It’s been a heck of a year for true freshmen.
Particularly in the SEC.
ESPN released its 2016 All-America team for first-year players on Monday and it’s very kind to the SEC’s offensive newbies.
Here are the six representatives who made the cut from the best conference in all the land:
QB: Jalen Hurts, Alabama
“Hurts amassed more than 3,400 yards of total offense to go along with 34 touchdowns in leading the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff. And the fact he threw only nine interceptions given his unfamiliarity with a pro-style offense was impressive.”
RB: Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M
“Williams was an electrifying spark plug for Texas A&M and gave its offense a different dimension. He posted eight touchdowns and 1,024 yards on 7.0 yards per carry.”
RB: Benny Snell, Jr., Kentucky
“Snell posted a whopping 13 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,057 yards while sharing backfield duties with Boom Williams.”
TE: Isaac Nauta, Georgia
“Nauta was as good as advertised from the moment he stepped on campus, and while he split some time with Jeb Blazovich and his numbers were modest (27 catches), Nauta displayed go-to ability for this offense going forward.”
OL: Jonah Williams, Alabama
“Williams started every game at right tackle, a clear top true freshman lineman regardless of position. He even graded out better than Cam Robinson most weeks.”
OL: Jawaan Taylor, Florida
“A starting right tackle, Taylor made a quicker and bigger impact for Florida than more highly touted Greg Little did for Ole Miss. Taylor fit in immediately at a need position for the Gators.”
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
