By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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These 10 players will have opportunities to emerge as stars in the SEC this fall.

Hope springs eternal at this time of year in the world of college football. Expectations for players, coaches and fans are naturally higher in the summer months. For certain players, their entire careers have included lofty expectations, both internal and external. The pressure cooker that is the SEC has placed significant heat on many players, including the 10 players below. Theyll enter the fall with plenty to prove for reasons such as recruiting hype, returns from injuries, position needs and scheme changes.

Lets take a closer look at the 10 players and assess their prospects as they enter an important 2014 season.

Alabama S Geno Smith

The numbers on paper look fine, but Alabamas secondary was far too inconsistent last season for a unit with Nick Sabans fingerprints all over it. A late coverage bust against Auburn and four touchdown passes by Oklahoma left Saban and his defensive backs with a bad taste in their mouth this offseason. Three key pieces are now gone, with Smith, a junior, starting his first full season at safety after moving from cornerback in 2013. There isnt a shutdown cornerback, as there has been in years past with the likes of Kareem Jackson, Dre Kirkpatrick and Dee Milliner. Because of that, there will be a heavier burden on the safeties 3 Smith and fellow junior Landon Collins.

Auburn RB Cameron Artis-Payne

Just how good was Tre Mason? Sometimes a players legacy isnt written until a team experiences life without him. Artis-Payne was an excellent complementary back a year ago, finishing with 610 yards and six touchdowns. That came on just 91 carries, however, with Mason more than tripling Artis-Paynes workload. With a mobile quarterback like Nick Marshall, classmate Corey Grant and freshman phenom Racean Thomas also in the backfield, Artis-Payne doesnt need to be a Heisman Trophy finalist like Mason. Auburn was so successful in second halves this season because Mason seemingly got stronger as games wore on. Continued late-game success is the key for Artis-Payne and the Tigers in defending their SEC title.

Florida QB Jeff Driskel

Despite taking Florida to the brink of the BCS National Championship Game as a sophomore, Driskels record was seen more as simply a product of an elite defense. His junior season was washed away after a poor performance against Miami (FL) and a broken his leg against Tennessee. Hell welcome the addition of new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper, as Florida becomes the latest team to move to a spread offense. Expectations are low, and there are finally some pieces at the skill positions and stability up front. That combination could bode well for both Driskel and the Gators as they hope to leave last years 4-8 disaster behind them.

Georgia DE Ray Drew

There are no more excuses for the Georgia defense. With ninexa6errxa6eight starters returning (thanks, Tray Matthews), inexperience cant be blamed. Neither can coaching, as coordinator Todd Grantham took the money and ran to Louisville, with replacement (and holder of three straight national title rings) Jeremy Pruitt considered a major upgrade. Drews three years in Athens have been a mixed bag, but thats not good enough for a former five-star recruit playing under the bright lights of the SEC. He should win one of the two starting defensive end positions on talent alone, but he was pushed in the spring by Sterling Bailey and James DeLoach.

LSU RB Leonard Fournette

No SEC running back since Trent Richardson has arrived with the hype of Fournette, considered the top high school player in the nation last year by many pundits. LSUs backfield must be rebuilt after losing quarterback Zach Mettenberger, running back Jeremy Hill and fullback J.C. Copeland. Fournette, who stands 61d and 225 pounds, will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact in an offense that should be less aerial than in the previous two seasons with Mettenberger, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. Nothing short of 1,000 yards for the New Orleans native will be deemed a success by the Bayou faithful.

Missouri WR Darius White

A five-star recruit in the 2010 class, White fizzled amidst a muddled quarterback situation in two seasons at Texas. After sitting out the 2012 season due to NCAA transfer rules, White was expected to crack a deep and talented Missouri receiving corps last season. That didnt quite happen, as White made just seven receptions in 14 games. With no Tigers player who caught multiple touchdown passes returning this season, White finds himself in a great situation as he hopes to salvage a disappointing career. Hell team with fellow seniors Jimmie Hunt and Bud Sasser to help ease the transition after losing Dorial Green-Beckham, Marcus Lucas and LDamian Washington.

South Carolina WR Shaq Roland

Like Texas A&M’s Ricky Seals-Jones, Roland was supposed to star from day one in Columbia after being the fourth consecutive South Carolina Mr. Football to sign with the Gamecocks (Stephon Gilmore, Marcus Lattimore, Jadeveon Clowney). He struggled to escape from the shadow of Ace Sanders and Bruce Ellington in his first two seasons, catching just 30 passes. Both are now gone, and Rolands role should increase substantially. A three-game suspension last year left him in the doghouse, but he is by all accounts back in good graces with the coaching staff entering his junior season. Having averaged a team-high 18.2 yards per reception last year, hes the big-play threat in a Steve Spurrier offense that, while not the old Florida Fun N Gun, still loves to take a deep shot when presented the opportunity.

Tennessee DE/LB Curt Maggitt

Head coach Butch Jones vagueness at this time last year regarding Maggitts return from a knee injury suffered late in 2012 turned out to be telling. Maggitt never appeared in a game last season, with Jones choosing to redshirt him rather than play him for only a few games late in the year. Hell team with fellow 2011 signee A.J. Johnson to lead a Volunteers front seven that loses six starters from a 5-7 team. Maggitt is as good in the locker room as he is on the field, earning the Al Wilson Leadership Award this spring. For a team whose fate has seemed rather cruel at times over the past few seasons, having their appointed leader back at 100 percent could be the difference as the Vols hope to achieve their first winning season since 2009.

Texas A&M WR Ricky Seals-Jones

After stealing Seals-Jones away from its in-state rival, Texas A&M was denied the opportunity to fully unleash the freakish wide receiver as a freshman. A knee injury sidelined Seals-Jones for all but two games, but he did register 84 yards and a touchdown in three games in limited action. He is now healthy and highlights a young receiving corps that is replacing first-round NFL Draft pick Mike Evans, Chick-fil-A Bowl star Travis Labhart and Derel Walker. After also injuring his knee during his senior of high school, durability is a viable concern for the 65d Seals-Jones. A full season would do wonders for both the Aggies and Seals-Jones stock, as the sophomores name begins to appear on NFL radars.

Vanderbilt RB Brian Kimbrow

If you watched Stanford during their recent resurrection, you know the Cardinal like to run the football as much as any team in the country. Kimbrow figures to benefit from Vanderbilts hiring of Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason to replace James Franklin 3 if, that is, he can get on the field. Kimbrow had just 341 yards last year, 72 fewer than he had as a freshman backing up school record-holder Zac Stacy. Kimbrow is the fastest of a trio that includes 2013 leading rusher Jerron Seymour and redshirt freshman Ralph Webb, but hes yet to prove that hes the best option for the new pro-style attack run by Mason and offensive coordinator Karl Dorrell.