Nine Florida Football Players Earn All-SEC Honors From League's Coaches
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 | Football
The Southeastern Conference announced Tuesday that University of Florida junior quarterback Tim Tebow (Jacksonville, Fla.), junior wide receiver Percy Harvin (Virgnia Beach, Va.), redshirt senior offensive lineman Phil Trautwein (Voorhees, N.J.), junior linebacker Brandon Spikes (Shelby, N.C.) and junior return specialist Brandon James (St. Augustine, Fla.) have been named first-team All-SEC honorees in a vote by the league's coaches. It was also announced that offensive lineman Mike Pouncey (Lakeland, Fla.), sophomore safety Ahmad Black (Lakeland, Fla.), sophomore cornerback Joe Haden (Ft. Washington, Md.) and sophomore punter Chas Henry (Dallas, Ga.) were selected to the Coaches' All-SEC second team.
Florida's five first-team selections were tied for the highest amount in the conference, matching Alabama. The five first-team nods match the number of honors given to the Gators following the 2006 National Championship season. The Gators' nine all-league picks were the second-most in the SEC, trailing the 10 honorees from Alabama.
Tebow leads the SEC in completion percentage (64.9), touchdowns (28) and passing efficiency (176.7), while also owning the lowest interception percentage in the league (.7). He has thrown as least two passing touchdowns in nine consecutive games, the longest stretch of his career. The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American set school records in 2008 for most pass attempts without an interception (203) and surpassed Emmitt Smith's all-time record for rushing touchdowns, previously held at 36. In the 13 games played this season, Tebow has gone 174-of-268 for 2,515 yards and 28 touchdowns. He also ranks third on the Gators with 564 yards on the ground and 12 rushing scores.
Spikes is a key member of the SEC Champion Gators' defense and leads the team with 87 tackles, to go with four interceptions and 8.0 tackles for loss, including two sacks. All four of Spikes' interceptions have come against top-25 opponents, which is tied for first among all players nationally and is the most by any linebacker in the country. The Bronco Nagurski Trophy finalist is one of five linebackers in the nation to have two interceptions returned for touchdowns this season. He has led the Gators in tackles in 10 of the last 17 games he has played in, recording 10-or-more tackles in five of his last 14 outings.
Trautwein is one of four offensive linemen to start every contest for the Gators. The senior leader anchors an offensive line that has helped a UF running back corps rank first in the SEC for rushing offense, averaging 229.8 yards per game. Trautwein was a 2006 second-team All-SEC selection.
The versatile Harvin, who earned first-team All-SEC honors as a wide receiver, is averaging 103.0 all-purpose yards per game for the Gators and has scored 16 touchdowns in 2008, nine rushing and seven receiving. He has scored a touchdown in each of the last 14 games he has played in, which is the longest streak in the nation. He has rushed for 538 yards on just 61 carries this season, averaging 8.8 yards per rush, second best in the nation. Harvin ranks second on the Gators with 35 catches and 595 receiving yards, averaging 17.0 yards per catch.
Return specialist James currently ranks sixth in the nation with a 30.4-yard average return. He has scored two touchdowns off punt returns this season and is currently tied with Jacquez Green (1995-97) for the school record for career punt returns for a touchdown with four. His 687 kick return yards are the second highest single season total in UF history and he improved his single-season punt return yards record to 509 after the Alabama game. James ranks fifth all-time in SEC history in total kick return yards, including kickoff and punt returns, with 3,037 total yards. He set an SEC Championship game record with five kickoff return yards for 121 yards.
Pouncey has graded out a champion in seven of the Gators' games this season. He was selected as Offensive Line Player of the Game in the Gators' season-opening win over Hawaii. The Lakeland-native has started every contest at right guard in 2008 after briefly playing defensive line for the Gators in 2007.
Black converted from cornerback to safety during the summer of 2008 and has started every game since the switch was made. He currently ranks fourth on the team with 54 tackles on the season and leads UF with six interceptions, tied for fifth in the nation, including two that have been returned for a touchdown. He is second in the country in interception return yards, with 191 on the season (average 31.8).
Haden's 77 tackles on the season is second on the team and first among defensive backs. He led the Gator defenders with eight tackles in the SEC Championship Game, six solo and made his third pick of the season and returned it 24 yards while collected two pass break-ups in the victory. Haden's interception return for 88 yards against Georgia matched the fourth-longest in school history and the longest in the Florida/Georgia series.
Henry is averaging 42.8 yards per punt, the fourth-best average in the SEC. Thirteen of his 41 punts on the season have gone for 50 or more yards, and 20 have been inside the 20-yard-line. The Ray Guy Award finalist had a career-long 67-yard punt versus FSU, the fifth-longest punt in the SEC this season and longest by a Gator since 2003.
No. 2 Florida will take to the field again on Jan. 8, 2009, when it will meet No. 1 Oklahoma in the FedEx BCS National Championship Game in Miami, Fla. UF's appearance in the FedEx BCS National Championship Game will mark the fourth time in school history that it has entered a bowl game with a chance to win the national title, and the second time in three years.
| 2008 All-SEC Football Team | ||||||
| Pos. | Name | School | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown |
| FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC -- OFFENSE | ||||||
| TE | Jared Cook | South Carolina | 6-5 | 240 | Jr. | Suwanee, Ga. |
| OL | Andre Smith | Alabama (T) | 6-5 | 330 | Jr. | Birmingham, Ala. |
| OL | Michael Oher | Ole Miss (T) | 6-5 | 318 | Sr. | Memphis, Tenn. |
| OL | Phil Trautwein | Florida (T) | 6-6 | 310 | Sr. | Voorhees, N.J. |
| OL | Herman Johnson | LSU (G) | 6-7 | 375 | Sr. | Olla, La. |
| C | Antoine Caldwell | Alabama (C) | 6-3 | 305 | Sr. | Montgomery, Ala. |
| WR | Percy Harvin | Florida | 5-11 | 195 | Jr. | Virginia Beach, Va. |
| WR | Mohamed Massaquoi | Georgia | 6-2 | 204 | Sr. | Charlotte, N.C. |
| QB | Tim Tebow | Florida | 6-3 | 240 | Jr. | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| RB | #Knowshon Moreno | Georgia | 5-11 | 208 | So. | Belford, N.J. |
| RB | Charles Scott | LSU | 5-11 | 233 | Jr. | Saline, La. |
| SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC -- OFFENSE | ||||||
| TE | *Richard Dickson | LSU | 6-3 | 246 | Jr. | Ocean Springs, Miss. |
| TE | *D.J. Williams | Arkansas | 6-2 | 250 | So. | Little Rock, Ark. |
| OL | Garry Williams | Kentucky (T) | 6-3 | 300 | Sr. | Louisville, Ky. |
| OL | Anthony Parker | Tennessee (G) | 6-3 | 300 | Sr. | Jonesboro, Ga. |
| OL | *Ciron Black | LSU (T) | 6-5 | 325 | Jr. | Tyler, Texas |
| OL | *Mike Pouncey | Florida (G) | 6-5 | 312 | So. | Lakeland, Fla. |
| OL | *John Jerry | Ole Miss (T) | 6-5 | 350 | Jr. | Batesville, Miss. |
| OL | *Mike Johnson | Alabama (G) | 6-6 | 299 | Jr. | Pensacola, Fla. |
| C | Jonathan Luigs | Arkansas (C) | 6-4 | 314 | Sr. | Little Rock, Ark. |
| WR | Julio Jones | Alabama | 6-4 | 210 | Fr. | Foley, Ala. |
| WR | A.J. Green | Georgia | 6-4 | 200 | Fr. | Summerville, S.C. |
| QB | Matthew Stafford | Georgia | 6-3 | 228 | Jr. | Dallas, Texas |
| RB | Glen Coffee | Alabama | 6-1 | 198 | Jr. | Ft. Walton Beach, Fla. |
| RB | Michael Smith | Arkansas | 5-7 | 173 | Jr. | Tallahassee, Fla. |
| FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC -- DEFENSE | ||||||
| DL | Peria Jerry | Ole Miss | 6-2 | 290 | Sr. | Batesville, Miss. |
| DL | Terrence Cody | Alabama | 6-5 | 365 | Jr. | Ft. Myers, Fla. |
| DL | *Robert Ayers | Tennessee | 6-3 | 270 | Jr. | Clio, S.C. |
| DL | *Antonio Coleman | Auburn | 6-3 | 250 | Jr. | Mobile, Ala. |
| LB | Brandon Spikes | Florida | 6-3 | 245 | Jr. | Shelby, N.C. |
| LB | Rennie Curran | Georgia | 5-11 | 228 | So. | Snellville, Ga. |
| LB | *Eric Norwood | South Carolina | 6-1 | 253 | Jr. | Acworth, Ga. |
| LB | *Rolando McClain | Alabama | 6-4 | 249 | So. | Decatur, Ala. |
| LB | *Micah Johnson | Kentucky | 6-2 | 250 | Jr. | Ft. Campbell, Ky. |
| DB | #Eric Berry | Tennessee (S) | 5-11 | 195 | So. | Fairburn, Ga. |
| DB | D.J. Moore | Vanderbilt (CB) | 5-10 | 182 | Jr. | Spartanburg, S.C. |
| DB | Trevard Lindley | Kentucky (CB) | 6-0 | 175 | Jr. | Hiram, Ga. |
| DB | Rashad Johnson | Alabama (S) | 6-0 | 186 | Sr. | Sulligent, Ala. |
| SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC -- DEFENSE | ||||||
| DL | Greg Hardy | Ole Miss | 6-4 | 265 | Jr. | Millington, Tenn. |
| DL | *Myron Pryor | Kentucky | 6-1 | 310 | Sr. | Louisville, Ky. |
| DL | *Malcolm Sheppard | Arkansas | 6-3 | 277 | Jr. | Bainbridge, Ga. |
| DL | *Sen'Derrick Marks | Auburn | 6-2 | 296 | Jr. | Mobile, Ala. |
| LB | Dominic Douglas | Miss. State | 6-2 | 235 | Sr. | Clinton, Miss. |
| LB | Patrick Benoist | Vanderbilt | 6-0 | 222 | Jr. | Southlake, Texas |
| LB | Jasper Brinkley | South Carolina | 6-2 | 269 | Sr. | Thomson, Ga. |
| LB | Rico McCoy | Tennessee | 6-1 | 220 | Jr. | Washington, D.C. |
| DB | Emanuel Cook | South Carolina (S) | 5-10 | 203 | Jr. | Riviera Beach, Fla. |
| DB | *Javier Arenas | Alabama (CB) | 5-9 | 198 | Jr. | Tampa, Fla. |
| DB | *Ahmad Black | Florida (SS) | 5-9 | 190 | So. | Lakeland, Fla. |
| DB | *Joe Haden | Florida (CB) | 5-11 | 185 | So. | Ft. Washington, Md. |
| DB | *Derek Pegues | Miss. State (S) | 5-10 | 196 | Sr. | Batesville, Miss. |
| FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC -- SPECIAL TEAMS | ||||||
| PK | Colt David | LSU | 5-9 | 172 | Sr. | Grapevine, Texas |
| P | Tim Masthay | Kentucky | 6-2 | 203 | Sr. | Murray, Ky. |
| RS | Brandon James | Florida | 5-7 | 186 | Jr. | St. Augustine, Fla. |
| SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC -- SPECIAL TEAMS | ||||||
| PK | Joshua Shene | Ole Miss | 5-8 | 170 | Jr. | Oklahoma City, Okla. |
| P | *Brian Mimbs | Georgia | 5-11 | 209 | Sr. | Dublin, Ga. |
| P | *Chas Henry | Florida | 6-4 | 215 | So. | Dallas, Ga. |
| RS | Javier Arenas | Alabama | 5-9 | 198 | Jr. | Tampa, Fla. |
| (*-Ties / #-Unanimous Selection) (Coaches could not vote for their own players) | ||||||
