Trio of Gamecocks on Media's Preseason All-SEC Teams

July 17, 2015

Three University of South Carolina football players, Pharoh Cooper, Elliott Fry and Brandon Shell, have been named to the preseason All-SEC squads, as selected by the media attending the annual SEC Media Days in Birmingham, it was announced today.

Cooper, a 5-11, 207-pound junior from Havelock, N.C., was named to the first-team unit as an all-purpose back, and was a second-team selection as both a wide receiver and return specialist. Cooper earned first-team All-SEC honors a year ago at wide receiver and was a second-team pick as an all-purpose back after finishing third in the league in receptions (69), second in receiving yards (1,136) and receiving yards per game (87.4), fourth in receptions per game (5.3) and ninth in all-purpose yards per game (108.5). Cooper has been named to the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell, Hornung and Biletnikoff awards.

Fry, a 6-0, 164-pound junior from Frisco, Texas, was named to the second-team unit as a placekicker. Last season, the Groza semifinalist connected on 18-of-25 field goals, ranked third in the SEC with 105 points, the third-highest single-season mark in school history, and was fifth in in the SEC in points per game at 8.1. He has hit on 33-of-43 career field goal attempts and on 105-of-106 extra points, including his last 99 in a row, a school record. Fry is on the Groza preseason watch list and was nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. He was also a member of the 2014 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

Shell, a 6-6, 328-pound offensive tackle from Goose Creek, S.C., garnered a spot on the preseason third-team unit. The fifth-year senior has made 36 starts over the past three seasons, the most on the squad, including a streak of 35 consecutive starts. He is a two-time member of the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

The Gamecocks were picked to finish fourth in the SEC Eastern Division in the poll released earlier in the week.