On3 announces 2023 preseason All-SEC team
It’s almost time for the return of SEC football, with the first game set to kick off in a mere 40 days when Vanderbilt faces Hawaii on Aug. 26. As the anticipation continues to build, On3 has released its 2023 preseason All-SEC team highlighting some of the best players in the conference.
Two-time defending national champion Georgia leads the way with a total of seven players. LSU, which faced the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship this past season, is right behind them with five as they should once again contend for a conference title. Alabama comes in with three players after a season in which it missed the College Football Playoff for just the second time. Elsewhere, Arkansas and Kentucky each had two players listed while Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Kentucky all had one.
You can view the full 2023 preseason All-SEC team, according to On3, below.
On3 2023 preseason All-SEC team: Offense
QB: Jayden Daniels, LSU
Daniels returns for his second season in Baton Rouge and is a big reason why the Tigers are considered a College Football Playoff contender entering the year. He brings a dual-threat ability and actually finished as LSU’s leading rusher with 885 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground in leading them to a 10-4 record and SEC West title this past season.
He also had one of his best seasons as a passer, setting career highs in completion percentage (68.3%) and tying his career-best of 17 touchdowns. With LSU’s array of pass catching talent, he should have a chance to put up an even gaudier stat line in 2023.
RB: Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss
The 2022 SEC Freshman of the Year, Judkins set the bar high for himself with his performance in 2022. The former three-star recruit proved to be a steal for the Rebels as he shattering the school’s freshman record with 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns this past season.
Those numbers will be hard to build upon in Year 2, but it should help that Judkins projects to be the feature back after splitting the workload with Zach Evans last year. With a season under his belt and an offseason to improve, Judkins will be a scary draw for any opposing defense.
RB: Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders, Arkansas
Sanders returns for his third season in Fayetteville after a breakout 2022 campaign. The 6-foot-2, 237-pound back runs with power and should once again lead a Razorbacks backfield that ranked second in the SEC this past season with 236.7 rushing yards per game.
Sanders was a big reason for that number, finishing out the year with 1,443 yards rushing and 10 scores in 2022 at a 6.5 yards per carry clip. He also caught 28 passes for nearly 300 yards and two more touchdowns. With dual-threat quarterback KJ Jefferson returning as well, Arkansas should again boast one of the SEC’s most productive ground games.
WR: Malik Nabers, LSU
Further strengthening LSU’s case as a CFP contender is the return of Nabers. The top receiver for Daniels in 2022, he finished his sophomore season with 72 catches for 1,017 yards and three touchdowns.
Nabers looked even better to close out the season, recording 14 catches for 291 yards and a pair of TDs in the Tigers’ final two games against Georgia and Purdue. He’ll hope to carry over that momentum into 2023 and leave his mark as one of the SEC’s top playmakers.
WR: Antwane ‘Juice’ Wells, South Carolina
Wells joined South Carolina this past season as one of the top FCS transfers and showed no issues adjusting to FBS play. He was a big part of the Gamecocks’ upsets against Tennessee and Clemson to close the season with a combined 20 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns.
Overall, Wells finished just shy of 1,000 yards on the season to lead South Carolina with 68 catches for 928 yards and six scores. With both him and quarterback Spencer Rattler returning, the Gamecocks have a chance to take another leap forward after finishing 8-5 a year ago.
WR: Evan Stewart, Texas A&M
Stewart joined the Aggies in 2022 as the No. 1 player from the state of Texas according to the On3 Industry Rating, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. The five-star recruit made an immediate impact and again figures to play a big role as A&M attempts to bounce back from a disappointing 5-7 season.
Stewart led the Aggies with 53 catches for 649 yards and two touchdowns this past season. He’ll team up with quarterback Conner Weigman, another five-star player in the 2022 class, as he aims to build upon his freshman year.
TE: Brock Bowers, Georgia
There’s no debate that Bowers is the best tight end in the country. He’s finished as the Bulldogs leading receiver each of the past two seasons in leading them to back-to-back national championships and projects as a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Through 30 games in his college career, Bowers has recorded 119 receptions, 1824 receiving yards and 24 total touchdowns. Opposing defenses will once again have their hands full trying to stop him as he aims to lead Georgia to a threepeat this season.
C: Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia
While several of his teammates opted to enter the NFL Draft, Van Pran decided to return for his fourth season at Georgia and third as a starter. He returns as perhaps the best center in college football after helping the Bulldogs rank fourth in the country this past season with just nine sacks allowed.
Van Pran has started all 30 games for Georgia the past two seasons, heading up an offensive line that helped the likes of Bowers and others pour on points. He was on the watchlist for the Rimington Trophy in 2022, given annually to the best center in college football, and should be back in the running in 2023.
OG: Tate Ratledge, Georgia
Lo and behold, another Georgia offensive lineman has cracked the All-SEC preseason team. Ratledge is back as one of three returning starters on the offensive line as the Bulldogs gear up to defend their national championship.
After playing a backup role in 2020 and suffering a season-ending injury in 2021, the 6-foot-6, 315-pound guard started 14 of 15 games this past season. Now that he’s healthy, Ratledge is likely to be one of the best linemen in the conference, well deserving of his All-SEC status.
OG: Beaux Limmer, Arkansas
Back for his fifth season, Limmer has been a staple on the Razorbacks’ offensive line. A starter each of the past three seasons, he has helped pave the way for Arkansas’ strong rushing attack, which ranked top two in the SEC in 2021 and 2022.
After starting 12 games at right guard this past year, he moved over to center for the Razorbacks’ win against Kansas in the Liberty Bowl. Coming off of second team All-SEC honors, he’ll hope to join the first team in 2023.
OT: JC Latham, Alabama
Latham won the starting right tackle job for the Crimson Tide in 2022 after seeing action as a reserve in all 14 games as a true freshman. He helped Alabama rank No. 11 in total offense this past season with 477.1 yards per game while protecting eventual No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.
Now getting ready to enter his second season as a starter, Latham will hope to show his improvement as the Crimson Tide aim to make it back to the College Football Playoff.
OT: Will Campbell, LSU
A four-star recruit in the 2022 class, Campbell made an immediate impact as a true freshman. He was named the Day 1 starter at left tackle and held on to that role all season on his way to earning Freshman All-American honors.
He returns to anchor an LSU offensive line that returns all five starters and will again handle the all-important task of protecting Daniels’ blindside. Now with a year of experience, Campbell figures to make a case as one of the top offensive tackles in the conference.
On3 2023 preseason All-SEC team: Defense
EDGE: Mykel Williams, Georgia
Williams has a chance to make 2023 his breakout season after several key pieces from the Bulldogs defense are on to the NFL. A true freshman in 2022, he didn’t start but still managed to lead the team with 31 QB hurries along with 28 tackles and three sacks.
Now he figures to slide in as the starting defensive end and continue to make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks. A former five-star recruit, all signs point to him emerging as a star as Georgia again looks to field a dominant defense.
DT: Maason Smith, LSU
Smith started four games as a true freshman in 2021 and entered 2022 with high expectations of emerging as a star. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter of Week 1 against Florida State.
Now the 6-foot-6, 310-pound defensive tackle is back healthy and looking to show why he was a five-star recruit. LSU fans got a sample of what he could bring to the table during his freshman year, when he finished with 19 tackles (five for loss) and four sacks. He’ll fittingly make his return to the field against the Seminoles on Sept. 3.
DT: Deone Walker, Kentucky
Walker enters 2023 looking to build upon an impressive true freshman season with the Wildcats. He started 11 of 13 games to record 40 tackles (4.5 for loss), a sack and five quarterback hurries while being named a Freshman All-American by several outlets, including On3.
Kentucky ranked as the No. 49 rushing defense in the country this past season in part because of Walker. With him back this year, the Wildcats will once again prove a problem for opposing running backs.
EDGE: Dallas Turner, Alabama
Turner has big shoes to fill this season after edge rusher Will Anderson moved on to the NFL. That should open the door for the junior to take on the role of Alabama’s primary pass rusher.
In two seasons so far at Alabama, Turner has played in all 28 games while recording 18 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. He’ll be getting more attention from the opposition in 2023, but he could be a double-digit sack candidate this season.
LB: Harold Perkins, LSU
Perkins wasted no time making an impact as a true freshman this past season. Despite a slow start, the linebacker found his rhythm over the final half of the year and had his breakout moment with a three-sack effort against Arkansas. He recorded at least one tackle for loss in each one of the final seven games.
Perkins finished 2022 with 7.5 sacks to lead all true freshman, while also recording 72 tackles (13 for loss), four forced fumbles and an interception. That earned him first team all-SEC honors and he’ll look to repeat the feat in 2023.
LB: Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia
Dumas-Johnson spent his true freshman season in a reserve role moved into the starting lineup for all 15 games in 2022. He made the transition seamlessly to earn second team All-SEC honors in addition to being named a finalist for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top linebacker.
In 15 games in 2022, Dumas-Johnson had 70 total tackles, including nine for a loss, plus four sacks, three passes defensed and a forced fumble. He’s can be the next elite sideline-to-sideline Georgia linebacker, playing something of an eraser role in the middle of the defense.
LB Ty’Ron Hopper, Missouri
Hopper transferred to Missouri this past season after three seasons at Florida and immediately made his presence felt. He was all over the field in the season opener against Louisiana Tech to record six tackles (two for loss), a sack and an interception.
Hopper continued that impressive play all year to finish with a team-high 14 tackles for loss, ranked second with 77 tackles and also added 2.5 sacks and an interception. He’ll once again be expected to lead a Tigers defense that is looking for its first winning season since 2018.
CB: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
McKinstry was named first team All-SEC as a sophomore and there’s no reason he shouldn’t again make the list in 2023. He’s been a staple in the Crimson Tide secondary since playing in all 15 games as a true freshman and earned a reputation as one of the top corners in all of college football.
McKinstry led the conference with 16 passes defended this past season while also recording 35 tackles (two for loss) and an interception. His impact isn’t just limited to defense, however, as he also served as a punt returner, gaining an average of 15.8 yards in 21 returns. He’ll again make life difficult for opposing receivers as he aims to prove himself as one of the top prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.
CB: Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
Hopper isn’t the only reason Missouri quietly finished top five in the SEC in total defense a year ago. Abrams-Draine was also among the best corners in the conference, finishing second only to McKinstry with 14 passes defenses. Although he didn’t record an interception a year ago, he had three in 2021 as a sophomore.
Abrams-Draine began his college career as a receiver, so it’s clear he has the ball skills to be an elite player on defense. He’s also spent the past two seasons as a kick returner and ran one back for a touchdown in 2021.
S: Malaki Starks, Georgia
Starks is the first of a pair of Georgia safeties to round out the On3 2023 All-SEC preseason team. A true freshman this past season, he was thrown into the mix right away to start 14 of 15 games for the Bulldogs.
Starks finished the year with a pair of interceptions and a team-high seven pass breakups while ranking third with 68 tackles. As he enters his second year of college football, he’ll have plenty of opportunity to build on that performance.
S: Javon Bullard, Georgia
Bullard joins Starks to form a fearsome safety duo in the Georgia secondary. The more experienced of the two players, he has played 28 games over the past two seasons with 10 starts last year.
Bullard finished the 2022 season with 58 total tackles and a handful of passes defensed. He capped it all off with a pair of interceptions in the national championship. Carrying that form over into 2023 will be key.
That wraps up On3’s 2023 preseason All-SEC team. As with any preseason ranking, it’s not an exact science, and there are bound to be some players not listed who end up surprising this season to make the final team.
Still, as things stand now, these are who project as the stars of the SEC entering the 2023 season. As kickoff draws closer and closer, you’ll want to remember their names come Week 1.