SEC 2016 Season Awards and All-Conference Team
Joshua Dobbs
The 2016 season was an interesting year for the SEC. Alabama enters the College Football Playoff as the No. 1 overall team but every team in the SEC outside of the Crimson Tide had at least four losses.
While the 2016 campaign was largely a down year for most of the SEC, the league’s 14 teams still produced plenty of talent. Alabama led the way on Athlon Sports’ All-SEC team with 17 overall selections, with LSU and Florida tied for second with nine. Auburn was third with eight picks, while Texas A&M was next with six selections.
With the regular season completed and bowl season starting on Dec. 17, it’s time to recap and look back at the 2016 campaign. Athlon Sports offers its awards and honors the best players in the league with the first, second and third all-conference teams for the SEC:
SEC 2016 Season Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Joshua Dobbs, QB, Tennessee
Dobbs led all players in conference action this year, averaging 316.9 total yards per game in SEC contests.
Runner Up: Jalen Hurts, QB, Alabama
Defensive Player of the Year: Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
Allen led the way in the trenches for Alabama's dominant defense this season. In addition to anchoring the top run defense in the nation, Allen accumulated 13 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks in 13 contests.
Runner Up: Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
Coach of the Year: Nick Saban, Alabama
Another year, another dominant Alabama team. While winning at a high level is nothing new for Saban, he's done it in 2016 with a true freshman quarterback (Jalen Hurts) and enters the playoff as the clear favorite to win it all.
Runner Up: Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year (Offense):Jalen Hurts, QB, Alabama
A strong case could be made for Hurts as first-team All-SEC quarterback. The true freshman started 12 games for the Crimson Tide and averaged 264.1 total yards per contest.
Runner Up: Jonah Williams, OL, Alabama
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Freshman of the Year (Defense): Leo Lewis, LB, Mississippi State
Lewis started all 12 games and was a key cog in Mississippi State's defense. The redshirt freshman ranked second on the team with 72 tackles (4.5 for a loss) and also recorded one pass breakup.
Runner Up: Marlon Davidson, DL, Auburn
Offensive Coordinator of the Year: Lane Kiffin, Alabama
Since arriving in Tuscaloosa, Kiffin has successfully blended the up-tempo and spread looks with Alabama's physical ground game. Despite the loss of running back Derrick Henry and a true freshman (Jalen Hurts) under center, the Crimson Tide averaged 39.8 points a game in SEC contests this year - up from 31.2 in 2015.
Runner Up: Eddie Gran, Kentucky
Defensive Coordinator of the Year: Jeremy Pruitt, Alabama
Pruitt returned to Tuscaloosa after Kirby Smart left for Georgia and helped Nick Saban mold the nation's best defense. The Crimson Tide allowed only 11.8 points per game and just 3.94 yards per play.
Runner Up: Dave Aranda, LSU
Newcomer of the Year: Trevor Knight, QB, Texas A&M
In addition to his on-field production, Knight was a stabilizing force and a leader for an offense that ended 2015 with uncertainty about its quarterback position after two players left College Station. In 10 games, Knight accounted for 2,716 total yards and 26 touchdowns.
Runner Up: Darius James, OL, Auburn
Breakout Player:Kamryn Pettway, RB, Auburn
A late-season injury slowed Pettway in November, but the sophomore still finished with 1,123 yards and seven touchdowns.
Runner Up: Nick Fitzgerald, QB, Mississippi State
SEC 2016 Postseason All-Conference Team
| First-Team Offense | Second-Team Offense | Third-Team Offense |
QB | Joshua Dobbs Tennessee | Jalen Hurts Alabama | Chad Kelly Ole Miss |
RB | Rawleigh Williams Arkansas | Ralph Webb Vanderbilt | Leonard Fournette LSU |
RB | Kamryn Pettway Auburn | Derrius Guice LSU | Boom Williams Kentucky |
AP | Christian Kirk Texas A&M | Alvin Kamara Tennessee | Calvin Ridley (WR) Alabama |
WR | Josh Reynolds Texas A&M | Fred Ross Miss. State | Antonio Callaway Florida |
WR | ArDarius Stewart Alabama | J'Mon Moore Missouri | Josh Malone Tennessee |
TE | Evan Engram Ole Miss | O.J. Howard Alabama | Jeremy Sprinkle Arkansas |
C | Frank Ragnow Arkansas | Bradley Bozeman Alabama | Martez Ivey (OL) Florida |
OL | Cam Robinson Alabama | Josh Boutte LSU | Will Clapp LSU |
OL | Ethan Pocic (C) LSU | Jon Toth (C) Kentucky | Paul Adams Missouri |
OL | Braden Smith Auburn | Justin Senior Miss. State | Alex Kozan Auburn |
OL | Jonah Williams Alabama | Robert Leff Auburn | Will Holden Vanderbilt |
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| First-Team Defense | Second-Team Defense | Third-Team Defense |
DL | Derek Barnett Tennessee | Charles Harris Missouri | Dalvin Tomlinson Alabama |
DL | Myles Garrett Texas A&M | Caleb Brantley Florida | Darius English South Carolina |
DL | Jonathan Allen Alabama | Carl Lawson Auburn | Trent Thompson Georgia |
DL | Arden Key LSU | Montravius Adams Auburn | Marquis Haynes Ole Miss |
LB | Zach Cunningham Vanderbilt | Ryan Anderson Alabama | Shaan Washington Texas A&M |
LB | Tim Williams Alabama | Kendell Beckwith LSU | Jordan Jones Kentucky |
LB | Reuben Foster Alabama | Jarrad Davis Florida | Roquan Smith Georgia |
CB | Tre'Davious White LSU | Quincy Wilson Florida | Carlton Davis Auburn |
CB | Jalen Tabor Florida | Aarion Penton Missouri | Marlon Humphrey Alabama |
S | Minkah Fitzpatrick Alabama | Justin Evans Texas A&M | Eddie Jackson Alabama |
S | Jamal Adams LSU | Marcus Maye Florida | Mike Edwards Kentucky |
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| First-Team Specialists | Second-Team Specialists | Third-Team Specialists |
K | Daniel Carlson Auburn | Eddy Pineiro Florida | Gary Wunderlich Ole Miss |
P | JK Scott Alabama | Johnny Townsend Florida | Toby Baker Arkansas |
KR | Darrius Sims Vanderbilt | Evan Berry Tennessee | Carlos Davis Ole Miss |
PR | Christian Kirk Texas A&M | Eddie Jackson Alabama | Isaiah McKenzie Georgia |
