Productive seasons for three Tennessee football contributors has earned them some postseason recognition this week.
On defense, sophomore EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr. was named to the Associated Press All-SEC First Team while senior offensive lineman Cooper Mays and junior running back Jaylen Wright made the second team offense.
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The teams were selected by media members that cover the SEC.
Pearce finished third in the league in sacks with 8.5 and tied for fifth in tackles for loss with 13.0. He accounted for multiple sacks in Tennessee wins over Virginia and South Carolina while recording one sack vs. Texas A&M, Alabama, Missouri and Vanderbilt.
Pearce, who was named SEC Defensive lineman of the Week twice, finished only behind Alabama linebackers Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell in sacks who landed on the first and second team defense, respectively.
Mays missed the Vols' first four games with an injury sustained in fall camp before returning for the South Carolina game. A preseason All-SEC selection, Mays started the last seven games at center and didn't allow a sack in 448 snaps while spearheading an offensive front that paved the way for Tennessee' vaunted run game, which averaged 202.6 yards per game.
The Vols' offense leaned heavily on Wright, who paced the running backs with 1,013 yards and on 137 carries this season. He placed behind Missouri running back Cody Schrader and Kentucky's Ray Davis.
Wright finished as Tennessee's first 1,000-yard rusher since Jalen Hurd in 2015. He was fifth among SEC rushers with 84.4 yards per game and led conference running backs with 7.3 yards per carry.
Wright rushed for 100 or more yards in six of Tennessee's 12 games and three of his four touchdowns came on runs of more than 50 yards.
The Vols (8-4), who are ranked No. 21 in the College Football Playoff Top 25, could potentially have all three players available for their Cheez-It Citrus Bowl clash with No. 17 Iowa (10-3) on Jan. 1, 2024 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando (1 p.m. ET, ABC).
AP ALL-SEC TEAM
THE VOLREPORT SHOW: Instant reaction to Vols' Citrus Bowl selection
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Sneak peek: How the Vols' Citrus Bowl opponent Iowa performed in 2023
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