Houston Nutt Named SEC Coach of the Year

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Ole Miss' Houston Nutt, Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson and Alabama's Nick Saban were all voted by their peers as the SEC Coaches of the Year and will share the award, as announced on Wednesday by the conference office.

In addition, Rebel offensive tackle Michael Oher was selected as the recipient of the Jacobs Trophy, given to the league's top blocker. Also announced today, Oher was honored as a First Team-All-America by Rivals.com, while senior DT Peria Jerry was named to the second team and junior DE Greg Hardy to the third team.

In his first season in Oxford, Nutt immediately reversed the Rebels' fortunes and is just the program's fifth coach to guide Ole Miss to a bowl in his first season, as the Rebels have earned a berth in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.

With an 8-4 regular-season record and a 5-3 mark in the SEC, Nutt led one of the greatest turnarounds in school history, reviving a Rebel squad that was coming off four straight losing seasons and a 3-8 campaign with no conference wins in 2007. It marked the team's best improvement from one season to the next since legendary Ole Miss Coach John Vaught's debut in 1947.

Projected to place fifth in the SEC Western Division in the preseason, Nutt's Rebels finished second in the West, knocked off the last two national champions on the road in No. 4 Florida and No. 18 LSU and ended the year on a five-game win streak.

Paving the way for the Nutt's offense is Oher, who has started 46 straight games on the Rebel line. Rated by many as the top player in the 2009 NFL Draft, Oher has helped Ole Miss rank No. 3 in the SEC in rushing offense (183.4 ypg) and No. 4 in fewest sacks allowed (16). He was named first team All-SEC by the coaches and was one of six unanimous selections on the Associated Press first team.

Oher is the fifth Rebel to claim the Jacobs Trophy and first since Everett Lindsay in 1992. Other previous Ole Miss winners include Paige Cothern, 1955; Crawford Mims, 1953 and Buddy Bowen, 1947.

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry and Florida return specialist Brandon James were voted as the SEC's top offensive player, top defensive player and top special teams player, respectively. The league's coaches also selected Tebow and Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green as the league's scholar-athlete of the year and top freshman performer, respectively.

2008 SEC FOOTBALL INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

Offensive Player of the Year
Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

Defensive Player of the Year
Eric Berry, DB, Tennessee

Special Teams Player of the Year
Brandon James, RS, Florida

Freshman of the Year
A.J. Green, WR, Georgia

Jacobs Blocking Trophy
Michael Oher, Ole Miss

Coach of the Year
*Houston Nutt, Ole Miss
*Nick Saban, Alabama
*Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt

# - Unanimous Selection
* - Ties

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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