Skipper Headlines All-SEC Team Honors

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas senior offensive lineman Dan Skipper was named All-SEC first team by Athlon Sports. Skipper is among five Razorbacks selected to All-SEC teams by the national publication.

Senior defensive lineman Deatrich Wise followed, earning All-SEC second team honors. Senior wide receiver Drew Morgan, senior tight end Jeremy Sprinkle and senior linebacker Brooks Ellis received third team acclaim.

Skipper started all 13 games at right tackle and finished second on the team with an 83 percent offensive grade, participating in more than 900 snaps. He earned an 80 percent grade or better in a team-best 12 games, including the final seven, and graded the highest on the offensive line four times.

The Arvada, Colorado, native totaled 53 knockdowns and didn’t commit a penalty over the final nine games of the season. He helped the Arkansas offensive line lead the Southeastern Conference in fewest sacks allowed for the third straight year and paved the way for running back Alex Collins to run for more than 1,500 yards and become just the third player in SEC history with three straight 1,000-yard campaigns to begin his career.

At 6-foot-10, 326-pounds, Skipper enters his senior campaign as the most experienced member of the Razorback offensive line with 34 career starts.

The SEC leader with eight sacks during conference play, Wise tallied 31 tackles, including 10.5 for loss, in 13 games played last season. He recorded seven sacks over the last four regular-season contests, which paced the SEC and ranked second nationally during that stretch.

Morgan opened the 2015 campaign as the No. 3 or No. 4 wide receiver. He went on to total three 100-yard receiving games during SEC play away from home and lead the conference with 10 touchdown catches during the regular season. Arkansas’ leading receiver, Morgan finished with 63 receptions for 843 yards. His 10 touchdown catches tied for second in the SEC and 17th nationally and also equaled the third-most in program single-season history.

After a breakout junior campaign, Sprinkle enters 2016 as the Razorbacks’ top tight end. He made 27 catches for 389 yards and led all SEC tight ends with six receiving touchdowns, good for a tie for ninth in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Against Mississippi State, Sprinkle equaled the program single-game record and tied for the most touchdowns by an FBS tight end in 2015 with three.

The Razorbacks’ leading tackler in 2015, Ellis started all 13 games, extending his streak to 18 straight contests. He totaled 102 stops, which tied for ninth in the SEC.  The Fayetteville native had 8-plus tackles six times, highlighted by three double-digit tackle efforts and was one of two SEC defenders to log 15-plus tackles in a game twice.

Arkansas went 8-5 (5-3 SEC) last season. The Razorbacks won six of their last seven games, including a 45-23 decision over Kansas State in the 2016 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. With the win, Arkansas became the only SEC West program to win a bowl game each of the last two seasons (2014, 2015).

For more information on Razorback Football, follow @RazorbackFB on Twitter.