ESPN College Football

Our look at the SEC's most productive returning players in 2012 continues with tight ends.

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The SEC returns six of the top 10 statistical tight ends this season. Orson Charles led all tight ends in yardage with 574 yards and had five touchdowns on 45 catches. The No. 2 tight end returns this fall, and this race might be the most wide open of all the top returners by position.

Here's the conference's top returning producer at tight end:

Chris Gragg, Arkansas: He was second among tight ends in catches (41) and receiving yards (518) last season, and had two touchdowns. Gragg also averaged 12.6 yards per catch last season. In an offense obsessed with throwing the ball, there was no way Gragg wouldn't get a good amount of passes thrown his way. But it's not like Gragg didn't deserve all the attention. The 6-foot-3, 236-pounder is an ideal target for any quarterback, and while he's a big body, he has good speed and is quite agile for his position. With all the receiving talent leaving Fayetteville, Gragg should get even more looks from quarterback Tyler Wilson, and there probably aren't too many people around that program upset by the thought of that.

The SEC returns five more of the top 10 statistical tight ends from a year ago:

Mychal Rivera, Tennessee: He caught 29 passes for 344 yards and one touchdown, and averaged 11.9 yards per catch.

Jordan Reed, Florida: He caught 28 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and averaged 11 yards per catch.

Philip Lutzenkirchen, Auburn: He caught 24 passes for 238 yards, and led all tight ends with seven touchdowns. He averaged 9.9 yards per catch.

Malcolm Johnson, Mississippi State: He caught 11 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns, and averaged 18.7 yards per catch.

Michael Williams, Alabama: He caught 16 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns, and averaged 11.9 yards per catch.

This race really is wide open. While Gragg is probably the most physically gifted of the returning tight ends, it's not a foregone conclusion that he'll take home prize of top SEC tight end. Reed, who is a freak athlete, is someone who the coaches at Florida think will be a major factor in the Gators' offense this fall because young quarterbacks tend to shorten throws, and Reed is a solid underneath target. Williams will get more attention with Brad Smelley gone, and Johnson, who won't share time with Marcus Green this year, drew comparisons to past Mackey Award winner Aaron Hernandez in spring camp.

Keep an eye on South Carolina rising senior Justice Cunningham. He played alongside fellow tight end Rory Anderson, who had more yards and touchdowns, but Cunningham doubled Anderson's catch count last season, and gained 142 yards and one score. With Alshon Jeffery gone, expect Cunningham to get more looks this fall.

If Missouri's Eric Waters comes back 100 percent from his MCL injury this spring, he could have a pretty productive season in that offense. Waters is replacing one of the best in Michael Egnew, but one reason Egnew was so successful was because Mizzou loves using its tight ends.

Texas A&M uses its tight ends a lot as well. Nehemiah Hicks is probably the most gifted tight end for the Aggies and started seven games, but is recovering from shoulder surgery. Michael Lamothe and Hutson Prioleau combined to catch 28 passes for 244 and four touchdowns last season.

Mel Kiper, ESPN's NFL draft expert, has compiled his list of the top 5 players by position of the returning seniors in college football for the 2012 season.

Here's a look at the SEC players on the list:

TOP RETURNING SENIORS BY POSITION

• Arkansas' Tyler Wilson, No. 3 quarterback
• Arkansas' Knile Davis, No. 2 running back
• Arkansas' Cobi Hamilton, No. 4 wide receiver
• Arkansas' Chris Gragg, No. 1 tight end
• Alabama's Michael Williams, No. 2 tight end
• LSU's Alex Hurst, No. 3 offensive tackle
• Tennessee's Dallas Thomas, No. 4 offensive tackle
• Alabama's Barrett Jones, No. 1 offensive guard
• Kentucky's Larry Warford, No. 2 offensive guard
• Alabama's Chance Warmack, No. 3 offensive guard
• Georgia's Abry Jones, No. 4 defensive end
• South Carolina's Devin Taylor, No. 5 defensive end
• Alabama's Jesse Williams, No. 2 defensive tackle
• Georgia's John Jenkins, No. 3 defensive tackle
• Texas A&M's Sean Porter, No. 4 outside linebacker
• Missouri's Zaviar Gooden, No. 5 outside linebacker
• Mississippi State's Johnthan Banks, No. 1 cornerback
• Georgia's Sanders Commings, No. 5 cornerback
• Georgia's Bacarri Rambo, No. 2 safety
• Alabama's Robert Lester, No. 4 safety
• Florida's Caleb Sturgis, No. 2 kicker
• Ole Miss' Tyler Campbell, No. 4 punter

Thoughts: Look at the returning firepower for Arkansas on offense. The Hogs have a player in the top 5 at quarterback, running back, receiver and tight end. Gragg has a chance to be one of the breakout players in the league next season. He was third on Arkansas' team this past season with 41 catches. Barrett Jones is Kiper's No. 1-rated senior prospect at guard, but could end up playing center for the Crimson Tide next season. Jones has already earned All-SEC honors at both tackle and guard and was the Outland Trophy winner in 2011. Banks thought about turning pro this year, but made a good decision in returning to Mississippi State. He has a chance to be one of the top cornerbacks in the country next season. Even though Alabama is losing a lot of talent from its 2011 national championship team, the Crimson Tide still lead the way in the SEC with five players on Kiper's list. Arkansas and Georgia are next with four apiece.

As we take another look at the 2011 season, we'll check out the top 10 moments from the SEC's year.

It's not as easy as it looks, but someone has to do it.

I'm sure we'll think of a couple more as the days go by, but here are our top 10 moments from 2011 in reverse order:

10. Houston Nutt's dismissal: Ole Miss said goodbye to its head coach after Nutt was fired toward the end of the season. After back-to-back nine-win seasons that ended with Cotton Bowl victories, Nutt was fired after two dismal seasons in Oxford. He coached the entire season, but ended his tenure with 14 straight losses to SEC opponents.

9. Kentucky's last stand: There wasn't much for the Wildcats to be proud of in 2011, but Kentucky's 10-7 win over Tennessee was truly memorable. It snapped a 26-game losing streak to the Vols (dating back to when Joker Phillips played at Kentucky) and eliminated Tennessee from postseason play.

8. Georgia clinching the East: After starting the season 0-2, Georgia won 10 straight, but its ninth win meant the most. Georgia's 19-10 win over Kentucky on Nov. 19 clinched the SEC Eastern Division and sent the Bulldogs back to the SEC championship for the first time since 2005.

7. Vandy's bowl bid: Coach James Franklin promised change at Vanderbilt and he got it in his first year. The Commodores reeled off six wins and their 41-7 win over Wake Forest on the last weekend of the regular season sent Vandy bowling for the first time since 2008.

6. Richardson's run: Trent Richardson's Heisman moment came on a run and a move for the ages. Before he could finish off his eventual 76-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against Ole Miss, he had to embarrass defender Senquez Golson by cutting back and then immediately forward, leaving the rookie stumbling to the turf just before the end zone.

5. Adams' return: No plays were as exciting to watch in the SEC -- and probably nationally -- than Joe Adams' amazing punt return against Tennessee. Adams was scintillating, as he reversed field 10 yards and shook off five tackles before darting down the right sideline for what stood as a 60-yard touchdown return.

4. South Carolina's 11th win: Last year, the Gamecocks made history when they made it to their first SEC championship game. In 2011, South Carolina won 11 games in a season for the first time when the Gamecocks routed Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl. It also ended a streak of three straight bowl losses.

3. Reid's interception: When you think back at the 2011 season, Eric Reid's interception against Alabama at LSU's own 1-yard line has to be one of the first images you see. With the Tide running a trick play involving a pass from receiver Marquis Maze to tight end Michael Williams, Reid out-muscled Williams for the ball in midair. The play propelled LSU on its magical run and sent Alabama home with what seemed like a season-changing loss.

2. LSU's magical run ends: LSU was a win away from entering the "best ever" conversation, with eight wins over ranked teams, but LSU ran into a freight train named Alabama in the hated rematch in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game. LSU's offense fell flat as the Tide ran over the Tigers 21-0 in their own backyard of New Orleans.

1. Alabama hoists the crystal football ... again: The state of Alabama clearly owns college football at the moment. Alabama's 21-0 win over LSU in the national championship gave the state three straight crystal footballs and was the second for the Crimson Tide in three years. Nick Saban admitted that this championship (his third) was the sweetest and you could tell because he actually smiled afterward and took his Gatorade bath like a true champ.

NEW ORLEANS -- You've already read about the five plays that got Alabama to the Allstate BCS National Championship, so now it's time to take a look at how LSU ended up in Monday's title game:

1. Eric Reid's interception: With Alabama sitting on LSU's 28-yard line early in the fourth quarter, Tide coach Nick Saban reached into his bag of tricks and pulled out a play in which wide receiver Marquis Maze was supposed to take the ball and throw it to tight end Michael Williams. Maze, who was bothered by a sprained ankle, threw the ball up, but Reid wrestled it away from Williams at LSU's 1-yard line. Alabama never got inside LSU's 35-yard line again until overtime.

2. Morris Claiborne's kick return: After West Virginia scored to get within six of the Tigers late in the third quarter, Claiborne put the game away with some magic in the return game. On West Virginia's ensuing kickoff, Claiborne dazzled his way through Mountaineer players for a 99-yard touchdown return that put LSU up 34-21. That touchdown put LSU on a 20-0 run to close the game.

3. Brad Wing's punt: The drive after Reid's interception, LSU's offense failed to get much of anything backed up inside its 10-yard line. A normal punt would have given Alabama ideal field position to make up for its blown opportunity on the last drive, but Wing launched a kick from inside LSU's end zone that eventually traveled 73 yards to Alabama's 18-yard line after some very favorable rolling.

4. Tyrann Mathieu's return: Down 14-7 to Arkansas in the second quarter, the Honey Badger came through in the clutch on special teams. He took Dylan Breeding's punt 92 yards to the house and sent Tiger Stadium into a frenzy. That play paralyzed Arkansas, and led to a 34-3 run by LSU on the last Saturday of the regular season.

5. Mathieu's second return: Like the Arkansas game a week earlier, LSU was in need of a spark against Georgia in the SEC championship game. Down double digits early for the second straight game, Mathieu provided the momentum builder LSU needed when he took a punt 62 yards for a touchdown that made it 10-7 in the second quarter. The score, which sparked a 42-0 run, should have actually been overturned because replay showed that Mathieu clearly flipped the ball to the ref and out-of-bounds before he crossed the goal line.

NEW ORLEANS — In every season, there are a handful of plays that stand out.

Here’s a look at the five plays that got Alabama to Monday night’s Allstate BCS National Championship Game:

1. Maze’s punt return: One of the most electrifying plays of the year in the SEC, Marquis Maze weaved his way 83 yards through Arkansas defenders early in the third quarter to break the game wide open and send the Crimson Tide on their way to a 38-14 beatdown of the Hogs. Maze showed his speed, open-field running ability and knack for breaking tackles all on one dazzling return.

2. Upshaw’s interception return: With the game tied at 10 early in the second quarter, Alabama’s Nick Gentry came free up the middle and hurried Florida quarterback John Brantley, whose dump pass over the middle was intercepted by Courtney Upshaw and returned 45 yards for a touchdown. The Gators were never the same, and the Crimson Tide won easily, 38-10 at the Swamp.

3. The fourth-down stop: Tennessee had played Alabama to a 6-6 tie at the half, and the Crimson Tide looked sluggish. They answered with a long touchdown drive coming out of the break to go up 13-6 and then sent the Vols packing for good after Tennessee elected to go for it on fourth-and-inches at their own 39. Josh Chapman and Dont’a Hightower stuffed Tennessee quarterback Matt Simms for no gain. The Vols challenged the spot, but the call on the field was upheld, and Alabama scored a touchdown on its next play en route to a 37-6 romp.

4. McCarron’s lazor: It wasn’t AJ McCarron’s longest pass of the season, but it was one of his most impressive and came at a time in the Penn State game when Beaver Stadium was rocking. McCarron threw a bullet between two defenders on a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Michael Williams to silence the crowd and give the Crimson Tide a first-quarter lead they would never relinquish in a 27-11 victory over the Nittany Lions.

5. Going for a ride: Alabama running back Trent Richardson had so many spectacular runs this season that it’s impossible to pick just one. But a 16-yard run he had against Auburn says everything you need to know about him as a competitor. Auburn had just pulled within 24-14 on a kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half, and Alabama needed to answer. Richardson exploded up the middle on a third-and-4 play and was met by a cluster of Auburn defenders at the 20. He dragged four of them with him for 7 more yards before they finally got him on the ground, setting up a Jeremy Shelley 28-yard field goal. The Crimson Tide never looked back in cruising to a 42-14 win.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The thought coming in was that Arkansas might have an edge on special teams.

But it was Alabama that struck first in the kicking game with a beautifully designed 37-yard touchdown pass from AJ McCarron to tight end Michael Williams on a fake field goal.

The Crimson Tide lined up for what would have been a 54-yard field goal. McCarron was the holder, but jumped back into the shotgun at quarterback. Williams was lined up on the line, and nobody covered him down the field.

In fact, Arkansas defensive tackle DeQuinta Jones was the one chasing Williams.

There's still a lot of football to be played. But in big games like this, rarely does the team that gives up a special teams touchdown win the game.

It's never too early to talk about next year's NFL draft, right? Of course not.

Well, ESPN colleague Mel Kiper recently made a list of his top-five juniors and seniors at each position and 12 SEC seniors made Kiper's list -- it would have been 13 if not for the dismissal of former Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who is rated as the No. 3 corner on Kiper's list.

Here is the list of SEC seniors on Kiper's list:

Running backs:

• No. 5: Jeffery Demps, Florida

Offensive guards:

• No. 3: Cordy Glenn, Georgia
• No. 4: Rokevious Watkins, South Carolina

Centers:

• No. 2: William Vlachos, Alabama
• No. 3: Ben Jones, Georgia

Inside linebackers:

• No. 5: Chris Marve, Vanderbilt

Outside linebackers:

• No. 1: Courtney Upshaw, Alabama

Cornerbacks

• No. 4: Casey Hayward, Vanderbilt

Safeties

• No. 1: Mark Barron, Alabama
• No. 3: Tramain Thomas, Arkansas

Kickers

• No. 1: Blair Walsh, Georgia

Punters

• No. 2: Drew Butler, Georgia

My thoughts:

• It's interesting to see Demps on this list. Yes, he has incredible speed and there isn't a player in the country that can catch him after he hits a hole and finds some space, but he has size (5-8, 190 pounds) and durability issues. He injured his foot last season against Tennessee when he carried the ball more than 20 times and was never the same in 2010. Demps needs to stay healthy and excel in Charlie Weis' pro-style offense this fall in order to stay on this list. Also, I expect Ole Miss' Brandon Bolden to creep onto this list. He's one of the most underrated players in the SEC.

• Tennessee's Malik Jackson and South Carolina's Travian Robertson have the ability to nudge their way into the list of top defensive tackles with solid seasons this fall. Also, Arkansas' Jerry Franklin and Kentucky's Danny Trevathan will push get in on the action at linebacker. I think Franklin has, like, 1,000 career tackles at this point.

• I like the love Hayward got. He hasn't gotten a ton of national attention, but he would start on just about any team in the SEC.

Now for the juniors:

Quarterbacks

• No. 5: Tyler Wilson, Arkansas

Running backs

• No. 1: Trent Richardson, Alabama
• No. 2: Knile Davis, Arkansas

Wide receivers

• No. 1: Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina
• No. 5: Rueben Randle, LSU

Tight ends

• No. 2: Orson Charles, Georgia
• No. 4: Michael Williams, Alabama

Offensive tackles

• No. 5: Xavier Nixon, Florida

Offensive guards

• No. 2: Barrett Jones, Alabama
• No. 5: Larry Warford, Kentucky

Centers

• No. 5: T.J. Johnson, South Carolina

Defensive ends

• No. 4: Devin Taylor, South Carolina

Inside linebackers

• No. 4: Dont'a Hightower, Alabama

Cornerbacks

• No. 1: Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama
• No. 4: Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina
• No. 5: Morris Claiborne, LSU

Safeties

• No. 2: Robert Lester, Alabama
• No. 3: Janzen Jackson, Tennessee

Kickers

• No. 5: Bryson Rose, Ole Miss

My thoughts:

• Well, this junior class sure is stacked. There are 19 SEC juniors on Kiper's list and all of them are impact players in this league. I won't argue many of the players on this list, but I'm going to hold off on putting Wilson on here. He played in just one game last season, and while he did pretty well, I need to see more of him before I place him on a draft list. Cue his 4,000-yard performance this fall ...

• I saw where my Big 12 blog compadre David Ubben disagreed with Kiper for his decision to put Jeffery ahead of Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon. Sure, Blackmon has the killer speed that Jeffery doesn't, but Jeffery is a physical beast on the field and was the best in one-on-one situations last season. He'll catch anything, no matter who's around him. I'll take Jeffery as well and he should be just fine at the next level.

• Five of Kiper's 10 defensive backs reside in the SEC. Memo to all the quarterbacks in this league: throw with extreme caution. One player to keep an eye on this season is Claiborne. He has all the tools to be the top corner in the league this fall and could end up being the top corner in the country.

Four SEC tight ends made the preseason watch list for the 2011 John Mackey Award.

The last two winners of the award, which honors the top tight end nationally, have been from the SEC -- Arkansas' D.J. Williams last season and Florida's Aaron Hernandez in 2009.

Vanderbilt's Brandon Barden, Georgia's Orson Charles, Auburn's Philip Lutzenkirchen and Alabama's Michael Williams were the four SEC players on the 2011 preseason watch list.

Barden, a senior, is the SEC's active leader among tight ends in receptions (91) and receiving yards (991). Lutzenkirchen had 15 catches last season and five of those were for touchdowns.

The tight end and H-back spots can be very important positions for teams. If you can find the right athlete, he can be a true mismatch for defenders -- too fast for linebackers and too strong for cornerbacks.

The fun thing about the H-back is that your more athletic tight ends can line up in the backfield to add yet another dimension to an offense.

This year’s crop is a little younger, but could contain budding stars in the league.

Here’s a look at some of the top players at these positions:

1. Orson Charles, Georgia, Jr.: Charles has the nice combination of strength and speed to give defenders fits and could flex out to wide receiver if needed. He’s elevated his game throughout each of his two seasons with the Bulldogs and should be a star in the league this fall. He’s not as fast as receiver Tavarres King, but should eat into his production.

2. Brandon Barden, Vanderbilt, Sr.: Barden was Vanderbilt’s leading pass catcher a year ago. He hauled in 34 catches (nine more than the leading wide receiver) for 425 yards and three touchdowns. He’s easily the best option in the passing game for the Commodores and should continue to put up solid numbers at the tight end position.

3. Philip Lutzenkirchen, Auburn, Jr.: He didn’t have the most exciting stats a year ago, but he’ll be a major factor in the Tigers’ offense this fall. He took over as a leader for the young offense this spring and will be used in and out of the backfield as an H-back. He’ll be a very reliable target for whomever takes over at quarterback.

4. Jordan Reed, Florida, So.: Reed did most of his damage last fall at quarterback, but people around Gainesville think he could be the Gators’ most athletic offensive weapon now that he’s back at tight end. He’s a big target, at 6-3, 237 pounds and he doesn’t lack speed. In fact, he used most of the offseason working on becoming more fleet-footed.

5. Deangelo Peterson, LSU, Sr.: Like Charles, Peterson has the athleticism to flex out to wide receiver as well. He grabbed 16 passes for 198 yards in 2010, but had a solid spring and should get more attention in the offense this fall.

6. Chris Gragg, Arkansas, Jr.: Gragg actually moved from receiver to tight end, so he’s already a headache for linebackers with his speed. Backing up D.J. Williams, Gragg only caught eight passes last season, but one of them went 57 yards for a touchdown.

7. Trey Burton, Florida, So.: Florida was short on offensive playmakers last year, but Burton definitely made that short list. He’s no longer lining up at quarterback, but will be Florida’s H-back. Burton caught 32 passes as a freshman and has good speed and a little elusiveness to continue to be a reliable target for quarterback John Brantley.

8. Marcus Green, Mississippi State, Sr.: Injuries have been his downfall, but if he’s healthy, he’ll be a valuable weapon for quarterback Chris Relf. He was only healthy enough to catch three passes last year, but hauled in 27 catches for 306 yards in 2009, so the talent is there.

9. Mychal Rivera, Tennessee, Jr.: There’s no secret that Tennessee is going to air it out this fall. Rivera backed up Luke Stocker last season, so his numbers weren’t great, but the staff is confident that he’ll be a reliable target in the offense. He’ll be a good third option with the talent at receiver.

10. Michael Williams, Alabama, Jr.: Williams was overlooked because he was staring up at Preston Dial on the depth chart. But he’s far from inexperienced. Williams has appeared in 27 games, making 14 starts. He’s a good run blocker and is athletic enough to challenge most linebackers opposite him.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama hasn't been hesitant to pull out a few new things from its offensive playbook.

Marquis Maze's 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Michael Williams came out of the Wildcat package. Maze has been back there in that formation a couple of different times this season, but it's the first time he's thrown the ball out of it.

Alabama leads this game 24-0, and the Gators are on the verge of getting blown back to Gainesville.