Kaiir Elam should be First-Team All-American, not Second-Team

The prestigious Walter Camp preseason All-American teams were announced on June 17, 2021. The Florida Gators were represented with one player, and that is cornerback Kaiir Elam.

It was great to have a Gator on the list, but it also was too low of a ranking for Elam, in my opinion.

Elam earned Second-Team All-American honors from Walter Camp, but we all know that he should have been First-Team.

Below is the official list (via Walter Football):

"2021 Walter Camp Preseason All-America TeamsFirst Team OffenseWR: Chris Olave (Ohio State), Justyn Ross (Clemson)TE: Charlie Kolar (Iowa State)OL:  Darian Kinnard (Kentucky), Kenyon Green (Texas A&M), Evan Neal (Alabama), Thayer Munford (Ohio State)C:  Tyler Linderbaum (Iowa)QB:  Sam Howell (North Carolina)RB:  Breece Hall (Iowa State), Mohamed Ibrahim (Minnesota)PK:   Cade York (LSU)First Team DefenseDL:  Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon), Bryan Bresee (Clemson), DeMarvin Leal (Texas A&M), Haskell Garrett (Ohio State)LB:  Will Anderson, Jr. (Alabama), Mike Rose (Iowa State), Nick Bonitto (Oklahoma)DB:  Derek Stingley, Jr (LSU), Kyle Hamilton (Notre Dame), Ahmad Gardner (Cincinnati), Brandon Joseph (Northwestern)P:  Lou Hedley (Miami)KR: Marcus Jones (Houston)Second Team OffenseWR:  Marvin Mims (Oklahoma), George Pickens (Georgia)TE:  Jalen Wydermyer (Texas A&M)OL:  Jamaree Salyer (Georgia), Jordan McFadden (Clemson), Cain Madden (Notre Dame), Jaxson Kirkland (Washington)C:  Colin Newell (Iowa State)QB: Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma)RB:  Sincere McCormick (UTSA), Bijan Robinson (Texas)PK:  Anders Carlson (Auburn)Second Team DefenseDL: Myles Murphy (Clemson), Jordan Davis (Georgia), Myjai Sanders (Cincinnati), Calijah Kancey (Pittsburgh)LB:  Edefuan Ulofoshio (Washington), Devin Lloyd (Utah), Micah McFadden (Indiana)DB:  Eli Ricks (LSU), Josh Jobe (Alabama), Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson (TCU), Kaiir Elam (Florida)P:  Jake Camarda (Georgia)KR:  Aron Cruickshank (Rutgers)"

As you can see, LSU’s Derek Stingley clearly deserves to be on the First-Team list, but I think Elam should be the next corner on there. Elam was one of the only bright spots for the Gators defense in 2020.

Outside of Stingley, Elam is the best returning cornerback in the SEC. And if you are the best in the SEC, you are the best in the country. I think Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner is a solid cornerback, but the SEC is a different beast. The American Athletic Conference is not bad, but again, it doesn’t compare to the SEC.

Elam has shown that he can lock down the best of the best, so he should have been honored for that.

Elam’s elite play last season had ESPN Draft Analyst Mel Kiper ranking him as a top 10 player in the 2021 NFL Draft. Elam has also been in the top 10 of a couple of 2021 NFL Mock Drafts.

So, while some fans may be happy for Elam’s Second-Team honors, I am not. I believe that this will only fuel Elam’s fire to be great, and he will be a First-Team All-American after the 2021 season.