BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Seven members of the second-ranked LSU football team were named to the 2003 Coaches’ All- SEC Teams, including three first-team selections, the league office announced on Tuesday.
The Tigers, fresh off of their second SEC championship in three seasons, had a league best seven players named to either the first and second team along with Eastern Division co-champions Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. LSU defeated Georgia 34-13 last Saturday in Atlanta to win the SEC Championship and advanced to the Sugar Bowl to play the Oklahoma Sooners for the national championship on Jan. 4 in New Orleans, La.
Junior wide receiver Michael Clayton, senior defensive tackle Chad Lavalais, and junior defensive back Corey Webster were each named to the first team. Clayton made the All-SEC squad for the third-straight season. The Baton Rouge native was a member of the 2001 Freshman All-SEC team and was a Second-Team All-SEC pick by both the Associated Press and coaches last season. A semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award this season, Clayton leads the Tigers with 74 catches for 1,041 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is the school’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns and is the only wide receiver in LSU history to amass at least 700 yards three different seasons. Clayton led the conference in receiving yards in 2003.
Lavalais was named to the first team by the coaches for the first time in his career after being named a First-Team selection by the Sporting News in 2002. The native of Marksville, La., has been the unquestioned leader of one of the nation’s best defenses this season, leading the Tigers with 15 tackles for a loss along with seven sacks. Lavalais is a finalist for both the Outland Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top interior lineman, and the Bronko Nagurski Award, which goes to college football’s top defensive player.
Webster, a native of Vacherie, La., was the Tigers’ only repeat first-team selection from a year ago. The junior led LSU with six interceptions this season and ranked second in the conference in that category. Webster has 46 total tackles this season and recorded 23 passes broken up. Webster and Lavalais are two of the main reasons why the Tigers lead the nation in scoring defense, giving up only 10.8 points per game.
Offensive guard Stephen Peterman, wide receivers Devery Henderson and Skyler Green, and quarterback Matt Mauck all made the second team. Peterman, a Waveland, Miss. native, was named First-Team All-SEC for the second- onsecutive season. Henderson was honored as an All-SEC selection for the first time in his career. The senior from Opelousas, La., led the Tigers with 11 touchdowns this season and was second on the team with 837 yards receiving. Green, who made the team as a return specialist, led the country in punt return average with 19.8 yards per return and returned two punts for a touchdown this season.
Mauck, the Tigers’ starting quarterback, had one of the finest seasons in school history in 2003, and was named All-SEC for the first time in his career. The Jasper, Ind., native completed 216 of 336 passes this season for 2,701 yards and an SEC-leading 28 touchdown passes. Mauck led the conference this season in passing efficiency, completing 64.3 percent of his passes and his 28 touchdown passes are the most in a single season in LSU history. Mauck, the 2001 SEC Championship Game MVP, is now 17-2 as the Tigers’ starting quarterback.
Nine of the 12 SEC schools had at least two players named to the first team and there were four unanimous selections; Arkansas offensive tackle Shawn Andrews, Auburn outside linebacker Karlos Dansby, Auburn running back Carnell Williams, and Tennessee punter Dustin Colquitt. Nine of the 12 SEC schools placed at least two players on the first team. Arkansas led the SEC by placing four players on the first team and Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Ole Miss each had three first-team selections.
The Razorbacks’ Andrews, Kentucky senior offensive lineman, Alabama offensive lineman Wesley Britt, Georgia defensive lineman David Pollack, LSU’s Corey Webster, and Kentucky return specialist Derek Abney were all repeat first-team selections from last season.
2003 ALL-SEC FOOTBALL TEAM
| FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC — OFFENSE | ||||||
| Pos. | NAME | SCHOOL | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | HOME TOWN |
| TE | Ben Troupe | Florida | 6-4 | 262 | Sr. | Augusta, Ga. |
| #^OL | Shawn Andrews | Arkansas | 6-6 | 353 | Jr. | Camden, Ark. |
| OL | Max Starks | Florida | 6-7 | 349 | Sr. | Orlando, Fla. |
| ^OL | Antonio Hall | Kentucky | 6-5 | 302 | Sr. | Canton, Ohio |
| ^OL | Wesley Britt | Alabama | 6-8 | 312 | Jr. | Cullman, Ala. |
| C | Scott Wells | Tennessee | 6-2 | 300 | Sr. | Spring Hill, Tenn. |
| WR | Michael Clayton | LSU | 6-4 | 200 | Jr. | Baton Rouge, La. |
| WR | Chris Collins | Ole Miss | 6-2 | 190 | Sr. | Gloster, Miss. |
| QB | Eli Manning | Ole Miss | 6-5 | 218 | Sr. | New Orleans, La. |
| #RB | Carnell Williams | Auburn | 5-11 | 204 | Jr. | Attalla, Ala. |
| RB | Cedric Cobbs | Arkansas | 6-1 | 225 | Sr. | Little Rock, Ark. |
| SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC — OFFENSE | ||||||
| TE | Jason Peters | Arkansas | 6-5 | 320 | Jr. | Queen City, Texas |
| OL | Stephen Peterman | LSU | 6-4 | 325 | Sr. | Waveland, Miss. |
| OL | Max Jean-Gilles | Georgia | 6-4 | 348 | So. | Miami, Fla. |
| OL | Michael Munoz | Tennessee | 6-6 | 305 | Jr. | Mason, Ohio |
| OL | Travelle Wharton | South Carolina | 6-4 | 315 | Sr. | Fountain Inn, S.C. |
| C | Mike Degory | Florida | 6-5 | 309 | So. | Palm Bay, Fla. |
| WR | Devery Henderson | LSU | 6-0 | 190 | Sr. | Opelousas, La. |
| WR | Justin Jenkins | Miss. State | 6-1 | 210 | Sr. | Pearl, Miss. |
| *QB | David Greene | Georgia | 6-3 | 230 | Jr. | Snellville, Ga. |
| *QB | Matt Mauck | LSU | 6-2 | 217 | Jr. | Jasper, Ind. |
| RB | Shaud Williams | Alabama | 5-8 | 189 | Sr. | Andrews, Texas |
| RB | Cedric Houston | Tennessee | 6-0 | 215 | Jr. | Clarendon, Ark. |
| FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC — DEFENSE | ||||||
| ^DL | David Pollack | Georgia | 6-3 | 278 | Jr. | Snellville, Ga. |
| DL | Chad Lavalais | LSU | 6-3 | 289 | Sr. | Marksville, La. |
| DL | Antwan Odom | Alabama | 6-5 | 273 | Jr. | Bayou LaBatre, Ala. |
| #OLB | Karlos Dansby | Auburn | 6-5 | 235 | Sr. | Birmingham, Ala. |
| OLB | Derrick Pope | Alabama | 6-0 | 223 | Sr. | Galveston, Texas |
| ILB | Dontarrious Thomas | Auburn | 6-4 | 238 | Sr. | Perry, Ga. |
| ILB | Odell Thurman | Georgia | 6-1 | 225 | So. | Monticello, Ga. |
| ^DB | Corey Webster | LSU | 6-0 | 197 | Sr. | Vacherie, La. |
| DB | Keiwan Ratliff | Florida | 5-10 | 178 | Sr. | Columbus, Ohio |
| DB | Ahmad Carroll | Arkansas | 5-11 | 191 | Jr. | Atlanta, Ga. |
| *DB | Tony Bua | Arkansas | 5-11 | 210 | Sr. | River Ridge, La. |
| *DB | Sean Jones | Georgia | 6-2 | 212 | Jr. | Atlanta, Ga. |
| SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC — DEFENSE | ||||||
| DL | Jovan Haye | Vanderbilt | 6-3 | 255 | So. | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| DL | Reggie Torbor | Auburn | 6-3 | 242 | Sr. | Baton Rouge, La. |
| DL | Bobby McCray | Florida | 6-6 | 245 | Sr. | Miami, Fla. |
| OLB | Kevin Burnett | Tennessee | 6-3 | 235 | Jr. | Carson, Calif. |
| OLB | Kevin Simon | Tennessee | 5-11 | 225 | So. | Walnut Creek, Calif. |
| ILB | Caleb Miller | Arkansas | 6-3 | 220 | Sr. | Sulphur Springs, Texas |
| ILB | Channing Crowder | Florida | 6-2 | 236 | Fr. | Atlanta, Ga. |
| DB | Daryl Dixon | Florida | 5-10 | 190 | Sr. | New Smyrna Beach, Fla. |
| DB | Gibril Wilson | Tennessee | 6-1 | 190 | Sr. | San Jose, Calif. |
| DB | Thomas Davis | Georgia | 6-1 | 220 | So. | Shellman, Ga. |
| DB | Muhammad Abdullah | Kentucky | 6-0 | 200 | So. | Folkston, Ga. |
| FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC — SPECIAL TEAMS | ||||||
| #P | Dustin Colquitt | Tennessee | 6-2 | 196 | Jr. | Knoxville, Tenn. |
| PK | Jonathan Nichols | Ole Miss | 6-0 | 180 | Jr. | Greenwood, Miss. |
| ^RS | Derek Abney | Kentucky | 5-10 | 175 | Sr. | Mosinee, Wisc. |
| SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC — SPECIAL TEAMS | ||||||
| P | Cody Ridgeway | Ole Miss | 6-1 1/2 | 190 | Jr. | Jackson, Tenn. |
| PK | Billy Bennett | Georgia | 5-8 | 175 | Sr. | Athens, Ga. |
| RS | Skyler Green | LSU | 5-9 | 189 | So. | Westwego, La. |
# – Unanimous Selection
^ – Repeat First-Team Selection
* – Ties
(Coaches could not vote for themselves or their own players)