A-P All-SEC Honors!

[LSUDad]

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Three LSU football players earned All-SEC honors from the Associated Press for their performances during the 2022 season.

Linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. and defensive end BJ Ojulari were named to the first team while defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo was named to the second team. They helped lead LSU to a 9-4 record this season.

LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. (40)(Josh Auzenne | WAFB)

Perkins, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound freshman from Cypress, Texas, recorded 69 tackles (37 solo), 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception in 2022.

 

Ojulari, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound junior from Marietta, Ga., recorded 56 tackles (36 solo), five sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery this season.

LSU defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo (92)(Josh Auzenne | WAFB)

Wingo, a 6-foot, 295-pound sophomore from St. Louis, Mo., recorded 41 tackles (22 solo), two sacks, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries this year.

[LSUDad]

More AP awards:

 

 

Despite LSU's worst-to-first turnaround in the SEC West, Tiger Head Coach Brian Kelly was snubbed by voters of the Associated Press for SEC Coach of the year in 2022.

Kelly was beat out by one vote, with the honor going to Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel.

A pair of LSU Tiger players made the AP All-SEC first team with both defenders BJ Ojulari and linebacker Harold Perkins receiving the recognition. 

In fact, no offensive players on the LSU squad made either the first or second team, with the only other Tiger receiving honors being defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo who landed on the second team.

LSU will prepare to face Purdue in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida on January 2, a game that will be televised on WBRZ-TV.

More information on the Associated Press votes can be found below in an article by John Zenor of the AP.

Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker is the Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year and Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. was named the top defensive player for the second straight year.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel was picked as coach of the year by the Associated Press Monday after keeping his team in playoff contention for much of the season. The sixth-ranked Volunteers are 10-2 and face No. 10 Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

Mississippi freshman running back Quinshon Judkins was named newcomer of the year, edging LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. Judkins led the SEC with 1,476 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.

Hooker was picked as first-team quarterback and offensive player of the year on all but one ballot, with that nod going to Alabama's Bryce Young in both cases. He suffered a season-ending left knee injury in a loss to South Carolina, finishing with 3,135 yards passing and 27 touchdown passes against just two interceptions.

Anderson was the unanimous pick as defensive player of the year. He has 51 tackles, 10 sacks and 17 tackles for loss along with a pick-six.

Other unanimous picks were Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers and running backs Judkins and Raheim Sanders (Arkansas).

Heupel received six coach of the year votes to edge LSU's Brian Kelly (five), who led the Tigers into the SEC championship game in his first season. Georgia's Kirby Smart (three) and South Carolina's Shane Beamer (one) also received votes.

The voting was conducted among a panel of 15 sports writers and broadcasters covering the league.

[LSUDad]

]LSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS 

For Immediate Release - December 6, 2022 

FOUR TIGERS NAMED TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA TEAM[/b] 

BATON ROUGE – Four members of LSU’s highly-touted freshman class have been named to the College Football News Freshman All-America Team, the news organization announced on Tuesday. 

Offensive tackle Will Campbell and linebacker Harold Perkins were named to the first team, while offensive tackle Emery Jones Jr. was a third team selection and tight end Mason Taylor earned honorable mention status. 

LSU was the only team in college football with two players named to the first team. 

All four LSU selections played a significant role in the Tigers winning the SEC Western Division and finishing the regular season with a 9-4 overall mark. Behind the play of the freshmen group, LSU became only the third team in the SEC Championship Game era to go from last place in the league the year before to winning its division the following season. 

Perkins, a New Orleans native, twice earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors and put together one of the best all-around seasons for a linebacker in LSU history. He led the Tigers in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (11.5) on his way to becoming just the third true freshman in LSU history to earn first-team AP All-SEC honors. 

Perkins, who had a career-best 10 tackles against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, ranks third on the team with 69 total tackles. 

Campbell, a Monroe native, started 12 games at left tackle the Tigers, becoming the first true freshman in LSU history to start at that position for the length of the season. Campbell helped pave the way for an LSU rushing attack that averaged 181.1 yards per game. 

Campbell earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors for his performance in LSU’s win over Florida. 

Jones, from Baton Rouge, took over as the starter at right tackle in week 3 against Mississippi State and started the final 10 games at the position for the Tigers. 

The Tigers posted an 8-2 mark with Campbell and Jones in the starting lineup. 

Taylor, who caught the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime against Alabama, hauled in 33 passes for 326 yards and a pair of TDs. He ranks No. 5 on LSU’s single-season reception list for tight ends and is just two catches shy of tying the LSU freshman mark. Taylor, a native of Plantation, Florida, started LSU’s final 12 game of the season and caught at least one pass in 12 games.

[LSUDad]

More Honors! 
 

Per  LSUSports.net: BATON ROUGE – A program-best six LSU players have landed on the Freshman All-SEC Team as voted on by the league’s coaches, the conference office announced on Thursday. 

The six LSU players on the team also led the league with Georgia following with five. 

LSU’s list of freshmen on the team include three offensive players, two specialist and one defender. The group includes offensive tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones, Jr., tight end Mason Taylor, linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., along with kicker Damian Ramos and kickoff specialist Nathan Dibert. 

The freshman SEC honor is the second for both Campbell and Perkins this week as they were both named second team All-SEC at their respective positions on Tuesday by the league’s coaches. Additionally, Perkins earned first team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press. 

Perkins, from New Orleans, led the Tigers in both sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (11.5). He finished third on the team in tackles with 69. He tied for team-high honors with 13 quarterback hurries. Perkins capped his rookie regular-season with a career-best 10 tackles, including 1.5 for losses, and a fumble recovery against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. 

Perkins was twice named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week in 2022 for his performance in wins over Alabama and Arkansas. 

Campbell, one of four true freshmen in the LSU starting lineup, started 12 games at left tackle for the Tigers in 2022. Campbell became the first true freshman in LSU history to start a season-opener at left tackle and he set the school record for starts by a true freshman offensive lineman with 12. 

He was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week for his play in the win over Florida. 

Campbell helped pave the way for an LSU rushing attack that averaged 181 yards per game, which included an LSU quarterback rushing record of 818 yards by Jayden Daniels. Daniels also set the LSU record for rushing TDs by a quarterback with 11. 

Jones, from Baton Rouge, took over as the starter at right tackle in week 3 against Mississippi State and started the final 10 games at the position for the Tigers. The Tigers posted an 8-2 mark with Campbell and Jones in the starting lineup. 

Taylor, who caught the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime against Alabama, hauled in 33 passes for 326 yards and a pair of TDs. He ranks No. 5 on LSU’s single-season reception list for tight ends and is just two catches shy of tying the LSU freshman mark. Taylor, a native of Plantation, Florida, started LSU’s final 12 game of the season and caught at least one pass in 12 games. 

Ramos took over as LSU’s starting kicker in August and finished the season connecting on 10-of-14 field goals and 48-of-50 point-after touchdowns. He drilled a season long 47-yard field goal against Florida. 

Dibert appeared in 10 games, assuming LSU’s kickoff specialist duties against New Mexico in week 4. On 50 kickoffs, Dibert averaged 63.3 yards per kick with 31 of those going for touchbacks. 
 

FRESHMAN ALL-SEC TEAM 

Offense 
QB – Robby Ashford, Auburn 
RB – Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss 
RB – Trevor Etienne, Florida 
WR – Evan Stewart, Texas A&M 
WR – Barion Brown, Kentucky 
TE – Mason Taylor, LSU 
OL – Will Campbell, LSU 
OL – Emery Jones Jr., LSU 
OL – Tyler Booker, Alabama 
OL – Jager Burton, Kentucky 
C – Matthew Wykoff, Texas A&M 
AP – Barion Brown, Kentucky 

Defense 
DL – Mykel Williams, Georgia 
DL – Jaheim Oatis, Alabama 
DL – Deone Walker, Kentucky 
DL – Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M 
LB – Harold Perkins Jr., LSU 
LB – Jalon Walker, Georgia 
LB – Shemar James, Florida* 
LB – Chris Paul Jr., Arkansas* 
DB – Malaki Starks, Georgia 
DB – Terrion Arnold, Alabama 
DB – Quincey McAdoo, Arkansas 
DB – Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina 

Special Teams 
PK – Damian Ramos, LSU 
P – Brett Thorson, Georgia 
RS – Barion Brown, Kentucky 
KOS – Nathan Dibert, LSU 
LS – Eli Stein, Arkansas 

(* – Ties)