GAINESVILLE -- We here at Gator Clause demand full transparency. We want to know which Southeastern Conference football coach did not vote Florida quarterback Tim Tebow for first-team offense in the SEC football preseason all-conference football team? (sarcasm, people)
The league's preseason all-SEC teams were released today. While coaches voted in 16 UF players total and eight UF players to the first-team offense, defense and special teams, there is one minor problem. Tebow isn't a unanimous selection for first-team offense!
If ever there was a no-brainer in selecting an all-conference quarterback, then it would be selecting Tebow -- in his senior year, after winning a national championship and an SEC championship -- as the league's top quarterback this season. Tebow was such a shoe-in for first-team offense, you got to think that one coach didn't vote for Tebow just out of spite. (And you'd think coaches would be above all that.) Who's better in the SEC, I ask you? Jevan Snead of Ole Miss? Snead might be drafted higher than Tebow next year but for now Tebow is the best quarterback with the most experience in the SEC. He's the only quarterback with national title rings, for which he has two. He's the only quarterback with a Heisman Trophy.
People are talking about Tebow being one of the best players in the history of college football, but apparently one coach (or maybe more than one, who knows) doesn't think Tebow is the best quarterback in the SEC this season. Does anyone else find this bizarre or at least very intriguing?
Who could it be? Who is the Gator hater? Lane Kiffin at Tennessee? Everyone blames him for everything these days. He has never coached against Tebow, so maybe he doesn't fully respect the player and his abilities yet. Maybe Mark Richt at Georgia? Nah, got to believe Mark has plenty of respect for Tebow. Maybe it was Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt? Nope. It can't be Nutt because coaches aren't allowed to vote for their own players.
[PICTURED, A Gator hater?]
This much I know, we're going to get to the bottom of this. SEC Media Days are next week and I'll be asking every single coach if they voted Tebow to the first team.
Gators first-team players: Tebow, guard Mike Pouncey, center Maurkice Pouncey (although he might not play center this season), defensive end Carlos Dunlap, middle linebacker Brandon Spikes, cornerback Joe Haden, punter Chas Henry and return specialist Brandon James.
A few other things of interest...
UF safety Ahmad Black isn't on the first-team defense despite making THE play of the national championship game and collecting seven interceptions last season...The only unanimous first-team selections were Alabama receiver Julio Jones, LSU offensive lineman Ciron Black and Tennessee safety Eric Berry...The two Floridians who were selected to the first-team defense do not play for Florida. They play for Alabama: defensive tackle Terrence Cody (Fort Myers) and cornerback Javier Arenas (Tampa)...UF tight end Aaron Hernandez is a third-team tight end? Talk about motivation...The same goes for UF safety Major Wright of Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas. Wright seems better than a third-team safety...UF defensive end Jermaine Cunningham didn't make the list.
OFFENSE
First-Team Offense
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
TE Richard Dickson, LSU 6-3 246 Sr. Ocean Springs, Miss.
*OL Ciron Black, LSU 6-5 325 Sr. Tyler, Texas
OL Mike Johnson, Alabama 6-6 305 Sr. Pensacola, Fla.
OL Mike Pouncey, Florida 6-5 312 Jr. Lakeland, Fla.
OL John Jerry, Ole Miss 6-5 350 Sr. Batesville, Miss.
C Maurkice Pouncey, Florida 6-5 312 Jr. Lakeland, Fla.
*WR Julio Jones, Alabama 6-4 210 So. Foley, Ala.
WR A.J. Green, Georgia 6-4 207 So. Summerville, S.C.
QB Tim Tebow, Florida 6-3 240 Sr. Jacksonville, Fla.
RB Michael Smith, Arkansas 5-7 176 Sr. Tallahassee, Fla.
RB Charles Scott, LSU 5-11 233 Sr. Saline, La.
Second-Team Offense
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
TE D.J. Williams, Arkansas 6-2 251 Jr. Little Rock, Ark.
OL Lee Ziemba, Auburn 6-8 285 Jr. Rogers, Ark.
OL Clint Boling, Georgia 6-5 297 Jr. Alpharetta, Ga.
#OL Chris Scott, Tennessee 6-5 346 Sr. Riverdale, Ga.
#OL Carl Johnson, Florida 6-6 330 Jr. Durham, N.C.
#OL Cordy Glenn, Georgia 6-5 331 So. Riverdale, Ga.
C Josh McNeil, Tennessee 6-4 280 Sr. Collins, Miss.
WR Brandon LaFell, LSU 6-3 209 Sr. Houston, Texas
WR Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss 5-8 165 Sr. Largo, Fla.
QB Jevan Snead, Ole Miss 6-3 215 Jr. Stephenville, Texas
RB Anthony Dixon, Mississippi State 6-1 235 Sr. Jackson, Miss.
RB Jeff Demps, Florida 5-8 176 So. Winter Garden, Fla.
Third-Team Offense
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
TE Aaron Hernandez, Florida 6-3 255 Jr. Bristol, Conn.
OL Jacques McClendon, Tennessee 6-3 324 Sr. Cleveland, Tenn.
OL Zipp Duncan, Kentucky 6-5 291 Sr. Magnolia, Ky.
OL Mitch Petrus, Arkansas 6-4 315 Sr. Carlisle, Ark.
OL Trinton Sturdivant, Georgia 6-5 306 So. Wadesboro, N.C.
C Jorge Gonzalez, Kentucky 6-3 300 Sr. Tampa, Fla.
WR Shay Hodge, Ole Miss 6-1 207 Sr. Morton, Miss.
#WR Terrance Tolliver, LSU 6-5 194 Jr. Hempstead, Texas
#WR Gerald Jones, Tennessee 6-0 199 Jr. Oklahoma City, Okla.
#QB Stephen Garcia, South Carolina 6-2 219 So. Lutz, Fla.
#QB Mike Hartline, Kentucky 6-6 206 Jr. Canton, Ohio
RB Mark Ingram, Alabama 5-10 215 So. Flint, Mich.
RB Ben Tate, Auburn 5-11 216 Sr. Newark, Md.
DEFENSE
First-Team Defense
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
DL Terrence Cody, Alabama 6-5 365 Sr. Fort Myers, Fla.
DL Greg Hardy, Ole Miss 6-4 265 Sr. Millington, Tenn.
DL Carlos Dunlap, Florida 6-6 290 Jr. North Charleston, S.C.
LB Rolando McClain, Alabama 6-4 249 Jr. Decatur, Ala.
LB Brandon Spikes, Florida 6-3 245 Sr. Shelby, N.C.
LB Rennie Curran, Georgia 5-11 222 Jr. Snellville, Ga.
LB Eric Norwood, South Carolina 6-1 252 Sr. Acworth, Ga.
*DB Eric Berry, Tennessee 5-11 203 Jr. Fairburn, Ga.
DB Javier Arenas, Alabama 5-9 198 Sr. Tampa, Fla.
DB Trevard Lindley, Kentucky 6-0 179 Sr. Hiram, Ga.
DB Joe Haden, Florida 5-11 185 Jr. Ft. Washington, Md.
Second-Team Defense
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
DL Charles Alexander, LSU 6-3 310 Sr. Breaux Bridge, La.
DL Antonio Coleman, Auburn 6-3 250 Sr. Mobile, Ala.
#DL Geno Atkins, Georgia 6-1 290 Sr. Pembroke Pines, Fla.
#DL Dan Williams, Tennessee 6-3 327 Sr. Memphis, Tenn.
#DL Malcolm Sheppard, Arkansas 6-2 280 Sr. Bainbridge, Ga.
LB Micah Johnson, Kentucky 6-2 258 Sr. Ft. Campbell, Ky.
LB Patrick Benoist, Vanderbilt 6-0 224 Sr. Southlake, Texas
LB Rico McCoy, Tennessee 6-1 220 Sr. Washington, D.C.
LB Dont’a Hightower, Alabama 6-4 250 So. Lewisburg, Tenn.
DB Ahmad Black, Florida 5-9 190 Jr. Lakeland, Fla.
DB Chad Jones, LSU 6-3 214 Jr. New Orleans, La.
DB Prince Miller, Georgia 5-8 198 Sr. Duncan, S.C.
DB Myron Lewis, Vanderbilt 6-2 205 Sr. Pompano Beach, Fla.
Third-Team Defense
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
DL Jeff Owens, Georgia 6-3 300 Sr. Sunrise, Fla.
DL Marcus Tillman, Ole Miss 6-4 260 Sr. McCall Creek, Miss.
#DL Rahim Alem, LSU 6-3 254 Sr. New Orleans, La.
#DL Corey Peters, Kentucky 6-3 295 Sr. Louisville, Ky.
LB Chris Marve, Vanderbilt 6-0 228 So. Memphis, Tenn.
LB Jamar Chaney, Mississippi State 6-1 245 Sr. Fort Pierce, Fla.
LB Ryan Stamper, Florida 6-2 232 Sr. Jacksonville, Fla.
LB Perry Riley, LSU 6-1 240 Sr. Ellenwood, Ga.
DB Major Wright, Florida 6-0 200 Jr. Miramar, Fla.
DB Janoris Jenkins, Florida 5-10 185 So. Pahokee, Fla.
#DB Ryan Hamilton, Vanderbilt 6-2 210 Sr. Wycombe, Penn.
#DB Chris Culliver, South Carolina 6-0 190 Jr. Garner, N.C.
#DB Reshad Jones, Georgia 6-2 214 Jr. Atlanta, Ga.
SPECIALISTS
First-Team Specialists
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
PK Leigh Tiffin, Alabama 6-1 199 Sr. Muscle Shoals, Ala.
P Chas Henry, Florida 6-4 215 Jr. Dallas, Ga.
RS Brandon James, Florida 5-7 186 Sr. St. Augustine, Fla.
Second-Team Specialists
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
PK Jonathan Phillips, Florida 5-10 210 Sr. Wellington, Fla.
P Brett Upson, Vanderbilt 5-11 185 Sr. Griffin, Ga.
RS Javier Arenas, Alabama 5-9 198 Sr. Tampa, Fla.
Third-Team Specialists
Pos. Name, Team Ht. Wt. Class Hometown
PK Joshua Shene, Ole Miss 5-8 170 Sr. Oklahoma City, Okla.
P Spencer Lanning, South Carolina 5-11 188 Jr. Rock Hill, S.C.
RS Trindon Holliday, LSU 5-5 165 Sr. Zachary, La.
* - Unanimous Selections# - Ties
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