The SEC’s depth in college football is second to none. On Tuesday, On3 reminded the world of that fact when it released its true freshman All-American teams.
Six SEC schools — Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, LSU, Alabama and South Carolina — had a player make the All-American teams, the most of any conference. Three of those selections were on offense, while five were on defense:
- QB Faizon Brandon (Tennessee)
- WR Jermaine Bishop Jr. (Texas)
- OL Zykie Helton (Georgia)
- DL Deuce Geralds (LSU)
- DL Richard Anderson (LSU)
- LB Xavier Griffin (Alabama)
- LB Tyler Atkinson (Texas)
- DB J’Zavien Currence (South Carolina)
Texas and LSU were the only SEC schools with multiple selections. The USC Trojans led the way with three players on the teams.
Seventeen of the 22 players on the teams came from the Big Ten and SEC. The Big 12 had three selections, and the ACC had two selections (both from Miami).
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel officially named quarterback Faizon Brandon the starter for the Vols’ first game, versus the Furman Paladins, on Monday. Brandon, the No. 3 prospect in the 2026 class, per 247Sports Composite rankings, is Tennessee’s first true freshman starting quarterback since 2004, per the university. That year, Brent Shaeffer got the nod against UNLV. Brandon’s first start for the Vols comes on the same day as Shaeffer’s (Sept. 5), with kickoff between Tennessee and Furman set for 3:30 p.m. E.T. (SEC Network+).
