BIRMINGHAM (December 11, 2024) – University of South Carolina senior Edge rusher Kyle Kennard has been named the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s 16 coaches, while redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers was the coaches’ choice as the SEC’s Freshman of the Year, the SEC office announced today.
Kennard is just the second Gamecock to earn SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors, joining Jadeveon Clowney (2012). Clowney was also the last Gamecock to win Freshman of the Year accolades, as he was selected by the SEC Coaches in 2011. Other Gamecocks that earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors were Marcus Lattimore (2010), Sidney Rice (2005), Ko Simpson (2004) and Steve Taneyhill (1992).
Kennard, a 6-5, 254-pound senior from Atlanta, Ga., posted 15.5 tackles for loss including 11.5 sacks during the 2024 season. Both marks led the Southeastern Conference, and his sack total ranked sixth in the nation. His single-season sack total also ranks second in school history behind Clowney’s 13.0 in 2012, while his tackles for loss total is the school’s fourth-highest single-season mark. Kennard was also credited with 10 quarterback hurries and forced three fumbles.
Kennard, who won the Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defensive player on Monday, is a finalist for the Lombardi Award which will be announced later tonight. He was named to the first-team All-SEC squad by the league’s coaches and by USA TODAY and was named to the Reese’s Senior Bowl All-America team. He is also a finalist for the Blanchard-Rogers Trophy, widely regarded as the “South Carolina Heisman” and has accepted an invitation to play in the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
Sellers, a 6-3, 242-pound redshirt freshman from Florence, S.C., became one of the most exciting players in the conference. He earned third-team All-SEC honors from the coaches after completing 64.9 percent of his passes (172-for-265) for 2,274 yards and 17 touchdowns. He added 155 carries for 655 yards and seven scores in his first year as the starting signal-caller for the Gamecocks.
Sellers was the Walter Camp and Maxwell Football Club National Player of the Week following his performance against Missouri and was the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week following the Texas A&M contest. He was a two-time winner of the SEC Offensive Player of the Week award and a two-time recipient of the league’s Freshman of the Week honors.
SEC COACHES’ INDIVIDUAL AWARDSOffensive Player of the Year: Dylan Sampson, TennesseeDefensive Player of the Year: Kyle Kennard, South CarolinaSpecial Teams Player of the Year: Alex Raynor, KentuckyFreshman of the Year: LaNorris Sellers, South CarolinaNewcomer of the Year: Diego Pavia, VanderbiltJacobs Blocking Trophy: Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas / Will Campbell, LSUScholar-Athlete of the Year: Brady Cook, MissouriCoach of the Year: Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
