On Thursday the SEC released its Coaches' 2013 Preseason All-SEC team, and while all the usual suspects can be found on all three teams, there was one decision that is certainly going to raise some eyebrows.
Last season Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy. Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron helped lead the Crimson Tide to its second straight national title. So which one of these was named to the First-Team?
Neither. That honor went to Georgia's Aaron Murray.
Now, in all honesty, all three of these quarterbacks are pretty good at their jobs. I mean, Murray threw for 3,893 yards and 36 touchdowns last season. He's not exactly a slouch. Still, it's somewhat odd that the coaches wouldn't name Manziel to the First-Team -- coaches couldn't vote for their own players, by the way -- and you have to wonder if there wasn't a message behind the decision of the coaches. Or it could just be that Murray is entering his senior season and coaches tend to reward seniors.
Here is the entire list of players named All-SEC.
OFFENSE
First-Team
QB - Aaron Murray, Georgia
RB - Todd Gurley, Georgia
RB - T.J. Yeldon, Alabama
WR - Amari Cooper, Alabama
WR - Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt
TE - Arthur Lynch, Georgia
OL - Jake Matthews, Texas A&M
OL - Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
OL – Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State
OL - Antonio Richardson, Tennessee
C - Travis Swanson, Arkansas
Second-Team
QB - Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
RB - LaDarius Perkins, Mississippi State
RB - Tre Mason, Auburn
WR - Mike Evans, Texas A&M
WR - Donte Moncrief, Ole Miss
TE - Rory Anderson, South Carolina
OL - Anthony Steen, Alabama
OL - Ja'Wuan James, Tennessee
OL - Wesley Johnson, Vanderbilt
OL - *A.J. Cann, South Carolina
OL - *Chris Burnette, Georgia
OL - *Zach Fulton, Tennessee
OL - *Jon Halapio, Florida
C - Reese Dismukes, Auburn
Third-Team
QB - AJ McCarron, Alabama
RB - Alfred Blue, LSU
RB - Keith Marshall, Georgia
WR - *Odell Beckham Jr., LSU
WR - *Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia
WR - *Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri
TE - *Brian Vogler, Alabama
TE - *C.J. Uzomah, Auburn
OL - La'el Collins, LSU
OL - David Hurd, Arkansas
OL - Justin Britt, Missouri
OL - Aaron Morris, Ole Miss
C - James Stone, Tennessee
DEFENSE
First-Team
DL - Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
DL - Dominique Easley, Florida
DL - Anthony Johnson, LSU
DL - Chris Smith, Arkansas
LB - C.J. Mosley, Alabama
LB - A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
LB - Denzel Nkemdiche, Ole Miss
DB - Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama
DB - Craig Loston, LSU
DB - Andre Hal, Vanderbilt
DB - Loucheiz Purifoy, Florida
Second-Team
DL - Kelcy Quarles, South Carolina
DL - Daniel McCullers, Tennessee
DL - *Ed Stinson, Alabama
DL - *Xzavier Dickson, Alabama
DL - *Jeoffrey Pagan, Alabama
LB - Lamin Barrow, LSU
LB - Jordan Jenkins, Georgia
LB - Adrian Hubbard, Alabama
DB - Damian Swann, Georgia
DB - Marcus Roberson, Florida
DB - E.J. Gaines, Missouri
DB - Deion Belue, Alabama
Third-Team
DL - *Dee Ford, Auburn
DL - *C.J. Johnson, Ole Miss
DL - *Ronald Powell, Florida
DL - *Alvin Dupree, Kentucky
DL - *Denico Autry, Mississippi State
LB - Avery Williamson, Kentucky
LB - Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State
LB - *Ronald Powell, Florida
LB - *Trey DePriest, Alabama
DB - Deshazor Everett, Texas A&M
DB - Nickoe Whitley, Mississippi State
DB - Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama
DB - Charles Sawyer, Ole Miss
SPECIALISTS
First-Team
PK - Carey Spear, Vanderbilt
P - Kyle Christy, Florida
RS - Odell Beckham Jr., LSU
AP – Bruce Ellington, South Carolina
Second-Team
PK - Cody Parkey, Auburn
P - *Tyler Campbell, Ole Miss
P - *Cody Mandell, Alabama
P - *Steven Clark, Auburn
RS - Marcus Murphy, Missouri
AP - Odell Beckham Jr., LSU
PK - *Andrew Baggett, Missouri
PK - *Zach Hocker, Arkansas
P - Michael Palardy, Tennessee
RS - Bruce Ellington, South Carolina
AP - LaDarius Perkins, Mississippi State
* - Ties
