STARKVILLE — The leading returning tackler in the Southeastern Conference finally was acknowledged Monday.
Mississippi State University linebacker Cameron Lawrence was selected to the 2012 Butkus Award watch list. The award is given annually to the nation’s best linebacker.
The Bulldogs will enter this season looking to replace linebackers Brandon Wilson and Brandon Maye. The experience MSU has in the middle of the field may allow defensive coordinator Chris Wilson to design more advanced blitzes and disguises instead of re-installing the same base packages.
“That’s the thing with having so much returning players,” said Lawrence, who is coming off a 123-tackle season last year. “It’s not the same system, but the installations aren’t as daunting because we all know what we’re doing.”
Lawrence, who played the past three seasons at MSU with his older brother, Addison, practiced at quarterback and safety before finding a home at linebacker more than two years ago.
“Linebackers are the quarterbacks of the defense, and I take that mentality to how I play,” Cam Lawrence said.
Junior offensive lineman Gabe Jackson also was recognized Monday, earning a spot on the Lombardi Award watch list. The award is given to the nation’s best lineman.
Last week, the 6-foot-4, 320-pound guard was named to the Outland Trophy Award watch list and second-team All-SEC second-team by the league’s coaches. Jackson has started all 26 games he has participated in at left guard during the past two seasons.
Senior cornerback Johnthan Banks was selected Monday to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list. The award is given to college football’s best defensive back. Last season, Banks was the only cornerback in the SEC last year to have at least 70 tackles and to record five interceptions. The Associated Press named him second-team All-SEC second team, while Phil Steele Magazine named him third-team All-SEC.
The Maben native was a finalist for the Conerly Trophy and a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award last season.
Entering this season, Banks was named to the All-SEC preseason first-team, and was named to the watch lists for the Chuck Bednarik and the Bronko Nagurski trophies. The awards are given annually to the nation’s best defensive player.
Media Days will miss key players
The SEC Media Days, which will kick off today in Hoover, Ala., likely will be defined by who isn’t at the three-day extravaganza.
University of South Carolina tailback Marcus Lattimore and Texas A&M University senior Christine Michael, two of the league’s top running backs, won’t be dressed in suits and led around the Wynfrey Hotel likely because they are coming off season-ending injuries. Coaching staffs and media relations departments confer months before the event to discuss which student-athletes will represent their schools.
One of the league’s best signal callers, University of Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, also won’t be at Media Days. In the spring, Murray was one of two likely candidates to be in attendance. Running back Isaiah Crowell was the other, but Georgia dismissed the former starter and five-star recruit following his arrest on felony weapons charges. Crowell, who transferred to Southwestern Athletic Conference member Alabama State, faces charges including carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon on school property.
The missing players is an interesting storyline, especially since SEC officials increased the number of players per school from two to three
in 2010.
Then there are the coaches.
For the first time since 1998, Houston Nutt won’t field questions this week as a member of a SEC coaching staff. After being drilled with questions about his job security last year, Nutt resigned as coach at the University of Mississippi before the end of the 2011 season. Hugh Freeze will field questions about the Rebels this year.
“This is my dream job,” Freeze said as he enters the season with a team predicted to finish last in the Western Division, according to the coaches’ poll. “Ole Miss has won national titles, SEC titles and ranks top 25 all-time in bowl appearances and bowl wins. There is a championship tradition here, and we are going to return it to that level and do it with energy, passion and a positive attitude.”
For MSU, Banks, Jackson, and junior quarterback Tyler Russell will join coach Dan Mullen on Wednesday to talk about the Bulldogs.
MSU football spokesperson Joe Galbraith said the school has tried to get players to Media Days before their junior season to help increase their visibility.
“We have certainly tended to bring players before their junior seasons begin so they can have their stories told before their final year,” Galbraith said. “Dan and I talked about his philosophy on these things in his first year, and I feel we’re more than in sync on these things.”
Banks is excited about his first appearance at Media Days.
“I’ve heard Media Days can be stressful, a lot of weird questions, (but) I’m looking forward to it. It’s something I wanted to do,”
Banks said last week. “I’m glad I got the respect of coach Mullen and all them to pick me. I feel like I’m one of the captains on the team so it’s an honor to be picked to go to media days.”
The University of Missouri and Texas A&M University, the SEC’s newest members, will take the spotlight today with the University of South Carolina and Vanderbilt University.
This is just the fourth time in the history of the SEC the league has expanded its membership.
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