Dec. 13, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The honors keep coming for the University of Kentucky football team as College Sports Madness announced its 2013 Southeastern Conference All-Conference Teams on Friday with senior linebacker Avery Williamson and junior defensive ends Za’Darius Smith and Alvin “Bud” Dupree all earning honors.
Williamson headlined the honors being selected as a first-team linebacker, while Smith and Dupree were named to the third team. This was the third postseason honor for Williamson, who was named second-team All-SEC by the Associated Press and league coaches earlier in the week. This was the first career first-team honor for Williamson. Dupree was named second-team All-SEC by the AP on Monday, while this is the first honor for Smith.
Williamson, who was named to the College Sports Madness All-SEC second team last season, finished 2013 as UK’s leading tackler for the second consecutive year, posting 102 total tackles to rank tied for fourth in the SEC in that category. The senior also had four tackles for loss, one sack, three quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries. The native of Milan, Tenn., finished his career with 296 total tackles. Williamson, who played in 49 career games with 24 starts, had double-digit tackles in four games in 2013 and ended his career with 12 double-digit tackle games.
The star linebacker began the season as a third-team Preseason All-SEC honoree by league coaches and media, while CollegeSportsMadness.com and Phil Steele’s College Football named him a second-team Preseason All-SEC member. Williamson was also named to the Butkus Award Watch List for the nation’s best linebacker, College Football Performance Awards Linebacker Trophy Watch List and Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List, which honors players who have made the biggest impact on their teams both on the field and off.
Williamson, who was captain in all 12 games for UK, was named a candidate for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award and a member of the SEC Community Service Team.
Dupree ranked 37th in the conference with 61 tackles, including 5.5 tackles per game. The native of Irwinton, Ga., finished the season with a team-best seven sacks, ranking sixth in the conference and 40th in the nation in that category. The junior also finished with a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup, three quarterback hurries and two fumbles forced. Dupree had a career game against Mississippi State with 13 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. The 13 tackles in a game was the most for a UK defensive lineman since game-by-game records were available back to 1993.
On top of his two honors this postseason, Dupree was named Sophomore All-America second team last season by CollegeFootballNews.com and was an All-SEC third-team honoree by Phil Steele’s College Football and College Football Madness in 2012. Dupree began the season on the College Football Performance Awards Defensive Lineman Trophy Watch List, which is given to the nation’s best defensive lineman. The junior served as captain in 10 of UK’s 12 games and was named Preseason All-SEC by league coaches, media, College Sports Madness and Phil Steele’s College Football.
Smith, who joined Kentucky from East Mississippi Community College, had a great first season with the Wildcats. The native of Greenville, Ala., finished the season third on the team in total tackles with 59, while sitting second on the team in tackles for loss with 6.5 and sacks with six. Smith had a career game against Miami (Ohio) with three sacks and six tackles, including four solo tackles, to earn SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors from College Sports Madness. The junior also had six quarterback hurries on the year, including a pass breakup and one fumble recovery.
Donte Rumph, Avery Williamson Named All-SEC by Athlon Sports: University of Kentucky senior defensive tackle Donte Rumph and Williamson were named to the Athlon Sports All-Southeastern Conference second team defense, the organization announced recently.
This was the first career postseason honor for Rumph, who had his best season with the Wildcats as a senior. The native of St. Matthews, S.C., ended the year eighth on the team in total tackles with 47, which was the most he has had in one season in his career. The senior added six tackles for loss, two sacks, two quarterback hurries and one fumble forced. Rumph led UK in tackles two times on the year, posting a career-high 10 stops against Vanderbilt and Tennessee.
