How could UK running back Chris Rodriguez not be on top five breakout players in SEC

Chris Rodriguez led the SEC in rushing yards per attempt last year. (UK Athletics Photo)

With the start of SEC football just a few weeks away all the “superlative” preseason lists are coming out and one I saw recently that caught my attention was from SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic when he issued his list of what he considers to be the Top 5 Offensive Breakout Players in the SEC for 2021.

Cubelic, a former Auburn offensive lineman, is an analyst that I really respect for his knowledge of SEC football. He spends a lot of time analyzing players in the SEC and is a guy that can back up what he says with his knowledge of the game, but in this case, I’m thinking his list might be missing a player or two. Here’s what I mean.

He lists his Top 5 offensive breakout players as:
1. Kendall Milton, Georgia, Running Back
2. Mookie Cooper, Missouri, Receiver
3. Kole Taylor, LSU, Tight End
4. EJ Jenkins, South Carolina, Receiver.
5. Ja’Varrius Johnson, Auburn, Receiver.

Notice any names that are conspicuously absent?

What about Wan’Dale Robinson? I realize he was under-utilized by coach Scott Frost last year at Nebraska having only 461 yards on 51 receptions and 240 yards rushing on 46 carries. Ironically Will Levis, one of UK’s current quarterbacks and a transfer from Penn State, had more rushing yards from the quarterback position in the Big 10 in 2020 than Robinson did from his hybrid WR/RB position.

So when one sees the statistics it’s easy to see why Robinson was left off the list. But I’m thinking at the end of the season Wan’Dale Robinson will be on everybody’s SEC “superlative” list.

In the case of Wan’Dale Robinson, I’ll have to give Cubelic a pass for now. But that’s not the case for UK running back Chris Rodriguez.

I’m not sure what else Rodriguez would have to do to get on the Top 5 list. He led the SEC in yards per carry at 6.6 and split time in a backfield with AJ Rose who was second in the league at 6.3 yards per carry. The two players combined carried the ball 23 times per game.

Assuming Rodriguez only gets 18 carries a game this season and maintains his 6.6 yards per carry average he would still break the 1,500-yard mark for the season. That would have been good enough for first place in total rushing yards in the SEC last season.

With those kinds of numbers, I’m just not sure how Cubelic could leave Rodriguez off that Top 5 list, knowing that Kentucky has the best offensive line in the SEC for this upcoming season.

The clincher for me is that with the new Liam Coen offense, teams will not be able to key on Rodriguez like they did in the past. If they do they will get burned on a play-action pass to either a wide receiver, tight end, or even another running back. I’m not sure there are many defenses in the SEC that can hold Rodriguez under 100 yards per game if they have to also honor a true passing game.

So for me, I understand why Robinson didn’t make the list because of how poorly he was utilized at Nebraska but Rodriguez should be on that list. In fact, in my opinion, he should be near the top of that list and I think by the end of the season Rodriguez will be the breakout player everyone is talking about unless they are talking about Wan’Dale Robinson.