South Carolina places 2 on first team

Alan Hawes
The Post and Courier

South Carolina senior wide receiver Kenny McKinley was named to the coaches preaseason All-SEC first team Monday.

COLUMBIA β€” South Carolina's Kenny McKinley and Captain Munnerlyn didn't do much during spring practice, but that didn't hurt them in the eyes of the Southeastern Conference's coaches Monday when their all-conference teams were rolled out.

McKinley, USC's senior receiver, and Munnerlyn, the team's junior corner, were first-team selections by the coaches.

They headlined a list of eight total Gamecocks on the teams' three tiers. (It's seven players, really, since Ryan Succop was voted as both a kicker and punter. The same thing happened a year ago.)

Officially, that's tied for fourth in the league, behind defending national champ Louisiana State's astounding 14 players, Florida's 10 and Georgia's nine selections. USC is tied with Alabama and Auburn.

Florida has five first-teamers. Tennessee, which has seven overall selections, has four on the first team.

McKinley caught an SEC-high 77 receptions for 968 yards and nine touchdowns last season. He missed the spring recovering from minor offseason toe surgery. That surgery kept McKinley from thinking more seriously about leaving early for the NFL, he has said.

Munnerlyn tied for the team lead with three interceptions and had 47 total tackles. He sat out the spring after breaking a bone in his foot late last season. Coach Steve Spurrier said this past week that Munnerlyn has been OK'd for summer workouts.

Beyond that pair, linebackers Eric Norwood and Jasper Brinkley and safety Emanuel Cook cracked the second team.

That's high praise for both Norwood, who's changing positions from end, and Brinkley, who missed most of last season with a knee injury.

Succop was also on the second team, both as a kicker and punter.

Evidently, coaches hadn't gotten the memo that Succop will likely focus on placekicking and kickoffs, leaving the punting to Spencer Lanning or freshman Ryan Doerr.

Tight end Jared Cook was a third-team pick. Cook had a solid spring, building on 30-catch, 421-yard 2007.

There were six unanimous first-team selections to the preseason squad.

The group includes a quartet of offensive linemen β€” Alabama's Andre Smith, Arkansas' Jonathan Luigs, Mississippi's Michael Oher and Tennessee's Anthony Parker.

Other unanimous choices were Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno, Ole Miss defensive lineman Greg Hardy and Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes.

The league's media days begin Wednesday at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala. The media's All-SEC teams will be unveiled Friday.

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com and check out the new South Carolina blog at www.charleston.net/blogs/gamecocks.