Charles Wright is Vanderbilt’s only rep on the AP’s All-SEC team

In four years at Vanderbilt, Charles Wright has developed from an overlooked West Coast high school football player to one of the SEC’s most fearsome pass rushers. That growth wasn’t lost on the reporters who coverage college football in the south; on Monday he was announced as Vanderbilt’s only representative on the Associated Press’s All-SEC team for 2017.

Wright’s redshirt junior season got off to a fast start. The outside linebacker led the nation after three games after recording 4.5 sacks in his first three games of the season. His ability to bully quarterbacks from the edge were a major catalyst to the 3-0 record that earned Vandy some early consideration from AP and Coaches’ Poll voters.

That pace proved unsustainable — for both Wright and the ‘Dores. It turned out Vanderbilt could only win games where the explosive linebacker could feast in the backfield; he had 2.5 sacks in wins over Western Kentucky and Tennessee, but was kept out of the pocket in losses to the rest of the SEC.

Despite the downturn, Wright’s 7.5 sacks were still the most a Commodore has had in a single season since Tim Fugger had eight in 2011.

There were a few potential snubs in an otherwise forgettable 2017 season. Dare Odeyingbo emerged as a valuable counterbalance to Wright in the pass rush after recording 6.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss as a junior. Kyle Shurmur, with 26 touchdown passes, had the best season of his career but was unlikely to even approach Drew Lock and Jarrett Stidham in the ballot box. Ladarius Wiley was invaluable as the team’s last line of defense at safety.

Otherwise, there’s not too much to argue with. Vanderbilt struggled in 2017 but still found a way to beat three bowl eligible teams, one ranked opponent, and Tennessee — who was neither. Despite some cause for optimism, an unreliable defense ultimately led to a quiet December for Commodore fans.

So cheers to Charles Wright, and here’s hoping he continues to grow into a monster — and that he can drag some of his teammates along with him. Here are the rest of the AP All-SEC awards:

FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE

WR — A.J. Brown, Ole Miss, 6-1, 225, So.

WR — Calvin Ridley, Alabama, 6-1, 190. Jr.

T — Jonah Williams, Alabama, 6-5, 301, So.

T — Isaiah Wynn, Georgia, 6-2, 302, Sr.

G — Braden Smith, Auburn, 6-6, 303, Sr.

G — Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama, 6-4, 303, Jr.

C — Bradley Bozeman, Alabama, 6-5, 314, Sr.

C — Will Clapp, LSU, 6-5, 309, Jr.

TE — Hayden Hurst, South Carolina, 6-5, 250, Jr.

QB — Drew Lock, Missouri, 6-4, 225, Jr.

RB — Kerryon Johnson, Auburn, 6-0, 212, Jr.

RB — Benny Snell Jr., Kentucky, 5-11, 223, So.

PK — Daniel Carlson, Auburn, 6-4, 223, Sr.

All-Purpose — Christian Kirk, Texas A&M, 5-11, 200, Jr.

DEFENSE

DE — Jeff Holland, Auburn, 6-2, 249, Jr.

DE — Montez Sweat, Mississippi State, 6-6, 241, Jr.

DT — Da'Ron Payne, Alabama, 6-2, 308, Jr.

DT — Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State, 6-4, 307, So.

LB — Roquan Smith, Georgia, 6-1, 225, Jr.

LB — Devin White, LSU, 6-1, 255, So.

LB — Rashaan Evans, Alabama, 6-3, 234, Sr.

LB — Arden Key, LSU, 6-6, 255, Jr.

CB — Andraez Williams, LSU, 6-2, 175, Fr.

CB — Armani Watts, Texas A&M, 5-11, 200, Sr.

S — Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama, 6-1, 202, Jr.

S — Ronnie Harrison, Alabama, 6-3, 214, Jr.

P — Johnny Townsend, Florida, 6-1, 211, Sr.

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SECOND TEAM

OFFENSE

WR — J'Mon Moore, Missouri, 6-3, 205, Sr.

WR — Christian Kirk, Texas A&M, 5-11, 200, Jr.

T — Martinas Rankin, Mississippi State, 6-5, 305, Sr.

T — Martez Ivey, Florida, 6-5, 305, Jr.

G — Trey Smith, Tennessee, 6-6, 320, Fr.

G — Greg Little, Ole Miss, 6-6, 325, So.

C — Frank Ragnow, Arkansas, 6-5, 317, Sr.

TE — Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri, 6-5, 260, Fr.

QB — Jarrett Stidham, Auburn, 6-3, 214, So.

RB — Nick Chubb, Georgia, 5-10, 225, Sr.

RB — Derrius Guice, LSU, 5-11, 212, Jr.

PK — Eddy Pineiro, Florida, 6-0, 173, Jr.

All-Purpose — Mecole Hardman, Georgia, 5-11, 183, So.

All-Purpose — D.J. Chark, LSU, 6-3, 187, Sr.

DEFENSE

DE — Marcell Frazier, Missouri, 6-5, 265, Sr.

DE — Marquis Haynes, Ole Miss, 6-3, 230, Sr.

DE — Dante Sawyer, South Carolina, 6-3, 275, Sr.

DT — Taven Bryan, Florida,

DT — Raekwon Davis, Alabama, 6-7, 306, So.

DT — Breeland Speaks, Ole Miss, 6-3, 285, Jr.

LB — Josh Allen, Kentucky, 6-5, 230, Jr.

LB — Lorenzo Carter, Georgia, 6-6, 243, Sr.

LB — De'Jon Harris, Arkansas, 6-0, 242, So.

LB — Skai Moore, South Carolina, 6-2 218, Sr.

LB — Charles Wright, Vanderbilt, 6-3, 240, Jr.

CB — Duke Dawson, Florida, 5-10, 208, Sr.

CB — Levi Wallace, Alabama, 6-0, 183, Sr.

CB — Carlton Davis, Auburn, 6-1, 203, Jr.

CB — CJ Henderson, Florida, 6-1, 182, Fr.

S — J.R. Reed, Georgia, 6-1, 194, So.

P — JK Scott, Alabama, 6-6, 204, Sr.

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Offensive Player of the Year — Kerryon Johnson, Auburn

Defensive Player of the Year — Roquan Smith, Georgia

Coach of the Year — Kirby Smart, Georgia

Newcomers of the Year — Jake Fromm, Georgia, and Jarrett Stidham, Auburn