BIRMINGHAM, Ala. For the second time this week, Ole Miss senior linebacker Patrick Willis was named the Southeastern Conference’s top defensive player. Willis was recognized by the league’s coaches on Wednesday after earning SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors by The Associated Press on Monday.
Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Auburns John Vaughn were voted as the Southeastern Conferences top offensive player and top special teams player, respectively.
The leagues coaches also selected Kentucky offensive lineman Hayden Lane and Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin as the leagues scholar-athlete of the year and top freshman performer.
Tennessee offensive tackle Arron Sears was selected as the recipient of the Jacobs Trophy, given to the leagues top blocker and Arkansas Houston Nutt was voted by his peers as the SEC Coach of the Year.
Willis, a native of Bruceton, Tenn., led the SEC in tackles for the second-straight season. This year he was the only SEC defender to average more than 10 tackles a game with 11.4. His 137 stops rank sixth in the nation, and he’s third in solo tackles with more than seven a game. The winner of this year’s Conerly Trophy (awarded to the state of Mississippi’s top player), Willis is also a finalist for the Butkus Award and was a runner-up for the Nagurski Award.
McFadden, a sophomore from Little Rock, Ark., McFadden leads the SEC and ranks 10th in the nation averaging 119.85 yards per game rushing through 13 games. He has already set school records for rushing yards (1,558) and all-purpose yards (1,933) in a season. McFadden has led the Razorbacks to a 10-3 record, including a streak of 10-consecutive wins, a 7-1 SEC record, a SEC Western Division title and a No. 12 national ranking.
Vaughn, a Brentwood, Tenn., native, set a career-high with 19 field goals this season, giving him 49 for his career, which is an Auburn career record. His 89 points this season is an Auburn single-season best among kickers and gives him 307 in four seasons, also a Tiger record. He became the first Tiger kicker in team history to make 50-plus-yard field goals in consecutive weeks, first booting a 52-yarder against Washington State Sept. 2, then followed that with a 55-yarder against Mississippi State Sept. 9.
After running for a career-high 105 yards and a touchdown on six carries (17.5 yards per rush) and catching five passes for 62 yards and another score in the SEC Championship Game to become just the second rookie in the contests history to take home MVP honors, Harvin was awarded SEC Freshman of the Year accolades by the AP on Monday. He has collected 25 catches for 367 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also running for 406 yards and two scores on just 36 carries (11.3 avg.) this season; his 773 yards of total offense on just 61 touches give him an average of 12.7 yards per touch that ranks first nationally among freshmen.
Lane, a senior from Lawrenceville, Ga., graduated in three years with a 3.95 GPA and a double major in Anthropology and Classics. He is currently in his second year in his masters in History with a 3.86 GPA. On the field, Lane has started 26 games in the offensive line during his Wildcat career.
Sears, a native of Russellville, Ala., earned his second consecutive double selection as a first-team, All-SEC selection by both the coaches and Associated Press. He also was named last week a first-team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association and Rivals.com.
2006 SEC FOOTBALL INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Hayden Lane, OL, Kentucky
Offensive Player of the Year
#Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
Defensive Player of the Year
Patrick Willis, LB, Ole Miss
Special Teams Player of the Year
John Vaughn, PK, Auburn
Freshman of the Year
Percy Harvin, WR, Florida
Jacobs Blocking Trophy
Arron Sears, OL, Tennessee
Coach of the Year
Houston Nutt, Arkansas
#-Unanimous Selection
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