Tide lands conference-high seven players on first team
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama football placed a total of 13 players on the 2016 Preseason Coaches All-Southeastern Conference Football Teams, the league announced on Thursday. The 13 selections match LSU for the most players selected from one team on the 2016 squads.
The Crimson Tide had a league-best seven players earn first-team honors, including Jonathan Allen (DL), Reuben Foster (LB), Eddie Jackson (DB), O.J. Howard (TE), Cam Robinson (OL), Calvin Ridley (WR) and JK Scott (P). The second-team selections were made up of Alphonse Taylor (OL), Tim Williams (LB), Minkah Fitzpatrick (DB) and Adam Griffith (PK). Rounding out the list for Alabama were Ross Pierschbacher at center and Marlon Humphrey at defensive back, who both garnered third-team mention.
The preseason honor from the league’s coaches is the third for Howard during his career – and his second consecutive first team selection. Allen, Jackson, Scott and Robinson were honored for the second time.
All 14 SEC schools were represented by at least one player, including eight schools with six or more selections each. Nine SEC schools had at least one first team All-SEC selection, including a conference-best seven for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama returns 14 starters from a season ago when the team finished 14-1 and won the school’s 16th national championship. The Crimson Tide has claimed four of the last seven national championships and owns a 98-12 record across the last eight seasons under head coach Nick Saban.
The Crimson Tide opens the 2016 season on Sept. 3 in the AdvoCare Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Alabama will match up with the 20th-ranked USC Trojans at 7 p.m. on ABC with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Sam Ponder calling all the action.
