BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference released on Friday the 2015 preseason All-SEC football team, as voted on by media in attendance at the 2015 SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala. Senior linebacker and defensive lineman Curt Maggitt has been named to the Preseason Media Days All-SEC First Team.
Joining Maggitt, three additional Volunteers received All-SEC recognitions, including Second Team defensive selections Derek Barnett and Cameron Sutton, along with quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who received Third Team offensive honors.
A senior from West Palm Beach, Fl.a, Maggitt led the Vols with a career-best 11.0 sacks in 2014, the third-best total in the SEC and tied for fourth-highest total for a Tennessee player in a season all-time. He has recorded a sack in his last five consecutive games, including 2.0 sacks in three of his last four games. Maggitt also recorded 14.0 tackles for loss, tying for seventh in the league in that category and ranking behind only Barnett on the Tennessee squad.
After missing the entire 2013 season because of injuries, Maggitt played in all 12 games and recorded 43 tackles as a redshirt junior. Maggitt also appears on the preseason watch lists for the Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award.
As a freshman, Barnett played all 13 games on the defensive line, starting 10, and led all true freshmen in the SEC in tackles with 72. The Nashville native became the first true freshman to start a season opener on defensive line in Tennessee history and went on to set Volunteer freshman records with 20.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. He set a UT freshman record for sacks in a game with three at No. 3 Ole Miss and tied his own mark with another three-sack night at South Carolina.
Barnett was named Second Team All-Southeastern Conference by both the Associated Press and the league's coaches. He was also named a freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, ESPN, Scout and the Sporting News.
Sutton started all 13 games for Tennessee a season ago, posting 37 tackles with four for a loss and a team-best 16 passes defended. He also had 14 punt returns for 158 yards, including a 76-yard return for a touchdown against Vanderbilt. It was the first punt return TD for the Vols since first since Cordarrelle Patterson, also at Vanderbilt, in 2012.
Dobbs, who also appears on the Maxwell Award Watch List and Davey O'Brien Watch List, went 4-1 as the Vols starting quarterback in 2014. In those five starts, Tennessee averaged 36.7 points per game and racked up 431 yards of offense per game. In six games overall, the Alpharetta, Georgia, native compiled 1,675 yards of total offense--an average of 279 per game--and was responsible for 17 touchdowns (nine passing, eight rushing). Dobbs threw for 1,206 yards on 112-of-177 passing and rushed for 469 yards.
He was named MVP of the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl after leading the Vols to a 45-28 win over Iowa. In the win, Dobbs accounted for 205 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, completing 16-of-21 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown to go along with 76 rushing yards and two scores.
This summer, Dobbs has also been named as a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, the most esteemed off-the-field honor in college football.
2015 PRE-SEASON MEDIA DAYS ALL-SEC TEAM
(Total points earned in parenthesis)
OFFENSE
First-Team
QB Dak Prescott, Mississippi State (170)
RB Nick Chubb, Georgia (189)
RB Leonard Fournette, LSU (180)
WR Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss (169)
WR D'haquille Williams, Auburn (154)
TE Evan Engram, Ole Miss (128)
OL Cam Robinson, Alabama (167)
OL Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss (159)
OL Vadal Alexander, LSU (131)
OL John Theus, Georgia (129)
C Ryan Kelly, Alabama (144)
Second-Team
QB Jeremy Johnson, Auburn (89)
RB Derrick Henry, Alabama (151)
RB Jonathan Williams, Arkansas (82)
WR Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina (147)
WR De'Runnya Wilson, Mississippi State (59)
TE Hunter Henry, Arkansas (97)
OL Germain Ifedi, Texas A&M (124)
OL Dan Skipper, Arkansas (95)
OL Denver Kirkland, Arkansas (85)
OL Greg Pyke, Georgia (83)
C Mike Matthews, Texas A&M (108)
Third-Team
QB Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee (62)
RB Alex Collins, Arkansas (80)
RB Kenyan Drake, Alabama (34)
WR Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia (50)
WR Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M (39)
TE O.J. Howard, Alabama (87)
OL Sebastian Tretola, Arkansas (72)
OL Alex Kozan, Auburn (69)
OL Avery Young, Auburn (57)
OL Brandon Shell, South Carolina (50)
C Evan Boehm, Missouri (81)
DEFENSE
First-Team
DL Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss (173)
DL A'Shawn Robinson, Alabama (160)
DL Myles Garrett, Texas A&M (155)
DL Carl Lawson, Auburn (131)
LB Reggie Ragland, Alabama (181)
LB Jordan Jenkins, Georgia (121)
LB Curt Maggitt, Tennessee (102)
DB Vernon Hargreaves, Florida (186)
DB Cyrus Jones, Alabama (126)
DB Jonathan Jones, Auburn (122)
DB Jalen Mills, LSU (118)
Second-Team
DL Jonathan Bullard, Florida (115)
DL Derek Barnett, Tennessee (105)
DL Jonathan Allen, Alabama (99)
DL Chris Jones, Mississippi State (93)
LB Kendell Beckwith, LSU (93)
LB Leonard Floyd, Georgia (92)
LB Cassanova McKinzy, Auburn (80)
DB Tony Conner, Ole Miss (117)
DB Cameron Sutton, Tennessee (115)
DB Will Redmond, Mississippi State (79)
DB Tre'Davious White, LSU (61)
Third-Team
DL Montravius Adams, Auburn (90)
DL Jarran Reed, Alabama (60)
DL Davon Godchaux, LSU (40)
DL Marquis Haynes, Ole Miss (34)
LB Kris Frost, Auburn (77)
LB Antonio Morrison, Florida (66)
LB Kentrell Brothers, Missouri (61)
DB A.J. Stamps, Kentucky (59)
DB Eddie Jackson, Alabama (58)
DB Jamal Adams, LSU (56)
DB Johnathan Ford, Auburn (52)
SPECIALISTS
First-Team
P JK Scott, Alabama (161)
PK Marshall Morgan, Georgia (100)
RS Speedy Noil, Texas A&M (117)
AP Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina (112)
Second-Team
P Drew Kaser, Texas A&M (92)
PK Elliott Fry, South Carolina (87)
RS Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina (75)
AP Leonard Fournette, LSU (85)
Third-Team
P Jamie Keehn, LSU (52)
PK Austin MacGinnis, Kentucky (59)
RS Leonard Fournette, LSU (66)
AP Speedy Noil, Texas A&M (84)
NOTES:
* - The top vote-getters in 2015 were Nick Chubb (Georgia), Vernon Hargreaves (Florida) and Reggie Ragland (Alabama). Hargreaves was voted to the preseason media team as well in 2014.
* - Since 2000, Arkansas’ Darren McFadden is the only unanimous selection to the SEC Media Days First Team at his position, collecting possible votes that year.
* - Alabama had the most first-team selections this season with six. Since 1992, the most players on a first-team nine by Alabama in 2011, followed by eight by Alabama (2010) and Florida (2009).