Georgia Bulldogs

HOOVER, Ala. -- Now that another year of SEC media days are through, it's time to take a look back at the best moments from this year's three days in the Wynfrey Hotel:

Best interview: Yes, Missouri wide receiver T.J. Moe had a pretty good time with the media in Hoover and Arkansas coach John L. Smith seemed to win over the main ballroom during his press conference, but the best interview of the week had to go to Alabama offensive lineman Barrett Jones. The veteran strolled right into our interview room munching on pecan pie bites without a care in the world. But the real magic came during his video interview where he playfully crushed his best friend and former teammate William Vlachos and gave fellow SEC blogger Chris Low a shout out during his hit. Jones came prepared and knew how to have fun.

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HOOVER, Ala. -- The 2012 SEC media days All-SEC team was announced Thursday, and LSU led the conference with the most first-team selections with seven. The media has voted for a preseason All-SEC team and predicted the order in which each team would finish since 1992.

It should be noted that the media has only picked the correct SEC champion four times since 1992. Those correct picks were Florida in 1994 and 1995, LSU in 2007 and Florida in 2008.

Here are some notes from the league on the All-SEC team:

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Daniel Shirey/US PresswireSEC members are expecting big things this season for South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore.
• The 222 voters is an all-time high for SEC media days. The previous high was 177 voters in 2010.
• South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore was the leading vote-getter this season with 201 of 222 votes. He is the fourth running back in the past six years to be the highest vote-getter (2007 – Darren McFadden, Arkansas; 2008 – Knowshon Moreno, Georgia and Percy Harvin, Florida; 2009 – Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes, Florida; 2010 – Mark Ingram, Alabama; 2011 – Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina).

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We ranked the guys in the trenches on Friday, so now it’s time to take a look at the outside guys on the defensive line.

Below is the way we would rank the top 10 defensive ends in the SEC heading into the 2012 season. One thing to note is that Florida’s Ronald Powell, who plays a hybrid end/linebacker role for the Gators, is not on this list because he’s recovering from ACL surgery and could miss the first part of the season.

Here’s what we came up with:

1. Sam Montgomery, Jr., LSU: The SEC’s most complete defensive end, Montgomery is big enough and explosive enough to stuff the run as well as rush the passer. He had nine sacks last season.

2. Jadeveon Clowney, Soph., South Carolina: His freshman season was just a glimpse. Clowney had eight sacks and five forced fumbles and was playing on talent alone. He’ll be an every-down force in 2012.

3. Barkevious Mingo, Jr., LSU: LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis predicted that Mingo would emerge as the best pass-rusher in the SEC. He’s well on his way after racking up 15 tackles for loss last season.

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We’ve already gone through the different position groups on offense in SEC.

Now, it’s on to the side of the ball this league is known for -- defense.

More specifically, we examine the top defensive lines, and there are at least five or six in the SEC that would rank among the best in the country.

In fact, defensive line play is one of the things that has separated the SEC from everybody else over the years.

Here’s how we would rank the defensive lines going into the 2012 season:

1. LSU: All you really need to know about the Tigers’ defensive line is that they have three players -- ends Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo and tackle Bennie Logan -- who may go in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft. Look for sophomore tackle Anthony Johnson to also become an every-down force this season, and sophomore Ego Ferguson could also make his move. LSU is swimming in talent and depth up front.

2. South Carolina: In his second tour through the SEC, sophomore end Jadeveon Clowney is poised to wreak some serious havoc. His partner on the other side, senior Devin Taylor, is also All-SEC material. Sophomore tackle Kelcy Quarles should take a big step, and senior tackle Byron Jerideau was one of the team’s most improved players this spring.

3. Georgia: The Bulldogs’ strength up front starts right there in the middle with 350-pound senior nose guard Jonathan Jenkins. Now that he’s been through an entire SEC season, he’ll be even more of a force in 2012. Cornelius Washington adds a real pass-rushing threat at end in the 3-4 scheme after moving from outside linebacker, and senior end Abry Jones had a great spring.

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The SEC has a nation-leading 19 players on the 2012 preseason watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is awarded annually to the nation's best defensive player. Alabama leads the SEC with five players on the list, while LSU is second with four.

Here are all 19 SEC players on the Nagurski Trophy list:

• Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State
• Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
• Matt Elam, S, Florida
• Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida
• John Jenkins, DT, Georgia
• Nico Johnson, LB, Alabama
• Jarvis Jones, LB, Georgia
• Corey Lemonier, DE, Auburn
• Robert Lester, S, Alabama
• Rob Lohr, DT, Vanderbilt
• Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU
• Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
• Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU
• Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU
• C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama
• Eric Reid, S, LSU
• Devin Taylor, DE, South Carolina
• Jesse Williams, DT, Alabama

For the complete Nagurski Trophy watch list, go here.

The SEC also leads the country with 19 players on the 2012 preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation's top interior lineman. Alabama leads the SEC with four players on the list, including reigning Outland Trophy winner Barrett Jones.

Here are all 19 SEC players on the Outland Trophy watch list:

• Alvin Bailey, OG, Arkansas
• Josh Boyd, DT, Mississippi State
• Chris Faulk, OT, LSU
• Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida
• D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama
• Alex Hurst, OT, LSU
• Gabe Jackson, OG, Mississippi State
• John Jenkins, DT, Georgia
• Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M
• T.J. Johnson, C, South Carolina
• Wesley Johnson, OT, Vanderbilt
• Barrett Jones, C, Alabama
• Bennie Logan, DT, LSU
• Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
• Travis Swanson, C, Arkansas
• Dallas Thomas, OG, Tennessee
• Larry Warford, OG, Kentucky
• Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama
• Jesse Williams, DT, Alabama

For the full Outland Trophy watch list, go here.