BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Alabama and LSU football teams placed 11 players on the coaches’ preseason All-Southeastern Conference teams, while Ole Miss has eight players recognized and Mississippi State had five.
The Crimson Tide placed eight on the first-team, including Christion Jones as both an all-purpose player and return specialist.
Coaches aren’t allowed to vote for their players.
Auburn’s Nick Marshall was the first-team quarterback, followed by Ole Miss’ Bo Wallace and MSU’s Dak Prescott. Georgia’s Todd Gurley and South Carolina’s Mike Davis outpolled Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon at running back.
Preseason All-America sophomore defensive lineman Chris Jones was named to the second-team defense. Redshirt junior Benardrick McKinney also was named to the second team, while senior defensive back Jamerson Love was selected to the third team. Prescott and senior Jameon Lewis earned third-team accolades on offense.
Ole Miss sophomore offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, sophomore defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, and senior free safety Cody Prewitt were named All-SEC first team
Second-team honorees included sophomore wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, senior quarterback Bo Wallace, and sophomore defensive back Tony Conner. Third-team honors went to senior linebacker Serderius Bryant and junior linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche.
Several of these have already garnered preseason All-America status from various media outlets, including Prewitt, Robert Nkemdiche, Tunsil and Treadwell. All eight of them were also voted preseason All-SEC by the league media last month.
Jones is coming off a freshman All-America campaign where he played in all 13 games with three starts. An Associated Press All-SEC Honorable Mention selection last fall, the 6-foot-5, 305-pounder posted a team-best 10 quarterback hurries and tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with seven. The Houston native has earned preseason All-America honors from Sports Illustrated, ESPN, CBS Sports, and Athlon Sports, and a spot on the Lombardi Award watch list for the nation’s best collegiate lineman.
McKinney, rated the top underclass inside linebacker prospect in the 2015 NFL draft by Mel Kiper Jr., picked up the honor following a sophomore campaign which saw him lead MSU with 71 tackles, including a team-tying high seven behind the line of scrimmage. Named the best linebacker in the SEC by ESPN.com, McKinney’s stock skyrocketed this summer after being placed on watch lists for the Bednarik Award, Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, and Lombardi Award.
Love rounded out MSU’s defensive All-SEC representation after tallying 27 tackles and three interceptions last fall.
Prescott earned third-team honors after a 2013 season which saw him tally 2,769 yards of total offense and 25 touchdowns in seven starts.
Lewis earned the selection after hauling in 923 receiving yards as a junior in 2013, the most of any returning pass catcher in the conference. The Biletnikoff Award watch list receiver was recently listed as the second-most versatile player in college football by NFL.com.
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