With the college football season set to begin in about a month, Bulldogs, Rebels and Golden Eagles continue to receive preseason recognition.
51 players were named to the watch for the Butkus Award, presented to the nation’s top LB, and three of them are from Mississippi. The list of Mississippi players on the list includes Ole Miss’ MoMo Sanogo along with Mississippi State’s Erroll Thompson and Willie Gay Jr.
Sanogo led the Rebels with 112 tackles in 2018 and finished third in the SEC with 9.3 tackles per game.
During his MSU career, Thompson has racked up 133 total tackles, including 14.5 for loss and six sacks. He also enters the 2019 season as the team’s defensive captain. Gay made his way into the starting lineup halfway through his sophomore season and tallied 48 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and a fumble recovery.
The Rimington Award is presented to country’s top center, and Southern Miss’ Trace Clopton and Mississippi State’s Darryl Williams made the watch list.
Golden Eagle DB Ky’el Hemby has been named to the 2019 Jim Thorpe Award watch list after finishing the 2018 season with 6 INTs. Mississippi State’s Cam Dantzler is also on the watch list. Dantzler was one of only four SEC cornerbacks that did not allow a touchdown in 2018.
Dantzler and Thompson are also on the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, presented to the top defensive player in the country.
Rebel TE Octavious Cooley and Bulldog TE Farrod Green are 2 of the 8 SEC tight ends up for the Makey Award.
Running backs Scottie Phillips (OM) and Kylin Hill (MSU) are up for the Maxwell Award and the Doak Walker Award.
