The University of Alabama football program once again collected a Southeastern Conference title and two big league-wide individual awards.
Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young is the SEC's offensive player of the year and linebacker Will Anderson Jr. is the top defensive player, as voted on by a panel of sports writers and broadcasters covering the league. The voting was released Wednesday.
Georgia's Kirby Smart is the pick as coach of the year after leading the Bulldogs to a 12-0 regular season and into the College Football Playoff. Bulldogs freshman tight end Brock Bowers is the selection as top newcomer after leading the team in receiving.
Anderson, Missouri tailback Tyler Badie and Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams were the only unanimous picks. Anderson, the Bronco Nagurski winner as the nation's top defensive player, was named on some ballots as a defensive lineman/edge rusher.
He leads the nation in sacks and tackles for loss this season. Young is the Heisman Trophy favorite after leading the way to a 41-24 victory over Smart's Bulldogs in the SEC title game this past Saturday in Atlanta.
It was the second straight year Alabama had the offensive and defensive players of the year for the AP honors, with Heisman-winning wide receiver DeVonta Smith and cornerback Patrick Surtain taking the awards in 2020.
AP file photo by Vasha Hunt / Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. is the SEC's defensive player of the year in separate votes by coaches and media.All-SEC teams as selected by coaches were announced Tuesday, but the coaches' votes for individual honors were revealed Wednesday, with Alabama's Young and Anderson and Georgia's Smart receiving the same honors from that group as from the AP's 14-member panel. Bowers received similar league recognition as the coaches' freshman of the year, with Williams and Tennessee's Velus Jones Jr. sharing the special teams player of the year award and Kentucky offensive lineman Darian Kinnard the league's Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner.
The SEC's release noted Badie was honored as the league's scholar-athlete of the year before last Saturday's title game in Atlanta.
AP file photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack / Georgia's Kirby Smart is the SEC's football coach of the year in separate votes by coaches and media.AP ALL-SEC FOOTBALL
The 2021 AP All-SEC football team, as selected by a panel of 14 sports writers and broadcasters who regularly cover the league, with name, school, height, weight, class and hometown listed ("u-" denotes unanimous selection):
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
QB - Bryce Young, Alabama, 6-0, 194, So., Pasadena, California
RB - u-Tyler Badie, Missouri, 5-8, 194, Sr., New Orleans
RB - Chris Rodriguez, Kentucky, 5-11, 224, Jr., McDonough, Georgia
OL - Darian Kinnard, Kentucky, 6-5, 345, Sr., Knoxville
OL - Charles Cross, Mississippi State, 6-5, 310, R-So., Laurel, Mississippi
OL - Kenyon Green, Texas A&M, 6-4, 325, Jr., Humble, Texas
OL - Evan Neal, Alabama, 6-7, 360, Jr., Okeechobee, Florida
C - Michael Maietti, Missouri, 6-1, 290, Grad., West Orange, N.J.
TE - Brock Bowers, Georgia, 6-4, 230, Fr., Napa, California.
WR - u-Jameson Williams, Alabama, 6-1, 175, Jr., St. Louis, Missouri
WR - Treylon Burks, Arkansas, 6-3, 225, Jr., Warren, Arkansas
K - Harrison Mevis, Missouri, 5-11, 236, So., Warsaw, Indiana
AP - Velus Jones, Tennessee, 6-0, 200, Sr., Saraland, Alabama
DEFENSE
DE - Sam Williams, Ole Miss, 6-4, 265, Sr., Montgomery, Alabama
DE - Josh Paschal, Kentucky, 6-3, 278, Sr., Prince George's County, Maryland
DT - DeMarvin Leal, Texas A&M, 6-4, 290, Jr., San Antonio, Texas
DT - Jordan Davis, Georgia, 6-6, 340, Sr., Charlotte, North Carolina
LB - u-Will Anderson, Alabama, 6-4, 243, So., Hampton, Georgia
LB - Nakobe Dean, Georgia, 6-0, 225, Jr., Horn Lake, Mississippi
LB - Damone Clark, LSU, 6-3, 240, Sr., Baton Rouge
DB - Roger McCreary, Auburn, 6-0, 190, Sr., Mobile, Alabama
DB - Lewis Cine, Georgia, 6-1, 200, Jr., Cedar Hill, Texas
DB - Jaylan Foster, South Carolina, 5-10, 195, Sr., Duncan, South Carolina
DB - Jordan Battle, Alabama, 6-1, 210, Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Florida
P - Nik Constantinou, Texas A&M, 6-3, 230, So., Melbourne, Australia
SEC offensive player of year - Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
SEC defensive player of year - Will Anderson, LB, Alabama
SEC coach of year - Kirby Smart, Georgia
SEC newcomer of year - Brock Browers, TE, Georgia
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
QB - Matt Corral, Ole Miss, 6-2, 205, Jr., Ventura, California
RB - Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M, 6-1, 215, Jr., Spring, Texas
RB - Brian Robinson, Alabama, 6-0, 204, Sr., Tuscaloosa, Alabama
OL - Jamaree Salyer, Georgia, 6-4, 325, Sr., Atlanta
OL - Layden Robinson, Texas A&M, 6-4, 320, So., Manuel, Texas
OL - Justin Shaffer, Georgia, 6-4, 330, Sr., Ellenwood, Georgia
OL -Cade Mays, Tennessee, 6-6, 325, Knoxville
C - Ricky Stromberg, Arkansas, 6-4, 310, Jr., Tulsa, Oklahoma
TE - Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M, 6-5, 255, Jr., Dickinson, Texas
WR - Wan'Dale Robinson, Kentucky, 5-11, 185, Jr., Frankfort, Kentucky
WR - John Metchie III, Alabama, 6-0, 195, Jr., Brampton, Canada
PK - Cade York, LSU, 6-1, 198, Jr., McKinney, Texas
DEFENSE
DE - Derick Hall, Auburn, 6-3, 251, Jr., Gulfport, Mississippi
DE - Tyree Johnson, Texas A&M, 6-4, 240, Sr., Washington, D.C.
DT - Devonte Wyatt, Georgia, 6-3, 315, Sr., Decatur, Georgia
DT - Neal Farrell Jr., LSU, 6-4, 325, Grad., Mobile, Alabama
LB - Channing Tindall, Georgia, 6-2, 230, Sr., Columbia, South Carolina
LB - Zakoby McClain, Auburn, 6-0, 219, Sr., Valdosta, Georgia
LB - Bumper Pool, Arkansas, 6-2, 230, Sr., Lucas, Texas
DB - Derion Kendrick, Georgia, 6-0, 190, Sr., Rock Hill, South Carolina
DB-Cam Smith, South Carolina, 6-1, 187, So., Blythewood, South Carolina
DB-AJ Finley, Ole Miss, 6-2, 210, Jr., Mobile, Alabama
DB-Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M, 6-3, 200, So., East St. Louis, Illinois
P- Jake Camarda, Georgia, 6-2, 180, Sr., Norcross, Georgia
AP - Jameson Williams, Alabama, 6-2, 189, Jr., St. Louis, Missouri
AP All-SEC voting panel: Parrish Alford, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal; Travis Brown, Bryan-College Station Eagle; John Clay, Lexington Herald Leader; Gentry Estes, The Tennessean; Garland Gillen, Fox 8 (WVUE-TV), New Orleans; Jordan Hill, Opelika-Auburn News; Nick Kelly, The Tuscaloosa News; David Matter, St. Louis Post Dispatch; Tom Murphy, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Ben Portnoy, The State, Columbia, S.C.; Adam Sparks, Knoxville News-Sentinel; Nick Suss, The Clarion Ledger; Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel; Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner-Herald.