SEC names Football Players of the Week after Week 2

The SEC has named their Football Players of the Week after Week 2. It was a wild weekend in the conference, filled with some incredible performances from some of the most talented players in the SEC.

Leading the way was John Mateer at the Oklahoma Sooners. They defended their home field, defeating Michigan in the top game of the weekend that was. That led to him being selected as the Offensive Player of the Week in the SEC.

Elsewhere, freshman wide receiver Parker Livingstone came alive during a big win for Texas over San Jose State, and linebacker Nic Mitchell helped lead Mississippi State to a win over Arizona State. Check out the full SEC Football Players of the Week selections for Week 2 below.

Offensive

• John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma

In Oklahoma’s win over Michigan, Mateer completed 21 of 34 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown, as well as registering team highs of 19 rushes, 74 yards and two touchdowns. The SEC noted that Mateer’s 662 passing yards are the second most by an OU quarterback through the first two games of a career.

Defensive

• Nick Rinaldi, LB, Vanderbilt & Nic Mitchell, LB, Mississippi State

Rinaldi led Vanderbilt with six total tackles during their road victory over Virginia Tech. That included a career-best 2.5 stops behind the line. Meanwhile, Mitchell led the team with nine tackles in the win versus Arizona State, including keeping Sun Devils running back Kanye Udoh out of the end zone on 3rd-and-goal from the 1-yard line to force a field goal late in the game.

Special Teams

• Lucas Carneiro, PK, Ole Miss & Vicari Swain, DB/PR, South Carolina

Carneiro accounted for 12 points and helped clinch an SEC road win at Kentucky. Swain returned two punts for touchdowns in the Gamecocks’ 38-10 win over South Carolina State. He became the first player in school history to return two punts for touchdowns in a game.

Offensive Line

• Albert Reese, RT, Mississippi State & Dominick Giudice, G, Missouri

Reese started at right tackle due to injury-related shuffling on the offensive line, after starting at left tackle the week prior. He logged 66 snaps and earned PFF grades of 80.4 on offense and 82.3 in pass blocking. Meanwhile, Giudice led the Mizzou offensive front that controlled the trenches against the Kansas Jayhawks. He graded out at a team-best 88 percent with zero penalties and zero missed assignments.

Defensive Line

• Cashius Howell, DE, Texas A&M

Howell recorded three consecutive sacks during a single drive in the second quarter, which the SEC noted research indicated that he’s the first FBS player to do so since Wisconsin’s Jack Cichy in the 2015 Holiday Bowl. Additionally, he became the first Aggie to record 3.0+ sacks in a game since Edgerrin Cooper in 2023.

Freshman

• Parker Livingstone, WR, Texas

Livingstone caught four passes for 128 receiving yards and two touchdowns in helping Texas to a 38-7 win over San Jose State. Livingstone now leads the Longhorns with 175 receiving yards, 29.2 yards per reception and three touchdown receptions this season.