clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Caleb Azubike, Darrius Sims Are Vanderbilt's Only All-SEC Players, According to Coaches

The season of Vanderbilt disrespect continued on Tuesday. The league's coaches barely found a spot for the Commodores on the all-conference team, naming only two Vandy players to the third team and snubbing Steven Scheu altogether.

/leads SEC tight ends in touchdown catches. /no one cares.
/leads SEC tight ends in touchdown catches. /no one cares.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Steven Scheu was second among Southeastern Conference tight ends in receiving yards in 2014. He had more receiving touchdowns than any other tight end in the league last year. And while he's primed for a monster senior season under new offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, the SEC's coaches don't think he belongs anywhere near the all-conference team.

Scheu was Vanderbilt's biggest snub when the league announced their preseason All-SEC teams on Tuesday. He found himself on the outside looking in for one of the three tight end spots on the league's all-star roster.

Vandy only placed two players on the conference's honored squad - and both were banished to the third-team. Caleb Azubike was slotted in on the defensive line. Darrius Sims wound up as the third-team kick returner. By the coaches' logic, the guy who provided 12 percent of the Commodores' touchdowns last season despite touching the ball only four times on offense is barely dangerous enough to fill out the bench on their all-star roster.

Scheu wasn't the only Commodore to be snubbed by the league. Stephen Weatherly led the team with 12.5 tackles for loss last season and should have another big year now that Derek Mason has taken over this team's defense. He's not on the list. Neither is Nigel Bowden, a hard-nosed inside linebacker who made 78 tackles in 11 games last year, or Ralph Webb, who gained 907 rushing yards as a freshman on a team with few offensive options to lighten his load.

While there was stiff competition for spots on the All-SEC roster, it's clear that Vanderbilt's terrible 2014 has followed them into 2015. We've seen how little the national media thinks about Mason's team, and that sentiment appears to be shared by the league's coaches. Fortunately, these preseason rankings and honors are meaningless compared to the year-end awards. The 2015 preseason All-SEC teams should be prime motivation for every player in the Commodore locker room - even Azubike and Sims.

Here are the full all-conference honors, courtesy of SECSports.com:

First Team Preseason All-SEC

Offense
POSITION NAME SCHOOL
TE Evan Engram Ole Miss
OL Laremy Tunsil
Vadal Alexander
Cam Robinson
John Theus
Ole Miss
LSU
Alabama
Georgia
C Mike Matthews Texas A&M
WR Pharoh Cooper
Laquon Treadwell
South Carolina
Ole Miss
QB Dak Prescott Mississippi State
RB Nick Chubb
Leonard Fournette
Georgia
LSU
AP Pharoh Cooper South Carolina
Defense
POSITION NAME SCHOOL
DL Myles Garrett
Robert Nkemdiche
A'Shawn Robinson
Chris Jones
Texas A&M
Ole Miss
Alabama
Mississippi State
LB Reggie Ragland
Curt Maggitt
Jordan Jenkins
Alabama
Tennessee
Georgia
DB Vernon Hargreaves
Cyrus Jones
Jalen Mills
Jonathan Jones
Florida
Alabama
LSU
Auburn
Special Teams
POSITION NAME SCHOOL
PK Marshall Morgan Georgia
P JK Scott Alabama
RS Pharoh Cooper South Carolina

Second Team Preseason All-SEC

Offense
POSTITION NAME SCHOOL
TE Hunter Henry Arkansas
OL Dan Skipper
Greg Pyke
Germain Ifedi
Denver Kirkland
Arkansas
Georgia
Texas A&M
Arkansas
C Ryan Kelly Alabama
WR D'haquille Williams
Malcolm Mitchell
Auburn
Georgia
QB Maty Mauk Missouri
RB Derrick Henry
Alex Collins
Alabama
Arkansas
AP Leonard Fournette LSU
Defense
POSTITION NAME SCHOOL
DL Jonathan Bullard
Derek Barnett
Jonathan Allen
Montravius Adams
Florida
Tennessee
Alabama
Auburn
LB Antonio Morrison
Kentrell Brothers
Kendell Beckwith
Florida
Missouri
LSU
DB Will Redmond
Tre'Davious White
Cameron Sutton
Tony Conner
Mississippi State
LSU
Tennessee
Ole Miss
Special Teams
POSITION NAME SCHOOL
PK Austin MacGinnis Kentucky
P Jamie Keehn LSU
RS Leonard Fournette*
Isaiah McKenzie*
LSU
Georgia

Third Team Preseason All-SEC

Offense
POSTITION NAME SCHOOL
TE O.J. Howard Alabama
OL Alex Kozan
Sebastian Tretola
Devonte Danzey
Jordan Swindle*
Brandon Shell*
Auburn
Arkansas
Auburn
Kentucky
South Carolina
C Evan Boehm Missouri
WR Demarcus Robinson*
Travin Dural*
Josh Reynolds*
Florida
LSU
Texas A&M
QB Jeremy Johnson*
Joshua Dobbs*
Auburn
Tennessee
RB Jonathan Williams
Russell Hansbrough
Kelvin Taylor
Arkansas
Missouri
Florida
AP Speedy Noil Texas A&M
Defense
POSTITION NAME SCHOOL
DL Carl Lawson
Davon Godchaux
Caleb Azubike
Ryan Brown
Auburn
LSU
Vanderbilt
Mississippi State
LB Leonard Floyd
Cassanova McKinzy
Lorenzo Carter
Georgia
Auburn
Georgia
DB A.J. Stamps
Rohan Gaines
Trae Elston
Jonathan Ford
Eddie Jackson
Kentucky
Arkansas
Ole Miss
Auburn
Alabama
Special Teams
POSITION NAME SCHOOL
PK Elliott Fry South Carolina
P Drew Kaser Texas A&M
RS Darrius Sims
Speedy Noil
Vanderbilt
Texas A&M