Projecting the 2022 SEC All-Conference Team selections

With a few months until opening kickoff of the college football season, awards predictions, watchlists and all-conference projections are starting to make the rounds. The folks over at Athlon Sports recently released their all-conference predictions for the SEC. Take a look at who they believe will be the best at each position in the conference in 2022.

The projected first-team and second-team All-SEC selections are as follows:

All-SEC First-Team

First-Team Offense

QB: Bryce Young, Alabama
RB: Tank Bigsby, Auburn
RB: Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky 
AP: Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama
WR: Cedric Tillman, Tennessee
WR: Kayshon Boutte, LSU
TE: Brock Bowers, Georgia
C: Ricky Stromberg, Arkansas
OL: Layden Robinson, Texas A&M
OL: Nick Broeker, Ole Miss
OL: Broderick Jones, Georgia
OL: Emil Ekiyor Jr., Alabama

First-Team Defense 

DL: Jalen Carter, Georgia
DL: Derick Hall, Auburn
DL: Byron Young, Alabama
DL: Byron Young, Tennessee
LB: Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
LB: Nolan Smith, Georgia
LB: Henry To’oTo’o, Alabama
LB: Bumper Pool, Arkansas
CB: Kelee Ringo, Georgia
CB: Cam Smith, South Carolina
S: Jordan Battle, Alabama
S: Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M

First-Team Specialists 

K: Harrison Mevis, Missouri
P: Nik Constantinou, Texas A&M
KR: Lideatrick Griffin, Mississippi State
PR: Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

All-SEC Second-Team

Second-Team Offense 

QB: Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
RB: Devon Achane, Texas A&M
RB: Kenny McIntosh, Georgia
AP: Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
WR: Jermaine Burton, Alabama
WR: Josh Vann, South Carolina
TE: Jaheim Bell, South Carolina
C: Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia
OL: Javon Foster, Missouri
OL: Kenneth Horsey, Kentucky
OL: O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida
OL: Jeremy James, Ole Miss

Second-Team Defense 

DL: Maason Smith, LSU
DL: Ali Gaye, LSU
DL: Isaiah McGuire, Missouri
DL: Colby Wooden, Auburn
LB: Brenton Cox Jr., Florida
LB: BJ Ojulari, LSU
LB: Dallas Turner, Alabama
LB: J.J. Weaver, Kentucky
LB: Jeremy Banks, Tennessee
CB: Eli Ricks, Alabama
CB: Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State
S: Jalen Catalon, Arkansas
S: Christopher Smith, Georgia

Second-Team Specialists

K: Will Reichard, Alabama
P: Oscar Chapman, Auburn
KR: Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama
PR: Kearis Jackson, Georgia

There you have it. No surprise, but Alabama leads the way with seven first-team selections. They also add five more on the second team to make it 12 total on the first two teams. I’d say that’s crazy, but again, it’s Nick Saban’s Alabama. This is what you tend to expect nowadays.

The other note I have is about the first-team defensive lineman. I checked and cross-referenced the facts multiple times. And it’s true. There are two Byron Young’s in the SEC. One plays for Alabama and wears #47 and the other wears #6 for Tennessee. Both are 6-foot-3 seniors that play defensive line, and apparently are quite good at it. Just an insane random fact.