Vols' Ainge, Hefney, Colquitt Chosen Blue Ribbon Preseason All-SEC
June 13, 2007
Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge, defensive back Jonathan Hefney and punter Britton Colquitt have been selected to the Preseason All-SEC Team by Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook.
Colquitt was also chosen to Blue Ribbon's Preseason All-America team.
Tennessee receiver Kenny O'Neal was selected as the conference preseason newcomer of the year.
Arkansas running back Derrick McFadden was chosen preseason conference offensive player of the year and LSU defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey was selected defensive player of the year.
Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook can be ordered at www.blueribbonyearbook.com or by calling 866-805-BALL.
SEC NOTEBOOK
Talk about a tough neighborhood. After Florida’s 2006 national championship and Alabama’s hiring of Nick Saban, the SEC is now the only league in the country with four coaches who have won it all. Besides the Gators’ Urban Meyer and Saban, who won the 2003 championship at LSU, there’s Tennessee’s Phillip Fulmer (1998) and South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier (1996 while at Florida). … Saban is the only new coach in the league this year, and it took the operating budget of a small country to pry him away from the Miami Dolphins. Alabama gave Saban—now the highest-paid coach in the college game—an eight-year $32 million contract, every cent of it guaranteed. … Alabama fans apparently approve of Saban and his megabucks deal. They turned out in force (91,238) for the Crimson Tide’s spring game. That blew away the old spring game attendance record held by Tennessee (73,000 in 1986). … The Egg Bowl, that annual grudge match between Ole Miss and Mississippi State, will be televised in 2006 after a four-year hiatus. Admittedly not the most attractive TV match-up since both programs began a steady decline a few seasons ago, the Egg Bowl landed a spot in ESPN’s schedule after switching from Nov. 24 to Nov. 23, the day after Thanksgiving. The game had been a Thanksgiving night staple on ESPN for six straight years. … Eleven SEC players were chosen in the first round of the NFL draft, a record for the league. The Big Ten was a distant second with seven.
BLUE RIBBON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
OFFENSE
Pos. Player School Ht. Wt. Cl.
WR Earl Bennett Vanderbilt 6-1 202 Jr.
WR Marcus Monk Arkansas 6-6 220 Sr.
OL Jonathan Luigs Arkansas 6-4 307 Jr.
OL Antoine Caldwell Alabama 6-4 288 Jr.
OL Will Arnold LSU 6-4 319 Sr.
OL Michael Oher Ole Miss 6-5 325 Jr.
OL Drew Miller Florida 6-5 297 Jr.
QB Erik Ainge Tennessee 6-6 220 Sr.
RB Darren McFadden Arkansas 6-2 215 Jr.
RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis Ole Miss 5-11 215 Sr.
TE Jacob Tamme Kentucky 6-5 240 Jr.
DEFENSE
Pos. Player School Ht. Wt. Cl.
DL Glenn Dorsey LSU 6-2 299 Sr.
DL Quentin Groves Auburn 6-4 254 Sr.
DL Tyson Jackson LSU 6-5 281 Jr.
DL Derrick Harvey Florida 6-4 245 Jr.
LB Jasper Brinkley South Carolina 6-2 262 Sr.
LB Ali Highsmith LSU 6-1 225 Sr.
LB Jonathan Goff Vanderbilt 6-4 235 Sr.
DB Jonathan Hefney Tennessee 5-9 185 Sr.
DB Simeon Castille Alabama 6-1 289 Sr.
DB Derek Pegues Mississippi State 5-10 196 Jr.
DB Chevis Jackson LSU 6-0 190 Sr.
SPECIALISTS
Pos. Player School Ht. Wt. Cl.
K Ryan Succop South Carolina 6-3 214 Jr.
KR Felix Jones Arkansas 6-0 207 Jr.
P Britton Colquitt Tennessee 6-3 198 Jr.
PR Mikey Henderson Georgia 5-10 150 Sr.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Derrick McFadden, RB, Arkansas
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Glenn Dorsey, DL, LSU
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Kenny O’Neal, WR, Tennessee
