10 Things Texas A&M football fans want for Christmas
5. Tyrel Dodson to be All-SEC next season
For some reason Tyrel Dodson was left off the post season awards this year. His omission was puzzling and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be recognized as one the best linebackers in the SEC following next season.
Dodson started the year off strong, including a pick six against Louisiana Lafayette and sacks in four of the Aggies first six games. Rather than slow down, he upped his production in SEC play including a 16 tackle, 2.5 tackle for a loss and one sack performance against Alabama. Dodson picked up double-digit tackles in five of the Aggies’ final six SEC games. He sealed the Florida win with an interception and picked up two pass break ups against LSU.
He was everywhere on the field for the maroon and white. Dodson led the team in tackles, registering 96 over the course of the season. He was one shy of the team lead for interceptions (three) and one shy of the team lead in passes defended (six).
There was hope that freshman Anthony Hines would be the spark this defense needed, but Dodson’s excellence at middle linebacker combined with the excellent veteran presence of Otaro Alaka kept him from seeing much of the field at all. Dodson’s production should be rewarded with recognition from his peers and coaches next year.