Cobi Hamilton Unanimous Choice for All-SEC – 3 Other Hogs Honored

Photo Courtesy Mark Wagner

Cobi Hamilton, the Arkansas Razorbacks standout wide receiver, was one of only seven Southeastern Conference players selected unanimously to the Associated Press’ All-SEC first team.

Senior wide receiver Cobi Hamilton was one of seven unanimous first-team selections, while senior punter Dylan Breeding and junior center Travis Swanson were voted to the second team and junior defensive end Chris Smith received honorable-mention recognition.

Hamilton put together the greatest season by a receiver in Arkansas history and one of the best ever by an SEC pass catcher in 2012. He broke the Arkansas single-season records for receptions, receiving yards and 10-plus catch games as well as UA career records for receptions and 10-plus catch games. His 90 catches in 2012 broke the previous record of 66 set by Jarius Wright in 2011 and are tied for the third-highest single-season total in SEC history. Hamilton’s 1,335 receiving yards broke Wright’s record of 1,117 from last season and rank fourth on the SEC’s single-season list. He also broke Wright’s career record with 175 catches, bettering the mark of 168 put up from 2008-11, and became the first Razorback to record more than two 10-plus catch games with five. Hamilton also recorded four 100-yard receiving games in 2012, tied for third on UA’s single-season list.

Hamilton leads the SEC and ranks fifth in the NCAA with his average of 111.25 receiving yards per game this season, and his average of 7.50 catches per game leads the SEC and is tied for 12th in the NCAA. Against FBS competition only, Hamilton averaged 120.2 yards per game, topping the conference and ranking fourth in the country. The Texarkana, Texas, native ended his career catching at least one pass in 34 straight games, the longest active streak in the SEC and tied for 10th-longest active in the NCAA.

Hamilton also broke the SEC single-game receiving yards record with 303 yards on 10 catches against Rutgers. His receiving yards are tied for the 16th-highest single-game total in NCAA history, and his average of 30.3 yards per catch broke the SEC record for a game with at least 10 receptions. His 303 all-purpose yards against Rutgers are the most in the SEC this season and tied for the 18th-highest single-game output in the country in 2012.

Breeding earned second-team all-conference acclaim for the second consecutive season. The Hoover, Ala., native ranks second in the SEC and seventh in the NCAA with a career-high average of 45.58 yards per punt. Breeding averaged 58.3 yards per punt against Tulsa, punting for 175 yards on three punts, for the highest yards-per-punt average in a game by a Razorback with at least three punts. His total is the third-highest in a game in school history, the highest by any SEC punter this season and the seventh-highest single-game average in the NCAA this year. Breeding finished his career ranking third on UA’s career punt yardage list with 9,387 and punts list with 219, and his career average of 42.9 yards per punt is tied for fourth in school history.

Swanson was voted a team captain prior to the season and has started all 38 games of his collegiate career at center. The Kingwood, Texas, native was part of an Arkansas offensive line that paved the way as 20 UA or SEC records were broken and Arkansas produced a 1,000-yard receiver in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history and a 3,000-yard passer for the fourth straight year. In addition, the offensive line allowed 1.0 or fewer sacks in eight games in 2012 and ranked third in the SEC with an average of just 1.58 sacks allowed per game.

Smith ranked fourth in the SEC and tied for 24th in the NCAA with an average of 0.79 sacks per game. The Mount Ulla, N.C., native’s total of 9.5 sacks in 2012 is the seventh-highest single-season total in school history and upped his career total to 13.0, tied for 12th on UA’s all-time career list. Smith also tied for fifth in the SEC with 13.0 tackles for loss and led the team with 12 quarterback hurries while recording a career-high 52 tackles.

Other SEC players named to the first team unanimously were Barrett Jones, Alabama center; Jadeveon Clowny, South Carolina defensive end; Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State cornerback; Dee Miller, Alabama cornerback; Jarvis Jones, Georgia outside linebacker (also named Defensive Player of the Year); and Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M quarterback (named Offensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Heisman Trophy finalist).