Eight Florida Gators named preseason All-SEC

Eight Florida Gators were named to preseason All-SEC teams, as voted on by the media at SEC Media Days, on Friday afternoon led by First Team selection Jalen Tabor.

Punter Johnny Townsend, linebacker Jarrad Davis, defensive lineman Bryan Cox Jr. and offensive linemen David Sharpe and Martez Ivey were Second Tem selections.

Sophomore defensive lineman CeCe Jefferson and senior safety Marcus Maye were selected to the Third Team.

Tabor, a preseason All-American, had 18 pass breakups as a sophomore in 2015, tied for best in the conference. His four interceptions were tied for fourth best in the country and he became the first Florida Gators since Brandon Spikes in 2009 to return to interceptions for a touchdown in the same season.

Jarrad Davis finished his junior season with 98 tackles (14th most in the SEC), 11 tackles for a loss (19th in SEC), 3.5 sacks, seven quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. Bryan Cox Jr. tallied 45 tackles in 2015, with 10.5 for a loss and 3.5 sacks. The duo return to Florida for their redshirt senior seasons and are two veteran voices on what promises to be another stingy unit.

Ivey and Sharpe will hold down the left side of the Gators’ offensive line in 2016, a unit that will replace just one starter from a year ago. Sharpe played in all 14 games in 2015, starting 13. Ivey played in 12 games, starting the last eight, even though he battled through a shoulder injury during the last month of the season.

Redshirt junior Johnny Townsend appeared in all 14 games in 2015. He was named a First Team All-SEC punter by ESPN.com after his 45.36 average on 83 punts.

Marcus Maye was a 2015 Pro Football Focus and USA Today All-American. Maye had his best season by far in 2015 with 82 tackles, six passes defended, three quarterback hurries and two interceptions. His five forced fumbles were tied for the most in the SEC.

CeCe Jefferson appeared in all 14 games during his freshman campaign and was named to the 2015 SEC Coaches All-Freshman team. He totaled 29 tackles, 8.5 for a loss, 3.5 sacks forced and recovered one fumble and broke up one pass.

Snubbed
Two Gators that were left off the lists entirely are Caleb Brantley and Quincy Wilson. Brantley, a redshirt junior fro Crescent City, appeared in 13 games (10 starts) last season, totaling 29 tackles, 6.5 for a loss, forced two fumbles and recovered one.

Wilson played in all 14 games last season (9 starts), playing through a sports hernia for more than a month at the end of the season. He totaled 29 tackles, defended five passes and had two interceptions.

 

OFFENSE

First-Team

QB Chad Kelly, Ole Miss (321)
RB Leonard Fournette, LSU (329)
RB Nick Chubb, Georgia (308)
WR Calvin Ridley, Alabama (318)
WR Christian Kirk, Texas A&M (223)
TE O.J. Howard, Alabama (294)
OL Cam Robinson, Alabama (315)
OL Dan Skipper, Arkansas (228)
OL Greg Pyke, Georgia (171)
OL Alex Kozan, Auburn (165)
C Ethan Pocic, LSU (188)

 

Second-Team

QB Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee (313)
RB Jalen Hurd, Tennessee (278)
RB Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt (151)
WR Malachi Dupre, LSU (167)
WR Fred Ross, Mississippi State (139)
TE Evan Engram, Ole Miss (214)
OL Martez Ivey, Florida (152)
OL William Clapp, LSU (143)
OL David Sharpe, Florida (138)
OL Alphonse Taylor, Alabama (137)
C Brandon Kublanow, Georgia (121)

 

Third-Team

QB Brandon Harris, LSU (25)
RB Stanley “Boom” Williams, Kentucky (60)
RB Jovon Robinson, Auburn (55)
WR Ricky Seals-Jones, Texas A&M (78)
WR Drew Morgan, Arkansas (49)
TE Jeremy Sprinkle, Arkansas (65)
OL Avery Gennesy, Texas A&M (120)
OL Jashon Robertson, Tennessee (119)
OL Braden Smith, Auburn (118)
OL Javon Patterson, Ole Miss (113)
C Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama (101)

 

DEFENSE

First-Team

DL Jonathan Allen, Alabama (301)
DL Myles Garrett, Texas A&M (286)
DL Carl Lawson, Auburn (253)
DL Derek Barnett, Tennessee (171)
LB Reuben Foster, Alabama (265)
LB Kendell Beckwith, LSU (231)
LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Tennessee (223)
DB Eddie Jackson, Alabama (293)
DB Jalen Tabor, Florida (249)
DB Tre’Davious White, LSU (221)
DB Cameron Sutton, Tennessee (213)

 

Second-Team

DL Montravius Adams, Auburn (167)
DL Bryan Cox, Florida (105)
DL Davon Godchaux, LSU (105)
DL Charles Harris, Missouri (103)
LB Tim Williams, Alabama (196)
LB Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt (178)
LB Jarrad Davis, Florida (160)
DB Jamal Adams, LSU (193)
DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama (188)
DB Tony Conner, Ole Miss (146)
DB Dominick Sanders, Georgia (145)

 

Third-Team

DL Marquis Haynes, Ole Miss (102)
DL Deatrich Wise, Arkansas (95)
DL Cece Jefferson, Florida (85)
DL A.J. Jefferson, Mississippi State (84)
LB Lorenzo Carter, Georgia (92)
LB Richie Brown, Mississippi State (84)
LB Arden Key, LSU (76)
DB Marcus Maye, Florida (139)
DB Marlon Humphrey, Alabama (120)
DB Johnathan Ford, Auburn (105)
DB Armani Watts, Texas A&M (74)

 

SPECIALISTS

First-Team

P JK Scott, Alabama (252)
PK Daniel Carlson, Auburn (198)
RS (return specialist) Christian Kirk, Texas A&M (214)
AP (All-Purpose) Christian Kirk, Texas A&M (240)

 

Second-Team

P Johnny Townsend, Florida (124)
PK Adam Griffith, Alabama (174)
RS Evan Berry, Tennessee (163)
AP Alvin Kamara, Tennessee (152)

 

Third-Team

P Trevor Daniel, Tennessee (97)
PK Elliott Fry, South Carolina (91)
RS Isaiah McKenzie, Georgia (100)
AP Isaiah McKenzie, Georgia (112)

Total votes in parenthesis, there were 331 voters.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC