As we march forward toward the college football season, another rite of passage arrived on Wednesday. The USA Today preseason All-American team was released and 8 SEC players were on the first-team.

Three Alabama standouts were included on the team, including WR John Metchie, OL Evan Neal and LB Will Anderson. Texas A&M and LSU each had two players; the Aggies selected were OL Kenyon Green and DL DeMarvin Leal, and the Tigers were CB Derek Stingley Jr. and K Cade York.

Paul Myerberg wrote about the SEC standouts, “Neal has the athleticism, aggressiveness and smarts to rank among the most dominant Alabama linemen of the Nick Saban era. Green is the linchpin of an offensive front that led the SEC in 2020 in sacks allowed per game and yards per carry. … Kinnard is poised to lock down a spot among the best offensive linemen in Kentucky’s history.

As he heads into his third and likely final season with the Tigers, Stingley already has accumulated enough accolades to rank among the most decorated defensive backs in program history — quite a statement given the Tigers’ track record at cornerback and safety.”

The top 2 quarterbacks mentioned were Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler and North Carolina’s Sam Howell.

Here are the SEC players who made the first team:

WR: John Metchie, Alabama (Jr.)
OL: Evan Neal, Alabama (Jr.)
OL: Kenyon Green, Texas A&M (Jr.)
OL: Darian Kinnard, Kentucky (Sr.)
DL: DeMarvin Leal, Texas A&M (Jr.)
LB: Will Anderson, Alabama (So.)
CB: Derek Stingley Jr., LSU (Jr.)
K: Cade York, LSU (Jr.)