League coaches pick Otega Oweh as Preseason SEC Player of the Year

by: Zack Geoghegan5 hours agoZGeogheganKSR

Oct 14, 2025; Birmingham, AL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

It’s becoming a challenge to keep up with all of Otega Oweh‘s preseason awards.

The latest honor is one of the biggest, though. The Southeastern Conference announced Thursday that Oweh has been tabbed as the coaches’ pick for the Preseason SEC Player of the Year, while also being named First Team All-SEC in the process. The senior guard was named the Preseason SEC Player of the Year by the league media earlier this month — the coaches apparently agree with that pick.

Oweh was the only Wildcat to make one of the three All-SEC Teams. Point guard Jaland Lowe, currently recovering from a shoulder injury, was picked as an All-SEC Third Team member by the media, but not by the coaches. Arkansas had three players make the Third Team, while Florida had one player make each of the three teams.

Get the Daily On3 Newsletter in your inbox every morning

By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.

First Team All-SEC

Labaron Philon Jr. – Alabama
Tahaad Pettiford – Auburn
Alex Condon – Florida
Otega Oweh – Kentucky
Josh Hubbard – Mississippi State

Second Team All-SEC

Boogie Fland – Florida
Malik Dia – Ole Miss
Mark Mitchell – Missouri
Nate Ament – Tennessee
Ja’Kobi Gillespie – Tennessee

Third Team All-SEC

Aden Holloway – Alabama
Darius Acuff Jr. – Arkansas
Karter Knox – Arkansas
D.J. Wagner – Arkansas
Thomas Haugh – Florida

SEC Player of the Year

Otega Oweh – Kentucky

The preseason honors haven’t stopped rolling in for Oweh, either.

It was just earlier on Thursday that he was one of 20 players named to the NABC Player of the Year award watch list. On Wednesday, The Field of 68 and Sports Illustrated tabbed the senior guard to one of its Preseason All-American Teams. Other outlets, such as CBS Sports and ESPN, have also labeled him a Preseason All-American. Oweh was one of 20 players named to the Jerry West Award watch list earlier this week, while CBS Sports ranked him as the ninth-best player in the country going into the 2025-26 season.

Expectations are understandably high for Oweh, who turned down a chance to play in the NBA for another shot at making a deep NCAA Tournament run for Kentucky. After a solid showing against Purdue in last week’s exhibition (10 points, 3 rebounds), he’ll be in action again on Thursday night against Georgetown in Rupp Arena (7:00 p.m. ET | SEC Network+) for the final exhibition of the preseason.

Join KSR Plus! With a KSR Plus membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.