There was no dispute about Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson, South Carolina defensive lineman Kyle Kennard and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia when it came to individual honors in the Southeastern Conference this football season.
Sampson was selected as offensive player of the year, Kennard as defensive player of the year and Pavia as newcomer of the year in the SEC by both members of the media and league coaches in separate awards announced Wednesday.
The Associated Press All-SEC team, as selected by a panel of 17 media members who regularly cover the league, was announced along with four individual awards. The All-SEC team selected by the league’s 16 head coaches was released Tuesday, but their voting results on seven individual honors weren’t shared until Wednesday.
In addition to the offensive player, defensive player and newcomer of the year awards, each group selects a coach of the year, but they were split in that case as the AP honor went to South Carolina’s Shane Beamer, while the league vote went to Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea.
Coaches also vote on three other awards: special teams player of the year (Kentucky kicker Alex Raynor), freshman of the year (South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers) and the Jacobs Blocking Trophy (offensive tackles Kelvin Banks Jr. of Texas and Will Campbell of LSU).