots of info, ffg, but are you trying to be the Negan of Tigerville with that lengthy dissertation? LoL

  • Stingley would be a Top 5 pick based on his high ceiling and potential. He was the best CB in football in 2019. He'll prove to be worth a Top 10 pick for who picks him, and make others eat crow.
    Brennan for Heisman is not farfetched in the least. But, you can't leave off Boutte either.

  • Headline: "New SEC football title game locations," which is something we actually need. Unfortunately that subject wasn't addressed, beyond you telling us you love the game in Atlanta. Well, the rest of us don't. The game should move around among cities in the SEC footprint.

    And while I'm at it...I think the folks at Hoover do a great job with the SEC baseball tournament, but it is total BS to give Alabama and Auburn a virtual home game whenever they manage to limp into the tourney. There are many great double and triple A ballparks all over the SEC that would make excellent host sites. Spread the wealth.

    • Yeah, I don't see any better location for the SEC championship game other than Atlanta. Atlanta is the heart of the south. Mercedes Benz stadium is better than ANY other stadium in the Southeast.

    • Wherever you play anything, someone is bound to have an advantage.

      The SEC has done a great job of hosting various championship games scattered around the footprint: Atlanta, Birmingham, Lexington, Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa, etc. Baseball has seen over 10+ sites but Hoover has hosted since the late 90s.

    • The SECC football game should never be moved out of Atlanta. Period.

      I wouldn't mind seeing the baseball tournament moved around a bit. Plenty of solid minor league parks in the Southeast that can host it.

    • The good news for you is Ole Miss fans can easily watch the SEC Championship game from home no matter the host city, since your team isn’t likely to be playing in it

    • Atlanta is perfect. There are not that many domed stadiums which would work. Having attended the first SECCG in Legion Field, let me stress the absolute necessity of having an indoor venue. That was the coldest I ever was. Never been in a deer stand, so…

  • Myles Brennan is a real stretch... not that it couldn't happen. Coach Kelly has usually had a more traditional approach to offense (think Kirby Smart) and usually doesn't have QBs with huge passing stats. While I do think it is likely, I'm not sure that Brennan is the starter all year injuries, competition, need a change of pace) at LSU.
    Now the Tennessee QB has a real shot at Heisman like numbers. I honestly don't think the 2023 Heisman comes from the SEC... the defenses are so tough.

  • I've been telling yall for years Brennan is capable of winning the Heisman. This kid was in a qb competition with Joe Burrow. He had the better arm than Joe and the competition was a close one. Think about that for a second would ya... really think about it. He was on pace to break Burrows records the year after but an injury derailed that and then another off field injury ruined the next year. Is the 3rd time the charm? It very well could be. If the transfer o lineman play like the all Americans the were then look out!

  • Don't worry about it. I would not pick Bryce Young to win the Heisman either. The odds are 1 in 86 that someone will win it twice.

  • It's time to move the Baseball Tourney from Hoover. There are plenty of other locations, (I.E. Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Atlanta, New Orleans, etc) that could easily take in the capacity.

      • geographically speaking Bham is one of the most centrally located locations to all SEC schools. College Station, Columbia, MO and Gainesville are going to be the furthest from almost any location centrally picked...other options being Nashville(great), Memphis(terrible, but nice AAA stadium)...not sure what you could do other than having 3 sites you rotate between.

        • What’s terrible about Memphis? Large airport, Beale Street, and Tunica just down Highway 61. Not trying to push Memphis, just wondering what makes it terrible to you.

        • 57939names 1 DAY AGO
          What’s terrible about Memphis? Large airport, Beale Street, and Tunica just down Highway 61. Not trying to push Memphis, just wondering what makes it terrible to you.

          Memphis is a chit hole and has one of the highest violent crime rates in the entire U.S.

  • bryce young's stats sound a lot like Dwayne Haskins' stats from 2018, 4,831 yds, 50 passing tds, and 4 rushing td's.

    as for 2021 heisman, look no further than CJ Stroud. he had a monster season last year, and looks to have an even better one in 2022.

    as for top 5 picks next year, no Jaxon Smith-Njigba or CJ Stroud on your list? are you aware that football is played outside the southeast? as much as i'd love to see them come back for the 2023 season, i expect both will be in next year's draft. at least one, maybe both, will be top 5 picks.

    • ok, so my mind was on next season when i commented on the draft selections. that being said, Garrett Wilson and/or Chris Olave are top 5 material.

    • I agree on Stroud and Smith-Njigaboo being early favorites. Please forgive us SEC folks. We've become a selfish bunch when if comes to football.

  • Why not Will Anderson for the Heisman trophy? Let's start sharing the wealth over to defense for crying out loud......He was in the running for it this year & if he has a monster year he should get it next season......He's tabbed to be the first pick in 2023 NFL draft so let's let's keep the Bama effect going & pick another Bama guy as your next Heisman; 3 Bama guys in a row!!!!

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Adam Spencer