Florida Gators Football: Six Players Make All-SEC Teams

All-SEC Second Team: Johnny Townsend

When an offense struggles to move the chains, a punter becomes one of the most valuable players on the team. That may seem like a silly statement, but the punter is the individual standing between favorable and unfavorable field position.

When the Florida Gators lost starting quarterback Luke Del Rio and struggled to find consistency the rest of the way, punter Johnny Townsend dominated on special teams.

Townsend attempted 60 punts for 2,883 yards, which comes out to an average of 48.1 yards per punt. That was the best average of any punter in the SEC, which is reason enough for the Orlando native to end up on the All-SEC Second Team.

Townsend also caused 17 fair catches, pinned 25 punts inside of the 20 yard line, and booted 28 different punts upwards of 50 yards.

Jordan Scarlett, Lamical Perine, and the rushing attack were solid, but Florida’s inability to consistently throw the ball brought Townsend onto the field quite often. His ability to pin opponents deep in their own territory helped prevent the opposition from working with a short field.

Though punters may not get all of the glory, an offensively inconsistent team that wins a division title has to appreciate the value of a player who pins an opponent down deep.

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Congratulations to Caleb Brantley, Jarrad Davis, Martez Ivey, Teez Tabor, Johnny Townsend, and Quincy Wilson on their deserved All-SEC selections!