BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Tennessee sophomore return specialist Evan Berry has been named the 2015 SEC Special Teams Player of the Year, as announced by the Southeastern Conference on Wednesday.
The honors were voted on by the league’s 14 head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own players.
Berry is the first Vol to earn SEC Special Teams Player of the Year. The last Vol to earn an SEC individual honor was his older brother, Eric Berry, who was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.
Berry was also named to the 2015 All-SEC Coaches’ First Team on Tuesdayand the 2015 ESPN.com All-SEC Team and GridironNow.com All-SEC First Team on Wednesday. He is first Vol to earn First Team All-SEC honors as a return specialist. In 2015, Berry has emerged as the nation’s top kick returner, leading the country in kick return average (38.3) and tying for second with three returns brought back for a touchdown. On Nov. 2, Berry became the first Volunteer kick returner to be named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week since Cordarrelle Patterson in 2012. His three kickoff returns for a touchdown tied the UT single-season record set by Willie Gault in 1980. Berry’s total of 804 overall return yards (both kickoff and punt return yards) ranks as the fourth-most in a season in Tennessee history. His 34.8 career kickoff return average is also a new Tennessee record.
2015 SEC FOOTBALL AWARDS
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Derrick Henry, Alabama
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Reggie Ragland, Alabama
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Evan Berry, Tennessee
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Ryan Kelly, Alabama
JACOBS BLOCKING TROPHY
Ryan Kelly, Alabama
Sebastian Tretola, Arkansas
COACH OF THE YEAR
Jim McElwain, Florida
Here is a list of Tennessee’s honors to date:
Derek Barnett – DL
– All-SEC Second Team (Coaches)
– GridironNow.com All-SEC Second-Team Defense
Evan Berry – Return Specialist
– SEC Special Teams Player of the Year
– All-SEC First Team (Coaches)
– ESPN.com All-SEC
– GridironNow.com All-SEC First-Team Specialists (KR)
Jalen Hurd – RB
– All-SEC Second Team (Coaches)
– GridironNow.com All-SEC Second-Team Offense
Kyler Kerbyson – OL
– ESPN.com All-SEC
Jalen Reeves-Maybin – LB
– GridironNow.com All-SEC Second-Team Defense
Jashon Robertson – OG
– GridironNow.com All-SEC Second-Team Offense
Cameron Sutton – Return Specialist
– GridironNow.com All-SEC First-Team Specialists (PR)