STARKVILLE — The postseason honors keep coming in for Fred Ross.
On Thursday, The Associated Press named the Mississippi State wide receiver first-team All-Southeastern Conference, while defensive standouts Jeffery Simmons and Leo Lewis were named Freshman All-SEC by the league’s coaches.
On Tuesday, Ross, a senior, was named second-team All-SEC by the league’s coaches. On Monday, he accepted a invite to the 2017 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
Ross has 68 catches for 873 yards and a league-best 12 touchdowns.
The Tyler, Texas, native owns six school records, including four career records: catches (195), consecutive games with a catch (34), 100-yard receiving games (10), and receiving yards (2,484).
Simmons, a former Noxubee County High School standout, has 38 tackles, two pass breakups, two passes defended, four quarterback hurries, and two forced fumbles in 11 games.
He was suspended for the first game after a video surfaced of him in March allegedly striking a woman. He pled no contest to simple assault and was found guilty of malicious mischief.
He is the first Bulldog defensive lineman named to the team since Chris Jones, who is playing with the NFL’s Kansas City Chief, was named to the team in 2013.
“All praises to God. I can’t thank God enough! Thanks to my coaches, teammates and MSU family for a great first year! #HailState,” Simmons tweeted.
Lewis, who was named SEC Freshman of the Week after MSU beat Ole Miss 55-20 in the Battle for the Golden Egg, leads SEC freshmen with 72 tackles, the second most on the team.
MSU (5-7) will play Miami University (6-6) in the St. Petersburg Bowl at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 26 (ESPN), at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
n Engram, Kelly, Wunderlich lead Ole Miss: The AP All-SEC team included the same Ole Miss players and positions as Tuesday’s All-SEC coaches teams.
Evan Engram was a unanimous selection as the first-team tight end, while quarterback Chad Kelly and kicker Gary Wunderlich were voted to the second team.
Engram, from Powder Springs, Georgia, is the first player in Ole Miss football history to be named All-SEC four times. He was a second-team selection in 2013 and 2015 and first-team in 2014 and 2016. He has hauled in numerous postseason honors, including first team All-America (Sporting News, USA Today), the Ozzie Newsome Award for the nation’s best tight end, and the Pop Warner College Football Award.
Engram started all 11 games as a team captain before missing the Egg Bowl with a hamstring injury. The Conerly Trophy winner, which goes to the best college football player in the state of Mississippi, had 65 catches for 926 yards and eight touchdowns.
Kelly started nine games before going down with a season-ending knee injury against Georgia Southern. The Buffalo, New York, native finished the season ranked first among SEC players with 343.3 total yards per game (seventh nationally) and 306.4 passing yards per outing (ninth in nation). A semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award and finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, he threw for 19 touchdowns (eight interceptions) and rushed for another five touchdowns. He was a second-team All-SEC quarterback in 2015.
Engram and Kelly have both accepted invitations to the 2017 Reese’s Senior Bowl, which will be Jan. 28 in Mobile, Alabama. Engram is expected to play, while Kelly will be unable to play as he recovers from knee surgery.
Wunderlich, from Memphis, Tennessee, is an all-conference kicker for the first time in his college career. He leads the nation with a 95.7 field-goal percentage, connecting on 22 of 23 attempts. His only miss was a 55-yarder. He finished fifth nationally with 1.83 field goals per game and 27th in the country with 8.9 points scored per outing.
Wide receiver Van Jefferson, defensive back Jaylon Jones, and offensive tackle Greg Little earned SEC All-Freshman recognition.
Three marks the most Rebels on the SEC All-Freshman team since Ole Miss had four following the 2013 season (Tony Conner, Robert Nkemdiche, Laquon Treadwell, and Laremy Tunsil). Ole Miss was only one of three teams to land at least three on the conference’s all-freshman list.
After redshirting the 2015 campaign, Jefferson burst onto the scene to become one of the top targets in a talented wide receiver corps. The Brentwood, Tennessee, native was one of two freshmen Rebels to start all 12 games, hauling in 49 catches for 543 yards and three touchdowns.
Jones played in all 12 games, earning a lone start at Vanderbilt late in the season. Against the Commodores, he tied a career high with six tackles. The cornerback posted 26 tackles, had one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and five pass breakups.
Little played in all 12 games at left tackle and started the final five games.
Athlon Sports also named eight Rebels to its two SEC All-Freshman teams. Jones, defensive tackle Benito Jones, and defensive back Myles Hartsfield earned first-team accolades. Jefferson, Little, defensive back Deontay Anderson, offensive lineman Alex Givens, and defensive back Jalen Julius made the second team.
n Alabama sweeps top spots: the No. 1 Alabama football team walked away with more awards Thursday from The AP.
Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts was picked as the offensive player of the year, as well as the newcomer of the year. Jonathan Allen took the honor for the top defensive player. Nick Saban was the choice for coach of the year after guiding Alabama (13-0) to a 54-16 victory against Florida for the SEC title and its third-straight appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Also Thursday, Hurts and offensive lineman Jonah Williams were named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. The team was voted on by the league’s 14 head coaches, who weren’t allowed to vote for their players.
Hurts, who earned All-SEC, Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors earlier in the week, is the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Alabama since 1984. The Channelview, Texas, native is already the school’s single-season quarterback rushing leader. He is on the verge of breaking the season records for touchdown responsibility and total offense. Hurts has thrown for 2,592 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 841 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Williams, from Folsom, California, has started all 13 games at right tackle. He is a key member of an offensive line that is clearing the way for a balanced attack that leads the SEC in scoring (40.5 points per game) and is second in total offense (471.3 yards per game), rushing offense (245.0 yards per game), and yards per rushing attempt (5.7).
Alabama will meet Washington (12-1) in the semifinals at the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31 at the Georgia Dome. Alabama, the reigning national champion, will seek its fifth title in nine years under Saban.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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