The last of the 2018 season, SEC player awards were announced Thursday with Alabama football placing four players on the All-SEC Freshman team.
Alabama football fans are accustomed to Crimson Tide players dominating All-SEC awards. It happened earlier this week when the 2018 All-SEC teams included a total of 12 Crimson Tide players. Georgia was a distant second with seven players.
Alabama football dominated again when awards for individual players were announced on Wednesday. Of the six, individual player awards, Crimson Tiders won four.
- Offensive Player Of The Year – Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
- Freshman of the Year – Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
- Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Hale Hentges, Alabama
- Jacobs Blocking Trophy – Jonah Williams, Alabama
Kentucky’s Josh Allen was named the Defensive Player of the Year and the Aggies Braden Mann was named Special Teams Player of the Year in the other two awards.
No Alabama football fans need an explanation for the honors going to Tua, Jaylen and Jonah. Hale Hentges, though, warrants some elaboration. Hentges is a Crimson Tide regular who caught two touchdown passes this season. Even more impressive – make that MUCH more impressive is Hale graduated Magna Cum Laude in three years.
SEC All-Freshman Team
The Alabama Crimson Tide did not dominate the Freshman team. After the full All-SEC Freshman team list below, we will offer one reason why the Tide did not dominate.
FRESHMAN ALL-SEC
OFFENSE
TE – Daniel Parker, Missouri
OL – Isaiah Wilson, Georgia, Cade Mays, Georgia, Dylan Wonnum, South Carolina, Ben Brown, Ole Miss
WR – Jaylen Waddle, Alabama, Seth Williams, Auburn
QB – Justin Fields, Georgia
RB – JaTarvious Whitlow, Auburn, Tyler Badie, Missouri, JaShaun Corbin, Texas A&M
AP – JaShaun Corbin, Texas A&M
DEFENSE
DL – Jordan Davis, Georgia, Phidarian Mathis, Alabama, Bobby Brown, Texas A&M, Tyree Johnson, Texas A&M
LB – Dimitri Moore, Vanderbilt, Jacquez Jones, Ole Miss, Eyabi Anoma, Alabama, DeAndre Square, Kentucky
DB – Patrick Surtain II, Alabama, Bryce Thompson, Tennessee, Jaycee Horn, South Carolina, Trey Dean III, Florida
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Seth Small, Texas A&M
P – Jake Camarda, Georgia
RS – JaShaun Corbin, Texas A&M
Any Alabama football fans concluding Georgia with its five players chosen is out-recruiting the Tide need to remember what happened with the 2018 class. Based upon credible Alabama football insiders, we believe the Crimson Tide could have signed more players who made the All-SEC Freshman team.
The Crimson Tide staff did not accept commitments from Seth Williams and Jaycee Horn. Had the Tide not held out for Justyn Ross (Clemson), Williams would have joined Alabama football. A similar situation occurred with Jaycee Horn (South Carolina.) The Tide loaded up on DBs but held one spot for Tyson Campbell. So Horn went elsewhere, first committing to Tennessee and later flipping to the Gamecocks.
The coaching staff was not surprised by Williams and Horn going elsewhere or Campbell’s final decision. It was surprised when Ross chose Clemson and at the very last minute when Bobby Brown signed with the Aggies. Adding the late flip of Vernon Jackson the 2018 class ended up short and minus some top players who preferred the Crimson Tide.
Nick Saban needed one year of the Early Signing Period to understand its impact. This year the Crimson Tide will load up early and hopefully diminish any February disappointments. Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide still have the most powerful recruiting machine in college football.