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* McElwain: Offensive line 'the strength of our football team'
* Gators excited about addition of Zaire to quarterback room
* Notebook: McElwain discusses status of two Gators wideouts
* Inside the Gators' 20/17 for 2017 series
* Austin Appleby Parting Thoughts: I / II / III / IV / V
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Despite those in attendance at SEC Media Days not giving the Gators enough love to project them as SEC East champs this year, the media selected nine Florida players to preseason All-SEC lists.
Florida junior offensive tackle Martez Ivey and senior cornerback Duke Dawson each landed on the All-SEC first team, while junior wide receiver Antonio Callaway, junior defensive end CeCe Jefferson, redshirt senior punter Johnny Townsend and redshirt junior kicker Eddy Pineiro all earned second-team honors.
Senior tight end DeAndre Goolsby, redshirt sophomore Jabari Zuniga and redshirt senior Marcell Harris received third-team honors. So did Callaway, but as a return specialist.
Five of the nine Gators to make the list were notably recruited to Florida by McElwain since the conclusion of the 2014 season.
Alabama landed the most selections with 16, followed by Florida and Auburn (nine each), LSU and Georgia (eight each), Ole Miss (four), Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and Texas A&M (three each), and Missouri, Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State (two each).
Ivey, a former five-star recruit, is primed for a big junior season after moving from left guard to his natural position at left tackle full-time this offseason. Meanwhile, Dawson ranks among the league’s best defensive backs after opting to return to for his senior season. He’ll play primarily in a starting role at outside cornerback this year, after seeing time at both nickel and safety over the years.
Callaway still ranks among the league’s best in the receiver and returner categories, but had some steep competition at wideout in Alabama’s Calvin Ridley and Texas A&M’s Christian Kirk. Jefferson, another former five-star recruit for the Gators, is expected to play a big role as a junior at starting defensive end.
The same goes for Pineiro and Townsend, who are each coming off of strong 2016 campaigns and are set to be the faces of Florida’s special teams efforts this season.
After leading the team in sacks with five last season, Zuniga made the list as a third-stringer. Despite some inconsistent play in 2016, Goolsby made the cut as a third-team tight end thanks to his potential and pass-catching ability. Following a breakout redshirt junior season where he came on strong during the second half of the year and finished with the team lead in tackles, Harris earned a third-string nod as well.
A few Florida players who notably missed the cut were running back Jordan Scarlett, offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor and defensive back Chauncey Gardner.
The full 2017 preseason Media Days All-SEC team:
(Total points earned in parenthesis)
OFFENSE
First-Team
QB Jalen Hurts, Alabama (196)
RB Derrius Guice, LSU (223)
RB Nick Chubb, Georgia (211)
WR Calvin Ridley, Alabama (232)
WR Christian Kirk, Texas A&M (197)
TE Isaac Nauta, Georgia (134)
OL Braden Smith, Auburn (201)
OL Martez Ivey, Florida (198)
OL Jonah Williams, Alabama (187)
OL Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama (174)
C Frank Ragnow, Arkansas (174)
Second-Team
QB Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State (121)
RB Bo Scarbrough, Alabama (151)
RB Kamryn Pettway, Auburn (141)
WR Antonio Callaway, Florida (152)
WR J'Mon Moore, Missouri (91)
TE Hayden Hurst, South Carolina (115)
OL Isaiah Wynn, Georgia (116)
OL Jashon Robertson, Tennessee (108)
OL K.J. Malone, LSU (101)
OL Martinas Rankin, Mississippi State (101)
C Bradley Bozeman, Alabama (155)
Third-Team
QB Austin Allen, Arkansas (102)
RB Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt (105)
RB Sony Michel, Georgia (30)
WR Deebo Samuel, South Carolina (64)
WR Jauan Jennings, Tennessee (42)
TE DeAndre Goolsby, Florida (76)
OL Lester Cotton, Alabama (96)
OL Greg Little, Ole Miss (94)
OL Javon Patterson, Ole Miss (87)
OL Koda Martin, Texas A&M (69)
C Will Clapp, LSU (66)
DEFENSE
First-Team
DL Da'Ron Payne, Alabama (196)
DL Da'Shawn Hand, Alabama (180)
DL Trenton Thompson, Georgia (172)
DL Marquis Haynes, Ole Miss (159)
LB Arden Key, LSU (191)
LB Rashaan Evans, Alabama (180)
LB Roquan Smith, Georgia (157)
DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama (232)
DB Ronnie Harrison, Alabama (156)
DB Armani Watts, Texas A&M (137)
DB Duke Dawson, Florida (137)
Second-Team
DL Cece Jefferson, Florida (151)
DL Marlon Davidson, Auburn (120)
DL Christian LaCouture, LSU (107)
DL Denzil Ware, Kentucky (78)
LB Shaun Dion Hamilton, Alabama (156)
LB Skai Moore, South Carolina (128)
LB Tre' Williams, Auburn (103)
DB Tray Matthews, Auburn (126)
DB Donte Jackson, LSU (123)
DB Carlton Davis, Auburn (109)
DB Dominick Sanders, Georgia (109)
Third-Team
DL Marcell Frazier, Missouri (77)
DL Jabari Zuniga, Florida (76)
DL Dontavius Russell, Auburn (70)
DL Rashard Lawrence, LSU (54)
LB Jordan Jones, Kentucky (91)
LB Lorenzo Carter, Georgia (82)
LB Oren Burks, Vanderbilt (58)
DB Anthony Averett, Alabama (104)
DB Marcell Harris, Florida (83)
DB Mike Edwards, Kentucky (71)
DB Tony Brown, Alabama (62)
SPECIALISTS
First-Team
P JK Scott, Alabama (222)
PK Daniel Carlson, Auburn (218)
RS Christian Kirk, Texas A&M (176)
AP Christian Kirk, Texas A&M (161)
Second-Team
P Johnny Townsend, Florida (99)
PK Eddy Piniero, Florida (106)
RS Evan Berry, Tennssee (117)
AP Derrius Guice, LSU (133)
Third-Team
P Trevor Daniel, Tennessee (58)
PK Gary Wunderlich, Ole Miss (94)
RS Antonio Callaway, Florida (84)
AP Kerryon Johnson, Auburn (66)
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