GVX audio
GVX audio
HOOVER, Ala. — Eric Berry was first, but Tennessee was fourth when the votes were tabulated at the SEC football media days Friday.
Berry, UT’s junior All-American safety, received 62 votes, more than any other player, on the 2009 SEC media days preseason all-conference team.
The Vols were picked fourth in the SEC East. That actually would qualify as improvement. UT finished fifth in the East last season.
Berry was the only UT player named to the first team. Senior linebacker Rico McCoy and senior center Josh McNeil made the second team.
As expected, the defending national champion Florida Gators are a heavy favorite to win both the SEC East and conference championship. Alabama was picked to repeat as best in the West.
Florida was a unanimous pick to win the East and received 63 of 64 votes to win the conference championship. Ole Miss, which was picked third in the West, received the only other vote as conference champion
Florida’s dominance was reflected on the all-conference team. Quarterback Tim Tebow and linebacker Brandon Spikes each received 61 votes. Six other Gators also were named to the first team, and four made the second team.
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
2009 SEC MEDIA DAYS PRE-SEASON ALL-SEC FOOTBALL TEAM
OFFENSE
First-Team Offense
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
TE D.J. Williams, Arkansas (38) 6-2 251 Jr. Little Rock, Ark.
OL Ciron Black, LSU (60) 6-5 325 Sr. Tyler, Texas
OL Mike Johnson, Alabama (55) 6-6 305 Sr. Pensacola, Fla.
OL John Jerry, Ole Miss (49) 6-5 350 Sr. Batesville, Miss.
OL Mike Pouncey, Florida (35) 6-5 312 Jr. Lakeland, Fla.
C Maurkice Pouncey, Florida (39) 6-5 312 Jr. Lakeland, Fla.
WR Julio Jones, Alabama (58) 6-4 210 So. Foley, Ala.
WR A.J. Green, Georgia (53) 6-4 207 So. Summerville, S.C.
QB Tim Tebow, Florida (61) 6-3 240 Sr. Jacksonville, Fla.
RB Charles Scott, LSU (59) 5-11 233 Sr. Saline, La.
RB Michael Smith, Arkansas (48) 5-7 176 Sr. Tallahassee, Fla.
Second-Team Offense
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
TE Aaron Hernandez, Florida (18) 6-3 255 Jr. Bristol, Conn.
OL Clint Boling, Georgia (12) 6-5 297 Jr. Alpharetta, Ga.
OL Trinton Sturdivant, Georgia (8) 6-5 306 So. Wadesboro, N.C.
OL Lee Ziemba, Auburn (6) 6-8 285 Jr. Rogers, Ark.
OL Zipp Duncan, Kentucky (4) 6-5 291 Sr. Magnolia, Ky.
C Josh McNeil, Tennessee (12) 6-4 280 Sr. Collins, Miss.
WR Brandon LaFell, LSU (9) 6-3 209 Sr. Houston, Texas
WR Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss (6) 5-8 165 Sr. Largo, Fla.
QB Jevan Snead, Ole Miss (2) 6-3 215 Jr. Stephenville, Texas
RB Mark Ingram, Alabama (6) 5-10 215 So. Flint, Mich.
RB Anthony Dixon, Miss. State (5) 6-1 235 Sr. Jackson, Miss.
DEFENSE
First-Team Defense
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
DL Terrence Cody, Alabama (55) 6-5 365 Sr. Fort Myers, Fla.
DL Greg Hardy, Ole Miss (53) 6-4 265 Sr. Millington, Tenn.
DL Carlos Dunlap, Florida (46) 6-6 290 Jr. North Charleston, S.C.
DL Antonio Coleman, Auburn (32) 6-3 250 Sr. Mobile, Ala.
LB Brandon Spikes, Florida (61) 6-3 245 Sr. Shelby, N.C.
LB Rolando McClain, Alabama (50) 6-4 249 Jr. Decatur, Ala.
LB Eric Norwood, South Carolina (38) 6-1 252 Sr. Acworth, Ga.
DB Eric Berry, Tennessee (62) 5-11 203 Jr. Fairburn, Ga.
DB Trevard Lindley, Kentucky (50) 6-0 179 Sr. Hiram, Ga.
DB Joe Haden, Florida (45) 5-11 185 Jr. Ft. Washington, Md.
DB Javier Arenas, Alabama (23) 5-9 198 Sr. Tampa, Fla.
Second-Team Defense
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
DL Geno Atkins, Georgia (21) 6-1 290 Sr. Pembroke Pines, Fla.
DL Malcolm Sheppard, Arkansas (12) 6-2 280 Sr. Bainbridge, Ga.
DL Jermaine Cunningham, Florida (10) 6-3 257 Sr. Stone Mountain, Ga.
DL Charles Alexander, LSU (7) 6-3 310 Sr. Breaux Bridge, La.
LB Rennie Curran, Georgia (25) 5-11 222 Jr. Snellville, Ga.
LB Rico McCoy, Tennessee (4) 6-1 220 Sr. Washington, D.C.
#LB Micah Johnson, Kentucky (3) 6-2 258 Sr. Ft. Campbell, Ky.
#LB Jamar Chaney, Miss. State (3) 6-1 245 Sr. Fort Pierce, Fla.
DB Ahmad Black, Florida (20) 5-9 190 Jr. Lakeland, Fla.
DB Chad Jones, LSU (12) 6-3 214 Jr. New Orleans, La.
DB Myron Lewis, Vanderbilt (12) 6-2 205 Sr. Pompano Beach, Fla.
DB Major Wright, Florida (7) 6-0 200 Jr. Miramar, Fla.
SPECIALISTS
First-Team Specialists
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
PK Leigh Tiffin, Alabama (31) 6-1 199 Sr. Muscle Shoals, Ala.
P Chas Henry, Florida (43) 6-4 215 Jr. Dallas, Ga.
RS Brandon James, Florida (35) 5-7 186 Sr. St. Augustine, Fla.
Second-Team Specialists
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
PK Joshua Shene, Ole Miss (26) 5-8 170 Sr. Oklahoma City, Okla.
P Clinton Durst, Auburn (10) 6-1 192 Sr. Destin, Fla.
RS Javier Arenas, Alabama (21) 5-9 198 Sr. Tampa, Fla.
# - Ties
By School
School 1 2 Total
Alabama 6 2 8
Arkansas 2 1 3
Auburn 1 2 3
Florida 8 4 12
Georgia 1 4 5
Kentucky 1 2 3
LSU 2 3 5
Ole Miss 2 3 5
Mississippi State 0 2 2
South Carolina 1 0 1
Tennessee 1 2 3
Vanderbilt 0 1 1
SEC PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
64 total votes
SEC Champions – Florida (63), Ole Miss (1)
Eastern Division
1. Florida (64) 64
2. Georgia 133
3. South Carolina 217
4. Tennessee 258
5. Vanderbilt 317
6. Kentucky 355
Western Division
1. Alabama (33) 109
2. LSU (15) 145
3. Ole Miss (16) 149
4. Arkansas 245
5. Auburn 309
6. Mississippi State 387
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 28
volatil writes:
the chickens third , really ?
govols082859#1369959 writes:
I think that also where we were picked in the 1998 season.
How'd that work out Gator99????
Bwahahahahahaha
xXRockyTopXx writes:
Finishing 4th behind Georgia and South Carolina should provide a little motivation. Personally, I would be surprised if we lost to South Carolina this year...and the Georgia game could go either way. Either way, it would appear there aren't many expectations from the rest of the conference for us. That can work to our advantage.
xXRockyTopXx writes:
I was thinking the same thing....
volatil writes:
I can see Vandy third before SC , afterall Vandy has beaten them two years in a row .
Orangeblood13 writes:
These media people have never played football in their life. How are Tebow and Berry not unanimous? And the fighting chickens 3rd? Really?
bugman (Inactive) writes:
SC my arse
tdforvols writes:
This poll is what the media wants (and expects) to happen not what is really going to happen.
Remember the team with the most swagger (Florida) is the easiest to knock over come game day.
HighlandVol writes:
I believe that this next season the Vols will surprise some media pundits. Our offensive offense from last season can be placed squarely at the feet of Dave Clawson who attempted to make these kids play in a system that was alien to them. Almost all of our current players were recruited to play in the Cutcliffe offense-which was more pro-style in essence. CLK's system is similar to that and should play more to our team's strengths.
This orange Kool-Aid is tasty stuff.
kjneel#238751 writes:
Its so useless. Perception means nothing preseason. Show me the list in January when it matters.
99gator writes:
"Remember the team with the most swagger (Florida) is the easiest to knock over come game day."
yeah, that's how it usually works.
VolFanInAtl writes:
Berry 62 votes
Tebow 61
So far the Hiesman is a lock!
VolFanNC writes:
Seems about right. Kind of glad they are picking us down. Should give some motivation. I think this might be a real off year for SC though. Things are aligning where the ole ball coach might be 5-7 or 4-6.
kdaff51 writes:
I think they got it right. But my thinking right now is that The Vols will "SHOCK" someone within the conference this year and will have a big role in determining who wins the East. Better not count us out. Counting the minutes!!!!!!!!
SCarolinaVols writes:
Two Words for the East Div........VB
tdforvols writes:
Glad to see you agree. Over-confidence and taking your talent for granted has killed many a great team. The record book shows that historically the Gators have given up at least a game or two each season. Will that pattern hold up again this year? Who knows.
RJ_Vol writes:
Nuts.
99gator writes:
i was being sarcastic.
for sake of argument, if florida loses two games.....that's a lot of winning throughout the season.
teams that carry a swagger are usually winning teams. that swagger may not be there for the public to see (like the miami hurricane teams of the 80's), but it's there.
the funny part about what you wrote, is that is what kiffin is spending most of his time trying to recapture.
hey, we're good. hey, we're tennessee. we take a back seat to no one. not in recruiting or on the field. etc, etc, etc.
he's trying to do that because he's taking over a team that has no confidence whatsoever. no swagger. they may something in the media, but they don't have no confidence in themselves or each other.
winning teams have that and kiffin is trying to bring that to tennessee.
show me a team walking with an air of confidence and swagger, and i'll bet it's probably a very good team.
sameolvolalum writes:
Thanks for the insightful comment, sir. I certainly agree with you. It's odd, being a UT alum and living in South Carolina, listening on a daily basis to 107.5 fm "The Game." Their interviews with team members, coaches and fans have revealed a positively unearned degree of swagger---all of which is coming from a pretty much "figured out" coach and some slightly over-rated talent. I'd give Spurrier one or two more years at most at the helm. Most of their pundits are whimsically predicting a lofty finish for USC in the SEC and high national ratings at the end of the season. They mention Lane Kiffin at least one time every hour---in a negative way, always, and have been predicting the Gators' waterloo this year to be at the hands of the SC chickens. Personally, I can't wait for their beat down in Knoxville this fall. I look for UT to earn back a great deal of the respect they rightfully once held and I'm confident the Big Orange will represent the power T in Gainesville far better than in the past decade. Peace and Go Vols!
PMC2726 writes:
The so-called "pundits" can predict whatever they want, the games are decided on the field.
Down_The_Field writes:
i'll take 4 but i'm disappointed we weren't ranked 6th. i want to be as far off the radar screen as we can get with CLK feeding poor mouth propaganda about how we'd be lucky to win 4 games to the media. behind the scenes i want the staff to build a cohesive and angry team with lots of locker room material pinned up.
Go4Two writes:
We have more Talent than South Carolina and about even with Georiga. If we get QB play we could win 8-9. If the QB's play like last year the results will be the same as last year.
gohawks1 writes:
I wouldn't care if they picked us last... it'll just be that much more enjoyable when the big orange puts a whooping on a few unsuspecting rivals.
RJ_Vol writes:
Let's count'em up(SEC first teamers) when the year is over.
I think many of the SEC media eat crayons for breakfast.
CoastGuardVol writes:
Down_The_Field, I agree with you.... Counting us out is great. UT has always played better with out back against the wall. We really don't deserve much credit after last year anyway. I think that there will be hiccups that we don't expect, but with the addition of Mr. Lamaison (officially) today, we have more depth and a bright future in my opinion. I still am hurt of Crompton last year but actually have faith that he can do it. UT is on the rise, and people know it. We are getting that swagger back and I think more than a couple of teams are gonna get popped in the mouth. Oh yeah, BERRY FOR HEISMAN!!! GO VOLS!!!!
HallowedHill writes:
Who cares what they say?! Everything outside the sidelines is just talk.
VenomousVol writes:
Rivals recruiting rankings.
2006- UGA #4 UT #23 USC #24
2007- UGA #9 UT #3 USC #6
2008- UGA #7 UT #35 USC #22
2009- UGA #6 UT #10 USC #12
Take off the homer shades for a minute buddy. We are about equal to South Carolina in terms of talent. Considering UGA has been in the top ten in recruiting the last four years while we had classes ranked 23rd and 35th in two of those years, it is pretty silly to say we are about even. We MIGHT be able to match up with UGA talent wise if you were just comparing the starters, but our depth is not even close to theirs. You can thank Fulmer Phudd for that.
http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2009/j...
yardboy#538962 writes:
Fulmer got us into this shape IMO. Should have been replaced a couple years earlier. Nice guy, but out of date.
Tennessee better believe they can beat Florida or they are going to be in trouble. Gators smell fear...ant thats what happened the last couple of years. Florida CAN be beat, however must be done in first couple of minutes of game. Florida is a power house, but they lack brain power. We must give them something to think about. For sure Florida is going to take my advice. Tough to be a VOLfaninFlorida, believe me!!!
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.