Kentucky is starting to pick up some serious hardware for its 9-3 season.
The No. 14 Wildcats saw their head coach and four players honored by the Associated Press on Monday. Mark Stoops was named SEC Coach of the Year and senior linebacker Josh Allen was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
Running back Benny Snell Jr., offensive guard Bunchy Stallings and safety Mike Edwards were all named to the All-SEC teams. Snell and Stallings joined Allen as a first-team selection; Edwards was named to the second unit.
It marked the most AP accolades for the Cats since 1998. UK also joined 2009 Alabama as the only teams to ever have the coach of the year, defensive player of the year and a first-team running back.
Stoops, who has led the Wildcats to three consecutive bowl games, is the first UK head coach to earn SEC Coach of the Year honors since Jerry Claiborne in 1983. Fran Curci won the award in 1977 and Paul "Bear" Bryant claimed it for UK in 1950.
Allen, who set new UK records for single-season (14) and career sacks (28.5), is the first Wildcat to ever win the AP SEC Defensive Player of the Year award. He is also a candidate for several national defensive player of the year awards after a season that included 84 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, six quarterback hurries, and five forced fumbles.
Helping open holes for fellow first-teamer Snell, Stallings is UK's first offensive guard to earn the honor since current Wildcats line coach John Schlarman claimed it in 1997. He led the Cats' O-Line with an 87 percent grade this season, recorded a team-high 50 knockdown blocks, and allowed only one sack.
The senior from Mississippi was twice named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week during the regular season.
Snell rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior and stands just 107 yards shy of passing Sonny Collins for the all-time school record. He'll get that opportunity when the Cats face Penn State in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1.
The Ohio native also joined Rodger Bird (1964-65) and Collins (1973-75) as the only UK running backs to earn the honor in consecutive seasons.
A force on the back end of UK's best defensive unit in decades, Edwards recorded 77 tackles, nine tackles for loss, six pass break-ups, two interceptions and a forced fumble as a senior.
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was voted SEC Offensive Player of the Year. Vanderbilt running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn was named newcomer of the year.
*****
AP ALL-SEC TEAMS
Offensive Player of the Year — QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
Defensive Player of the Year — LB Josh Allen, Kentucky
Newcomer of the Year —RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt (Illinois transfer)
Coach of the Year — Mark Stoops, Kentucky
*****
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
u-WR - A.J. Brown, Mississippi (u), 6-1, 230, Jr., Starkville, Mississippi
WR - Jerry Jeudy, Alabama, 6-1, 192, So., Deerfield Beach, Florida
T - Greg Little, Mississippi, 6-6, 325, Jr., Allen, Texas
T - Jonah Williams, Alabama, 6-5, 301, Jr., Folsom, California
G - Bunchy Stallings, Kentucky, 6-3, 305, Sr., McComb, Mississippi
G - Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms, Missouri, 6-5, 330, Jr., East St. Louis, Illinois
C - Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama, 6-4, 309, Sr., Cedar Falls, Iowa
TE - Jace Sternberger, Texas A&M, 6-4, 250, Jr., Kingfisher, Oklahoma
u-QB - Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, 6-1, 218, So., Ewa Beach, Hawaii
RB - Benny Snell Jr., Kentucky, 5-11, 223, Jr., Westerville, Ohio
RB - Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M, 5-9, 200, Jr., Houston
PK - Cole Tracy, LSU, 5-11, 188, Sr., Camarillo, California
All-purpose - Deebo Samuel, South Carolina, 6-0, 210, Sr., Inman, South Carolina
DEFENSE
DE - Jachai Polite, Florida, 6-2, 242, Jr., Daytona Beach, Florida
DE - Montez Sweat, Mississippi State, 6-6, 245, Sr., Stone Mountain, Georgia
DT - Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State, 6-4, 300, Jr., Macon, Mississippi
DT - Quinnen Williams, Alabama, 6-4, 295, So., Birmingham, Alabama
u-LB Josh Allen, Kentucky, 6-5, 260, Sr., Montclair, New Jersey
LB - Deshaun Davis, Auburn, 5-11, 233, Sr., Prichard, Alabama
LB - Devin White, LSU, 6-1, 240, Jr., Springhill, Louisiana
CB - Deandre Baker, Georgia, 5-11, 185, Sr., Miami
CB - Greedy Williams, LSU, 6-3, 184, So., Shreveport, Louisiana
S - Johnathan Abram, Mississippi State, 6-0, 215, Sr., Columbia, Mississippi
S - Grant Delpit, LSU, 6-3, 203, So., Houston
P - Braden Mann, Texas A&M, 5-11, 190, Jr., Houston
*****
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
WR - Kalija Lipscomb, Vanderbilt, 6-1, 201, Jr., New Orleans
WR - Deebo Samuel, South Carolina, 6-0, 210, Sr., Inman, South Carolina
T - Martez Ivey, Florida, 6-5, 306, Sr., Apopka, Florida
T - Andrew Thomas, Georgia, 6-5, 320, So., Lithonia, Georgia
G - Zack Bailey, South Carolina, 6-6, 314, Sr., Summerville, South Carolina
G - Hjalte Froholdt, Arkansas, 6-5, 315, Sr., Svendborg, Denmark
C - Lamont Gaillard, Georgia, 6-2, 308, Sr., Fayetteville, North Carolina
TE - Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt, Jr., 6-4, 255, Norcross, Georgia
QB - Drew Lock, Missouri, 6-4, 225, Sr., Lee’s Summit, Missouri
RB - D’Andre Swift, Georgia, 5-9, 215, So., Philadelphia
RB - Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt, 5-10, 222, Jr., Nashville, Tennessee
PK - Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia, 6-1, 191, Jr., Marietta, Georgia
All-purpose - Mecole Hardman, Georgia, 5-11, 183, Jr., Bowman, Georgia
DEFENSE
DE - Isaiah Buggs, Alabama, 6-5, 286, Sr., Ruston, Louisiana
DE - Raekwon Davis, Alabama, 6-7, 316, Jr., Meridian, Mississippi
DT - Derrick Brown, Auburn, 6-5, 320, Jr., Sugar Hill, Georgia
DT - Terry Beckner Jr., Missouri, 6-4, 295, Sr., East St. Louis, Illinois
LB - De’Jon Harris, Arkansas, 6-0, 245, Jr., Harvey, Louisiana
LB - Erroll Thompson, Mississippi State, 6-1, 250, So., Florence, Alabama
LB —D’Andre Walker, Georgia, 6-3, 245, Sr., Fairburn, Georgia
CB - Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State, 6-2, 175, So., Hammond, Louisiana
CB - Joejuan Williams, Vanderbilt, 6-3, 210, Jr., Nashville, Tennessee
S - Mike Edwards, Kentucky, 6-0, 201, Sr., Cincinnati
S - Deionte Thompson, Alabama, 6-2, 196, Jr., Orange, Texas
P - Zach Von Rosenberg, LSU, 6-5, 245, So., Lake Charles, Louisiana
* u = Unanimous selection
