Tennessee football had only one player on 2020 All-SEC Coaches’ Team

The Southeastern Conference didn’t have much love for Tennessee football Volunteers.

After a disappointing 3-7 season that has turned many fans against Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee football is now receiving limited postseason recognition. In fact, the lack of representation is embarrassing early on.

UT was tied for the worst representation in the 2020 SEC football awards given out by the league’s coaches released on Tuesday. Rocky Top only had one player represented across all three All-SEC teams: First team, second team and freshmen.

Senior offensive lineman Trey Smith was that player, as he earned First Team All-SEC at guard for the third time in his four-year career. Smith’s only season not receiving First Team All-SEC was in 2018, when he moved to left tackle and had his season cut short in late October due to the blood clots in his lungs.

This postseason list from the coaches also included the Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Special Teams Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Scholar Athlete of the Year and Jacobs Blocking Trophy. No Tennessee football player won any of those awards.

More from Vols Football

• How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
• Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
• Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
• Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
• Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay

Joining the Vols with only one player recognized across the board were the Vanderbilt Commodores, the team that went 0-9 on the year. Vandy had defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo recognized, as he made Second Team All-SEC.

Now, two other schools had more players recognized, but it’s debatable if they were better-represented than the Vols. For instance, the Mississippi State Bulldogs were the only school with no First or Second Team All-SEC players. However, they had two players make Freshman All-SEC.

Meanwhile, the Auburn Tigers had no First Team All-SEC players, but they had two Second Team players and two All-SEC Freshmen. Everybody else had at least one First Team All-SEC player and multiple All-SEC players in general outside of the Vols.

Still, Tennessee football severely underachieved with these numbers. The Vols had five preseason Coaches All-SEC players: Smith, Brent Cimaglia, Wanya Morris, Henry To’o To’o and Bryce Thompson. This is another indictment against Pruitt’s third season, and more are likely to come before it’s all over.