Chances are your favorite SEC player is on some sort of preseason watch list.
Most awards now publish watch lists with several dozen players, only a few of which have an excellent shot to win. Every SEC team has at least three players involved in the preseason conversation surrounding college football’s major awards.
Alabama (9) and Auburn (9) lead the SEC in number of players listed on preseason watch lists, while LSU (8) and Texas A&M (8) are close behind.
Several SEC players made the watch list for four different major awards, all of them on defense: Alabama LB Reggie Ragland, Alabama DT A’Shawn Robinson, Auburn LB Cassanova McKinzy, Florida CB Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida LB Antonio Morrison, Georgia LB LB Leonard Floyd, Georgia LB Jordan Jenkins and Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche.
The Heisman Trophy is one of five major awards that doesn’t put out a preseason watch list. Finalists are named Dec. 7.
Here’s a rundown of every SEC player on a preseason watch list, sorted by team.
ALABAMA (9)
- TE O.J. Howard (John Mackey Award)
- C Ryan Kelly (Rimington Trophy, Outland Trophy, Rotary Lombardi Award)
- P JK Scott (Ray Guy Award)
- DE Jonathan Allen (Bronko Nagurski Trophy)
- LB Reggie Ragland (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Rotary Lombardi Award, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- DT A’Shawn Robinson (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Outland Trophy, Rotary Lombardi Award, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- DE Jarran Reed (Outland Trophy)
- OT Cam Robinson (Outland Trophy)
- RB Derrick Henry (Doak Walker Award, Walter Camp Award)
ARKANSAS (7)
- TE Hunter Henry (John Mackey Award)
- C Mitch Smothers (Rimington Trophy)
- OT Denver Kirkland (Outland Trophy)
- G Sebastian Tretola (Outland Trophy)
- LB Brooks Ellis (Butkus Award, Wuerffel Trophy)
- RB Alex Collins (Doak Walker Award)
- RB Jonathan Williams (Doak Walker Award)
AUBURN (9)
- CB Jonathan Jones (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Jim Thorpe Award)
- DE Carl Lawson (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award)
- LB Cassanova McKinzy (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Rotary Lombardi Award, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- G Alex Kozan (Outland Trophy)
- OT Avery Young (Outland Trophy, Rotary Lombardi Award)
- LB Kris Frost (Butkus Award)
- WR Jonathan Wallace (Wuerffel Trophy)
- QB Jeremy Johnson (Davey O’Brien)
- WR D’haquille Williams (Walter Camp Award)
FLORIDA (4)
- TE Jake McGee (John Mackey Award)
- CB Vernon Hargreaves III (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Jim Thorpe Award, Walter Camp Award, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- LB Antonio Morrison (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Rotary Lombardi Award, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- WR Demarcus Robinson (Biletnikoff Award)
GEORGIA (6)
- K Marshall Morgan (Lou Groza Award)
- LB Leonard Floyd (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Rotary Lombardi Award, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- LB Jordan Jenkins (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Rotary Lombardi Award, Wuerffel Trophy)
- G Greg Pyke (Outland Trophy, Rotary Lombardi Award, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- WR Malcolm Mitchell (Wuerffel Trophy)
- RB Nick Chubb (Doak Walker Award, Walter Camp Award)
KENTUCKY (4)
- C Jon Toth (Rimington Trophy)
- K Austin MacGinnis (Lou Groza Award)
- LB Josh Forrest (Butkus Award, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- P Landon Foster (Wuerffel Trophy)
LSU (8)
- C Ethan Pocic (Rimington Trophy)
- P Jamie Keehn (Ray Guy Award, Wuerffel Trophy)
- LB Kendall Beckwith (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- DB Jalen Mills (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- OT Vadal Alexander (Outland Trophy, Rotary Lombardi Award)
- OT Toby Weathersby (Rotary Lombardi Award)
- WR Travin Dural (Biletnikoff Award)
- RB Leonard Fournette (Doak Walker Award, Walter Camp Award)
MISSISSIPPI STATE (6)
- P Devon Bell (Ray Guy Award)
- DT Chris Jones (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Outland Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- CB Will Redmond (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- QB Dak Prescott (Wuerffel Trophy, Davey O’Brien, Walter Camp Award)
- RB Ashton Shumpert (Doak Walker Award)
- LB Richie Brown (Butkus Award)
MISSOURI (4)
- C Evan Boehm (Rimington Trophy, Outland Trophy)
- LB Kentrell Brothers (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- LB Michael Scherer (Butkus Award)
- RB Russell Hansbrough (Doak Walker Award)
OLE MISS (7)
- TE Evan Engram (John Mackey Award)
- P Will Gleason (Ray Guy Award)
- DB Tony Conner (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Jim Thorpe Award)
- DT Robert Nkemdiche (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Outland Trophy, Rotary Lombardi Award, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- OT Laremy Tunsil (Outland Trophy, Rotary Lombardi Award)
- LB C.J. Johnson (Butkus Award)
- WR Laquon Treadwell (Walter Camp Award)
SOUTH CAROLINA (6)
- TE Jerrell Adams (John Mackey Award)
- C Alan Knott (Rimington Trophy)
- K Elliott Fry (Lou Groza Award)
- OT Brandon Shell (Outland Trophy)
- WR Pharoh Cooper (Biletnikoff Award)
- RB Brandon Wilds (Doak Walker Award)
TENNESSEE (5)
- DE Derek Barnett (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- LB Curt Maggitt (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (Butkus Award)
- QB Joshua Dobbs (Wuerffel Trophy, Davey O’Brien)
- CB Cameron Sutton (Chuck Bednarik Award)
TEXAS A&M (8)
- C Mike Matthews (Rimington Trophy)
- P Drew Kaser (Ray Guy Award)
- DE Myles Garrett (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Rotary Lombardi Award, Chuck Bednarik Award)
- OT Germain Ifedi (Outland Trophy)
- DT Kingsley Keke (Rotary Lombardi Award)
- WR Josh Reynolds (Biletnikoff Award)
- DE Julien Obioha (Wuerffel Trophy)
- RB Tra Carson (Doak Walker Award)
VANDERBILT (3)
- TE Steven Scheu (John Mackey Award)
- C Spencer Pulley (Rimington Trophy)
- RB Ralph Webb (Doak Walker Award)
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
