Six Vols Named GridironNow.com All-SEC
December 09, 2015 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Six Vols were named to the 2015 GridironNow.com All-SEC team. Evan Berry and Cameron Sutton earned first-team honors as return specialists and Jalen Hurd, Jashon Robertson, Derek Barnett and Jalen Reeves-Maybin garnered second-team honors.
Berry has also been named the 2015 SEC Special Teams Player of the Year, an All-SEC Coaches' First Team selection and an ESPN.com All-SEC Team honoree. He is first Vol to be named SEC Special Teams Player of the Year and the first to earn First Team All-SEC honors as a return specialist. He is also the first Vol to earn an SEC individual honor since Eric Berry, his older brother, was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. In 2015, Berry has emerged as the nation's top kick returner, leading the country in kick return average (38.3) and tying for second with three returns brought back for a touchdown. On Nov. 2, Berry became the first Volunteer kick returner to be named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week since Cordarrelle Patterson in 2012. His three kickoff returns for a touchdown tied the UT single-season record set by Willie Gault in 1980. Berry's total of 804 overall return yards (both kickoff and punt return yards) ranks as the fourth-most in a season in Tennessee history. His 34.8 career kickoff return average is also a new Tennessee record.
Sutton has established himself as the country's top punt returner, leading the nation in punt return average (18.7 yards per return). He is just one of 12 players with two punts returned for a touchdown this year and the sixth Vol to register two punt-return TDs and the first since Terry Fair accomplished the feat in 1996. He had an 84-yard score against Kentucky on Oct. 31 and a career-long 85-yard return for a touchdown against Vanderbilt on Nov. 28. Sutton's 16.0-yard career punt return average ranks first in Tennessee history. Sutton has also started every game at cornerback this year, posting 28 tackles, one interception, two forced fumbles, three tackles for a loss and six pass break-ups.
Hurd previously earned All-SEC Coaches' Second Team honors on Tuesday, becoming the first UT running back to garner All-SEC accolades sin Montario Hardesty in 2009. Hurd's 1,158 rushing yards on the season (fourth-most in the SEC) ranks as the 12th most by a Vol in a single season and marks the 18th 1,000-rushing yard season in UT history. His 11 rushing touchdowns rank fifth in the SEC and 253 carries on the year are tied for the fourth-most by a Vol in a season. Hurd currently ranks 15th in Tennessee history with 2,057 career rushing yards. Five of Hurd's eight career 100-yard rushing games have come this season, including three in SEC play (102 at Florida, 151 at Missouri, 120 vs. Vanderbilt). He has also been a reliable receiver out of the backfield with 21 catches for 190 yards and two scores.
Robertson has been a standout on Tennessee's offensive line this year, starting nine games at left guard. On the season, Tennessee has 2,682 rushing yards, the Vols' most since 1989. It is the Vols' most rushing yards since 1989. Robertson has made 22 starts in his career and he is a team leader and one of the most-experienced offensive linemen on a Tennessee unit that has produced eight games with 200-plus rushing yards, including two 300-plus games (Bowling Green, Vanderbilt).
Barnett has built off of a strong 2014 Freshman All-American campaign with an impressive sophomore season and earned All-SEC Coaches' Second Team honors for a second-straight year. He has compiled 61 tackles (38 solo), 9.0 sacks, one forced fumble, seven quarterback hurries, one safety and one pass breakup this year. His nine sacks rank fourth in the SEC and are the most by a Vol this year. Barnett also ranks third on the team in tackles and second in tackles for a loss (11.5). He has 19 career sacks in just two seasons to rank ninth in Tennessee history. Barnett enjoyed a five-game sack streak from Oct. 10 to Nov. 14. In October, he was named to the Ted Hendricks Award Midseason Watch List.
Reeves-Maybin has been a key leader on the Tennessee defense both on and off the field. He leads the Vols with 99 tackles, 62 solo tackles and 13.0 tackles for a loss and two fumble recoveries and she is tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles. Reeves-Maybin also has 5.0 sacks and four pass break-ups. His 99 tackles rank eighth in the SEC and his 62 solo stops rank sixth. His 13.0 tackles for a loss are the seventh-most in the league. He recorded a career-high 21 tackles on Sept. 12 against Oklahoma and has tallied double-digit tackles in three games. This past summer, he was named a Hammer Strength All-American, recognizing the work he has put in to becoming an elite athlete.
Here is a list of Tennessee's honors to date:
Derek Barnett - DL
- All-SEC Second Team (Coaches)
- GridironNow.com All-SEC Second-Team Defense
Evan Berry - Return Specialist
- SEC Special Teams Player of the Year
- All-SEC First Team (Coaches)
- ESPN.com All-SEC
- GridironNow.com All-SEC First-Team Specialists (KR)
Jalen Hurd - RB
- All-SEC Second Team (Coaches)
- GridironNow.com All-SEC Second-Team Offense
Kyler Kerbyson - OL
- ESPN.com All-SEC
Jalen Reeves-Maybin - LB
- GridironNow.com All-SEC Second-Team Defense
Jashon Robertson - OG
- GridironNow.com All-SEC Second-Team Offense
Cameron Sutton - Return Specialist
- GridironNow.com All-SEC First-Team Specialists (PR)
