SEC All-Conference team: Henry headlines star-studded field
The SEC is never at a shortage for impact players and this season it was the running game that took center stage. Fans were treated to the talents of Derrick Henry and Leonard Fournette, arguably two of the best running backs the conference has ever seen.
Here's how the entire team stacks up:
Offense
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Dak Prescott | Mississippi State |
| RB | Derrick Henry | Alabama |
| RB | Leonard Fournette | LSU |
| WR | Laquon Treadwell | Ole Miss |
| WR | Pharoh Cooper | South Carolina |
| TE | Hunter Henry | Arkansas |
| OL | Vadal Alexander | LSU |
| OL | Cam Robinson | Alabama |
| OL | Ryan Kelly | Alabama |
| OL | Kyler Kerbyson | Tennessee |
| OL | Sebastian Tretola | Arkansas |
| K | Daniel Carlson | Auburn |
| RET | Evan Berry | Tennessee |
Fournette and Henry finished first and second, respectively, in rushing yards per game this season. They became the first SEC duo to rank in the top 10 nationally of rushing yards per game since 1986 and they did it during a year in which half of the conference was ranked in the top 40 against the run. Henry broke Herschel Walker’s single-season rushing record and took home the Heisman. And if Fournette holds serve in his bowl game, he'll become the SEC's first running back to lead the nation in rushing yards per game since 1949. In the "year of the running back," the SEC's ball carriers reigned supreme.
The lofty praise heaped on the league's running backs was well deserved, but its quarterback play quietly came on strong down the stretch. The SEC was second only to the Big 12 in terms of signal callers in the top 10 of ESPN's Total QBR (Allen, Kelly, Prescott). Prescott in particular was tremendous this season, accounting for 3,954 total yards and an SEC-best 6.25:1 TD-INT ratio. Prescott owns every passing record at Mississippi State and has the opportunity to become the third quarterback in program history to start and win multiple bowl games.
Treadwell's five-game streak of 100-yard performances with a touchdown made him a Biletnikoff finalist and one nation's most dangerous weapons. The junior is still mulling over a return to Oxford or an early jump to the NFL. Cooper was a jack of all trades for the Gamecocks this season. He was responsible for 10 total touchdowns in three different ways (rushing, receiving, passing). Arkansas' Henry was a complete tight end, contributing in the running game along the line and downfield in the passing attack. His circus lateral against Ole Miss goes down as the play of the year in the SEC.
The SEC West claimed four of the five spots along the offensive line. Alabama's Kelly and Robinson helped pave the way for Henry this year while only allowing 18 sacks as a unit all season. Kerbyson, a fifth-year senior, was an absolute rock for Tennessee. Thanks to his leadership at left tackle, the Vols ran for their highest rushing totals in more than a decade.
Defense
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| DE | Myles Garrett | Texas A&M |
| DE | A'Shawn Robinson | Alabama |
| DT | Robert Nkemdiche | Ole Miss |
| DT | Jonathan Bullard | Florida |
| LB | Reggie Ragland | Alabama |
| LB | Kentrell Brothers | Missouri |
| LB | Zach Cunningham | Vanderbilt |
| CB | Vernon Hargreaves III | Florida |
| CB | Jalen Tabor | Florida |
| S | Eddie Jackson | Alabama |
| S | Trae Elston | Ole Miss |
| P | Drew Kaser | Texas A&M |
The SEC title game was essentially a showcase of the All-SEC team on defense. Alabama had at least one player in all three defensive levels and the Gators featured not one but two lockdown corners. Vernon Hargreaves III has a chance to be the first defensive back selected in the upcoming NFL Draft, but this season his teammate Jalen Tabor may have been the better player. Tabor led the SEC with 18 passes defended.
Vanderbilt and Mizzou failed to reach bowl eligibility but both schools featured tremendous linebackers. Tigers linebacker Kentrell Brothers led the nation in tackles and Zach Cunningham was the anchor of the Commodores' 30th-ranked defense. Speaking of impact linebackers, Reggie Ragland called the plays for the Crimson Tide’s top-ranked unit. Kirby Smart’s group finished first against the run and the last two times that happened (2011, 2012) Alabama won the national championship.
The conference as a whole featured four of the country’s top 10 scoring defenses and dynamic playmakers in the secondary played a big part in that. None more so than at Alabama and Ole Miss where Eddie Jackson and Trae Elston feasted off of opposing quarterbacks’ mistakes. Elston picked four passes on the season, returning two for touchdowns. Not to be outdone, Jackson nabbed five and matched Elston’s two touchdowns while posting an SEC-best 230 yards on interception returns.
The specialists lived up to their titles this year. Auburn’s Daniel Carlson was named a Lou Groza finalist, Drew Kaser boomed punts at an average clip of 48 yards, and Evan Berry led the nation in kickoff return yard average while taking three kickoffs to the house.