Tray Blackmon (left): and Antonio Coleman were both named to the SEC preseason All-American second team, as voted by the league's media at this weekend's SEC Media Days in Birmingham. PLAINSMAN ARCHIVES
This year’s Coaches Preseason All-SEC Teams results were released July 21, preceding the 2008 SEC Football Media Days held last week, with the Tigers boasting eight players to the teams.
After Media Days’ voting, Auburn was picked to win the SEC Western Division title, and nine players were named to the 2008 SEC Football Media Days Preseason All-SEC Football Team.
Junior defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks and sophomore punter Ryan Shoemaker are not strangers to being recognized for their efforts on the field, and the players made both All-SEC teams in first-team selections.
“It’s nice and it’s exciting,” Shoemaker said. “It really gets you pumped up and ready to go for the season.”
Shoemaker made second team in the 2007 Associated Press All-SEC football team his freshman year. Marks was named a Playboy Preseason All-American and is on the Nagurski and Outland Trophy watch lists for the coming season.
Senior offensive guard Tyronne Green, sophomore offensive tackle Lee Ziemba, junior running back Ben Tate, junior linebacker Tray Blackmon and junior cornerback Jerraud Powers were named second-team selections for both All-SEC teams. Junior defensive end Antonio Coleman was named to the Media Days All-SEC second-team selections and the Coaches All-SEC third-team selections. Sophomore kicker Wes Byrum was named to the Media Days All-SEC second-team selections.
Green received Auburn’s Ken Rice Award at the end of the 2007 season as the Tigers’ best blocking lineman. Ziemba started the entire 2007 season at tackle and was named to the Scout.com Freshman All-American team among other freshmen All-American teams.
Tate was a leader in many stats for the 2007 season, including rushing yards (903), attempts (202), all-purpose yardage (83.3 yards per game) and rushing touchdowns (8); he is also the 33rd player in Tiger history to rack up 1,000 rushing yards.
After Auburn’s win over Arkansas and because of his career-high nine tackles in the game, Blackmon was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week. Powers was given Auburn’s Zeke Smith Award for being the team’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2007 season.
Coleman was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after making three tackles for loss including two quarterback sacks in Auburn’s 2007 win over Ole Miss.
“I really don’t buy into all those preseason, All-SEC teams, because at the end of the day, you have to make plays for this team to have a chance to get a national championship and not just for an SEC Championship,” Coleman said. “It’s a great thing in itself, but I don’t really pay any attention to that.”
Byrum was an SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for his 43-yard game-winning kick to beat Florida as the clock ran out.
LSU had the most players named to the Coaches All-SEC teams, 14, followed by Florida, 10, and Georgia, nine.
Auburn had the most picks for the Media Days All-SEC teams with nine, and LSU had eight; Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia all had five.
Auburn was selected to win the SEC West title by the league’s media at Media Days held July 23-25 in Hoover. Florida was named to win the SEC East title and the SEC Championship.
“That’s just their opinion, I mean, obviously we have a great team, and we can beat anyone we play against if we come out with our A-game,” Coleman said. “I think all the preseason hype and pick to win the West are all words. We have to get out there and play the LSUs, the West Virginias, the Georgias and the Tennessees. We’ll have to get out there and do it.”
The Tigers kick off the 2008 season Aug. 30 against Louisiana-Monroe at 6 p.m. CST.
