
SEC Football Awards 2015 Results: Full List of Winners and Reaction
The Southeastern Conference announced its individual football awards Wednesday, which were voted on by the 14 head coaches.
As the SEC's College Football Playoff representative, it wasn't a surprise to see the Alabama Crimson Tide prominently featured. Alabama running back Derrick Henry and linebacker Reggie Ragland were named Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.
AL.com's Matt Zenitz noted how Alabama's double is unprecedented:
Senior Tide center Ryan Kelly took home two accolades: Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, which he shared with Arkansas left guard Sebastian Tretola.
Tennessee's Evan Berry, brother of former Volunteer and current NFL star Eric, was named Special Teams Player of the Year after leading the nation with a 38.3-yard kick-return average and having three return touchdowns.
Sports Radio WNML added relevant context in reference to the Berry siblings:
On the strength of a season in which he recorded 70 receptions, 925 yards and six touchdowns, Texas A&M's Christian Kirk garnered Freshman of the Year honors. Kirk surpassed talented Aggies incumbents such as Josh Reynolds, Ricky Seals-Jones and Speedy Noil to become the team's leading receiver.
Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News highlighted just how valuable Kirk was making his first impression in College Station:
For his efforts in sparking a swift turnaround for the Florida Gators football program, Jim McElwain was recognized as SEC Coach of the Year. McElwain guided the Gators to a 10-3 record—including losses in the last two games—and kept the team competitive despite losing starting quarterback Will Grier to a suspension.
To circle back to the Tide, Henry figures to be in store for even more hardware soon. The bruising ball-carrier is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate and one of the three finalists for the award thanks to a phenomenal 2015 campaign of 1,986 yards rushing and 23 TDs.
Kelly helped pave the way for the downhill running Henry did to devastate opponents, but Ragland is the leader of yet another elite Alabama defense. Ragland had 90 total tackles, according to cfbstats.com, and headlines a dynamic front seven that's yielded only 2.38 yards per carry this season, per NCAA.com.
The Tide have as complete a team as any in the country and could well be on their way to a fourth national title under head coach Nick Saban. If Alabama does claim the top prize, Henry, Kelly and Ragland will have a lot to do with it.








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