Alabama Lands 15 on Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team
8/23/2017 4:28:00 PM | Football
Tide places conference-best nine players on first team
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Alabama football placed a total of 15 players on the 2017 Preseason Coaches All-Southeastern Conference Football Teams, the league announced on Wednesday. The 15 selections is the most from one school on the 2017 squads.
The Crimson Tide had a league-best nine players earn first-team honors, including Minkah Fitzpatrick (DB), Da'Shawn Hand (DL), Ronnie Harrison (DB), Jalen Hurts (QB), Da'Ron Payne (DL), Ross Pierschbacher (OL), Calvin Ridley (WR), JK Scott (P) and Jonah Williams (OL). The second-team selections were Rashaan Evans (LB) and Bo Scarbrough (RB). Rounding out the list for Alabama were Anthony Averett (DB), Bradley Bozeman (C), Trevon Diggs (AP) and Shaun Dion Hamilton (LB), who all garnered third-team mention.
The preseason first team honor from the league's coaches is the third for Scott and second for Ridley during their careers. The first-team selections for Fitzpatrick and Pierschbacher are firsts for them. Fitzpatrick earned second-team honors in 2016, while Pierschbacher was a third-team pick a year ago.
All 14 SEC schools were represented by at least two players, including six schools with six or more selections each. Nine SEC schools had at least one first team All-SEC selection, including a conference-best nine for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama returns 13 starters from a season ago when the team finished 14-1 and won the school's 26th Southeastern Conference championship. The Crimson Tide has claimed four of the last eight national championships and owns a 112-13 record across the last nine seasons under head coach Nick Saban.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide opens its 2017 season on Sept. 2 in Atlanta, Ga., against third-ranked Florida State in the annual Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The matchup is scheduled for a 7 p.m. CT start on ABC with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi on the call.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaFTBL on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaFBL on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
