Will the SEC claim its 10th national championship since the start of the 2003 season? If Athlon Sports’ preseason All-America team is any indication of which conference will stand tallest at year’s end, that could be a reality come January.
Athlon Sports released its All-America team in wake of the upcoming 2016 campaign on Wednesday morning, and 32 players from the nation’s best conference make an appearance — 11 landing on the first-team roster.
Based on how the players are projected to perform this season, below is the entire first team with SEC players in italics:
Offense
Quarterback: Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Running Back: Dalvin Cook, Florida State; Leonard Fournette, LSU
Wide Receiver: Calvin Ridley, Alabama; JuJu Smith-Schuster, USC
Tight End: Jordan Leggett, Clemson
Center: Pat Elflein, Ohio State
Tackle/Guard: Zach Banner, USC; Dan Feeney, Indiana; Roderick Johnson, Florida State; Cam Robinson, Alabama
Defense
Defensive Line: Jonathan Allen, Alabama; Derek Barnett, Tennessee; Myles Garrett, Texas A&M; Malik McDowell, Michigan State
Linebacker: Devonte Fields, Louisville; Raekwon McMillan, Ohio State; Anthony Walker, Northwestern
Cornerback: Desmond King, Iowa; Jourdan Lewis, Michigan
Safety: Jamal Adams, LSU; Derwin James, Florida State
Special Teams
Kicker: Daniel Carlson, Auburn
Punter: J.K. Scott, Alabama
Kick Return: Evan Berry, Tennessee
Punt Return: Cameron Sutton, Tennessee
All-Purpose: Christian McCaffrey, Stanford
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
