ESPN College Football

The coaches have spoken with their own SEC All-Freshman team, so we here at the SEC blog decided to come up with our own team.

We couldn't fit all of the youngsters on the list, and some tough cuts had to be made.

Honestly, our list wasn't much different from the coaches' list. There were a couple of changes, but nothing extreme.

One tough cut we made was Vanderbilt wide receiver Chris Boyd. He was Vandy's second wide receiver, catching 29 passes for 404 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a very solid first year in Nashville, Tenn., but we decided to go with LSU's Odell Beckham, who caught seven more passes and had 33 more yards. Although, Boyd had five more touchdowns. In the end, we felt he was more valuable to LSU's offense this season.

LSU also led the way with five selections, while Tennessee was second with four selections.

Here's our freshman team:

OFFENSE

QB -- Maxwell Smith, Kentucky
RB -- Kenny Hilliard, LSU
RB -- Isaiah Crowell, Georgia
WR -- Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia
WR -- Odell Beckham, Jr., LSU
TE -- Malcolm Johnson, Mississippi State
OL -- Chaz Green, Florida
OL -- Marcus Jackson, Tennessee
OL - A.J. Cann, South Carolina
OL -- Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
C -- Reese Dismukes, Auburn

DEFENSE

DL -- Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
DL -- Anthony Johnson, LSU
DL -- Kelcy Quarles, South Carolina
DL -- Trey Flowers, Arkansas
LB -- A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
LB -- Curt Maggitt, Tennessee
LB -- Serderius Bryant, Ole Miss
CB -- Marcus Roberson, Florida
CB -- Tevin Mitchel, Arkansas
S -- Brian Randolph, Tennessee
S -- Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama

SPECIAL TEAMS

K -- James Hairston, LSU (He handled kickoff duties for the Tigers.)
P -- Brad Wing, LSU
RS -- Tre Mason, Auburn

The SEC coaches announced their selections for the 2011 SEC All-Freshman Team Thursday.

LSU led the way with five selections, while Tennessee and Arkansas both had four selections.

The coaches also made Arkansas tight end Garrett Uekman, who died suddenly last month, Honorary Captain.

South Carolina placed three on the team, including SEC Freshman of the Year Jadeveon Clowney.

Here is the 2011 SEC All-Freshman Team:

OFFENSE

HONORARY CAPTAIN
Garrett Uekman, Tight End, Arkansas

TE - Malcolm Johnson, Mississippi State
OL - A.J. Cann, South Carolina
OL - Marcus Jackson, Tennessee
OL - Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
OL - Chaz Green, Florida
C - Reese Dismukes, Auburn
WR - Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia
WR - Odell Beckham Jr., LSU
QB – Maxwell Smith, Kentucky
RB – Isaiah Crowell, Georgia
RB – Kenny Hilliard, LSU
AP - Bruce Ellington, South Carolina

DEFENSE

DL - Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
DL - Trey Flowers, Arkansas
DL - Anthony Johnson, LSU
DL - Kaleb Eulls, Mississippi State
LB - A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
LB - Curt Maggitt, Tennessee
LB - Serderius Bryant, Ole Miss
DB - Brian Randolph, Tennessee
DB - Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama
DB - De'Ante Saunders, Florida
DB - Tevin Mitchel, Arkansas

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK - James Hairston, LSU
P - Brad Wing, LSU
RS – Marquel Wade, Arkansas

• I'm actually surprised to see Saunders get the nod over teammate Marcus Roberson. Roberson was easily Florida's best cornerback this season. He has the makings of being a talented cover corner, but he did get overly aggressive throughout the season. I guess coaches paid attention to flags he earned.
• It had to be tough when the coaches looked at the quarterback position. Smith was probably the best of the bunch, and even he threw just four touchdowns to four interceptions. Still, Kentucky's offense moved down the field much better when he was on the field.
• Remember when all the talk in Oxford, Miss., before the season centered around how great true freshman linebacker C.J. Johnson was going to be? Well, he had a solid first year, but it was Bryant who really came on as one of the young guys on defense. He saw tremendous playing time and was fourth on the team with 61 tackles.

2010 overall record: 6-7

2010 conference record: 3-5

Returning starters

Offense: 7, defense: 6, kicker/punter: 0

Top returners

QB Tyler Bray, RB Tauren Poole, WR Justin Hunter, OT Ja’Wuan James, C James Stone, DT Malik Jackson, LB Herman Lathers, CB Prentiss Waggner, S Janzen Jackson

Key losses

WR Denarius Moore, WR Gerald Jones, TE Luke Stocker, DE Chris Walker, LB Nick Reveiz, LB LaMarcus Thompson

2010 statistical leaders (* returners)

Rushing: Tauren Poole* (1,034 yards)

Passing: Tyler Bray* (1,849 yards)

Receiving: Denarius Moore (981 yards)

Tackles: Nick Reveiz (108)

Sacks: Malik Jackson* (5)

Interceptions: Prentiss Waggner* and Janzen Jackson* (5)

Spring answers

1. Blossoming offensive line. As scary as it was for Tennessee to go into last season with so many true freshman starters in the offensive line, the future couldn’t be brighter now for the Vols up front. Tackle Ja’Wuan James, guard Zach Fulton and center James Stone are all back after starting as true freshmen a year ago. What’s more, highly touted freshman Marcus Jackson came in early this spring and immediately laid claim to a starting guard spot. The Vols also recently received word that Notre Dame transfer Alex Bullard would be eligible next season without having to sit out a year.

2. Rogers takes flight. It was a highlight show for Da’Rick Rogers this spring, as he made one acrobatic catch after another and served notice that he’s primed for a breakout sophomore season. There were flashes from Rogers as a freshman. But he improved immensely as a receiver this spring, particularly in terms of running routes and doing the little things. He joins fellow sophomore Justin Hunter to give the Vols what should be one dandy receiving tandem.

3. Promising young talent. Time will be the ultimate judge, but Dooley doesn’t think there are very many misses in the past two recruiting classes. From quarterback Tyler Bray to an offensive line that’s stacked with talented first- and second-year players to sophomore defensive end Jacques Smith, the Vols have upgraded their talent level the past two years to move a lot closer in that department to the powers in this league.

Fall questions

1. Is Tyler Bray ready to lead this team? There aren’t any questions about Bray’s ability to throw the ball. The same goes for his fearlessness in the pocket. But coming off that horrific showing in the spring game, Dooley wants to see Bray bring his focus to the playing field every game and every practice and make it abundantly clear to everyone that this is his team.

2. Can the Vols hold up in the front seven? Senior defensive tackle Malik Jackson is a big-time player, and Smith has All-SEC potential. But Tennessee desperately needs junior college tackle Maurice Couch to come in and be an impact player, and the Vols will also be looking for help at linebacker from the incoming true freshmen. It’s never ideal in this league to count on junior college newcomers and true freshmen.

3. Will Janzen Jackson be back? Dooley remains hopeful that Jackson will return for the fall and said the junior safety is on track after withdrawing from school this past semester. If Jackson does return, the Vols immediately get a lot better in the secondary, especially with Brent Brewer coming off a big spring at the other safety spot. Either way, junior college defensive backs Byron Moore and Izauea Lanier are being counted on to come in and play immediately next season in a secondary that lacks depth.

Every year it seems as though more and more high school prospects take the immediate plunge into college life by graduating from high school early.

Instead of getting fitted for prom tuxes, they're getting fitted for pads. Instead of kicking back after school, they're getting kicked around by seasoned vets daring them to even look at their practice field.

It’s a major wake-up call for those who partake in such a transition, but it can really pay off for these young athletes. Getting a head start on college programs not only gets your game in better shape, but your mind and body go through complete overhauls as well.

Over the next two days we'll take a look at some SEC early enrollees and how they did this spring.

Today, we start in the East:

Florida

Jeff Driskel, QB -- He was the most heralded recruit in Florida's 2011 class and rightly so. Driskel was the top quarterback prospect in the nation. However, he struggled to pick up Charlie Weis' pro-style offense at first and played catch-up for most of the spring. He started to pick things up toward the end and finished the spring game with 58 yards on 3-of-8 passing.

A.C. Leonard, TE -- Florida really didn't use the tight end position last season, so getting Leonard on campus early was a major plus. He drew high praise from coaches and players and should complement Jordan Reed, who moved back to tight end from quarterback, nicely in the offense. He caught three passes for 18 yards in Florida's spring game.

Georgia

Christian LeMay, QB -- LeMay didn't play football during his senior year of high school, so it's understandable that he was a little rusty entering spring. LeMay has the tools to be a star in this league and seemed to steadily improve with every practice. However, Georgia's coaches seemed to have pegged Hutson Mason as the No. 2 quarterback behind Aaron Murray. LeMay looked pretty poised in the spring game, leading a 10-play, 75-yard comeback scoring drive.

Chris Conley, WR -- Outside of veteran Tavarres King, none of Georgia's receivers really seemed to make much of a statement this spring. Conley is a guy the staff will rely on, but it looks like he'll play the waiting game for now. His time was used to learn this spring and he didn't record a catch in Georgia's spring game.

Kentucky

Maxwell Smith, QB -- Smith's arrival this spring really helped the Wildcats as far as depth at the quarterback position. He not only added a body to the position but he was pretty tough competition for starter Morgan Newton. During Kentucky's spring game, Smith completed 10 of 21 passes for 99 yards and had a 54-yard touchdown pass.

Tim Patterson, LB – He didn’t have the best spring, but it looks as though he’s immersed in learning mode at the moment. The advantage for him is that he can lean on veteran linebackers to help him get accustomed to the college game. Patterson has a lot of potential, but he’s still got a ways to go exiting the spring.

South Carolina

Kelcy Quarles, DT -- Some thought he might take one of those defense tackle spots this spring, but he was listed on the Gamecocks' second team coming out of spring. Quarles, who was an All-American in high school, impressed his coaches this spring and should get playing time this fall. The next step in his maturation is being able to have that spring momentum roll over into summer workouts and fall practice.

Martay Mattox, DB – Mattox started the spring at cornerback and then moved to free safety. He left spring moving back to cornerback. He was a quarterback in high school, so his defensive abilities are a bit raw, but he’s a solid athlete. With that athleticism, the Gamecocks’ staff will probably use him on special teams to start, but with time, he could grow into a solid contributor.

Tennessee

Marcus Jackson, OL -- It's not often that a true freshman offensive lineman comes in and makes an immediate impact. Enter Jackson, who worked most of the spring as the starting left guard for the Volunteers. Jackson, a high school All-American, was one of the more athletic linemen in his class and certainly impressed his coaches from Day 1. The thing about Jackson is he was demoted at one point this spring and fought his way back into the starting rotation.

Justin Coleman, CB -- Coleman also made the most of his early enrollment. It took him a little time to really get noticed out there, but after a solid spring game, in which he lined up opposite playmaker Justin Hunter at times, Coleman enters the offseason as co-starter at one of the corner spots.

Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt had no freshmen early enrollees this year.