Southeastern Conference Championship Game participants Georgia and Auburn claimed six of the SEC’s seven individual football awards as voted on by the league’s head coaches, it was announced Wednesday.
Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year, while Georgia’s Roquan Smith was named Defensive Player of the Year.
Auburn’s Daniel Carlson was voted Special Teams Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, Georgia’s Jake Fromm was voted SEC Freshman of the Year and LSU’s Danny Etling was selected as Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Auburn’s Braden Smith was named winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, while Georgia coach Kirby Smart was named SEC Coach of the Year.
Johnson was the SEC’s leading rusher with 1,320 yards despite missing two games due to injury. He also led the league with 19 touchdowns and has 23 receptions on the season. Johnson has moved up to 12th on Auburn’s all-time career rushing list with 2,423 yards.
Smith is Georgia’s leading tackler for the second consecutive season with 113 stops. He has tallied 10.5 tackles for loss and a team-best 5.5 sacks, a pair of fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. Smith earned MVP honors in the SEC Championship Game last Saturday.
Carlson is the first SEC player to garner Special Teams Player of the Year honors multiple times in his career. Earlier this season he set the SEC career scoring record, which now stands at 471 points. Carlson has converted 195 consecutive PAT attempts, an SEC record, and his 195 PATs made ranks third in SEC history.
Fromm is 11-1 as a starter for the Bulldogs and has thrown for 2,173 yards and 21 touchdowns. He is third in the SEC in passing efficiency (168.2) and earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors three times this season.
Etling graduated in May of 2017 with a 3.72 grade point average and a degree in Mass Communications. He was elected Vice Chair of the SEC Football Leadership Council and is a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree. Etling has thrown for 2,234 yards and 14 touchdowns this season.
Smith started all 13 games this season for Auburn and has helped pave the way for a rushing attack that is averaging 228.2 yards per game. He was a Midseason All-America selection and was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week following the Tigers’ win at Texas A&M.
Smart led Georgia to its 13th SEC title and the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff. Smart has guided the Bulldogs to a 12-1 record this season, and he has accumulated 20 wins in his two seasons in Athens.
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.
The SEC All-Freshman Team will be announced Thursday.
2017 SEC Football Awards
Offensive Player Of The Year
Kerryon Johnson, Auburn
Defensive Player of the Year
Roquan Smith, Georgia
Special Teams Player of the Year
Daniel Carlson, Auburn
Freshman of the Year
Jake Fromm, Georgia
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Danny Etling, LSU
Jacobs Blocking Trophy
Braden Smith, Auburn
Coach of the Year
Kirby Smart, Georgia
(Email Dennis Norwood at sportsshooter614@gmail.com; follow him on Twitter at @DennisENorwood)