By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Alabama is on its way to the College Football Playoffs later this month. And a former Ocean Springs High standout is a main reason why.

Bray Hubbard was one of just two Crimson Tide players named to the All Southeastern Conference First Team Tuesday morning. Hubbard, the starting safety fr Alabama, was the only defensive player from the Crimson Tide to earn that prestigious honor.

The annual awards are voted on by the league’s coaches. The Crimson Tide, which lost the SEC championship game to Georgia on Saturday, will face fellow SEC foe Oklahoma on the road on Friday, Dec. 19th, to open the CFP.

Hubbard made the all-SEC first-team as a defensive back. He was one of four chosen for the honor, along with LSU’s Mansoor Delane, Texas’ Michael Taaffe and LSU’s AJ Haulcy.

Hubbard has made a name for himself nationally in collegiate football circles for his play this season. He has notched 61 total tackles, four interceptions, three forced fumbles and a sack throughout the current campaign.

He was thrown into a starting role a season ago and excelled at safety, and returned to his starting post this season and has seen time in all 12 games. Hubbard is tied for the SEC lead and 16th nationally with four interceptions for a combined 42 return yards, and he ranks third on the Tide defense with 60 tackles, including three for loss (-12 yards) and one sack (-9 yards).

Hubbard also recorded a team-high six pass breakups, three forced fumbles and one quarterback hurry. He was named the Panini Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week and the Thorpe Defensive Back of the Week for his play against Wisconsin … earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week accolades for his efforts against the Badgers and at Auburn

Hubbard became the first and only back-to-back Class 6A Mr. football in the state of Mississippi while leading the Greyhounds to consecutive unbeaten seasons and Region 4-6A titles during his junior and senior seasons and then shifted his future endeavors to the gridiron and eventually signed with the perennial national power. He was also named as the Class 6A All-State Most Valuable Player and quarterback. He enrolled early at Alabama mid-way through his senior year at OSHS.