Southeastern Conference honors keep coming for Kentucky football players

Three Kentucky standouts were selected First-Team All-Southeastern Conference, the league announced on Tuesday.

Running back Benny Snell, linebacker Josh Allen and offensive lineman Bunchy Stallings all were picked to the first team in a vote by the conference coaches.

Wide receiver Lynn Bowden, who also served as a kick returner, was voted second team at all-purpose as well.

Alabama’s Damien Harris, a former Madison Southern star, was selected second-team running back along with Georgia’s D’Andre Swift.

Snell was first team alongside Texas A&M’s Trayveon Williams.

The league’s individual award winners will be announced on Wednesday and the All-Freshman Team will come out on Thursday as well.

Snell has rushed for 1,305 yards and 14 touchdowns so far this season for Kentucky and is just 107 yards away from setting the new Kentucky career rushing mark. The junior also is the Cats’ third-leading wide receiver with 17 catches for 105 yards.

This award is the latest in a long line of honors for Josh Allen, who picked up the Bronko Nagurski Trophy late Monday night as the nation’s most outstanding defensive player. Allen was named the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year on Monday by the Associated Press as well.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound linebacker, has been on a tear this season for Kentucky with an SEC-best 14 quarterback sacks, 18.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles to go with his team-high 84 total tackles. He broke the Kentucky single-season and career sacks record (28.5) already this season.

Stallings, who has won multiple Offensive Lineman of the Week awards from the league this season, has been a senior leader on a line that has helped block for a record-setting season for Snell.

Bowden is averaging 106.8 yards a game as an all-purpose player, including 661 receiving yards, 518 kick return yards and 25 yards rushing. His punt return for a touchdown helped rally Kentucky to win at Missouri.

2018 All-SEC Coaches’ Team

FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE

TE: Jace Sternberger, Texas A&M

OL: Jonah Williams, Alabama; Andrew Thomas, Georgia; Greg Little, Ole Miss; Bunchy Stallings, Kentucky

C: Lamont Gaillard, Georgia

WR: A.J. Brown, Ole Miss; Jerry Jeudy, Alabama

QB: Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

RB: Benny Snell, Kentucky; Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M

AP: Deebo Samuel, South Carolina

FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE

DL: Quinnen Williams, Alabama; Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State; Jachai Polite, Florida; Montez Sweat, Mississippi State

LB: Josh Allen, Kentucky; Devin White, LSU; Deshaun Davis, Auburn

DB: Deandre Baker, Georgia; Grant Delpit, LSU; Greedy Williams, LSU; Deionte Thompson, Alabama

FIRST-TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS

PK: Cole Tracy, LSU

P: Braden Mann, Texas A&M

RS: Deebo Samuel, South Carolina

SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE

TE: Irv Smith Jr., Alabama

OL: Martez Ivey, Florida; Alex Leatherwood, Alabama; Deion Calhoun, Mississippi State; Zack Bailey, South Carolina

C: Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama

WR: Deebo Samuel, South Carolina; Emanuel Hall, Missouri

QB: Drew Lock, Missouri

RB: D’Andre Swift, Georgia; Damien Harris, Alabama

AP: Lynn Bowden, Kentucky

SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE

DL: Isaiah Buggs, Alabama; Jonathan Ledbetter, Georgia; Terry Beckner, Missouri; Derrick Brown, Auburn

LB: Dylan Moses, Alabama; Cale Garrett, Missouri; Mack Wilson, Alabama

DB: CJ Henderson, Florida; Johnathan Abram, Mississippi State; Joejuan Williams, Vanderbilt; DeMarkus Acy, Missouri

SECOND-TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS

PK: Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia

P: Joseph Charlton, South Carolina

RS: Mecole Hardman, Georgia

This story was originally published December 4, 2018 at 11:59 AM.