2018 All-SEC Team: Three Florida Gators honored by league coaches

By Drew Laing
December 4, 2018
2018 All-SEC Team: Three Florida Gators honored by league coaches
Football

Image Credit: UAA Communications

The 2018 All-SEC Team was announced Tuesday, and three players from the Florida Gators were featured among those honored. Junior defensive Jachai Polite was a first-team selection, while senior offensive tackle Martez Ivey and sophomore defensive back C.J. Henderson were both named to the second team.

Polite has enjoyed a standout year as one of top defensive players in the entire conference. He not only leads the conference with five forced fumbles but also has recorded 11 sacks and 16.0 tackles for a loss of 64 yards, nearly doubling his career output coming into the season. His 11 sacks are nearing a Florida record 13 sacks, set by defensive end Alex Brown during the 1999 season.

Ivey is ending his collegiate career with an exclamation mark. The former five-star recruit’s selection to the second team marks his third consecutive second team honor by the conference coaches. He has played a significant role in Florida’s offensive revitalization. Along with the rest of the offensive line, Ivey’s unit has only allowed 15 sacks all season, along with helping the offense reach the program’s fourth-highest rushing yardage total since the start of 1990 with 2,514 yards.

Henderson experienced no sophomore slump in his second year with the Gators. He followed up on his second-team SEC honors from the Associated Press last year with a second team coaches selection this season. On the year, Henderson has 30 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and seven pass breakups. He has emerged as a leader in the young Gators’ secondary, especially once fellow sophomore Marco Wilson sustained a season-ending injury against Kentucky.

In total, the All-SEC teams featured members from 10 different schools on the first team. Alabama led the conference with 12 total selections, followed by Georgia with seven selections and Missouri and South Carolina with five selections apiece.

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