Cashius Howell and Trey Zuhn III among 2025 SEC Award winners

A pair of Fightin’ Texas Aggies picked up more hardware on Wednesday.

After being named first-team All-SEC selections earlier in the week, both Cashius Howell and Trey Zuhn III added additional accolades as the Southeastern Conference announced its postseason individual awards, as selected by the league’s 16 head coaches.

Howell was named the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Zuhn is the recipient of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy.

Since joining the league in 2012, the Aggies had only been recognized on six prior occasions by the SEC’s coaches:

• Johnny Manziel - 2012 Offensive Player of the Year
• Johnny Manziel - 2012 Freshman of the Year
• Luke Joeckel - 2012 Jacobs Blocking Trophy
• Jake Matthews - 2013 Jacobs Blocking Trophy
• Christian Kirk - 2015 Freshman of the Year
• Braden Mann - 2018 Special Teams Player of the Year

Howell and Zuhn have just joined that select list.

In his second season at Texas A&M, Howell has transformed into one of the pass rushers in the nation this fall. The former Bowling Green Falcon and Kansas City native led the SEC with 11.5 sacks, which ranked fourth nationally. A four-time SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week, all but three of Howell’s sacks came in conference play, including a 2.5-sack performance vs. Mississippi State and LSU.

On Sept. 6, Howell terrorized Utah State’s Bryson Barnes on three consecutive plays, becoming the first college player to record a “sack trick” since 2015.

When it comes to national awards, Howell was a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Lombardi Award.

A two-year captain and leader of the Maroon Goons, Zuhn is among the country’s best offensive linemen and has the ability to play anywhere along the offensive front. According to PFF, the Colorado native owns an FBS-leading 96.9 pass blocking grade. Additionally, Zuhn has not been flagged for a penalty all season.

Despite zero Maroon Goons being recognized as an SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week in 2025, Zuhn and his fellow linemen have paved the way for the Aggies to become a top-20 unit in total offense (454.4 yards/game) and top-15 in scoring (36.3 points/game). A&M also ranks 25th nationally in rushing offense (192.7 yards/game) and 11th in sacks allowed (12).

An Aggie legacy, Zuhn had appeared in 53 games across a five-year career in Aggieland, making 49 starts. He shares the Jacobs Blocking Trophy with Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor.

Howell, Zuhn and the Aggies will face No. 10 seed Miami in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 20 at Kyle Field.

2025 SEC Football Individual Awards

Offensive Player of the Year
Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

Defensive Player of the Year 
Cashius Howell, Texas A&M

Special Teams Player of the Year
Tate Sandell, Oklahoma

Freshman of the Year
Braylon Staley, Tennessee

Newcomer of the Year
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

Jacobs Blocking Trophy
Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M
Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Nick Rinaldi, Vanderbilt

Coach of the Year
Clark Lea, Vanderbilt