Greg Sankey points toward the real culprits who snubbed Longhorns players on the All-SEC team
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is used to fans complaining about postseason awards. Every time the league office sends out its postseason awards list, it’s practically asking for trouble. Sankey is open to feedback via his social media channels and sees the comments sent his way. Sometimes, he’ll fire back. One Texas fan NashTalksTexas posted on […]
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is used to fans complaining about postseason awards. Every time the league office sends out its postseason awards list, it’s practically asking for trouble.
Sankey is open to feedback via his social media channels and sees the comments sent his way. Sometimes, he’ll fire back.
One Texas fan NashTalksTexas posted on X a question as to why UT linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was left off the first team All-SEC while his statistics were better than Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman's.
“So may we ask what the criteria is for getting First Team vs Second Team All-Conference? @GregSankey @SEC Because it doesn't seem like good play is the criteria,” NashTalksTexas asked the commissioner.
Sankey had a ready answer.
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“Thanks for asking…Included in the press release announcing the SEC All-Conference teams is this sentence: “Thirteen Southeastern Conference schools placed a member on the 2024 All-SEC Coaches’ Football First Team, as voted on by the league’s head coaches,” Sankey wrote. The bold font was Sankey’s emphasis.
Under that rationale, it was the SEC coaches who chose to vote Stutsman over Hill even though the Longhorn had 16 tackles for loss compared to the Sooner’s eight. Hill had 7 1/2 sacks compared to Stutsman’s one.
It would also be the league’s coaches who chose to leave Texas safety Michael Taaffe off all three All-SEC teams. Taaffe was named a Pro Football Focus first-team All-American for his season, which was graded to be just as good as Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Texas’ Jahdae Barron’s.
Next year, another Longhorn will be left off the All-SEC teams as voted on by the coaches. And once again, Sankey will get backlash for it.
Just remember how the All-SEC teams are constructed. “As voted on by the league’s head coaches.”
