BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (July 12, 2012) – Defending national champion Alabama and defending Southeastern Conference champion LSU each have 11 players named to the 2012 Southeastern Conference pre-season Coaches All-SEC Team, the league announced Thursday.
The Tigers have a league-high seven players named to the first-team, three on the second-team and one on the third-team. The Crimson Tide have four players selected to the first-team, four on the second-team and three on the third-team.
Arkansas is third with 10 total players selected, four on the first-team and three on each of the second and third teams.
This marks the ninth straight year of the SEC Coaches Pre-Season All-SEC Team. The team is announced each year in advance of the SEC Football Media Days. This year, the event will be held next Tuesday through Thursday at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala.
12 of the 14 SEC Schools had a representative on the first-team and every school had at least two players named to one of the three units.
There are nine first-team pre-season selections that were on last year’s first-team coaches All-SEC post-season team. Those include: OL Barrett Jones (Alabama); OL Alex Hurst (LSU); QB Tyler Wilson (Arkansas); DL Sam Montgomery (LSU); DL Corey Lemonier (Auburn); LB Jarvis Jones (Georgia); DB Tyrann Mathieu (LSU); DB Bacarri Rambo (Georgia); and, PK Caleb Sturgis (Florida).
The All-SEC first-team squad had 12 seniors and 16 underclassmen, including 14 juniors and two sophomores. The second-team had 17 seniors, 10 juniors and one sophomore. The third-team had 16 seniors, 12 juniors and three sophomores.
Among last year’s SEC national award recipients on this year’s team are Alabama center Barrett Jones, the 2011 Outland Trophy recipient and LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, the 2011 Bednarik Award winner. Jones, Mathieu, LSU defensive end Sam Montgomery, Georgia outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, Georgia defensive back Bacarri Rambo, LSU punter Brad Wing and Florida placekicker Caleb Sturgis were first-team All-Americans last season and are on this season’s pre-season coaches All-SEC Team. South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was a first-team Freshman All-America last season.
The 2012 SEC Coaches Pre-Season All-SEC Football Team is listed below:
