Tantillo: How I voted for All-SEC teams, conference order of finish

SEC Media Days kicked off on Monday, unofficially marking the start of the 2018 football season.

The yearly event brings media members, coaches and players together to spark predictions and foresight for the next season to come. At the end of the week, all the speculation comes to fruition with the league releasing the preseason All-SEC teams and predicted order of finish for the conference.

So, before the reveal of the teams, here is a sneak peek at my predictions for the 2018 SEC football season.

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 Projected order of finish

West

1. Alabama

2. Auburn

3. Texas A&M

4. Mississippi State

5. LSU

6. Arkansas

7. Ole Miss

East

1. Georgia

2. South Carolina

3. Florida

4. Tennessee

5. Missouri

6. Kentucky

7. Vanderbilt

Champion

Alabama

It is not surprising to see that Alabama as the SEC champion at the end of the season as they have won five of the last nine SEC titles. But this season’s favorites, Georgia and Alabama, seem just a tier above the rest of the competition. Auburn poses the biggest threat to Alabama, but trips to Athens and Tuscaloosa in two out of three weeks make it unlikely that the Tigers will make back-to-back trips to Atlanta.

All-SEC

Quarterback

1. Jarrett Stidham (Auburn)

1. Drew Lock (Missouri)

Jarrett Stidham gets the nod for first-team All-SEC for a few reasons. The second-year starter led the SEC in completion percentage at 66.5 percent while tossing for 3,158 yards and accounting for 22 total touchdowns. The Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien preseason watch list recipient is poised to have an even bigger season in 2018 with all receivers returning – including SEC receptions leader, Ryan Davis – and more control of the offense at the line of scrimmage.

Drew Lock is last year’s first-team selection, but another year of landing in the bottom of the pack of the SEC and the loss of his No. 1 receiver hurts Lock’s repeat potential.

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Running back

1. Benny Snell (Kentucky) 

2. D’Andre Swift (Georgia)

3. Damien Harris (Alabama) 

4. Aeris Williams (Mississippi State)

Snell will carry the workload for Kentucky after his 1,333-yard, 19-touchdown 2017 campaign. Swift has probably the biggest shoes to fill with placed with the task of replacing not one, but two 1,000-yard rushers in Sony Michel and Nick Chubb. Being behind the dynamic duo did not stop Swift from compiling 771 yards from scrimmage on only 98 touches for an average of 7.9 yards an attempt.

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Wide Receiver

1. A.J. Brown (Ole Miss) 

2. Emanuel Hall (Missouri)

3. Deebo Samuel (South Carolina) 

4. Ryan Davis (Auburn)

One of the no-brainers for the All-SEC team is Ole Miss wideout A.J. Brown, who casually reeled in 75 catches for 1,252 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2017. Brown took home first team honors last season and there is no reason to think he would not make a repeat appearance. Emmanuel Hall emerges as the top receiver target for gunslinger Lock, who passed for nearly 4,000 yards and 44 touchdowns last season.

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Tight End

1. Albert Okwuegbunam (Missouri)

2. C.J. Conrad (Kentucky)

At 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, Albert Okwuegbunam is not an easy man to miss. That is what makes him a favorite target for Lock at Missouri. Okwuegbunam was on the receiving end of a quarter of Lock’s touchdown tosses and with Missouri’s leading receiver Moore graduated, expect him to receive more attention in the passing attack.

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Offensive line

1. Jonah Williams (Alabama) 

2. Hjalte Froholdt (Arkansas)

3. Greg Little (Ole Miss)

4. Martez Ivey (Florida)

5. Andrew Thomas (Georgia)

6. Trey Smith (Tennessee)

7. Zack Bailey (South Carolina)

8. Darryl Williams (Mississippi State)

Experience on an offensive line is key for success in the SEC and that most always proves evident in the standings and All-SEC teams at the end of the season. The projected first and second teams all bring tons of experience to the table, and add that to their individual physicality and ability to control the line of scrimmage, and they have All-SEC potential.

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Center

1st: Ross Pierschbacher (Alabama)

2nd: Erik McCoy (Texas A&M)

Ross Pierschbacher, alongside Jonah Williams, looks to anchor a predictably stout Alabama offensive line. Their jobs are made easier by 1,000-yard rusher Damien Harris and next-in-line running back Najee Harris.

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Defensive line

1. Derrick Brown (Auburn)

2. Montez Sweat (Mississippi State)

3. Jeffery Simmons (Mississippi State)

4. Raekwon Davis (Alabama).

5. Cece Jefferson (Florida)

6. Dontavius Russell (Auburn)

7. Jonathan Ledbetter (Georgia)

8. Terry Beckner (Missouri)

Montez Sweat, Jeffery Simmons and Raekwon Davis have already made their appearances on the first team in 2017 and it is a safe bet that they would make it again. The wildcard is Derrick Brown, who did not make any team last season but had a huge impact on the deep Auburn defensive line. Brown is poised to have a breakout season in 2018 and is even drawing NFL attention, placing 15th in Mel Kiper’s and Todd McShay’s big board. Brown is joined by his teammate Dontavius Russell as the two will anchor one of the best defensive lines in the country.

Cece Jefferson looks to improve on his best season yet, where he compiled 13.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Terry Beckner is the sole bright spot on the Missouri Tiger defense as they have one of the worst defenses in the conference. Beckner racked up seven sacks and 11 TFL. If Missouri makes a leap defensively this year, then it goes through Beckner.

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Linebacker

1. Devin White (LSU)

2. Dylan Moses (Alabama)

3. Tyrel Dodson (Texas A&M)

4. Mack Wilson (Alabama)

5. Deshaun Davis (Auburn)

6. Josh Allen (Kentucky)

Devin White is an almost consensus pick for the first team as he is leading returning tackle leader with 133 tackles in 2017. He will look to be a driving force for the LSU defense that has a few question marks to answer by the start of the season. Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses showed flashes of excellence late last season after being thrusted into the starting lineups after injuries riddled the Tide’s linebackers. He shows a natural ability for the ball, accumulating 21 total tackles, four tackles for loss and an interception in the two final games of the regular season. Tyrel Dodson had an impressive 2017 campaign, doing it all for the Aggies. Dodson racked up 104 tackles, 10 TFL, five sacks and three interceptions.

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Defensive Backs

1. Greedy Williams (LSU)

2. Jamel Dean (Auburn)

3. Deandre Baker (Georgia)

4. Mike Edwards (Kentucky)

5. Marco Wilson (Florida)

6. Jeremiah Dinson (Auburn)

7. CJ Henderson (Florida)

8. J.R. Reed (Georgia)

Greedy Williams and Deandre Baker have been widely speculated as the top elite corners in the SEC and so it made sense to have them in the first team selection. Jamel Dean is a pick people might scratch their heads at but with his new responsibility at No. 1 corner, expect Dean to have a lockdown season alongside fellow teammate Jeremiah Dinson who will have over-the-top duties on The Plains. Secondaries need more than one stud and sets apart the elite secondaries from the rest. The tag-team duos are throughout both preseason teams and show which defensive backfields quarterbacks should be wary to throw into with Dean and Jeremiah Dinson for Auburn, Baker and J.R. Reed from Georgia, and Marco Wilson and CJ Henderson from Florida.

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Placekicker

1. Rodrigo Blakenship (Georgia)

2. Daniel LaCamera (Texas A&M)

Rodrigo Blakenship has been one of the more consistent kickers in the SEC, usually just a step below Daniel Carlson. He came up clutch in the National Championship game draining three field goals including a 51-yard FG in overtime that put the Bulldogs up.

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Punter

1. Corey Fatony (Missouri)

2. Joseph Charlton (South Carolina)

Corey Fatony has been a constant piece for the Missouri special teams and has steadily improved season-to-season. Fatony has averaged 42.9, 43.8 and 44.3 yards per punt in his time at Missouri.

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Return Specialist

1. Mecole Hardman (Georgia)

2. Deebo Samuel (South Carolina)

Mecole Hardman is one of the more elusive players in the conference and his label as a constant threat of taking a punt or kick back for a touchdown makes him my for first-team returner.

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All-Purpose

1. Deebo Samuel (South Carolina)

2. Trevon Diggs (Alabama)

Deebo Samuel is a name that pops up a lot on this list, but his biggest impact is not in one area but his all-purpose impact. After breaking his leg in 2017, Samuel decided to return to South Carolina for his senior season. The Gamecock had 280 yards and four touchdowns in only three games last season, not to mention that he only returned two kicks and they so happened to be returned for touchdowns. Expect to hear Samuel’s name called on a lot of highlights in 2018.

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