Arkansas Razorbacks

The SEC West freshmen who can take the league by storm in 2016

Published Feb. 9, 2016 4:57 p.m. ET

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The 2016 recruiting cycle was very kind to the SEC.

Without question, the conference was yet again injected with a wealth of high-level talent all across the board And in today's college football climate, true freshman are more ready than ever to come in and produce right from the start.

With the transition between the two levels continuing to get smaller and smaller, every SEC program has at least one newcomer with the potential to impact their respective squad in 2016. This piece will identify a player from each team with the ability to do just that.

Although the following players hailing from the SEC West might not be the most talented members from the '16 group, depth concerns and overall fit warranted their selections.

Auburn WR Nate Craig-Myers

Craig-Myers was one of the top athletes hailing from the state of Florida in the 2016 class. At 6-foot-3, he routinely made plays with a powerful frame and strong set of hands.

Auburn's offense is predicated upon its receivers blocking out in space on the edge to spring running backs. Craig-Myers has the ability to perform in this capacity quite well.

With bigger receivers Ricardo Lewis and Melvin Ray graduating, Craig-Myers has a golden opportunity to come in early and stake his claim as one of the physically-imposing pass-catchers within the rotation.

Arkansas RB Devwah Whaley

A staple of any Bret Bielema team is the ability to run the football. A running back in this scheme needs patience, quality instincts in terms of finding the potential running lane, and explosiveness to burst upfield.

Fortunately for Arkansas, Whaley has all of these characteristics. The Texas native is a long and athletic back. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, and also make players miss in space.

Whaley isn't the "bulky" back that Alex Collins or Kody Walker was, but he's still strong enough to garner a considerable amount of carries.

With Collins and Walker gone, and Rawleigh Williams III coming back from a serious neck injury, Whaley looks primed to impact in big way for the Razorbacks.

Mississippi State DE Jeffery Simmons

Ranked as the No. 1 player in Mississippi and a top-15 player nationally by Rivals.com, Simmons was a massive get for Dan Mullen and his staff.

Simmons is a very good fit as a defensive end in both a 3-4 and a 4-3 scheme. On obvious passing downs, he is big enough to slide inside and use his athleticism to get after opposing quarterbacks.

While the Bulldogs do return a great deal of numbers up front, Simmons is far too talented to be redshirting. He should see a substantial role as a reserve -- if not eventually as a starter.

As Mullen told the Jackson Free Press, "He is a first-class young man and I see him being the next Fletcher Cox or Kaleb Eulls or Pernell McPhee. You are talking about some of the top defensive linemen to ever play here. He has that work ethic and that demeanor of being a special player."

Texas A&M RB Trayveon Williams

Texas A&M's top two rushers from 2015 -- Tra Carson and Kyler Murray -- have left the program. James White figures to get the first crack at a starting position. However, he only rushed for an average of 3.6 yards per carry last year.

With that in mind, Williams could instantly add a jolt of quickness, speed, and production to the Aggies' backfield.

At 5-9, he isn't the biggest back in the world. He may not be able to command 15-20 carries a game (just yet) on a weekly basis. With that said, Williams has the ability to make people miss in space with some considerable agility. He's certainly capable of being a dangerous and dynamic option in third-down situations -- particularly when it comes to catching passes out of the backfield.

Alabama OT Jonah Williams

A Rivals.com 5-star prospect out of California, Williams is a terrific athlete at the tackle position. He's got long arms, a sturdy base, good lateral quickness, and the frame to put on some weight. In essence, he's as close to the perfect tackle prospect as one could be.

With Dominick Jackson graduating, the right tackle spot is currently vacant along Nick Saban's offensive front.

Williams could stand to get physically bigger and stronger. Fortunately for the Crimson Tide, Williams is an early enrollee. He's currently in the throes of Scott Cochran's vaunted conditioning program.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see Williams in the two-deep -- if not starting as a true freshman.

Ole Miss OT Greg Little

Little is one of the most highly-regarded players in the entire class of 2016. Ranked as the No. 4 player overall by Rivals.com, Little had his pick of virtually any school before opting to sign with Ole Miss.

His addition couldn't have come at a better time for the Rebels. With star left tackle Laremy Tunsil headed to the NFL, Little is a perfect choice to slot in at the starting spot. Even if Little struggles to acclimate on the left side, the right tackle spot is also open -- courtesy of Fahn Cooper graduating.

Little is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-5, 318 pounds, but he also has nimble feet and very good athleticism. Barring injury, he will play substantially in Oxford as a true freshman.

LSU LB Michael Divinity

LSU signed one of the best recruiting classes in the entire country, and Divinity sticks out.

The linebacker out of Louisiana is an early enrollee. This means he'll get a jump on things from both an academic and athletic standpoint. Divinity will get a leg-up on familiarizing himself with the scheme/playbook and also work on his conditioning.

With a duo of senior linebackers leaving (Deion Jones, Lamar Louis), Divinity has a chance to garner a starting role.

Aggressive and fast, he has "the look" of a prototypical LSU linebacker.