Bruce Feldman's Spring Breakout Players

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SEC players on the list:

No. 1: Greg McElroy, Alabama, QB: The Tide have a bunch of big holes to address on offense, namely along the O-line and at quarterback, where John Parker Wilson was a solid, if unspectacular, leader. McElroy, who replaced Chase Daniel at Texas prep powerhouse Southlake Carroll High, really seized the opportunity this spring. And even though Nick Saban is not one just to throw out accolades, he touted the Texan as his QB after a very impressive spring, capped by a two-TD performance in the Tide's spring game.

"He's far and away our best quarterback right now," Saban told reporters. "He knows somebody's gotta beat him out. You know that. I know that." McElroy won't have the seasoned, physical O-line that Wilson had, but he will have a more polished Julio Jones to work with. However, I still think the Tide is another year away from crashing the top 5, although McElroy at least flashed some reasons for even more optimism.

No. 5: Pernell McPhee, Mississippi State, DT: New MSU coach Dan Mullen's staff found a junior college talent that probably could play anywhere in the SEC in McPhee, a late bloomer who dazzled the State staff at times this spring. McPhee, a Pahokee, Fla, product, wasn't a big recruit coming out of high school a few years back. He was only about 220 pounds, but grew into being a 260-pound force at DE at Itawamba JC. He could've signed anywhere after last season, but opted to stick with MSU and boy is Mullen thrilled.

The Bulldogs are playing McPhee as their three-technique inside and nobody can block him, says MSU assistant Tony Hughes, who has coached defensive standouts Michael Meyers and Grady Jackson and says McPhee can be the same type of dominator. "He's quick. He's fast. He's flexible. You can't single-block him," adds Hughes. "The guy is like a rubber band. And he loves to practice."

No. 7: Patrick Trahan, Ole Miss, OLB: The onetime Auburn linebacker came to Oxford with big expectations last year. Trahan struggled getting into school, and his conditioning suffered. It also took him some time to get acclimated to the Rebels' scheme. He did finish the year strong with a terrific game in the Rebels' romp over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl. But now Trahan, by far the team's most athletic linebacker, is ready to take off. Sources inside the program say he was often the best player on the field in the spring and was playing behind a loaded D-line, so he should be ready to pile up tackles in the SEC this fall.

No. 9: Chris Walker, Tennessee, DE: No player has responded any better to the coaching change in Knoxville than the 235-pound junior, who in his previous two seasons hadn't been much of a factor. Monte Kiffin's new defensive scheme calls for defensive ends flying up the field, and suits Walker well. UT coaches have raved about Walker's explosiveness from the moment they first watched him, hailing him as the program's second-best athlete (behind phenom Eric Berry). All throughout spring, Walker was unblockable, flying into the backfield, making sacks and forcing fumbles. Don't be surprise if he quadruples his sack total from 2008 (three) this season.