With roughly half of the 2026 season in the books, it’s time to put together a midseason All-SEC team.
Our staff at Saturday Down South voted on our midseason All-SEC team this week. We selected candidates based on statistical impact and their influence on winning games, among other criteria.
Let’s take a look into who got the votes:
Midseason All-SEC team 2026
Here’s the team-by-team breakdown:
- Georgia: 5
- Tennessee: 3
- Missouri: 3
- Ole Miss: 2
- LSU: 2
- Oklahoma: 2
- Auburn: 2
- Kentucky: 2
- Alabama: 1
- Mississippi State: 1
- Texas: 1
- Texas A&M: 1
Let’s dive in:
Quarterback: Trinidad Chambliss, Ole MIss
Trinidad Chambliss beat out Gunner Stockton and Kamario Taylor, who also received votes. Chambliss has Ole Miss at 5-1 on the season and delivered signature moments in wins over Louisville and LSU back in September. Chambliss is No. 2 in the SEC in passing yards per game behind Taylor.
Running back: DeSean Bishop, Tennessee
DeSean Bishop is the SEC’s leading rusher through 7 weeks. He’s the only running back in the nation to average 6+ yards per carry on at least 130 attempts so far in 2026. He’s also scored 10 rushing touchdowns already this year, which is second in the SEC behind Jadan Baugh. Jamal Roberts of Mizzou also received support from our staff.
Wide receiver: Deuce Alexander, Ole Miss
Deuce Alexander is 5th in the SEC in receiving yards per game but was a unanimous selection by our staff. Alexander has a 65% targeted success rate and has been a key safety blanket for arguably the best passer in the SEC. Alexander also owns an excellent 73% catch rate.
Wide receiver: Cayden Lee, Mizzou
Cayden Lee is second in the SEC in receiving yards per game. He’s been one of the more explosive high-volume receivers in the nation this year. He has an explosive catch rate of nearly 30% on 67 targets so far in 2026. He’s tied for 7th nationally and 1st in the SEC in total targets.
Wide receiver: Anthony Evans, Mississippi State
Anthony Evans leads the SEC in receiving yards per game through 6 weeks. He also has 5 receiving touchdowns, which is 1 off the conference lead. Evans owns an 80% catch rate and is averaging more than 7 yards after the catch so far in 2026.
Tight end: Rocky Beers, Oklahoma
Rocky Beers, a Colorado State transfer, has been one of the lone silver linings of Oklahoma’s passing attack this season. He leads all SEC tight ends in receiving yards per game and success rate.
Offensive tackle: Cayden Green, Mizzou
Cayden Green was a unanimous pick by our staff. He’s yet to allow a sack on over 200 pass blocking snaps so far this season, according to Pro Football Focus. His 3 pressures allowed rank first in the SEC among offensive tackles with at least 300 snaps.
Offensive guard: Dontrell Glover, Georgia
There’s little doubt that Dontrell Glover has been the SEC’s best offensive guard this season. He’s second among SEC guards in run blocking grade per PFF and has only conceded 2 pressures in pass protection all year.
Center: Drew Bobo, Georgia
One of 3 Georgia linemen to make the cut, Bobo was a unanimous selection by our staff at center. He’s regarded as one of the most consistent producers among SEC linemen in both the run game and the pass game.
Offensive guard: Bo Bordelon, LSU
Bo Bordelon has only allowed one sack so far this season and has been one of the SEC’s best run blockers from the guard position. LSU is 4th in the SEC in rushing yards per game so far in 2026.
Offensive tackle: Earnest Greene, Georgia
Earnest Greene has also only allowed 3 pressures so far this season. Additionally, he has the second-best run-blocking grade of any SEC offensive tackle with at least 300 snaps, per PFF.
Defensive end/outside linebacker: Colin Simmons, Texas
Texas defensive end Colin Simmons has been the most disruptive pass rusher in the nation this year, so it’s not a surprise that he was a unanimous pick by our staff. Simmons’ 10.5 sacks lead the country through Week 7, though he’s expected to miss time in the second half of the season due to an ankle injury.
Defensive tackle: Xavier Gilliam, Tennessee
Another unanimous pick by our staff, Xavier Gilliam leads all SEC interior defensive linemen with 15 quarterback hurries and is tied for the league in sacks with 6.
Defensive tackle: Donta Simpson, Mizzou
Donta Simpson has an outrageous 21% pass rush win rate, per PFF. No other SEC interior lineman with at least 100 pass rushing reps has even a 14% win rate. He’s converted that pressure into 6 sacks and 12 hurries.
Defensive end/outside linebacker: Princewill Umanmielen, LSU
Princewill Umanmielen was also a unanimous pick by our staff as an edge rusher. He has 8 sacks, which is tied for 2nd nationally. He has a pass rush win rate of nearly 15% per PFF.
Linebacker: Elijah Melendez, Auburn
Elijah Melendez is one of the most disruptive linebackers in the nation. He’s already recorded 9 tackles for loss from the inside linebacker position. He only has 32 pass rushing snaps all season, per PFF, but has lived in the opponents’ backfield.
Linebacker: Chris Cole, Georgia
Chris Cole is a huge reason why Georgia once again has an elite defense. He’s been excellent as a run defender — he ranks 2nd among SEC linebackers in rush defense grade (min. 100 snaps). Per PFF, he’s only missed 1 tackle all season.
Cornerback: Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia
Ellis Robinson IV was a unanimous selection by our staff. Per PFF, Robinson has only allowed 13 receptions all season while being credited with 5 pass breakups and 1 interception.
Cornerback: Andre Jordan Jr., Auburn
Andre Jordan Jr. has 2 interceptions so far this season and has limited damage exceptionally well. He’s permitting just 10.4 yards per reception this season, which is in the top 10 of all qualified SEC corners.
Safety: Jordan Castell, Kentucky
Jordan Castell leads the SEC with 4 interceptions and is also one of the best run-defending safeties in the conference. Per PFF, he’s only missed 2 tackles on rushing defense snaps all season.
Safety: Dejuan Lane, Tennessee
Dejuan Lane has 3 interceptions this year, which is 1 off the SEC’s highwater mark through 7 weeks. Per PFF, Lane has the third-best pass coverage grade among qualified SEC safeties.
Safety: Peyton Bowen, Oklahoma
Peyton Bowen was responsible for one of the signature plays of the 2026 season so far — a pick-6 against Arch Manning in the Cotton Bowl to help the Sooners beat Texas. Bowen also has 5 pass breakups this year, which is among the most of any SEC safety.
Kicker: Conor Talty, Alabama
Conor Talty is a perfect 10-for-10 on made field goals this season. Half of those makes have come from 40+ yards away.
Punter: Tyler White, Texas A&M
Tyler White leads the SEC in average punting distance at 49.7 yards.
Coach: Will Stein, Kentucky
Will Stein was our unanimous pick for midseason Coach of the Year in the SEC. Not only has UK exceeded preseason expectations so far, but aggressive decisions by Stein in overtime against South Carolina and LSU directly led to 2 wins. Stein has also already picked up 3 SEC road wins to start his tenure despite being an underdog in all 3 of those contests. The last first-time head coach to begin a tenure with 3 consecutive road wins in SEC play was Mark Richt at Georgia in 2001.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
