Davis, Brooks, Pruitt Add Preseason Honors
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Senior linebacker Rod Davis and teammates Greg Brooks and Etric Pruitt continue to add preseason accolades to the 2003 version of the football Golden Eagles, after Davis was selected as a first team All-American and as the No. 1 middle linebacker in the nation by the Sporting News 2003 College Football Yearbook, and Pruitt was named the seventh-best free safety in the nation and Brooks the 13th best cornerback in the college game, in the same publication.

In addition, College Football News.com has named Pruitt as a 2003 CFN Preseason Second-Team All-American, calling the Golden Eagle standout "the star of a Southern Miss secondary, able to pick off passes and make teams pay after the interception, in addition to being one of the best open-field tacklers in America, with 139 stops last season."

The award adds to an impressive array of honors for Davis, who in 2002 was named a first-team All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com and the All-American Football Foundation, a third-team selection by The Associated Press, a third-team selection by The Sporting News and honorable-mention by CNNSI.com.

Davis, who received the 2002 Conerly Trophy signifying the top player in the state of Mississippi, was also a first-team All-Conference USA member for the second year in a row. He led Southern Miss in tackles (168), solo tackles (122), sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (23.5) and was ranked among the nation’s best in each of the listed categories, No. 3 in solo tackles, tied for No. 6 in total tackles, tied for 13th in tackles for loss and No. 18 in sacks.

One of only two returning AP All-American linebackers, Davis averaged 12.9 tackles a game, 0.81 sacks a game and 1.8 tackles for loss per game. He also registered two interceptions, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He led Conference USA in tackles, solo tackles and sacks and was second in tackles for loss.

Recently, he also was named to the Playboy Preseason All-America team, joining Ray Guy (1972) as the only Southern Miss players ever to receive this award.

Pruitt was named as a 2002 second-team All-American by CNNSI.com and CollegeFootballNews.com and earned Fourth Team All-American honors from The Sporting News. A first team all-Conference USA selection, he was a 2002 Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist.

He started all 13 games last season, finishing third on the Southern Miss defense in tackles with 139 (10.7 average). Pruitt collected six interceptions (tying a C-USA record with three vs. Army), and added 13 pass breakups, 1.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three blocked punts.

Brooks, who played in all 13 games, finished his junior season with 41 total tackles, one tackle for loss, 14 pass breakups and three interceptions, along with a pair of blocked kicks.