ATLANTA - Eli Manning considered turning pro after his junior season, but something kept him at Mississippi. He just had a feeling it was going to be special season.
Turns out he was right.
Manning was named Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year by The Associated Press on Monday, an overwhelming choice after he led the Rebels to the brink of the league championship game.
Ole Miss (9-3) won seven SEC games for the first time in school history, rebounding from a 2-2 start. Only a loss to LSU kept the Rebels from making a trip to Atlanta.
``I know when I was talking to Eli last January about his future, we talked about what kind of football team we thought we could have,'' coach David Cutcliffe said. ``I'm sure that was part of his decision-making process.''
Cutcliffe shared the coach of the year award with LSU's Nick Saban, whose team will play for at least a share of the national title after winning its second SEC championship in three years.
The Tigers (12-1) routed Georgia 34-13 last weekend and will face Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.
Two Florida players captured the other awards. Cornerback Keiwan Ratliff was named defensive player of the year, while quarterback Chris Leak was honored as the top freshman.
LSU led all schools with six players selected to the first team, led by unanimous choices Chad Lavalais at defensive tackle and Corey Webster at cornerback. They were joined by receiver Michael Clayton, offensive lineman Stephen Peterman, center Ben Wilkerson and defensive end Marcus Spears.
Georgia was represented by four players, all on the defensive side of the line: end David Pollack, linebacker Odell Thurman and safeties Thomas Davis and Sean Jones.
Ole Miss also had four first-teamers. Manning, a unanimous pick, was joined by receiver Chris Collins, defensive tackle Jesse Mitchell and kicker Jonathan Nichols.
Auburn, a preseason favorite that struggled through a disappointing season, was the only other team with four first-teamers. Running back Carnell Williams was a unanimous pick, while linebacker Karlos Dansby, defensive tackle DeMarco McNeil and offensive lineman Monreko Crittenden made it, too.
Also named on every ballot Arkansas offensive lineman Shawn Andrews, Tennessee punter Dustin Colquitt and two Florida players, Ratliff and tight end Ben Troupe.
Manning, a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy, passed for 3,341 yards, with 27 touchdowns, only nine interceptions and a completion rate of nearly 62 percent.
``Our conference is full of good teams and good players,'' Manning said from New York, where he was receiving a scholastic award. ``I'm truly honored and indebted to my coaches and teammates.''
Cutcliffe was under a bit of pressure heading into the season, having been stuck on seven wins for three consecutive years. The Rebels appeared to be headed for a similar result when losses to Memphis and Texas Tech left them .500 heading into a game at Florida.
Ole Miss upset the Gators 20-17, sparking a six-game winning streak. While a 17-14 loss to LSU ended hopes of a championship, the Rebels still earned a trip to the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day.
Cutcliffe said the victory over Florida transformed the season. He credited Manning and the other seniors with keeping the team together when things weren't going well.
``We knew we had not played as well as we could,'' he said. ``We were really at a low point, but we turned it around.''
Ratliff led the SEC with nine interceptions, edging out Lavalais as the top defensive player.
``That's amazing, especially with the players in this league like Sean Jones and David Pollack on a team like Georgia and Chad Lavalais for LSU, players like that who are up for their top position awards,'' Ratliff said. ``It's just an unbelievable honor.''
The Gators considered moving Ratliff to receiver before the season.
``I actually thought that I wasn't going to be playing any defensive back,'' he said. ``I'm just happy that the coaches saw enough in the some of the younger wide receivers and the older wide receivers to keep me over there on defense.''
Saban has built LSU into one of the league's most powerful programs, with a record of 38-13 and two championships in his four years as coach. He'll get a chance to add a national title in the Jan. 4 Sugar Bowl.
``The chemistry on this is the best I've been around,'' he said. ``Particularly on defense, they play together and bounce back when things don't go exactly as we planned them to.''
The rest of the first team included offensive linemen Antonio Hall of Kentucky and Justin Smiley of Alabama, Arkansas running back Cedric Cobbs, Florida linebacker Channing Crowder and Kentucky receiver-returner Derek Abney, the all-purpose selection.
Abney made the team for the third year in a row. Andrews, Pollack, Dansby, Webster and Ratliff were repeat selections.
The 71st annual AP All-SEC team was picked by a regional media panel.
Tuesday
April 1st, 2025
4:16AM
