Elam picks up first Preseason All-American honor

Preseason award season has officially begun, and the Gators are already on the board. Junior cornerback Kaiir Elam was named a Walter Camp Second Team Preseason All-American on Thursday.

Elam was one of the few bright spots on a disappointing defense in 2020. He finished the season with 39 tackles, one tackle-for-loss, two interceptions, 11 pass breakups (tied for second most in the SEC) and one fumble recovery. After the season, he was named to the Coaches’ All-SEC First Team and the Associated Press All-SEC Second Team.

He started five games as a freshman in 2019 and tied for second on the team with four passes defended. He also intercepted three passes, including one that sealed UF’s win over Virginia in the Orange Bowl. He was named to the Coaches’ Freshman All-SEC Team.

Elam enters the 2021 campaign with some NFL Draft experts projecting him to be taken in the upper half of the first round.

Here’s the complete Walter Camp Preseason All-American team:

First Team Offense

WR: Chris Olave (Ohio State), Justyn Ross (Clemson)

TE: Charlie Kolar (Iowa State)

OL:  Darian Kinnard (Kentucky), Kenyon Green (Texas A&M), Evan Neal (Alabama), Thayer Munford (Ohio State)

C:  Tyler Linderbaum (Iowa)

QB:  Sam Howell (North Carolina)

RB:  Breece Hall (Iowa State), Mohamed Ibrahim (Minnesota)

PK:   Cade York (LSU)

First Team Defense

DL:  Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon), Bryan Bresee (Clemson), DeMarvin Leal (Texas A&M), Haskell Garrett (Ohio State)

LB:  Will Anderson, Jr. (Alabama), Mike Rose (Iowa State), Nick Bonitto (Oklahoma)

DB:  Derek Stingley, Jr (LSU), Kyle Hamilton (Notre Dame), Ahmad Gardner (Cincinnati), Brandon Joseph (Northwestern)

P:  Lou Hedley (Miami)

KR: Marcus Jones (Houston)

Second Team Offense

WR:  Marvin Mims (Oklahoma), George Pickens (Georgia)

TE:  Jalen Wydermyer (Texas A&M)

OL:  Jamaree Salyer (Georgia), Jordan McFadden (Clemson), Cain Madden (Notre Dame), Jaxson Kirkland (Washington)

C:  Colin Newell (Iowa State)

QB: Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma)

RB:  Sincere McCormick (UTSA), Bijan Robinson (Texas)

PK:  Anders Carlson (Auburn)

Second Team Defense

DL: Myles Murphy (Clemson), Jordan Davis (Georgia), Myjai Sanders (Cincinnati), Calijah Kancey (Pittsburgh)

LB:  Edefuan Ulofoshio (Washington), Devin Lloyd (Utah), Micah McFadden (Indiana)

DB:  Eli Ricks (LSU), Josh Jobe (Alabama), Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson (TCU), Kaiir Elam (Florida)

P:  Jake Camarda (Georgia)

KR:  Aron Cruickshank (Rutgers)

Ethan Hughes
Ethan was born in Gainesville and has lived in the Starke, Florida, area his entire life. He played basketball for five years and knew he wanted to be a sportswriter when he was in middle school. He’s attended countless Gators athletic events since his early childhood, with baseball being his favorite sport to attend. He’s a proud 2019 graduate of the University of Florida and a 2017 graduate of Santa Fe College. He interned with the University Athletic Association’s communications department for 1 ½ years as a student and also wrote for InsideTheGators.com for two years before joining Gator Country in 2021. He is a long-suffering fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars. You can follow him on Twitter @ethanhughes97.