Athlon Sports releases preseason All-SEC team for 2025

Year in and year out, the SEC is arguably the best conference in college football. Of course, to be the best conference, you must have fantastic players. Athlon Sports named some of these players with the official release of its 2025 preseason All-SEC team.

The outlet had no shortage of players to choose from. The SEC had numerous standouts decide to run it back another season with their respective teams. On the flip side, the storied conference also drew in commitments from highly-touted transfers.

In short, Athlon Sports didn’t have many easy decisions in front of them. Alas, let’s look at the All-SEC team the outlet ultimately created.

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Quarterback

Arch Manning, Texas

The long-awaited Arch Manning era is officially underway at Texas. Manning played second fiddle to Quinn Ewers for two years, but will finally get his chance to shine this season. Clearly, experts have massive expectations.

In fairness, Manning was excellent in the two starts he made last season while Ewers was sidelined with an injury. In the two games, Manning completed 41-60 pass attempts for 583 yards and four touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions. He also recorded 29 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Running Back

Ahmad Hardy, Missouri; Jaydn Ott, Oklahoma

Athlon Sports is rolling with two newcomers for its all-conference running back picks. Hardy transferred to Missouri this offseason after exploding for 1,351 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns at UL-Monroe last season. He was the No. 2 running back in On3’s 2025 Transfer Portal Player Rankings.

Ott didn’t put up nearly as spectacular of statistics last season due to an ankle injury, but he’s more than capable of giving opposing defenses headaches. In 2023 at California, Ott notched 1,305 rushing yards and 12 TDs.

All-Purpose

KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

The trend of transfers continues with KC Concepcion, who joined Texas A&M this offseason after spending two years at NC State. Concepcion can do it all on the field.

He’s recorded touchdowns in the ground game, as well as with his receiving prowess. In fact, Concepcion even threw a touchdown during his freshman year. To pile on, Concepcion is a dangerous return man, who logged five punt returns last season.

Wide Receiver

Ryan Williams, Alabama; Cam Coleman, Auburn; Deion Burks, Oklahoma

Not all the top talent in the SEC this fall will be from the transfer portal. Ryan Williams and Cam Coleman each put the nation on notice last season, with their respective debut collegiate campaigns. Williams finished the year with 865 receiving yards and eight scores, while Coleman trailed closely behind with 598 receiving yards and eight TDs.

Oklahoma’s Deion Burks wasn’t nearly as prolific last season, but it wasn’t his fault. Burks only played five games last season due to Achilles injury. Nevertheless, in those five games, Burks was stellar, racking up 245 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Tight End

Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt

Eli Stowers could’ve taken his talents to the NFL this offseason. Instead, he opted to return to Vanderbilt, with hopes of continuing to build on the momentum the Commodores established last season.

If Stowers is as excellent as he was last season, Vanderbilt could very well accomplish this feat. Stowers reeled in 49 catches for 635 yards and five TDs last season. For his efforts, he was named an All-SEC First-Team selection. Evidently, Athlon Sports expects the 6-foot-4 standout to repeat history this fall.

Center

Jake Slaughter, Florida

At 6-foot-4, 308 pounds, Slaughter is the foundation of Florida’s offensive line, which is supposed to be one of the best in the nation in the 2025 campaign. Slaughter was the only Power Four center last season with 80-plus grades both as a pass blocker and as a run blocker, according to PFF.

More impressive, Slaughter posted these stunning statistics while squaring off against some of the best defensive tackles in college football, including Walter Nolen, Alfred Collins, Shemar Turner and Deone Walker. Opponents will be hard-pressed to find a way past Slaughter this season.

Offensive Line

Parker Brailsford, Alabama; Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M; Kadyn Proctor, Alabama; Cayden Green, Missouri

Athlon Sports went out on a bit of a limb with their offensive linemen picks, but the outlet didn’t necessarily have a choice. Most of the top O-line talent from last season moved onto the NFL this offseason.

Kadyn Proctor is the only linemen listed who was an All-SEC selection last season. Nonetheless, the other three preseason all-conference picks each started every game for their respective teams.

Defensive Line

Dylan Stewart, South Carolina; Colin Simmons, Texas; LT Overton, Alabama; Keldric Faulk, Auburn

Offensive lines in the SEC will be put to the test in the upcoming season. The conference is loaded with defensive line talent, starting with South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart, who amassed 23 tackles and 6.5 sacks as a freshman last season.

The other three picks for the defensive line were equally dominant. Colin Simmons collected nine sacks while Faulk tallied seven. Overton only had two sacks last year but he finished with an impressive 42 total tackles.

Linebacker

Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss; Anthony Hill Jr., Texas; Whit Weeks, LSU; Taurean York, Texas A&M

Whit Weeks is an early frontrunner to win the 2025 SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award, and it’s easy to see why. Weeks was a First-Team All-SEC honoree last season, recording 125 total tackles, the second-most in the SEC.

Nonetheless, the other linebacker on Athlon‘s list won’t be easy to outperform. Suntarine Perkins erupted for 10.5 sacks last season, the second-most in the conference. Meanwhile, Anthony Hill Jr. and Taurean York each recorded at least 80 tackles and an interception.

Cornerback

Jermod McCoy, Tennessee; Malik Muhammad, Texas

Jermod McCoy is a no-brainer pick for this position. Last season, the sophomore star notched four interceptions, tied for the second-most in the SEC. To pile on, McCoy posted 44 tackles and seven pass deflections.

Malik Muhammad didn’t put nearly as good of numbers as McCoy, but there’s no reason to doubt that he’ll be a star this year. Muhammad had eight pass breakups last season, and will lead a talented Texas defense.

Safety

KJ Bolden, Georgia; Michael Taafee, Texas

Speaking of talented players in the secondary, KJ Bolden looked like a pro at times last season despite being a freshman. Now, with a year under his belt, Bolden has the potential to pick up where Georgia star safety Malaki Starks left off.

Bolden isn’t the only one with big shoes to fill. With Andrew Mukuba gone to the NFL, the pressure will be on Michael Taafee to lead the Longhorns’ secondary in the upcoming season. He certainly looked capable last year, tallying two interceptions, two sacks and 10 passes defended.

Specialists

K Peyton Woodring, Georgia; Brett Thorson, Georgia; KR Barion Brown, LSU; PR Kam Shanks, Arkansas

Fans tend to forget there are three phases to the game. Games are won and lost on special teams, and these players are looking to boost their teams to victory in 2025. Georgia, in particular, should be in great condition with Woodring and Thorson’s legs ready to pin the Bulldogs’ opponents in deep territory.

However, they should try to avoid returners such as Barion Brown and Kam Shanks. The two players’ unbelievable speed allows them to make house calls on any given play, and fans can expect to see such spectacles this fall.