July 25, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The University of South Carolina has been picked to finish fourth in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division by media voting at the 2008 SEC Football Media Days, concluded today at the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham.
The Gamecocks compiled 266 votes to finish behind Florida (45 first place votes-98 points), Georgia (23-121) and Tennessee (2-222) in the East. Kentucky (356 points) and Vanderbilt (407) round out the division.
Florida is favored to win the East division and capture the SEC title, according to the media. Auburn (48-99) was picked to win the West Division, followed by LSU (21-120), Alabama (228), Mississippi State (299) Ole Miss (1-338) and Arkansas (386).
South Carolina wide receiver Kenny McKinley earned First-Team All-SEC Offense honors, while Jasper Brinkley garnered First-Team Defensive accolades. Linebacker Eric Norwood, defensive back Captain Munnerlyn and special teams (punter) Ryan Succop earned Second-Team All-SEC honors as well.
Jasper Brinkley was the only Gamecock named preseason first-team All-SEC by both the SEC coaches and the media and was named to the preseason watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Lombardi Award, Butkus Award and for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award in 2007. Sidelined just four games into the last year with a knee injury, Brinkley looks to lead the defense in 2008.
Kenny McKinley became the Gamecocks’ go-to wide receiver in 2007, earning First-Team All-SEC honors by the league’s coaches, the Associated Press and CollegeFootballNews.com. He was a Second-Team All-SEC pick by Rivals.com and by Phil Steele’s, while he earned honorable mention All-America honors from CollegeFootballNews.com. McKinley led the team with a school-record 77 receptions, more than any other two players combined, for a team-best 968 yards and a team-leading nine touchdowns. His 968 receiving yards ranked as the fourth-highest single-season total and his nine touchdowns ranked in a tie for sixth for a single campaign. McKinley led the SEC in receptions (77), receptions per game (6.42) and in receiving yards per game (80.7). McKinley was a 2008 selection to the Playboy magazine preseason All-America squad and is a preseason Second-Team All-America by NationalChamps.net.
Captain Munnerlyn earned postseason recognition in 2007, picking up First-Team All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches and Rivals.com, Second-Team accolades from the Associated Press and Third-Team mention from Phil Steele’s, while CollegeFootballNews.com put him on its First-Team All-Sophomore squad. Considered the Gamecocks’ best cover corner for the nation’s fourth-ranked pass defense, Munnerlyn started 10 games, but not the final two due to injury. He tied for the team lead with three interceptions, was seventh on the team with 47 tackles, including 40 solo stops, while he handled the punt return duties, ranking seventh in the SEC with a 9.2 yard average. Munerlyn is listed on the 2008 preseason Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List.
Eric Norwood is a strong 2008 postseason awards candidate after earning several honors in 2007, including First-Team All-SEC by the league’s coaches. He is on the 2008 preseason Rotary Lombardi Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Lott Trophy watch lists, while also a preseason Third-Team All-American by NationalChamps.net. Norwood moved to outside linebacker during the spring after playing defensive end for the past two seasons. He was named the Most Improved outside linebacker following the spring and was given the Harold White GPA Award for the defense. Norwood set the school record with 19.5 tackles for loss in 2007.
Ryan Succop is a strong-legged senior who has handled all three kicking chores: kickoffs, punts and placements for the Gamecocks during his career. A postseason honors candidate again in 2008, Succop is one of the top returning placekickers in college football who should be a candidate for the Lou Groza Award along with all-conference and All-America consideration. He was an Associated Press honorable mention All-SEC selection in 2007. Succop connected on 13-of-17 field goal attempts last season, while he averaged 41.6 yards per punt.
2008 SEC MEDIA DAYS PRESEASON ALL-SEC FOOTBALL TEAM
(#-Ties) (70 total voters / Total Votes in parenthesis)
FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC — OFFENSE
| Pos. | Name | School | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Hometown |
| TE | Cornelius Ingram (56) | Florida | 6-4 | 223 | Sr. | Hawthorne, Fla. |
| OL | Andre Smith (64) | Alabama | 6-5 | 340 | Jr. | Birmingham, Ala. |
| OL | Michael Oher (64) | Ole Miss | 6-5 | 318 | Sr. | Memphis, Tenn. |
| OL | Anthony Parker (56) | Tennessee | 6-3 | 305 | Sr. | Jonesboro, Ga. |
| OL | Herman Johnson (45) | LSU | 6-7 | 351 | Sr. | Olla, La. |
| C | Jonathan Luigs (58) | Arkansas | 6-4 | 314 | Sr. | Little Rock, Ark. |
| WR | Percy Harvin (68) | Florida | 5-11 | 178 | Jr. | Virginia Beach, Va. |
| WR | Kenny McKinley (46) | South Carolina | 6-0 | 182 | Sr. | Mableton, Ga. |
| QB | Tim Tebow (64) | Florida | 6-3 | 232 | Jr. | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| RB | Knowshon Moreno (68) | Georgia | 5-11 | 207 | So. | Belford, N.J. |
| RB | Arian Foster (50) | Tennessee | 6-1 | 215 | Sr. | San Diego, Calif. |
SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC — OFFENSE
| Pos. | Name | School | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Hometown |
| TE | Richard Dickson (9) | LSU | 6-3 | 237 | Jr. | Ocean Springs, Miss. |
| OL | Ciron Black (12) | LSU | 6-5 | 314 | Jr. | Tyler, Texas |
| OL | Tyronne Green (9) | Auburn | 6-2 | 307 | Sr. | Pensacola, Fla. |
| OL | Lee Ziemba (8) | Auburn | 6-8 | 288 | So. | Rogers, Ark. |
| OL | Garry Williams (8) | Kentucky | 6-3 | 300 | Sr. | Louisville, Ky. |
| C | Antoine Caldwell (10) | Alabama | 6-3 | 292 | Sr. | Montgomery, Ala. |
| WR | Mohamed Massaquoi (11) | Georgia | 6-2 | 198 | Sr. | Charlotte, N.C. |
| WR | Demetrius Byrd (9) | LSU | 6-2 | 195 | Sr. | Miami, Fla. |
| QB | Matthew Stafford (6) | Georgia | 6-3 | 237 | Jr. | Dallas, Texas |
| RB | Anthony Dixon (16) | Mississippi State | 6-1 | 240 | Jr. | Jackson, Miss. |
| RB | Ben Tate (2) | Auburn | 5-11 | 215 | Jr. | Neward, Md. |
FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC — DEFENSE
| Pos. | Name | School | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Hometown |
| DL | Greg Hardy (53) | Ole Miss | 6-4 | 265 | Jr. | Millington, Tenn. |
| DL | Tyson Jackson (52) | LSU | 6-5 | 292 | Sr. | Edgard, La. |
| DL | Sen’Derrick Marks (45) | Auburn | 6-1 | 288 | Jr. | Mobile, Ala. |
| LB | Brandon Spikes (65) | Florida | 6-3 | 245 | Jr. | Shelby, N.C. |
| LB | Rico McCoy (46) | Tennessee | 6-1 | 215 | Jr. | Washington, D.C. |
| LB | Jasper Brinkley (41) | South Carolina | 6-2 | 275 | Sr. | Thomson, Ga. |
| LB | #Darry Beckwith (40) | LSU | 6-1 | 232 | Sr. | Baton Rouge, La. |
| LB | #Dannell Ellerbe (40) | Georgia | 6-1 | 232 | Sr. | Hamlet, N.C. |
| DB | Derek Pegues (60) | Mississippi State | 5-10 | 196 | Sr. | Batesville, Miss. |
| DB | Eric Berry (56) | Tennessee | 5-11 | 195 | So. | Fairburn, Ga. |
| DB | D.J. Moore (46) | Vanderbilt | 5-10 | 182 | Jr. | Spartanburg, S.C. |
| DB | Rashad Johnson (43) | Alabama | 6-0 | 187 | Sr. | Sulligent, Ala. |
SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC — DEFENSE
| Pos. | Name | School | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Hometown |
| DL | Ricky Jean-Francois (18) | LSU | 6-3 | 281 | Jr. | Miami, Fla. |
| DL | Antonio Coleman (10) | Auburn | 6-2 | 250 | Jr. | Mobile, Ala. |
| DL | Jeremy Jarmon (9) | Kentucky | 6-3 | 277 | Jr. | Collierville, Tenn. |
| LB | Tray Blackmon (17) | Auburn | 6-2 | 220 | Jr. | LaGrange, Ga. |
| LB | Rolando McClain (15) | Alabama | 6-4 | 255 | So. | Decatur, Ga. |
| LB | Eric Norwood (14) | South Carolina | 6-1 | 270 | Jr. | Acworth, Ga. |
| LB | Jamar Chaney (8) | Mississippi State | 6-1 | 236 | Sr. | Fort Pierce, Fla. |
| DB | Captain Munnerlyn (20) | South Carolina | 5-9 | 185 | Jr. | Mobile, Ala. |
| DB | Trevard Lindley (15) | Kentucky | 6-0 | 175 | Jr. | Hiram, Ga. |
| DB | Asher Allen (13) | Georgia | 5-10 | 198 | Jr. | Tucker, Ga. |
| DB | Jerraud Powers (12) | Auburn | 5-9 | 188 | Jr. | Decatur, Ga. |
FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC — SPECIAL TEAMS
| Pos. | Name | School | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Hometown |
| PK | Colt David (41) | LSU | 5-9 | 175 | Sr. | Grapevine, Texas |
| P | Ryan Shoemaker (40) | Auburn | 6-0 | 192 | So. | Birmingham, Ala. |
| RS | Brandon James (35) | Florida | 5-6 | 179 | Jr. | St. Augustine, Fla. |
SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC — SPECIAL TEAMS
| Pos. | Name | School | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Hometown |
| PK | Wes Byrum (16) | Auburn | 6-1 | 209 | So. | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| P | Ryan Succop (20) | South Carolina | 6-3 | 224 | Sr. | Hickory, N.C. |
| RS | Javier Arenas (20) | Alabama | 5-9 | 193 | Jr. | Tampa, Fla. |
POSITIONS BY SCHOOL
| School | 1st | 2nd | Total |
| Alabama | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Auburn | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| Florida | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Georgia | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Kentucky | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| LSU | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Ole Miss | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Mississippi State | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Tennessee | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Vanderbilt | 1 | 0 | 1 |
SEC PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
SEC Champion – Florida (36), Georgia (18), Auburn (13), LSU (1), Tennessee (1), Ole Miss (1).
EASTERN DIVISION
| 1. | Florida (45) | 98 |
| 2. | Georgia (23) | 121 |
| 3. | Tennessee (2) | 222 |
| 4. | South Carolina | 266 |
| 5. | Kentucky | 356 |
| 6. | Vanderbilt | 407 |
WESTERN DIVISION
| 1. | Auburn (48) | 99 |
| 2. | LSU (21) | 120 |
| 3. | Alabama | 228 |
| 4. | Mississippi State | 299 |
| 5. | Ole Miss (1) | 338 |
| 6. | Arkansas | 386 |
