2/3 ALL SEC Teams

First Team

Offense/Offensive Specialists

QB: Cam Newton, Auburn – Not a lot has been said about Cam Newton that hasn’t been said already. He’s the clear front-runner in the Heisman race, and really has changed the dynamic of the entire Auburn program. Even Mark Ingram, who, as a former Heisman winner, gets to vote for the Heisman, strongly endorsed Newton for the award on Dan Patrick’s radio show. Everyone knows about his rushing stats, but he also leads the SEC in passer efficiency rating. His real chance to endear himself to Auburn fans forever will come on November 26th against Alabama.

RB: Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina – He’s become a workhorse for Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks, as he’s carried the ball 151 times and has scored 11 touchdowns.

RB: Mark Ingram, Alabama – He’s not putting up nearly the numbers he was last year, as he missed the first two games of the season. Nevertheless, he’s still 3rd in the SEC in rushing yards per game and is averaging 6.4 yards per carry.

WR: Alshon Jeffrey, South Carolina – With AJ Green suspended for the first four games of the season, other receivers in the conference have emerged from behind his shadows. Jeffrey is one of those players, as he leads the conference in receiving yards per game and is second in the conference in receptions per game.

WR: Julio Jones, Alabama – Because of the nature of Alabama’s offense, a run-first/pass second style, Julio should never be a big stats guy. However, the coaching staff at Alabama seems to be making a concentrated effort to get Julio the ball, whether on short bubble screens or on the deep ball, and because of that, he’s second in the SEC in receiving yards per game and 4th in receptions per game. To top it all off, he’s played through nagging injuries, including a broken and surgically repaired hand.

WR: Greg Childs, Arkansas – It wouldn’t be right to not include one of the major components of what’s probably the best passing offense in the SEC. Since Newton gets the first team nod over Ryan Mallet, Arkansas’ leading receiver in Childs merits a WR spot. However, he’s not just selected for the sake of having an Arkansas player on here; he’s been one of the most productive receivers in the SEC this season, 3rd in both average yards per game and receptions per game. Unfortunately, he’s out for the season with an injury, so he might not make the post season all SEC teams, but if it’s any consolation, he made this list.

TE: DJ Williams, Arkansas – At a position that doesn’t really get talked about much, DJ Williams has simply been the most productive player at this position.

C: Ryan Pugh, Auburn – Before I talk about Pugh specifically, I want to point out that it probably is somewhat inaccurate when media members pick 1st and 2nd team offensive line players, including myself. All we have to go by are rushing stats, total offense, sacks allowed, reputation of the players, and any comments a coaching staff makes about a player. And even those parameters can be misleading sometimes. Most of us probably don’t know a lot about the technical intricacies of the offensive line position, and what player is performing to the correct standard. Nevertheless, we attempt to rank certain offensive linemen ahead of others. With Pugh, however, I think it’s safe to say that he’s been the best center in the conference as Auburn has simply been a machine on offense.

OL: Barrett Jones, Alabama – Arguably the best offensive lineman on a team that really bases its identity on its strength in the trenches.

OL: Demarcus Love, Arkansas – Another great offensive lineman on a great offensive team.

OL: Derek Sherrod, Mississippi State – Perhaps surprisingly, Mississippi State is 2nd in the SEC in rushing offense, and Sherrod is a big reason why.

OL: Lee Ziemba, Auburn – Because of Auburn’s potent offense, they deserve at least two OL on the first team. After all, Cam Newton owes a lot of his stats to his OL (right?). Ziemba might be their best offensive lineman.

KR: Brandon Boykin, Georgia – Leads the conference in kick return average, with a 100 yard touchdown return.

PR: Patrick Peterson, LSU – Arguably the best athlete in the conference; leads the SEC in punt return average and has 2 punt return touchdowns.

All Purpose: Trent Richardson, Alabama – Leads the conference in all-purpose yards per game, yet doesn’t return punts.


Defense/Defensive Specialists

DE: Jake Bequette, Arkansas – One of the leaders in the conference in sacks, and Arkansas’s best defensive player

DT: Nick Fairley, Auburn – Auburn doesn’t have one of the best defenses in the conference, but Fairley might be the best individual defensive player in the conference. It’s hard to imagine how bad Auburn’s defense would perform without Fairley.

DT: Drake Nevis, LSU – If anyone can come close to matching Fairley from a production standpoint at the DT position, it would be Nevis. One of the best players on one of the best defenses in the conference.

DE: Marcell Dareus, Alabama – Everyone knew Alabama would be young on defense, and that the few remaining veterans would have to step up to lead the team. Despite missing the first two games with a suspension and having to deal with a nagging injury, Dareus has been a leader on and off the field for a (surprisingly) strong Alabama defense. He might not up huge stats, but from a hybrid end/tackle position, he’s been far and away Alabama’s best/most consistent defensive lineman.

LB: Danny Trevathan, Kentucky – Leads the conference in tackles at 10.8 per game.

LB: Justin Houston, Georgia – Leads the conference in sacks per game, despite being a linebacker

LB: Kelvin Sheppard, LSU – Another great LSU defensive player and arguably the most important component of LSU’s incredible defense

CB: Patrick Peterson, LSU – Everyone knows how great of an athlete Patrick Peterson is, but he knows the game extremely well and has a ton of confidence in himself. All of these are necessary qualities if you want to be the best cover corner in the SEC.

CB: Casey Hayward, Vanderbilt – A Vanderbilt player would have to get on here at some point, and Hayward leads the SEC in interceptions (tied with Alabama safety Robert Lester).

S: Ahmad Black, Florida – Florida’s year has not gone the way Gator fans and media members were expecting, but one of Florida’s biggest/most consistent strength has been their defensive backfield. Black, along with CB Janoris Jenkins, have really anchored the Gator secondary, and Black is tied for 4th in the conference in interceptions and is the leading safety tackler as well (5th in the conference).

S: Mark Barron, Alabama – While he doesn’t lead the conference in interceptions this year, Barron is the heart and soul of the secondary and overall defense that leads the conference in scoring defense and pass efficiency defense and ranks second in total defense. Leads Alabama in tackles (18th in the SEC) and passes defended (4th in the SEC).

K: Blair Walsh, Georgia – Best field goal percentage in the conference

P: Chas Henry, Florida – Best punter in the conference