Six Rebels Make Coaches’ Preseason All-SEC Teams

Ole Miss has six representatives on the preseason All-Southeastern Conference football teams voted on by the 14 league head coaches, as announced by the league office Tuesday.

This marked the 13th consecutive year of the SEC Coaches Preseason All-SEC Teams. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

The Rebels’ junior quartet of tight end Evan Engram, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche earned first-team honors from the league coaches, just like from the league media and numerous other outlets.

Junior defensive back Tony Conner made the second team, while senior defensive back Trae Elston was voted to the third team.

A native of Powder Springs, Georgia, Engram has established himself as one of the nation’s top receiving tight ends through his first two years of college with 59 career catches for 930 yards and five touchdowns. Last year, he was a second team All-America pick by Sports Illustrated and a unanimous All-SEC first team selection after he led SEC tight ends with 662 receiving yards (Ole Miss TE record) and led the nation’s tight ends with 17.4 yards per catch. He was a second team All-SEC pick in 2013 when he set an Ole Miss freshman tight end record with three TDs on 21 catches for 268 yards.

Treadwell enters his third year of college ranked 13th in school history with 120 career receptions. The Crete, Illinois, native was a second team All-SEC selection by Athlon last year despite missing the last four games of the season with a broken fibula and dislocated ankle. He had 100-yard receiving games against Boise State, Memphis and Auburn and caught five touchdowns a year ago. He was SEC Freshman of the Year in 2013 when he hauled in an Ole Miss freshman record 72 catches and caught five TDs.

Tunsil is one of the country’s top returning offensive linemen. He has been the Rebels’ full-time starting left tackle since the early portion of his freshman year and has been personally responsible for only two sacks during that time. The Lake City, Florida, native earned several second- and third-team All-America accolades and was an All-SEC first team pick by the Associated Press last year.

Nkemdiche is regarded as one of the nation’s premier defensive players as a 6-foot-4, 296-pound defensive tackle. The Loganville, Georgia, native was a second team All-America pick and first team All-SEC selection last year when he tallied 35 tackles, 4.0 TFLs and two sacks and helped Ole Miss lead the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 16.0 points per game. In his two-year career, he has 69 tackles, 12.0 TFLs and 4.0 sacks.

Conner, from nearby Batesville, Mississippi, has been a force in the Rebels’ defensive backfield during his first two seasons. He has racked up 135 tackles, 14 TFLs, two sacks and two interceptions. A two-year starter at the hybrid Huskie position (a safety who has to cover passes and often lines up in the box, as well), Conner has the size (6-0, 215) and speed to create big problems for the opposing offense. He was a second team AP All-SEC pick last season.

A native of Oxford, Alabama, Elston receives his first All-SEC honors of the preseason. The senior was a three-year starter at Rover before making the switch to free safety this past spring. One of the veterans on the nation’s No. 1 ranked scoring defense a year ago, he tallied 59 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, three passes defended and an interception. He has 182 career tackles and 15 passes defended.

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Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports