Six Tennessee football players landed on the 2024 Coaches’ All-SEC teams on Tuesday.
Running back Dylan Sampson, center Cooper Mays, and EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr. landed on the First Team All-SEC roster while sophomore cornerback Jermod McCoy earned a Second Team All-SEC nod.
Tennessee offensive lineman Javontez Spraggins and kickoff specialist Josh Turbyville were selected for the Third Team All-SEC roster by the coaches.
The Vols added two players on the All-SEC teams from the preseason to the actual season thanks to the emergence of McCoy and the recognition of Turbyville.
Sampson led the SEC in both rushing yards and touchdowns this season, totaling 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns in the regular season on 256 carries. The junior running back was the constant on an up-and-down Tennessee offense this season, carrying the workload in a number of crucial wins in the heart of the season.
The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native broke Tennessee’s single-season record for both rushing yards and touchdowns and is second all-time in 100-yard games.
Mays was a First Team selection in the preseason and he played up to that standard in his final year of college eligibility. The Knoxville native committed just three penalties over the course of the season while allowing zero sacks and eight total pressures.
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Pearce had a slightly disappointing season statistically going from 9.5 sacks to 7.5 sacks but created enough havoc to land on the first team after being on the first team a season ago. Pearce had a major impact and even improved against the run on his way to totaling 35 tackles.
The junior edge rusher’s 89.6 PFF pass rush grade was the fifth best in the SEC and he led the conference with 40 quarterback hurries and was second in the conference with a 23% pass rush win rate. Pearce’s forced fumble at the goal line against Florida was one of the most pivotal plays of the entire season.
McCoy was a revelation for the Vols’ defense after transferring from Oregon State to Tennessee over the offseason. The physical corner ranked second in the SEC with four interceptions and eight pass breakups.
Over the course of the season, McCoy allowed 27 catches for 337 yards and one touchdown on 58 targets. His end zone interceptions against Alabama and Vanderbilt were critical first-half plays in crucial Tennessee wins.
Spraggins, a fan-favorite veteran on the Vols’ offensive line, started 11 of 12 regular season games for Tennessee and was a big contributor to the Vols’ record-setting rushing attack from Dylan Sampson and the Tennessee offense. According to UT Sports and PFF, Spraggins only allowed two sacks the entire season.
Turbyville was responsible for Tennessee’s kickoff duties for the second straight year and finished the regular season with 66 touchdowns, good for second in the SEC and third in the FBS.
The Associated Press releases its All-SEC teams Wednesday so stay tuned to see which Tennessee players landed on the list.
