Receivers coach Trooper Taylor said he was surprised and a little disappointed when upon getting word that WR Darvin Adams didn’t make the all-SEC teams.
Adams caught 48 passes for 855 yards and 10 touchdowns during his breakout campaign. He finished fourth among SEC receivers in receiving yards and receptions per game and tied for the league lead in touchdown receptions.
Yet when the all-SEC teams were announced, Adams’ name was nowhere to be found.
Taylor said he now hopes the snub will fuel Adams’ motivation while preparing for his junior season.
“We knew going into it that they didn't know their names, they weren't on any list going into the season, but I think he felt OK just about the idea that if you look at his stats they're better,” Taylor said. “You like to know that that's going to motivate him. He had been catching 100 balls, and you talk to our strength coach, and he says, 'Coach, he's been lighting it up out there' as far as doing extra work.’ Whatever it takes to motivate him.
“Like I told him, we couldn't control that. It wasn't just on us. But I was disappointed because I thought he played well enough to be all-conference.”
TEAM AWARDS: Auburn held its team awards banquet Saturday night and honored a few 2009 top performers.
RB Ben Tate took home the most prestigious award, netting team MVP honors for his breakout senior season. Players and coaches also voted that his year garnered Offensive MVP accolades.
DE Antonio Coleman, who led the SEC in tackles for loss and sacks, was named co-Defensive MVP. LB Craig Stevens earned the other co-Defensive MVP spot for posting 89 tackles – good for second on the defense behind Josh Bynes.
K Wes Byrum converted 14 of 15 field-goal attempts to earn Special Teams MVP honors.
Coleman and QB Chris Todd were named team captains for their leadership throughout their respective senior seasons.
FINDING THE POSITIVE: Taylor spoke about his four-month off-campus recruiting ban for the first time Sunday night and took a positive spin on the penalty.
The Auburn receivers coach was slapped with the strongest punishment from Big Cat Weekend – a high-profile unofficial visit weekend for Auburn recruiting. Auburn admitted to violating a handful of rules during the late-May weekend and the SEC handed down various penalties for the secondary violations.
The fallout from Big Cat Weekend left Taylor barred from recruiting off campus from July 31-Nov. 30.
Taylor said it wasn’t difficult to refrain from recruiting, one of his hallmarks.
“It really wasn't because I was with the football team and being able to be on the phone,” Taylor said. “Let me tell you, if you don't have relationships with your recruits and they're not calling you, you're down by seven anyway. So that doesn't bother me a bit as far as that part is concerned.
“I really did enjoy being around the football team as an assistant head coach, given those duties when the head coach is not around and being able to do that gives you experience so when that opportunity comes, you're ready. Before I would have been on the road, so I wouldn't have had those kind of deals. So I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. That was a really good experience for me.”
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