See the Vol Walk before Tennessee vs. Alabama game
See the Tennessee Volunteers football team during the Vol Walk ahead of their SEC conference game against rival Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
A pair of programs lead the way on this year’s All-SEC team, as No. 2 Texas and No. 13 Ole Miss have four players each on the squad selected by the beat writers who cover the league for the USA TODAY Sports Network.
Next to the Longhorns and Rebels is No. 7 Tennessee, which had three player selections. Four other schools — No. 5 Georgia, No. 14 South Carolina, Kentucky and LSU — had two players apiece. No. 11 Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt each had one.
Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson, one of two unanimous selections to this year’s All-SEC squad, was also named the SEC Player of the Year, receiving 11 of 16 possible votes after posting a league-leading 1,485 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns. South Carolina coach Shane Beamer was voted the league’s Coach of the Year. He led the Gamecocks to a 9-3 record with victories over four ranked opponents.
The lone tie in this year’s voting was for SEC Newcomer of the Year, as Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia received five votes each.
As a freshman, Williams was a plug-and-play piece in the Crimson Tide offense, with 45 receptions for 857 yards and eight touchdowns. Pavia guided the Commodores to bowl eligibility for the first time in six seasons, which included a win over then-No. 1 Alabama.
In all, 13 of the SEC’s 16 members have some All-SEC representation in 2024, with Missouri, Mississippi State and Texas A&M not making the mark.
Here’s a look at this year’s team, as voted on by the 16 beat writers who cover the conference.
OFFENSE
- Quarterback: Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
- Running back: Dylan Sampson, Tennessee*
- Running back: Jarquez Hunter, Auburn
- Wide receiver: Tre Harris, Ole Miss
- Wide receiver: Andrew Armstrong, Arkansas
- Tight end: Gunnar Helm, Texas
- Offensive line: Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas*
- Offensive line: Tyler Booker, Alabama
- Offensive line: Jake Slaughter, Florida
- Offensive line: Tate Ratledge, Georgia
- Offensive line: Will Campbell, LSU
DEFENSE
- Defensive line: Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss
- Defensive line: Kyle Kennard, South Carolina
- Defensive line: Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
- Defensive line: James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
- Linebacker: Anthony Hill Jr., Texas
- Linebacker: Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
- Linerbacker: Whit Weeks, LSU
- Defensive back: Jahdae Barron, Texas
- Defensive back: Malaki Starks, Georgia
- Defensive back: Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
- Defensive back: Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
SPECIAL TEAMS
- Kicker: Alex Raynor, Kentucky
- Punter: Jesse Mirco, Vanderbilt
- All-purpose: Barion Brown, Kentucky
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
- Player of the Year: Dylan Sampson, Tennessee
- Coach of the Year: Shane Beamer, South Carolina
- Newcomer of the Year: Ryan Williams, Alabama AND Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt^
* Indicates unanimous selection
^Indicates tie
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.