SEC Football 2017 preview

3 of 8

COLLEGE STATION, TX – OCTOBER 03: General view of the scoreboard while the Texas A (Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images) /

SEC Freshman of the Year

WR Jhamon Ausbon, Texas A&M

Once again, the SEC brought in more talented high school recruits than any other conference across the nation. Five SEC schools ranked in the Top 10 of the 247Sports Composite rankings during the 2017 recruiting period. Nine were ranked in the Top 25, and three others were ranked No. 31 or better.

As a result, the competition for Freshman of the Year in the league is sure to be fierce. But, when attempting to predict which newcomer will have the biggest impact in 2017, it’s important to note the lack of experience other than Christian Kirk at wide receiver at Texas A&M. Kirk is the only returner among A&M’s top five receivers from 2016 and he’s the only Aggies receiver with more than 91 receiving yards. As an All-American-caliber player, it’s highly likely SEC defenses will attempt double-team the playmaking junior.

Because of the opportunity for playing time in College Station, as well as the team’s history of high passing totals in the Kevin Sumlin era, the most likely freshman to explode onto the scene in the conference is Jhamon Ausbon.

A four-star recruit from IMG Academy in Florida, Ausbon was ranked as the No. 10 receiver prospect in the nation and No. 74 overall in the 247Sports Composite. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Ausbon has the size and strength to play right away. He’s also shown good speed and leaping ability in fall camp thus far.

Sumlin compared Ausbon to former A&M and NFL star Robert Ferguson early in fall practice, signaling the head coach has high expectations for the true freshman. It might be unlikely for him to explode onto the national scene like Kirk did in 2015, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see Ausbon approach 1,000 receiving yards and catch double-digit touchdowns this year.