League High Tying 12 Razorbacks on Pre-Season Coaches All-SEC Teams
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Led by 2006 Doak Walker Award winner and Heisman Trophy runner-up Darren McFadden and 2006 Rimington Trophy finalist Jonathan Luigs, Arkansas placed a league-high tying 12 players on the 2007 Southeastern Conference Coaches Pre-Season All-SEC Teams announced on Thursday.
Arkansas and LSU tied for the most selections with 12 picks, making the Hogs and Tigers the only two teams in the SEC with double-digit All-SEC selections. Arkansas was second in combined first and second round selections with seven. LSU earned nine first and second team picks.
“I’m pleased that coaches around the SEC recognize the outstanding players that we have on this team,” Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt said. “They had the opportunity to see our team win 10 games and capture an SEC Western Division Championship last year. It proves that the more success we have as a team, the more individual honors come our way. I hope that we will have just as many or even more players on the post-season All-SEC teams.”
McFadden and Luigs earned first team honors at tailback and center, respectively. McFadden was the only unanimous selection on the first team offense or defense. McFadden is coming off a sensational sophomore season in which he rushed for a school-record 1,647 yards. His season total was the fifth-best rushing season in SEC history. One of the big reasons for McFadden’s success last season was the blocking of Luigs. The Little Rock, Ark., native helped clear the way for the nation’s No. 4 rushing offense including a pair of 1,000-yard rushers. Both Luigs and McFadden have been named to numerous first-team pre-season All-America squads.
A league-high five Razorbacks earned second-team All-SEC honors including offensive guard Robert Felton, wide receiver Marcus Monk, tailback and return specialist Felix Jones and defensive end Antwain Robinson. Felton has 29 career starts to his credit and is slated to open the season as the Razorbacks’ starting right guard. He helped pave the way for 13 100-yard rushing efforts by UA running backs in 14 games last season. Monk enters his senior season as the school-record holder in career touchdown receptions with 24. He is only seven shy of tying Florida’s Chris Doering for the SEC record in that category. Jones earned second-team honors as both a running back and a return specialist. The Tulsa, Okla., product rushed for 1,168 yards last season on his way to first-team All-SEC honors. He also became the first player in school history in nearly a century to return a pair of kickoffs for 100 yards and scores in his Razorback career. Robinson was a second-team All-SEC selection at defensive end following last season. He started all 13 games in 2006 racking up 14.5 tackles for loss (-86) and 8.5 sacks (-63).
Arkansas landed another five players on the third-team listing with tight end Ben Cleveland, defensive tackle Marcus Harrison, linebackers Weston Dacus and Freddie Fairchild, and strong safety Matt Hewitt all earning recognition from league coaches. Cleveland tied a school record for freshmen tight ends with 12 catches in 2006. The biggest catch of his freshman season came when he caught the game-winner in Arkansas’ double-overtime win over Alabama. Harrison has made a name for himself despite fighting injuries throughout his career. He still managed to tally 42 tackles as a junior in 2006. After an ACL injury last spring, he is questionable for the start of the 2007 campaign.
Dacus is the Razorbacks’ active career-leading tackler with 130 stops in his first three seasons. He has also been named to several other SEC pre-season squads. Fairchild is returning to the gridiron after an injury shortened 2006 season. The freshman All-American played in only two games last season before going down with an ACL injury. He is healthy heading into the 2007 season. Hewitt was one of the Razorbacks’ pleasant surprises on defense last season. He moved to linebacker after Fairchild’s injury and racked up 62 tackles. He is back at his natural position of strong safety for the upcoming fall campaign.
2007 SEC COACHES PRE-SEASON ALL-SEC FOOTBALL TEAM
(*-Ties / # – Unanimous vote – Coaches cannot vote for their own student-athletes, unanimous is listed first-team on 11 ballots.)
FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC — OFFENSE
Pos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
TE Jacob Tamme Kentucky 6-5 240 Sr. Danville, Ky.
OL Will Arnold LSU 6-4 319 Sr. Gloster, Miss.
OL Michael Oher Ole Miss 6-5 325 Jr. Memphis, Tenn.
OL Drew Miller Florida 6-5 297 Sr. Sarasota, Fla.
OL Chris Williams Vanderbilt 6-6 320 Sr. Glynn, La.
C Jonathan Luigs Arkansas 6-4 307 Jr. Little Rock, Ark.
WR Earl Bennett Vanderbilt 6-1 202 Jr. Birmingham, Ala.
WR Early Doucet LSU 6-0 207 Sr. St. Martinville, La.
QB Andre’ Woodson Kentucky 6-5 230 Sr. Radcliff, Ky.
#RB Darren McFadden Arkansas 6-2 215 Jr. Little Rock, Ark.
RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis Ole Miss 5-11 225 Sr. New Orleans, La.
SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC — OFFENSE
Pos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
TE Andy Boyd South Carolina 6-4 267 Sr. Concord, N.C.
OL Phil Trautwein Florida 6-6 298 Sr. Voorhees, N.J.
OL Robert Felton Arkansas 6-4 328 Sr. Houston, Texas
OL Andre Smith Alabama 6-4 348 So. Birmingham, Ala.
OL Brian Stamper Vanderbilt 6-4 300 Sr. Windermere, Fla.
*C Antoine Caldwell Alabama 6-4 288 Jr. Montgomery, Ala.
*C Brett Helms LSU 6-2 283 Jr. Stuttgart, Ark.
WR Marcus Monk Arkansas 6-6 220 Sr. Lepanto, Ark.
WR Keenan Burton Kentucky 6-2 195 Sr. Louisville, Ky.
QB Erik Ainge Tennessee 6-6 220 Sr. Hillsboro, Ore.
RB Felix Jones Arkansas 6-0 207 Jr. Tulsa, Okla.
RB LaMarcus Coker Tennessee 5-11 205 So. Antioch, Tenn.
THIRD-TEAM ALL-SEC — OFFENSE
Pos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
TE Ben Cleveland Arkansas 6-4 250 So. Springdale, Ark.
OL Ciron Black LSU 6-5 314 So. Tyler, Texas
OL King Dunlap Auburn 6-8 312 Sr. Brentwood, Tenn.
OL Anthony Parker Tennessee 6-3 305 Jr. Jonesboro, Ga.
OL Herman Johnson LSU 6-7 351 Jr. Denton, Texas
*C Royce Blackledge Miss. State 6-4 293 Sr. Sandersville, Miss.
*C Fernando Velasco Georgia 6-4 328 Sr. Wrens, Ga.
WR Percy Harvin Florida 5-11 181 So. Virginia Beach, Va.
WR Andre Caldwell Florida 6-0 198 Sr. Tampa, Fla.
QB Chris Nicksion Vanderbilt 6-1 210 Jr. Brundidge, Ala.
*RB Brad Lester Auburn 5-11 194 Jr. Lilburn, Ga.
*RB Cory Boyd South Carolina 6-1 214 Sr. Orange, N.J.
*RB Rafael Little Kentucky 5-10 195 Sr. Anderson, S.C.
FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC — DEFENSE
Pos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
DL Glenn Dorsey LSU 6-2 299 Sr. Gonzales, La.
DL Quentin Groves Auburn 6-3 254 Sr. Greenville, Miss.
DL Derrick Harvey Florida 6-4 245 Jr. Greenbelt, Md.
LB Ali Highsmith LSU 6-1 226 Sr. Miami, Fla.
LB Jonathan Goff Vanderbilt 6-4 235 Sr. Lynn, Mass.
LB Jasper Brinkley South Carolina 6-2 262 Sr. Thomson, Ga.
LB Jerod Mayo Tennessee 6-2 230 Jr. Hampton, Va.
DB Simeon Castille Alabama 6-1 189 Sr. Birmingham, Ala.
DB Jonathan Hefney Tennessee 5-9 185 Sr. Rock Hill, S.C.
DB Chevis Jackson LSU 6-0 190 Sr. Mobile, Ala.
DB Derek Pegues Miss. State 5-10 196 Jr. Batesville, Miss.
SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC — DEFENSE
Pos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
DL Titus Brown Miss. State 6-3 250 Sr. Tuscaloosa, Ala.
DL Tyson Jackson LSU 6-5 292 Jr. Edgard, La.
DL Antwain Robinson Arkansas 6-2 255 Jr. Little Rock, Ark.
LB Wesley Woodyard Kentucky 6-1 212 Sr. LaGrange, Ga.
LB Prince Hall Alabama 5-11 255 So. Moreno Valley, Calif.
LB Darry Beckwith LSU 6-1 232 Jr. Baton Rouge, La.
LB Brandon Miller Georgia 6-4 257 Sr. Colquitt, Ga.
DB Tony Joiner Florida 5-11 217 Sr. Haines City, Fla.
DB Jonathan Zenon LSU 6-0 176 Sr. Breaux Bridge, La.
DB Jonathan Wilhite Auburn 5-11 185 Sr. Monroe, La.
DB Kelin Johnson Georgia 6-1 194 Sr. Daytona Beach, Fla.
THIRD-TEAM ALL-SEC — DEFENSE
Pos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
DL Wallace Gilberry Alabama 6-4 264 Sr. Bay Minette, Ala.
DL Josh Thompson Auburn 6-0 301 Sr. Statesboro, Ga.
*DL Casper Brinkley South Carolina 6-2 257 Sr. Thomson, Ga.
*DL Marcus Harrison Arkansas 6-3 307 Sr. Little Rock, Ark.
LB Tray Blackmon Auburn 6-0 223 So. LaGrange, Ga.
LB Weston Dacus Arkansas 6-2 230 Sr. Searcy, Ark.
LB Jamar Chaney Miss. State 6-1 236 Jr. Fort Pierce, Fla.
LB Freddie Fairchild Arkansas 6-3 220 So. Little Rock, Ark.
DB Craig Steltz LSU 6-2 204 Sr. New Orleans, La.
DB Eric Brock Auburn 6-1 209 Sr. Alexander City, Ala.
*DB Patrick Lee Auburn 6-0 201 Sr. Miami, Fla.
*DB Jamarca Sanford Ole Miss 5-10 200 Jr. Batesville, Miss.
*DB Matt Hewitt Arkansas 6-3 215 Sr. Englewood, N.J.
FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC — SPECIAL TEAMS
Pos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
PK Brandon Coutu Georgia 6-0 200 Sr. Lawrenceville, Ga.
P Britton Colquitt Tennessee 6-3 205 Jr. Knoxville, Tenn.
RS Mikey Henderson Georgia 5-10 150 Sr. Buford, Ga.
SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC — SPECIAL TEAMS
Pos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
PK Ryan Succop South Carolina 6-2 213 Jr. Hickory, N.C.
P Ryan Succop South Carolina 6-2 213 Jr. Hickory, N.C.
RS Felix Jones Arkansas 6-0 207 Jr. Tulsa, Okla.
THIRD-TEAM ALL-SEC — SPECIAL TEAMS
Pos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
PK Jamie Christensen Alabama 6-0 183 Sr. Norcross, Ga.
P None
RS Rafael Little Kentucky 5-10 195 Sr. Anderson, S.C.
