Dooley’s High Five: Interesting Players At SEC Media Days

We are on the verge of SEC Media Days which begin Monday in Atlanta, although when I was a sportswriter I preferred SEC Media Nights.

They were a lot of fun because the SEC takes its slogan seriously. It just Means More … cold beers .. bacon-wrapped shrimp … cocktail weenies … great storytelling … you get the picture.

I won’t be there, but these guys will be. The High Five is a day late because I was kind of on vacation even though I don’t have a full-time job.

Anyway, here are the five non-quarterbacks (you know that the 11 QBs at the Media Days will get most of the attention) who are the most interesting in Atlanta:

1. CJ Allen, linebacker, Georgia: Talk about a guy in his contract year. Allen is a downhill player who had 21 tackles in his last three games and could be a NFL first-round pick if he becomes the type of player Georgia expects its linebackers to be.
2. Jake Slaughter, center, Florida: An All-American last year, Slaughter is the anchor and the leader of what should be an excellent offensive line for the Gators. Everyone in Gainesville is happy he came back.
3. Whit Weeks, linebacker, LSU: The guy just reeks of energy on the field. He had two different games — against Oklahoma and Alabama late in the season — where he recorded 15 tackles each.
4. Cayden Lee, receiver Ole Miss: It will be interesting to see if he can make the big plays after scoring only two touchdowns last season (one against Florida). He did catch 57 passes for 874 yards, which is not too shabby.
5. Tim Keenan III, defensive lineman, Alabama: It starts in the middle if Alabama is going to return to being a defensive juggernaut. Keenan is a beast who is difficult to move.

WRUF.com sports columnist Pat Dooley can be heard on “The Tailgate” along with Jeff Cardozo from 4-6 p.m. Monday-Friday on 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF.