SEC 2016 Season Awards and All-Conference Team

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

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