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Now that spring practice is under way for everybody in the SEC but Texas A&M, let’s take a look at a few sophomores worth keeping an eye on next season.

These aren’t necessarily the most promising freshmen from a year ago, but rather, a group of players poised to make the biggest jump in Year 2:

Georgia running back Isaiah Crowell: Even though he rushed for 850 yards last season as a freshman, Crowell wasn’t very durable, and he was lacking in the mental toughness department. By all accounts, Crowell has grown up considerably in the offseason, and he also knows he has a deep running back stable nipping at his heels, led by heralded freshman Keith Marshall.

Mississippi State running back Nick Griffin: A knee injury has held the talented Griffin back. But even at less than 100 percent, he’s shown enough speed and power that the Mississippi State coaches can’t wait to see what a healthy Griffin can do with the ball in his hands this fall.

Alabama linebacker Adrian Hubbard: He’s got the height, length and athleticism to be a marquee pass-rusher in this league. The 6-6, 237-pound Hubbard backed up last season at three linebacker positions, but appears to be best suited to replace Courtney Upshaw at Jack linebacker.

Alabama offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio: A knee injury cut short Kouandjio’s freshman season, but everybody who saw him play agreed that it was just a matter of time before he was one of the SEC’s most dominant offensive linemen. He’ll step in at left tackle this fall with 2011 Outland Trophy winner Barrett Jones moving to center.

LSU receiver Jarvis Landry: Last season, Landry made his presence felt on special teams and delivered some crushing hits on kickoff returns. Look for him to make a similar impact catching the ball and making big plays in the passing game in 2012.

Auburn running back Tre Mason: As the Tigers search for a starting tailback to replace Michael Dyer, Mason is making a strong bid this spring to be the guy. He’s gotten stronger and is weighing right around 200 pounds. He hasn’t lost any speed, either, and the coaches love his toughness.

Arkansas cornerback Tevin Mitchel: After making seven starts last season as a true freshman and earning SEC All-Freshman honors, the 6-1, 185-pound Mitchel has everything it takes to be one of the premier cornerbacks in the league next season. He’ll also have experience on his side.

South Carolina defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles: He was overshadowed by another freshman on the Gamecocks’ defensive line last season (Jadeveon Clowney), but Quarles was playing his best football by season’s end. He’s extremely active for an interior lineman and ticketed for a big sophomore season.

Tennessee offensive tackle Antonio Richardson: One of the Vols’ top signees a year ago, Richardson picked up some much-needed experience as a freshman. He didn’t start any games, but played in all 12. The 6-6, 325-pounder is now working as the first-team left tackle and has been good enough that the Vols moved senior Dallas Thomas from left tackle to left guard.

Auburn cornerback Jermaine Whitehead: As first-year defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder puts in his defense this spring, one of the things that has jumped out to him is Whitehead’s versatility. He can play cornerback and safety and is also working as the Tigers’ nickel cornerback when they go to five defensive backs.

Even as we turn our attention to the 2012 football season, there's always time to check back with the past from time to time.

The SEC released its last set of notes from the 2011 season this week, so we thought we'd take a look at some of the interesting facts and figures from the previous season.

For starters, how about a look at the SEC players of the week?

Week 1 (Games of Sept. 1-3): Offense - Vick Ballard, RB, Mississippi State; Defense - Tyrann Mathieu, DB, LSU; Special Teams - Joe Adams, WR/RS, Arkansas; Offensive Lineman - Rokevious Watkins, OT, South Carolina; Co-Defensive Lineman - Jaye Howard, DT, Florida; Luke McDermott, DT, Kentucky; Co-Freshman - Trey Depriest, LB, Alabama; Tre Mason, RB/RS, Auburn.

Week 2 (Games of Sept. 10): Offense - Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee; Defense - Mark Barron, S, Alabama; Special Teams - Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina; Offensive Lineman - Alvin Bailey, OG, Arkansas; Defensive Lineman - Rob Lohr, DT, Vanderbilt; Co-Freshman - Josh Clemons, RB, Kentucky; Isaiah Crowell, RB, Georgia.

Week 3 (Games of Sept. 15-17): Co-Offense - Chris Rainey, RB, Florida; Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina; Defense -Trey Wilson, DB, Vanderbilt; Special Teams - Caleb Sturgis, PK, Florida; Offensive Lineman - Wesley Johnson, C, Vanderbilt; Defensive Lineman - Bennie Logan, DT, LSU; Freshman- Odell Beckham, WR, LSU.

Week 4 (Games of Sept. 24): Offense - Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama; Defense -Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina; Special Teams - Brad Wing, P, LSU; Offensive Lineman - Barrett Jones, OT, Alabama; Defensive Lineman - Jaye Howard, DT, Florida; Freshman- Isaiah Crowell, RB, Georgia.

Week 5 (Games of Oct. 1): Co-Offense - Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas; Jarius Wright, WR, Arkansas; Defense - Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina; Special Teams - Steven Clark, P, Auburn; Offensive Lineman - William Vlachos, C, Alabama; Defensive Lineman - Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU; Freshman - Isaiah Crowell, RB, Georgia..

Week 6 (Games of Oct. 8): Offense - Connor Shaw, QB, South Carolina; Defense - Mike Gilliard, ILB, Georgia; Special Teams - Blair Walsh, PK, Georgia; Offensive Lineman - Will Blackwell, OG, LSU; Defensive Lineman - Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State; Freshman - Tevin Mitchel, CB, Arkansas.

Week 7 (Games of Oct. 15): Offense - Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama; Co-Defense - Corey Lemonier, DE, Auburn; D.J. Swearinger, FS, South Carolina; Special Teams - Steven Clark, P, Auburn; Offensive Lineman - Chris Faulk, OT, LSU; Defensive Lineman - Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State; Co-Freshman - Bruce Ellington, WR, South Carolina; Ray Drew, OLB, Georgia.

Week 8 (Games of Oct. 22): Offense - Dennis Johnson, RB, Arkansas; Defense - Dont’a Hightower, LB, Alabama; Special Teams - Brad Wing, P, LSU; Offensive Lineman - Ryan Seymour, OG, Vanderbilt; Defensive Lineman - Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU; Freshman - A.J. Johnson, LB, Tennessee.

Week 9 (Games of Oct. 29): Offense - Michael Dyer, RB, Auburn; Co-Defense - Jerry Franklin, LB, Arkansas; Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia; Special Teams - Zach Hocker, K, Arkansas; Offensive Lineman - Cordy Glenn, OT, Georgia; Defensive Lineman - Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State; Freshman - Brandon Wilds, RB, South Carolina.

Week 10 (Games of Nov. 5): Offense - Jeff Demps, RB, Florida; Defense - Eric Reid, S, LSU; Special Teams - Dennis Johnson, RS/RB, Arkansas; Offensive Lineman - Ben Jones, C, Georgia; Co-Defensive Lineman - Jake Bequette, DE, Arkansas; Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU; Freshman - Maxwell Smith, QB, Kentucky.

Week 11 (Games of Nov. 12): Offense - Zac Stacy, RB, Vanderbilt; Defense - Dont’a Hightower, LB, Alabama; Special Teams - Joe Adams, WR/RS, Arkansas; Offensive Lineman - Ben Jones, C, Georgia; Defensive Lineman - Travian Robertson, DT, South Carolina; Freshman - Isaiah Crowell, RB, Georgia.

Week 12 (Games of Nov. 19): Offense - Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas; Co-Defense - Ron Brooks, DB, LSU; Danny Trevathan, LB, Kentucky; Special Teams - Blair Walsh, PK, Georgia; Offensive Lineman - Will Blackwell, OG, LSU; Co-Defensive Lineman - Malik Jackson, DT, Tennessee; Abry Jones, DE, Georgia; Freshman - Curt Maggitt, LB, Tennessee.

Week 13 (Games of Nov. 25-26): Co-Offense - Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama; Connor Shaw, QB, South Carolina; Defense - Tyrann Mathieu, DB, LSU; Special Teams - Ryan Tydlacka, P, Kentucky; Co-Offensive Lineman - Kyle Fischer, OT, Vanderbilt; William Vlachos, C, Alabama; Co-Defensive Lineman - Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State; Garrison Smith, DE, Georgia; Freshman - Kenny Hilliard, RB, LSU.

SEC Championship Game MVP: Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU

BCS (Yes, the SEC has won six straight)

• Since 2006, more than half of the slots in the BCS National Championship Game have been taken by SEC teams (7 of 12). The Big Ten and the Big 12 have two each and the Pac-12 has one.

• An SEC team has led or tied for the lead at the end of 20 of the last 24 quarters of BCS National Championship Game play.
• Since 2006, an SEC team has been ranked first in the weekly BCS standings in 26 of the 48 weeks, with four different teams holding the top spot. Florida was first for seven weeks, Alabama for six weeks, Auburn for three and LSU for 10 weeks, including all eight polls of this season.
• The SEC has had more teams ranked in the BCS standings for the most times than any other conference since 2006. The league has had 11 of its 12 teams ranked at one time or another since 2006 for a total of 238 times. The SEC breakdown: LSU (45), Alabama (35), Florida (33), Auburn (29), Georgia (23), Arkansas (23), South Carolina (21), Tennessee (14), Mississippi State (8), Kentucky (4) and Ole Miss (3).
• Since 2006, the SEC has posted a 9-3 record in BCS bowl games, more wins and a higher winning percentage (.750) than any other conference. The win total equals that of the next two highest conferences.

Bowls

• Since 2006, the SEC has accrued more bowl wins (36) and appearances (55) than any other conference. The conference’s .655 bowl winning percentage is third behind the Big East (23-10, .697) and Mountain West (20-9, .690) during that time.
• In January bowl games, the SEC is 22-10 (.688) against nonconference competition. Since 2008, the league is 16-6 (.727) against nonconference opponents in January bowls.
• In seven 2011-12 bowl games against nonconference teams, SEC defenses held opponents to less than its scoring average in five of those games. One of the two other games were in overtime (Michigan State-Georgia) and the other was Auburn holding Virginia to 24 points, when the Cavaliers season average was 23.2 points per game.

Random

• Over the last five seasons, Alabama owns the SEC's best winning percentage with a 50-12 record (.806). LSU has the most wins with 53, while Vanderbilt owns the league's lowest winning percentage (.355). LSU owns the best winning percentage over the last 10 years (.795) with a 105-27.
• SEC teams were 20-28 on the road against SEC opponents last season. Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt failed to win on the road against conference opponents.
• LSU led the SEC with a touchdown efficiency on drives of 34.8. Alabama led in scoring efficiency (46.8). Ole Miss was last in scoring efficiency (20.1) and Kentucky was last in touchdown efficiency (13.2).
• LSU led the SEC with 129 fourth-quarter points and a fourth-quarter scoring margin of plus-95. Ole Miss was last with 41 points and a scoring margin of -36.
• Arkansas led the SEC in yards per scoring drive (61.9).

Arkansas was in the BCS hunt right up until the very end of the regular season, but fell short after a trip to Baton Rouge, La.:

OFFENSE: A

Coach Bobby Petrino has shown throughout his coaching career that he knows a little bit about how to run an offense. The Razorbacks brought in new quarterback Tyler Wilson, who was equipped with four future NFL wide receivers, and led the SEC in total offense. Wilson led the SEC in passing, averaging 285.2 yards per game, and he also had 22 passing touchdowns. Wilson was very efficient for the Razorbacks, completing 63 percent of his passes and tossing just six interceptions. Jarius Wright and Joe Adams ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in receiving, with Wright leading the league with 93.5 yards per game and 11 touchdowns. Arkansas worked with a pretty inexperienced offensive line, but it was a line that grew as the season progressed. That growth became more evident in the running game. The Hogs started the season being very inconsistent running the ball and couldn't find a true number one to replace the injured Knile Davis. Following Week 6, Arkansas' running game gained more consistency and found a leader in Dennis Johnson, who led Arkansas with 637 yards. Arkansas' offense would have been even better with Davis in the lineup. He was arguably the most complete back in the league, but missed the season with an ankle injury.

DEFENSE: C

This was supposed to be Petrino's best Arkansas defense, but the Hogs fell well below expectations. Injuries did pile up, but Arkansas' lack of depth became a glaring issue throughout the year. Arkansas allowed 31.8 points against ranked opponents. Against SEC opponents, the Razorbacks allowed 24.6 points per game. While Arkansas won 10 games, the defense ranked ninth or worse in the SEC in scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense and passing defense. Opponents averaged nearly 19 first downs per game against Arkansas and converted almost 38 percent of their third-down conversions. There were some solid individual performances for the Hogs, as linebacker Jerry Franklin led Arkansas in tackles (93) for the fourth straight year and ranked sixth in the SEC. Defensive end Jake Bequette overcame injury to record eight sacks in just nine games. Linebacker Alonzo Highsmith enjoyed a solid first year in Fayetteville with 10.5 tackles for loss, including 3.5 sacks.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A

Adams showed why he's such a dynamic athlete by becoming the human highlight reel on punt returns, including his scintillating 60-yard return for a score against Tennessee. He had three touchdowns on returns, and tied for first in the league with 16.2 yards per return. Johnson and Marquel Wade made Arkansas' kickoff team very dangerous. Both ranked in the top 5 in return average and combined for two touchdowns. Zach Hocker led SEC kickers with 8.9 points per game, and hit 18 field goals and 53 extra points. Dylan Breeding led the SEC with 45.2 yards per punt and downed 14 inside opponents' 20-yard lines. Arkansas also ranked third in the league in kickoff coverage.

COACHING: A-

Petrino had the Hogs in the thick of the BCS hunt yet again in 2011. A win over LSU at the end of the year might have put the Hogs on a path toward the national championship. His team overcame a flurry of injuries to grab double-digit wins for the second straight season. It's no shocker that offensive coordinator Garrick McGee was lured away to become the head coach at UAB after another season of directing Arkansas' offense. The Hogs ranked 26th nationally in offense, averaging 445.8 yards per game. Where Arkansas fell short was on defense. Arkansas was supposed to turn the corner there, but never did during the season and was pushed around by Alabama and LSU. Former defensive coordinator Will Robinson resigned at the end of the regular season.

The coaches have spoken with their own SEC All-Freshman team, so we here at the SEC blog decided to come up with our own team.

We couldn't fit all of the youngsters on the list, and some tough cuts had to be made.

Honestly, our list wasn't much different from the coaches' list. There were a couple of changes, but nothing extreme.

One tough cut we made was Vanderbilt wide receiver Chris Boyd. He was Vandy's second wide receiver, catching 29 passes for 404 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a very solid first year in Nashville, Tenn., but we decided to go with LSU's Odell Beckham, who caught seven more passes and had 33 more yards. Although, Boyd had five more touchdowns. In the end, we felt he was more valuable to LSU's offense this season.

LSU also led the way with five selections, while Tennessee was second with four selections.

Here's our freshman team:

OFFENSE

QB -- Maxwell Smith, Kentucky
RB -- Kenny Hilliard, LSU
RB -- Isaiah Crowell, Georgia
WR -- Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia
WR -- Odell Beckham, Jr., LSU
TE -- Malcolm Johnson, Mississippi State
OL -- Chaz Green, Florida
OL -- Marcus Jackson, Tennessee
OL - A.J. Cann, South Carolina
OL -- Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
C -- Reese Dismukes, Auburn

DEFENSE

DL -- Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
DL -- Anthony Johnson, LSU
DL -- Kelcy Quarles, South Carolina
DL -- Trey Flowers, Arkansas
LB -- A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
LB -- Curt Maggitt, Tennessee
LB -- Serderius Bryant, Ole Miss
CB -- Marcus Roberson, Florida
CB -- Tevin Mitchel, Arkansas
S -- Brian Randolph, Tennessee
S -- Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama

SPECIAL TEAMS

K -- James Hairston, LSU (He handled kickoff duties for the Tigers.)
P -- Brad Wing, LSU
RS -- Tre Mason, Auburn

The SEC coaches announced their selections for the 2011 SEC All-Freshman Team Thursday.

LSU led the way with five selections, while Tennessee and Arkansas both had four selections.

The coaches also made Arkansas tight end Garrett Uekman, who died suddenly last month, Honorary Captain.

South Carolina placed three on the team, including SEC Freshman of the Year Jadeveon Clowney.

Here is the 2011 SEC All-Freshman Team:

OFFENSE

HONORARY CAPTAIN
Garrett Uekman, Tight End, Arkansas

TE - Malcolm Johnson, Mississippi State
OL - A.J. Cann, South Carolina
OL - Marcus Jackson, Tennessee
OL - Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
OL - Chaz Green, Florida
C - Reese Dismukes, Auburn
WR - Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia
WR - Odell Beckham Jr., LSU
QB – Maxwell Smith, Kentucky
RB – Isaiah Crowell, Georgia
RB – Kenny Hilliard, LSU
AP - Bruce Ellington, South Carolina

DEFENSE

DL - Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
DL - Trey Flowers, Arkansas
DL - Anthony Johnson, LSU
DL - Kaleb Eulls, Mississippi State
LB - A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
LB - Curt Maggitt, Tennessee
LB - Serderius Bryant, Ole Miss
DB - Brian Randolph, Tennessee
DB - Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama
DB - De'Ante Saunders, Florida
DB - Tevin Mitchel, Arkansas

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK - James Hairston, LSU
P - Brad Wing, LSU
RS – Marquel Wade, Arkansas

• I'm actually surprised to see Saunders get the nod over teammate Marcus Roberson. Roberson was easily Florida's best cornerback this season. He has the makings of being a talented cover corner, but he did get overly aggressive throughout the season. I guess coaches paid attention to flags he earned.
• It had to be tough when the coaches looked at the quarterback position. Smith was probably the best of the bunch, and even he threw just four touchdowns to four interceptions. Still, Kentucky's offense moved down the field much better when he was on the field.
• Remember when all the talk in Oxford, Miss., before the season centered around how great true freshman linebacker C.J. Johnson was going to be? Well, he had a solid first year, but it was Bryant who really came on as one of the young guys on defense. He saw tremendous playing time and was fourth on the team with 61 tackles.

Here is a look at the SEC players of the week as announced by the league Monday:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Connor Shaw, QB, South Carolina: Shaw nearly surpassed his career totals in just about every passing category, as he completed 26-of-39 passes for 311 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the Gamecocks' 54-3 rout of Kentucky. He also rushed 15 times for 42 yards. Shaw became the first Gamecock quarterback since 2006 to throw four touchdowns in a game. In the first half, Shaw completed 15-of-22 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Mike Gilliard, LB, Georgia: Gilliard recorded a game-high and career-high 12 tackles, including a sack for -14 yards and 2.5 tackles for a combined loss of 20 yards, forced a fumble and had a pass breakup during the Bulldogs’ 20-12 win at Tennessee. This marked the fourth straight game that Gilliard has led Georgia in tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Blair Walsh, K, Georgia: Walsh was 2-for-2 in field goals and hit a pair of PATs to help clinch the Bulldogs’ 20-12 win at Tennessee. After starting the season 6-for-12, Walsh drilled a 35-yarder in the opening quarter to put Georgia up 3-0 and then a 23-yarder in the second quarter to give the Bulldogs a 6-3 edge.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK

Will Blackwell, OL, LSU: Blackwell played every snap and recorded a team-high 10 knockdowns in LSU’s 41-11 win against Florida. He did not allow a sack as the Tigers rolled up 453 total yards against a Florida team allowing just 258 total yards going into the game. Blackwell helped pave the way for 100-yard rusher Spencer Ware as the Tigers ran for 238 yards against a Gators defense that was holding opponents to 90 yards on the ground per game.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK

Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State: Cox posted a career-high seven total tackles, including five solo stops, in Mississippi State’s 21-3 victory against UAB. He was a presence in the UAB offensive backfield for most of the game, credited with five quarterback pressures. Mississippi State held the Blazers to 145 rushing yards on 35 carries with only one rush for more than 20 yards.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Tevin Mitchel, CB, Arkansas: In his first career start, Mitchel finished with seven total tackles, including three solos, in Arkansas’ 38-14 win against Auburn. Mitchel was part of a Razorback secondary that allowed just nine completions in 25 Tiger pass attempts for 104 total yards.

You can check out the other top performers from the weekend here.