Four Florida Gators on SI Publishers 2020 Preseason All-SEC Teams

Four Florida Gators find themselves on the Sports Illustrated Publishers Preseason All-SEC teams, including three first-teamers.

As the college football preseason program is set to roll around over the next month, should the 2020 season go on amidst the coronavirus pandemic, there's no shortage of preseason accolades being handed out.

The Sports Illustrated team publishers are joining in on the fun, as we've compiled our own Preseason All-SEC team entering the 2020 season.Four Florida Gators can be found across the two teams, including three first-teamers and one second-team player.

A couple of notable items about the selections can be found below, as BamaCentral publisher Christopher Walsh put together a more modernized roster.

• Instead of two running backs, three wide receivers were selected.

• Defensively, a 3-3-5 formation was used since most teams will probably be the nickel package the most this season.

• Ties were not broken. However, if a tie occurred on the first team an additional player was not added to the second team. For example, instead of three first-team picks and three second-team selections at wide receiver, the tie made it so there were four first-team selections and just two second-team.

• An all-purpose player was listed both on offense and defense.

Every school in the SEC had players receive votes.

Ten programs had first-team selections (Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee). Two more had second-team players (Mississippi State and Texas A&M).

There were six unanimous selections, who are marked by *.

2020 SI Preseason All-SEC

First team

QB Kyle Trask, Florida

2019 stats: 237-of-354 (66.9%), 2,941 yards, 25 touchdowns, seven interceptions

Trask, the SEC's leading returning passer, is a pretty easy choice for preseason first-team quarterback following an offseason that won't soon be forgotten. Experience will matter more than ever in the projected 2020 season in order to contend in the SEC, and Trask's performance across 10 starts as a redshirt junior elevates him up the list.

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RB Najee Harris, Alabama

WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU*

WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama

WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama/George Pickens, Georgia

TE Kyle Pitts, Florida*

2019 stats: 54 receptions, 649 yards, five touchdowns

Florida's lone unanimous first-team selection, there's no tight end in the conference - or perhaps even the nation - that offers similar receiving prowess. The 6-6, 239 lb. athletic specimen led the Gators in receptions in 2019 - wild considering Florida sent four receivers to the NFL: Three via the draft and the fourth signing as a free agent.

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OL Alex Leatherwood, Alabama*

OL Trey Smith, Tennessee

OL Darian Kinnard, Kentucky

OL Landon Dickerson, Alabama

C Trey Hill, Georgia

DL Tyler Shelvin, LSU

DL Big Kat Bryant, Auburn

DL LaBryan Ray, Alabama

LB Dylan Moses, Alabama*

LB K.J. Britt, Auburn

LB Nick Bolton, Missouri

DB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama*

DB Richard LeCounte, Georgia*

DB Derek Stingley Jr., LSU

DB JaCoby Stevens, LSU

DB Kaiir Elam, Florida/Eric Stokes, Georgia/Jaycee Horn, South Carolina

Elam's 2019 stats: 11 tackles, three interceptions, four defended passes

One of the most dominant cornerbacks in the conference as a freshman, Elam enters a true sophomore year as one of the nation's' highest-regarded talents at his position. Playing the boundary with immense length, Elam compiled a starting-quality stat-line across five starts and 12 total appearances while allowing only 43.5% of his 23 targets in coverage to be caught, per Pro Football Focus. That stood ahead of former Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson's 54.1% across 37 targets - who was selected ninth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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All-purpose offense Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss

All-purpose defense Tyree Gillespie, Missouri/Derek Stingley, LSU

K Brent Cimaglia, Tennessee

P Max Duffy, Kentucky

KR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama

PR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama

Second team

Position, Name, School

QB Jamie Newman, Georgia

RB Kylin Hill, Mississippi State

WR Seth Williams, Auburn

WR Elijah Moore, Ole Miss

TE Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M/Arik Gilbert, LSU

OL Landon Young, Kentucky

OL Deonte Brown, Alabama

OL Ben Cleveland, Georgia

OL Cade Mays, Tennessee

C Drake Jackson Kentucky

DL Malik Herring, Georgia

DL Bobby Brown, Texas A&M

DL Christian Barmore, Alabama

LB Monty Rice, Georgia

LB Henry To’o-To’o, Tennessee

LB Jabrill Cox, LSU

DB Israel Mukuamu, South Carolina

DB Demani Richardson, Texas A&M

DB Tyree Gillespie, Missouri

All-purpose offense Kadarius Toney, Florida

2019 stats: 10 receptions, 194 yards, one touchdown; 12 rushes, 59 yards

Toney missed six games in 2019 with a shoulder injury, but his ability to make defenders miss was evident when he found the field. Playing an assortment of positions in his career including slot receiver, running back, and Wildcat quarterback and averaging 10.6 yards per touch along the way, it's hard to envision Toney not making the list as an all-purpose player with high expectations entering his senior season.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

K Cade York, LSU

P Jake Camarda, Georgia

KR Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss

PR Christian Tutt, Auburn