White will play in LSU bowl game vs. Central Fla.; five Tigers named to All-SEC team

The assumption is that LSU Devin White will likely follow teammate Greedy Williams and eventually declare for early entry into the NFL draft.

But the All-American linebacker announced Monday that he will play with the Tigers in the New Year’s Day Fiesta Bowl against Central Florida.

It was good news for the Tigers’ defense, who will still be without both starting cornerbacks against the high-powered UCF offense.

Cornerback Kristian Fulton is out after having ankle surgery last week and Williams announced Sunday that he will skip the bowl with an eye on the NFL draft.

If White had followed Williams’ lead, as was rumored, it would have meant LSU opening the game without both starting middle linebackers. Fellow linebacker Jacob Phillips will have to miss the first half due to a targeting ejection in the Tigers’ last game against Texas A&M.

White and Williams were two of five Tigers named to the All-SEC teams on Monday.

They were joined on the first team defense by safety Grant Delpit, while graduate-transfer Cole Tracy was the first-team place kicker.

Punter Zach Von Rosenberg, a Lake Charles native who went to Zachary High School after one year at Barbe, made the second team.

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was the SEC’s offensive player of the year and Kentucky’s Josh Allen was the defensive player of the year. Kentucky coach Mark Stoops was voted coach of the year.

Central Florida will also be without its starting star quarterback in McKenzie Milton, who suffered a serious injury two weeks ago against South Florida.

But Saturday the Knights’ backup, Darriel Mack, accounted for six touchdowns — two passing, four running — in a 56-41 comeback victory over Memphis in the American Athletic Conference championship game.

LSU options at the depleted cornerback spot are limited.

Sophomore Kary Vincent is most experienced there, but he normally plays the nickel back spot, which LSU figures to employ often against the Knights.

It will be third straight game that Fulton has missed after his severe injury against Arkansas.

Graduate transfer Terrence Alexander started in Fulton’s place the last two games and there’s also a chance true freshman Kelvin Joseph could play more.

The Associated Press All-Southeastern Conference football team, with position, name, school, height, weight, class and hometown:

FIRST TEAM

Offense

u-WR – A.J. Brown, Mississippi (u), 6-1, 230, Jr., Starkville, Mississippi

WR – Jerry Jeudy, Alabama, 6-1, 192, So., Deerfield Beach, Florida

T – Greg Little, Mississippi, 6-6, 325, Jr., Allen, Texas

T – Jonah Williams, Alabama, 6-5, 301, Jr., Folsom, California

G – Bunchy Stallings, Kentucky, 6-3, 305, Sr., McComb, Mississippi

G – Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms, Missouri, 6-5, 330, Jr., East St. Louis, Illinois

C – Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama, 6-4, 309, Sr., Cedar Falls, Iowa

TE – Jace Sternberger, Texas A&M, 6-4, 250, Jr., Kingfisher, Oklahoma

u-QB – Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, 6-1, 218, So., Ewa Beach, Hawaii

RB – Benny Snell Jr., Kentucky, 5-11, 223, Jr., Westerville, Ohio

RB – Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M, 5-9, 200, Jr., Houston

PK – Cole Tracy, LSU, 5-11, 188, Sr., Camarillo, California

All-purpose – Deebo Samuel, South Carolina, 6-0, 210, Sr., Inman, South Carolina

Defense

DE – Jachai Polite, Florida, 6-2, 242, Jr., Daytona Beach, Florida

DE – Montez Sweat, Mississippi State, 6-6, 245, Sr., Stone Mountain, Georgia

DT – Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State, 6-4, 300, Jr., Macon, Mississippi

DT – Quinnen Williams, Alabama, 6-4, 295, So., Birmingham, Alabama

u-LB Josh Allen, Kentucky, 6-5, 260, Sr., Montclair, New Jersey

LB – Deshaun Davis, Auburn, 5-11, 233, Sr., Prichard, Alabama

LB – Devin White, LSU, 6-1, 240, Jr., Springhill, Louisiana

CB – Deandre Baker, Georgia, 5-11, 185, Sr., Miami

CB – Greedy Williams, LSU, 6-3, 184, So., Shreveport, Louisiana

S – Johnathan Abram, Mississippi State, 6-0, 215, Sr., Columbia, Mississippi

S – Grant Delpit, LSU, 6-3, 203, So., Houston

P – Braden Mann, Texas A&M, 5-11, 190, Jr., Houston

SECOND TEAM

Offense

WR – Kalija Lipscomb, Vanderbilt, 6-1, 201, Jr., New Orleans

WR – Deebo Samuel, South Carolina, 6-0, 210, Sr., Inman, South Carolina

T – Martez Ivey, Florida, 6-5, 306, Sr., Apopka, Florida

T – Andrew Thomas, Georgia, 6-5, 320, So., Lithonia, Georgia

G – Zack Bailey, South Carolina, 6-6, 314, Sr., Summerville, South Carolina

G – Hjalte Froholdt, Arkansas, 6-5, 315, Sr., Svendborg, Denmark

C – Lamont Gaillard, Georgia, 6-2, 308, Sr., Fayetteville, North Carolina

TE – Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt, Jr., 6-4, 255, Norcross, Georgia

QB – Drew Lock, Missouri, 6-4, 225, Sr., Lee’s Summit, Missouri

RB – D’Andre Swift, Georgia, 5-9, 215, So., Philadelphia

RB – Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt, 5-10, 222, Jr., Nashville, Tennessee

PK – Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia, 6-1, 191, Jr., Marietta, Georgia

All-purpose – Mecole Hardman, Georgia, 5-11, 183, Jr., Bowman, Georgia

Defense

DE – Isaiah Buggs, Alabama, 6-5, 286, Sr., Ruston, Louisiana

DE – Raekwon Davis, Alabama, 6-7, 316, Jr., Meridian, Mississippi

DT – Derrick Brown, Auburn, 6-5, 320, Jr., Sugar Hill, Georgia

DT – Terry Beckner Jr., Missouri, 6-4, 295, Sr., East St. Louis, Illinois

LB – De’Jon Harris, Arkansas, 6-0, 245, Jr., Harvey, Louisiana

LB – Erroll Thompson, Mississippi State, 6-1, 250, So., Florence, Alabama

LB —D’Andre Walker, Georgia, 6-3, 245, Sr., Fairburn, Georgia

CB – Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State, 6-2, 175, So., Hammond, Louisiana

CB – Joejuan Williams, Vanderbilt, 6-3, 210, Jr., Nashville, Tennessee

S – Mike Edwards, Kentucky, 6-0, 201, Sr., Cincinnati

S – Deionte Thompson, Alabama, 6-2, 196, Jr., Orange, Texas

P – Zach Von Rosenberg, LSU, 6-5, 245, So., Lake Charles, Louisiana


Offensive Player of the Year — QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

Defensive Player of the Year — LB Josh Allen, Kentucky

Newcomer of the Year —R B Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt (Illinois transfer)

Coach of the Year — Mark Stoops, Kentucky

u-Unanimous selection””

Arkansas running back Rakeem Boyd is tackled by LSU defender Devin White during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Michael Woods

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