Dec. 15, 2009

University of South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and cornerback Stephon Gilmore have been named to the first-team Freshman All-America squad as selected by Scout.com, it was announced today. Previously, the Gamecock pair was named first-team Freshman All-America by both Phil Steele Publications and CollegeFootballNews.com.

Jeffery, a 6-3, 217-pounder from St. Matthews, S.C., led the squad with 43 catches for 735 yards, an average of 17.1 yards per catch. He was second on the team with six touchdowns. Jeffery averaged 61.2 yards per game receiving, sixth in the SEC. He also averaged 3.58 catches per game, ninth in the SEC, and was the only freshman in the top 10 in either category. After recording just five catches for 56 yards through the first five games, he had 38 catches for 679 yards (over the final seven contests. Jeffery was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for his performance against Kentucky when he caught seven passes for 138 yards and three touchdowns. He logged a season-best 161 receiving yards in the win over Vanderbilt and went for 118 yards against Arkansas including an 80-yard scoring catch.

Gilmore, a 6-1, 188-pounder from Rock Hill, S.C. started every game at cornerback. He ranked fifth on the team with 52 tackles including 35 solo stops. He had 5.0 tackles for loss including a pair of sacks, had one interception and a team-leading eight pass breakups. Gilmore logged a season-high 10 tackles against Florida and also had eight stops against Florida Atlantic and seven at Arkansas. He forced a pair of fumbles and had two fumble recoveries.