UT's Evan Berry named SEC special teams player of the year

Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 10/3/15. UT's Evan Bery (29) returns Arkansas's kickoff 96-yards for a touchdown during the first quarter of play on October 3, 2015. The Volunteers played the Razorbacks at home in Neyland Stadium late Saturday evening.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 10/3/15. UT's Evan Bery (29) returns Arkansas's kickoff 96-yards for a touchdown during the first quarter of play on October 3, 2015. The Volunteers played the Razorbacks at home in Neyland Stadium late Saturday evening.

KNOXVILLE -- Leading the nation in kickoff return average and returning three kicks for touchdowns was enough for Evan Berry to make some history.

The Tennessee defensive back was named the Southeastern Conference special teams player of the year on Wednesday to become the first Volunteer to win that individual.

The last Tennessee player to win any individual award from the conference was his older brother Eric, who was the SEC's defensive player of the year in 2008.

League champion Alabama swept the offensive and defensive player of year awards with running back Derrick Henry and linebacker Reggie Ragland taking home those honors.

Florida's Jim McElwain was named the league's coach of the year for getting the Gators to the SEC championship game in his first season.

Texas A&M's Christian Kirk is the SEC freshman of the year, and Alabama center Ryan Kelly was named the scholar-athlete of the year and shared the Jacobs Blocking Trophy with Sebastian Tretola of Arkansas.

Berry was named to the All-SEC first-team as a return specialist by the league's coaches on Tuesday, becoming the first Tennessee player to do so, and by ESPN.com on Wednesday.

The last All-SEC return specialist the Vols had was Cordarrelle Patterson (second team) in 2012.

Berry led the nation with a 38.3-yard per-return average and returned kickoffs for touchdowns against Western Carolina, Arkansas and Kentucky, tying Willie Gault's single-season record for kickoff return touchdowns set in 1980.

Only Morgan Burns of Kansas State (four) had more kick-return touchdowns this season.

Running back Jalen Hurd and defensive end Derek Barnett landed on the All-SEC second team on Tuesday, and left tackle Kyler Kerbyson made ESPN's All-SEC second team on Wednesday.

Hurd is Tennessee's first All-SEC running back since Montario Hardesty in 2009, and the Vols last had a first-team All-SEC back in 2001 (Travis Stephens).

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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