Dansby leads pre-season SEC
Published 12:00 am Friday, August 1, 2003
BIRMINGHAM&045;&045;After years of being the Rodney Dangerfield of the SEC, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville is finally getting some respect.
That respect extended to his team and his players as the SEC announced the pre-season All-SEC team this week.
Linebacker Karlos Dansby got 77 of 78 possible votes to lead the way.
Dansby was joined on the first team by two teammates.
Running back Carnell Williams and fellow senior linebacker Dontarrious Thomas also were selected to the first team.
Auburn running back Ronnie Brown and defensive lineman DeMarco McNeil were selected to the second team.
New coach Mike Shula will have lots of talent in his first season at Alabama according to the SEC media.
Alabama had five players selected to the first team and one on the second team.
Linemen Wesley Britt, Justin Smiley and running back Shaud Williams represent the Crimson Tide offense on the first team.
Lineman Antwan Odom and linebacker Brooks Daniels are on the first team defense.
Freddie Roach, whose brother is a coach at Selma High School, was selected to the second team.
Eli Manning of Ole Miss was selected as first team quarterback.
He was joined by Georgia tight end Ben Watson, Kentucky lineman Antonio Hall, LSU center Ben Wilkerson and wide receiver Michael Clayton and Georgia receiver Fred Gibson.
Last year’s SEC Player of the Year, Georgia’s David Pollock, got 75 votes to the first team defense.
He is joined by LSU lineman Chad Lavalais, Arkansas linebacker Tony Bua, LSU linebacker Cory Webster, Tennessee free safety Rashad Baker and Florida db’s Keiwan Ratliff and Guss Scott.
Tennessee’s Dustin Colquit was named first team punter. Georgia’s Billy Bennett was first team kicker.
Kentucky’s Derek Abney was named to the team as a return specialist.