Aug 22, 2013
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Five members of the University of South Carolina football team earned spots on the 2013 preseason All-SEC squads as selected by the league’s 14 coaches, it was announced today.
Junior defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and junior all-purpose back Bruce Ellington earned spots on the first team, while tight end Rory “Busta” Anderson, offensive guard A.J. Cann and defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles were second-team selections. Ellington was also honored as a third-team pick as a return specialist.
Clowney, a 6-6, 274-pounder from Rock Hill, S.C., was a unanimous All-America selection as a sophomore last season. The SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting after recording 54 tackles, including a school-record 23.5 tackles for loss and a school-record 13.0 quarterback sacks. Clowney, the reigning Hendricks Award winner as the nation’s top defensive end, is a unanimous preseason first-team All-American heading into the 2013 campaign.
Ellington, a 5-9, 196-pound junior from Moncks Corner, S.C., led the team with 600 receiving yards last season on 40 catches with seven touchdowns. He has been the Gamecocks’ top kickoff returner each of the last two years. In 2012, he returned 18 kickoffs for a net average of 22.6 yards. After not having a kickoff return in the first four games, his first return came against Missouri when he went 50 yards to set up an eventual Gamecock touchdown.
Anderson is a 6-5, 242-pounder from Powder Springs, Ga. Anderson saw action in all 13 games last year and caught 14 passes for 271 yards. In his first two seasons, he has averaged 20.9 yards per catch and scored eight touchdowns on 22 career receptions.
Cann is the most experienced offensive lineman on the Carolina team with 25 starts over the past two seasons, the most among any returning player on the Gamecocks’ roster. The 6-4, 314-pounder from Bamberg, S.C., was presented with the Everyday Hustle Award for the offense at the 2013 Garnet & Black Spring Game. He was a third-team All-SEC selection by Phil Steele last year.
Quarles is a 6-4, 298-pound defensive tackle from Hodges, S.C. He has logged 10 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in his first two seasons for the Garnet & Black while making 17 career starts. His father, Buddy, also played for the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks will open the 2013 season on Thurs., August 29, when they host the North Carolina Tar Heels at Williams-Brice Stadium. Game time is set for 6 p.m. EDT, and the contest will be televised nationally on ESPN.
2013 Coaches Preseason All-SEC
OFFENSE
First Team
QB – Aaron Murray, Georgia
RB – Todd Gurley, Georgia
RB – T.J. Yeldon, Alabama
WR – Amari Cooper, Alabama
WR – Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt
TE – Arthur Lynch, Georgia
OL – Jake Matthews, Texas A&M
OL – Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
OL – Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State
OL – Antonio Richardson, Tennessee
C – Travis Swanson, Arkansas
Second Team
QB – Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
RB – LaDarius Perkins, Mississippi State
RB – Tre Mason, Auburn
WR – Mike Evans, Texas A&M
WR – Donte Moncrief, Mississippi
TE – Rory Anderson, South Carolina
OL – Anthony Steen, Alabama
OL – Ja’Wuan James, Tennessee
OL – Wesley Johnson, Vanderbilt
OL – *A.J. Cann, South Carolina
OL – *Chris Burnette, Georgia
OL – *Zach Fulton, Tennessee
OL – *Jon Halapio, Florida
C – Reese Dismukes, Auburn
Third Team
QB – AJ McCarron, Alabama
RB – Alfred Blue, LSU
RB – Keith Marshall, Georgia
WR – *Odell Beckham Jr., LSU
WR – *Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia
WR – *Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri
TE – *Brian Vogler, Alabama
TE – *C.J. Uzomah, Auburn
OL – La’el Collins, LSU
OL – David Hurd, Arkansas
OL – Justin Britt, Missouri
OL – Aaron Morris, Mississippi
C – James Stone, Tennessee
DEFENSE
First Team
DL – Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
DL – Dominique Easley, Florida
DL – Anthony Johnson, LSU
DL – Chris Smith, Arkansas
LB – C.J. Mosley, Alabama
LB – A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
LB – Denzel Nkemdiche, Mississippi
DB – Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama
DB – Craig Loston, LSU
DB – Andre Hal, Vanderbilt
DB – Loucheiz Purifoy, Florida
Second Team
DL – Kelcy Quarles, South Carolina
DL – Daniel McCullers, Tennessee
DL – *Ed Stinson, Alabama
DL – *Xzavier Dickson, Alabama
DL – *Jeoffrey Pagan, Alabama
LB – Lamin Barrow, LSU
LB – Jordan Jenkins, Georgia
LB – Adrian Hubbard, Alabama
DB – Damian Swann, Georgia
DB – Marcus Roberson, Florida
DB – E.J. Gaines, Missouri
DB – Deion Belue, Alabama
Third Team
DL – *Dee Ford, Auburn
DL – *C.J. Johnson, Mississippi
DL – *Ronald Powell, Florida
DL – *Alvin Dupree, Kentucky
DL – *Denico Autry, Mississippi State
LB – Avery Williamson, Kentucky
LB – Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State
LB – *Ronald Powell, Florida
LB – *Trey DePriest, Alabama
DB – Deshazor Everett, Texas A&M
DB – Nickoe Whitley, Mississippi State
DB – Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama
DB – Charles Sawyer, Mississippi
SPECIALISTS
First Team
PK – Carey Spear, Vanderbilt
P – Kyle Christy, Florida
RS – Odell Beckham Jr., LSU
AP – Bruce Ellington, South Carolina
Second Team
PK – Cody Parkey, Auburn
P – *Tyler Campbell, Mississippi
P – *Cody Mandell, Alabama
P – *Steven Clark, Auburn
RS – Marcus Murphy, Missouri
AP – Odell Beckham Jr., LSU
Third Team
PK – *Andrew Baggett, Missouri
PK – *Zach Hocker, Arkansas
P – Michael Palardy, Tennessee
RS – Bruce Ellington, South Carolina
AP – LaDarius Perkins, Mississippi State
* – Ties
