SEC voters showed plenty of respect to Texas in with their all-conference selections, but did they snub the Longhorns’ spotlight QB?
The SEC released its preseason all-SEC team on Friday, and it creates a picture of the teams that are considered contenders ahead of the 2026 season.
Georgia and Texas were picked at the top of the SEC rankings — based on the votes of 164 media members — and those two account for eight of the 23 first-team selections on offense and defense.
There were a few surprises on the list, too, including the absence of a notable name at quarterback.
This is what you need to know from the SEC’s preseason all-SEC teams.
Georgia and Texas dominate
It wasn’t just the first team where Georgia and Texas cleaned up. They accounted for seven players on the second and third teams, too.
In total, eight of Texas’ offensive starters and three of its defensive starters were preseason all-conference selections. Georgia, for its part, had six selections on offense and six on defense.
That means both teams had at least half of their starting lineups accounted for in the preseason all-conference selections.
There’s a reason why those two are projected to sit atop the SEC.
LSU followed the Bulldogs and Longhorns with eight total offensive and defensive selections, while Oklahoma (7), Alabama (6) and Ole Miss (6) each had more than five.
Arch Manning didn’t get the first-team QB nod
And that’s totally fair.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss got the nod instead. It’s well earned. He dragged the Rebels to the playoffs a season ago, emerging as one of the most dynamic players in the sport despite playing Division II football just one year prior.
Frankly, it’s not close between Chambliss and Manning. Look at a 2025 stats comparison between the two passers:
- Chambliss: 3,937 yards, 22 TDs, 3 INTs, 66.1 CMP%, 8.8 YPA | 527 yards rushing, 8 TDs
- Manning: 3,163 yards, 26 TDs, 7 INT, 61.4 CMP%, 7.8 YPA | 399 yards rushing, 10 TDs
Manning was good. Chambliss was a program-changing presence and led his team to the CFB Playoff.
Do I expect Manning to be better in 2026? Yes. I think he’ll emerge as the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft after a full year as the starter and with a much more talented group around him in Austin.
But Chambliss earned the right to be the SEC’s top QB entering this season based on his production from a year ago.
A Questionable Ryan Coleman-Williams Selection
Sometimes, media votes can be a bit more about reputation than production. That seems to be the case with Coleman-Williams, who is coming off a disappointing drop-filled 2025 campaign that saw him finish with 689 yards and four touchdowns.
He regressed from his standout true freshman campaign (885 yards, 8 TDs) and only had one touchdown across Alabama’s final nine games.
Coleman-Williams could rediscover his 2024 form. He’s a first-round talent.
But picking him over Mario Craver (917 yards, 4 TDs) or Isaiah Sategna (965 yards, 8 TDs) seems to be voting more based on name recognition than actual production.
The year of the RB?
The SEC is loaded at running back.
Florida’s Jadan Baugh would be a first-team preseason selection in any other league. He’s not in the SEC, however, because of Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy and Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy.
You could realistically argue that the SEC has the nation’s top three running backs entering 2026. Those are certainly the trio of backs getting the most first-round hype, peeking ahead to the 2027 draft.
I haven’t even mentioned second-team selection Nate Frazier (947 yards, 6 TDs in 2025) or third-team backs DeSean Bishop (1,076 yards, 16 TDs) and Hollywood Smothers (939 yards, 6 TDs).
And only one of Texas’ two backs made the preseason list. The other, Raleek Brown, was a first-team all-Big 12 selection just last year.
There’s a real argument to be made that more than half of the nation’s top 10 running backs call the SEC home.
Quarterbacks are getting all of the attention entering the year in the SEC. But given the talent at the running back position, this could be the year of the running back.
2026 preseason All-SEC selections
First Team Offense
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Trinidad Chambliss | Ole Miss |
| Running Back | Kewan Lacy | Ole Miss |
| Running Back | Ahmad Hardy | Missouri |
| Wide Receiver | Cam Coleman | Texas |
| Wide Receiver | Ryan Coleman-Williams | Alabama |
| Tight End | Trey’Dez Green | LSU |
| Offensive Line | Trevor Goosby | Texas |
| Offensive Line | Cayden Green | Missouri |
| Offensive Line | Jordan Seaton | LSU |
| Offensive Line | Earnest Greene III | Georgia |
| Center | Drew Bobo | Georgia |
| All-Purpose | Mario Craver | Texas A&M |
First Team Defense
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive Line | Colin Simmons | Texas |
| Defensive Line | Will Echoles | Ole Miss |
| Defensive Line | Dylan Stewart | South Carolina |
| Defensive Line | Princewill Umanmielen | LSU |
| Linebacker | Whit Weeks | LSU |
| Linebacker | Xavier Atkins | Auburn |
| Linebacker | Rasheem Biles | Texas |
| Defensive Back | KJ Bolden | Georgia |
| Defensive Back | Zabien Brown | Alabama |
| Defensive Back | Bray Hubbard | Alabama |
| Defensive Back | Ellis Robinson IV | Georgia |
First Team Special Teams
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Placekicker | Tate Sandell | Oklahoma |
| Punter | Grant Chadwick | LSU |
| Return Specialist | Ryan Niblett | Texas |
| Kickoff Specialist | Tate Sandell | Oklahoma |
| Long Snapper | Ben Anderson | Oklahoma |
Second Team Offense
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Arch Manning | Texas |
| Running Back | Jadan Baugh | Florida |
| Running Back | Nate Frazier | Georgia |
| Wide Receiver | Mario Craver | Texas A&M |
| Wide Receiver | Isaiah Sategna III | Oklahoma |
| Tight End | Lawson Luckie | Georgia |
| Offensive Line | Dontrell Glover | Georgia |
| Offensive Line | Michael Fasusi | Oklahoma |
| Offensive Line | Michael Carroll | Alabama |
| Offensive Line | Lance Heard | Kentucky |
| Center | Mark Nabou Jr. | Texas A&M |
| All-Purpose | Ryan Niblett | Texas |
Second Team Defense
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive Line | David Stone | Oklahoma |
| Defensive Line | Elijah Griffin | Georgia |
| Defensive Line | Taylor Wein | Oklahoma |
| Defensive Line | Quincy Rhodes Jr. | Arkansas |
| Linebacker | Raylen Wilson | Georgia |
| Linebacker | Suntarine Perkins | Ole Miss |
| Linebacker | Kip Lewis | Oklahoma |
| Defensive Back | Kelley Jones | Mississippi State |
| Defensive Back | DJ Pickett | LSU |
| Defensive Back | Ty Benefield | LSU |
| Defensive Back | Eli Bowen* | Oklahoma |
| Defensive Back | Peyton Bowen* | Oklahoma |
Second Team Special Teams
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Placekicker | Lucas Carneiro | Ole Miss |
| Punter | Grayson Miller | Oklahoma |
| Return Specialist | Isaiah Sategna III | Oklahoma |
| Kickoff Specialist | Lucas Carneiro | Ole Miss |
| Long Snapper | Trey Dubuc | Texas |
Third Team Offense
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Gunner Stockton | Georgia |
| Running Back | DeSean Bishop | Tennessee |
| Running Back | Hollywood Smothers | Texas |
| Wide Receiver | Ryan Wingo | Texas |
| Wide Receiver | Nyck Harbor | South Carolina |
| Tight End | Willie Rodriguez | Kentucky |
| Offensive Line | David Sanders Jr. | Tennessee |
| Offensive Line | Patrick Kutas | Ole Miss |
| Offensive Line | Brandon Baker | Texas |
| Offensive Line | Wendell Moe Jr. | Tennessee |
| Center | Braelin Moore | LSU |
| All-Purpose | Jadan Baugh | Florida |
Third Team Defense
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive Line | Kam Franklin | Ole Miss |
| Defensive Line | DJ Hicks | Texas A&M |
| Defensive Line | Gabe Harris | Georgia |
| Defensive Line | Jayden Woods | Florida |
| Linebacker | Arion Carter | Tennessee |
| Linebacker | TJ Dottery | LSU |
| Linebacker | Yhonzae Pierre | Alabama |
| Defensive Back | Keon Sabb | Alabama |
| Defensive Back | Champ Anthony | Auburn |
| Defensive Back | Khalil Barnes | Georgia |
| Defensive Back | Jelani McDonald | Texas |
Third Team Special Teams
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Placekicker | Alex McPherson | Auburn |
| Punter | Ethan Pulliam | Mississippi State |
| Return Specialist | Vernell Brown III | Florida |
| Kickoff Specialist | Terry Bussey | Texas A&M |
| Long Snapper | Brett Le Blanc | Missouri |
* Indicates a tie.
