The 2020 Preseason All-SEC Coaches team has arrived and eight Florida Gators were named across the three teams.
Quarterback Kyle Trask and tight end Kyle Pitts led the way on the first team. Defensive backs Marco Wilson, Kaiir Elam, and linebacker Ventrell Miller were named to the second team. Defensive lineman Zachary Carter, receiver Kadarius Toney, and kicker Evan McPherson were named to the third team.
Trask is the first Gator quarterback to be named to the preseason Coaches’ first team since Tim Tebow was in 2009. It’s the first time Dan Mullen has had a quarterback on the first team since Dak Prescott in 2015.
Pitts played in all 13 games in 2019, leading the Gators with 54 receptions. He is regarded as one of the best tight ends in college football and a candidate for the Mackey Award, given out annually to the best tight end in the country. Pitts was named to the Associated Press’ First Team All-SEC First Team earlier in the summer.
Marco Wilson returns for his senior season after playing in and starting all 13 games in 2019. After an ACL injury ended his 2018 season prematurely, Wilson was back to his normal self in 2019, recording 36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and three interceptions.
Across the field from Wilson will be Kaiir Elam, who was a star as a freshman. He appeared in all 13 games, including five starts. He picked off three passes and led the Gators with four pass breakups.
Ventrell Miller finished second to David Reese with 55 tackles last season. Miller will be taking over for Reese at middle linebacker and looks to replace that level of production (Reese’s 94 tackles were 7th best in the SEC).
Zach Carter appeared in all 13 games and made starts against Vanderbilt and Missouri on the defensive line. He helped make Florida the only team in the SEC with more than six players with at least three sacks. Carter tied for second on the squad with career-highs in sacks (4.5) and tackles-for-loss (7).
McPherson has been as reliable as a kicker can be in his two seasons in Gainesville. McPherson made 17-of-19 field goals as a sophomore, finishing 10th nationally with an 89.5% conversion rate. He also served as Florida’s primary kickoff specialist, averaging 61.2 yards on 80 kickoffs with a 63.7 percent touchback rate. He was named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.
Kadarius Toney returns to Florida for his senior season and remains an all-purpose weapon for the Gators.
2020 Preseason Coaches All-SEC Football Team (* – ties)
First Team Preseason All-SEC
OFFENSE
TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
OL Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
OL Trey Smith, Tennessee
OL Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
OL Landon Dickerson, Alabama
C Drake Jackson, Kentucky
WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama
WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
QB Kyle Trask, Florida
RB Najee Harris, Alabama
RB Kylin Hill, Mississippi State
AP Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
DEFENSE
DL Bobby Brown, Texas A&M
DL LaBryan Ray, Alabama
DL Big Kat Bryant, Auburn
DL Jordan Davis, Georgia
LB Dylan Moses, Alabama
LB K.J. Britt, Auburn
LB Nick Bolton, Missouri
DB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
DB Derek Stingley, LSU
DB Richard LeCounte, Georgia
DB Jacoby Stevens, LSU
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Brent Cimaglia, Tennessee
P Max Duffy, Kentucky
RS Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
Second Team Preseason All-SEC
OFFENSE
TE Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M
OL Sadarius Hutcherson, South Carolina
OL Deonte Brown, Alabama
OL Landon Young, Kentucky
OL Austin Deculus, LSU*
OL Brodarious Hamm, Auburn*
OL Wanya Morris, Tennessee*
OL Ed Ingram, LSU*
C Trey Hill, Georgia
WR George Pickens, Georgia
WR Terrace Marshall, LSU
QB Kellen Mond, Texas A&M
RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
RB Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M
AP Derek Stingley, LSU
DEFENSE
DL Kobie Whiteside, Missouri
DL Malik Herring, Georgia
DL Aaron Sterling, South Carolina
DL Dayo Odeyingbo, Vanderbilt
LB Henry To’o To’o, Tennessee
LB Monty Rice, Georgia
LB Erroll Thompson, Mississippi State*
LB Nakobe Dean, Georgia*
LB Ventrell Miller, Florida*
DB Kaiir Elam, Florida
DB Eric Stokes, Georgia
DB Demani Richardson, Texas A&M
DB Tyree Gillespie, Missouri*
DB Marco Wilson, Florida*
DB Israel Mukuamu, South Carolina*
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Cade York, LSU
P Jake Camarda, Georgia
RS Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
Third Team Preseason All-SEC
OFFENSE
TE Arik Gilbert, LSU
OL Carson Green, Texas A&M
OL Kenyon Green, Texas A&M
OL Evan Neal, Alabama
OL Dan Moore, Texas A&M
C Landon Dickerson, Alabama
WR Seth Williams, Auburn
WR Elijah Moore, Ole Miss
QB Bo Nix, Auburn
RB Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
RB Larry Rountree, Missouri
AP Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss*
Kadarius Toney, Florida*
Christian Tutt, Auburn*
DEFENSE
DL Zachary Carter, Florida
DL Josh Paschal, Kentucky
DL Kobe Jones, Mississippi State
DL Glen Logan, LSU
LB Boogie Watson, Kentucky
LB Dimitri Moore, Vanderbilt
LB Nolan Smith, Georgia*
LB Ernest Jones, South Carolina*
LB Andre Mintze, Vanderbilt*
DB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
DB Bryce Thompson, Tennessee
DB Yusuf Corker, Kentucky
DB Christian Tutt, Auburn*
DB Josh Jobe, Alabama*
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Evan McPherson, Florida
P Mac Brown, Ole Miss
RS Christian Tutt, Auburn