July 14, 2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Three University of Kentucky football players, including senior linebacker Danny Trevathan, junior offensive guard Larry Warford and senior punter Ryan Tydlacka, have been named to the preseason All-Southeastern Conference Team selected by the league coaches, the conference office announced Thursday.

Trevathan and Warford were named to the first team, while Tydlacka was selected to the third team. Kentucky’s two first-team selections ranked the Wildcats fifth in the SEC. Alabama had seven first-team selections, while Georgia was second with six followed by South Carolina with four and Arkansas with three. LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt had one first-team selection, while Auburn, Florida and Mississippi State had none.

• Trevathan had a breakout junior season last year, becoming the first linebacker in Kentucky history to earn first-team All-American honors. Trevathan’s honors in 2010 include: All-America first team by CollegeFootballNews.com, All-America fourth team by Phil Steele’s College Football and All-SEC first team by SEC coaches, Associated Press, Phil Steele’s College Football and CollegeFootballNews.com. The native of Leesburg, Fla., led the SEC in tackles last season with 144 and was second in the SEC in fumbles caused with four. Trevathan led UK with 16 tackles for loss and was third in the SEC in that category. Trevathan was a vital part of the UK defense, leading the team in tackles 10 games, including a career-high 17 tackles against eventually National Champion Auburn.
• Warford was a key part to UK’s success last season, starting every game and receiving second-team All-SEC honors from multiple selectors. The native of Richmond, Ky., led the team in knockdown blocks with 43 and showed an outstanding ability to block down the field. Warford’s blocking helped pave the way for one of the most productive offenses in school history, averaging 31.2 points and 427.8 yards per game. He helped enable the success of quarterback Mike Hartline, who finished his career as the No. 4 passer in school history; tailback Derrick Locke, the No. 6 rusher in school history; and All-America wide receiver/quarterback Randall Cobb, who set the UK career touchdown record and broke the SEC season record for all-purpose yardage.
• Tydlacka had an impressive junior season for UK in 2010, receiving the National Punter of the Week award by College Football Performance Awards for his effort in the Ole Miss game when he pinned the Rebels at their own one-yard line and three-yard line. The native of Louisville, Ky., averaged 43.8 yards per punt in 2010, including a career-long punt at Ole Miss of 73 yards. Tydlacka was the SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week for the South Carolina game when he landed three punts inside the 20-yard line en route to a Kentucky upset victory. In 2009, Tydlacka was a All-SEC fourth team selection by Phil Steele’s College Football.