South Carolina football: five Gamecocks earn All-SEC honors

Five South Carolina football players received All-SEC recognition.

With the SEC’s regular season and conference title now done, coaches took the time to recognize team and player accomplishments of the league’s 14 members. It was an atypical college football season, with each SEC program playing a ten-game, conference-only slate.

As for the Gamecocks, they certainly saw their struggles while navigating the all-league schedule, and despite not reaching the desired results, the team did see five players rewarded for their play this year.

The South Carolina football players selected to All-SEC teams are listed below.

First Team All-SEC

Enagbare was the only Gamecock to receive first-team honors after leading the league with three forced fumbles and finishing second with six sacks. He posted these impressive numbers despite missing the team’s final two games with an injury.

On the season, the junior finished with 30 total takedowns, a new career high.

Second Team All-SEC

Harris got snubbed from the first-team, despite becoming the first Gamecock to ever lead the SEC in rushing. He won the regular season crown with a 1,138 yard season, scoring 15 touchdowns on the year.

Harris posted two games of 200 yards or more, and eclipsed the century mark five times. His best game of the year was a 243-yard outburst against Ole Miss, where he totaled a program record five scores.

Horn tied for the team lead in interceptions, picking off two passes on the year. Both came in the Gamecocks’ upset of No. 15 Auburn, a game in which he solidified his status as a first-round draft pick. He also racked up 16 tackles and six pass breakups.

Horn may have had the opportunity to earn first-team honors had he played the team’s final three games, but as it stands, the lockdown corner becomes the first Gamecock defensive back to land on a coaches’ All-SEC team since DJ Swearinger back in 2012.

All-freshman Team

Kroeger posted great numbers as a freshman, booting 39 punts for an average of 43.3 yards per attempt. The special teamer was a starter on the punt team from the get-go, and certainly didn’t disappoint.

Kroeger averaged more than 40 yards a kick in each of the nine games following the season opener, recording a long of 53. He finished with seven punts of 50 yards or longer, and was named Special Teams Player of the Week following a five-punt performance versus Auburn, where he pinned the Tigers inside their own 20-yard line three different times.

Kaba earned three starts in his freshman season, and tallied 13 takedowns over nine games of action. The North Carolina native performed best in the Gamecocks’ final two contests, racking up a career-high five tackles versus Georgia, followed by a four-tackle outing versus Kentucky.

Kaba’s freshman year is something to build around as the Gamecocks look to replace linebacker Ernest Jones in the middle of the 2021 defense.