July 22, 2011

SEC MEDIA DAYS ALL-SEC TEAMS

MEDIA DAYS COVERAGE | PLAYER QUOTES, VIDEOS | PHOTO GALLERY

HOOVER, Ala. -- Three Vols were named to the 2011 SEC Media Days Preseason All-SEC Team. Senior defensive lineman Malik Jackson is on the first team, junior defensive back Janzen Jackson is on the second team and senior tailback Tauren Poole is on the third.

The Vols were also predicted to finish fourth in the SEC East by the media with a vote total of 496. UT received two first-place votes. Ahead of the Vols in the East were: 1. South Carolins (931), 2. Georgia 794, 3. Florida 731 while UT was followed by 5. Kentucky 340 and 6. Vanderbilt.

The preseason honors continue to roll in for Malik Jackson, he was also named to the first team on the SEC Coaches Preseason Team. Jackson is also on the preseason watch list for the Rotary Lombardi Award, Bronko Nagurski Award and Outland Trophy.

The Northridge, Calif., native led the Vols' defensive line with 48 tackles in 2010, including a team-high 11 tackles for loss. The Northridge, Calif., native also ranked second on the UT squad with five sacks and third with four pass break-ups and five quarterback hurries.

Jackson's production exploded after moving inside to defensive tackle at Georgia (Oct. 9). In the final eight games, the senior recorded 36 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, all five of his sacks, three QB hurries, four passes defended and an interception.

For Janzen Jackson, this is his first preseason accolade in 2011 after a strong 2010 campaign. He was named to the Coaches' All-SEC Second Team last year after he tallied five interceptions and 69 tackles as a sophomore. He led the team with 11 passes defended, which ranked sixth in the SEC.

His tackles totals was the most among all players in the secondary last year and placed him 19th in the SEC among DBs. Jackson made a career-high 11 tackles in the regular-season finale win over Kentucky.

Poole has earned several preseason watch list recognitions this summer. He is a candidate for the Maxwell Award and the Doak Walker Award.

Poole is one of eight SEC tailbacks and 51 overall eligible for the Doak Walker Award. The Toccoa, Ga., native tied for the SEC lead with six 100-yard rushing games in 2010 en route to just the 16th 1,000-yard season in Tennessee history with 1,034 yards, which ranks as the 14th-best single season total at UT. He is one of 24 tailbacks on the Doak Walker Award Watch List to top 1,000 yards rushing in 2010.

In his first year as the starter, Poole earned Associated Press All-SEC honorable mention accolades, while leading the Vols with 12 total touchdowns.