Florida Gators picked to finish 12th in SEC, place 4 on All-SEC teams

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators were picked to finish 12th in the SEC as voted on by the media in Dallas at SEC Media Days. Four Gators were also picked to the preseason All-SEC teams. Senior running back Montrell Johnson Jr. was selected to the second team, while senior cornerback Jason Marshall Jr., junior kicker Trey Smack, and redshirt senior punter Jeremy Crawshaw were named to the third team.

Johnson Jr. enters his senior season after starting 11 games in 2023 and leading the Gators in rushing each of the last two seasons. His 817 rushing yards was good for 10th in the conference last season, and the Louisiana native is one of just two players in last season’s top-10 that will be returning to the conference next season. Johnson was second among SEC running backs in receiving yards in the 2023 season. He has recorded six 100-yard rushing games as a Gator and enters this season with 2,496 career rushing yards, with three consecutive seasons of 800 yards or more.

Marshall Jr. enters his senior season at Florida after 28-straight starts at CB for Florida over the last three seasons. He led the team with 10 pass breakups in his junior season, the most of any player returning to the Southeastern Conference next season. He was also named to other preseason all-conference lists, including the Athlon Sports second-team defense and Phil Steele second-team defense.

A Lou Groza Award Semifinalist in 2023, Smack is entering his junior season as the Gators primary kicker after a 2023 campaign that saw him make 17-21 field goal attempts while being a perfect 29-29 on extra points. He earned SEC Special Teams player of the Week nods for his performance week four against Charlotte and week seven against South Carolina. Smack was also named to Athlon Sports and Phil Steele’s ALL-SEC Preseason Teams.

Crawshaw returns for his fifth season with Florida and third as the Gators starting punter. The 2023 campaign saw Crashaw set career and single season program records in average yards per punt (46.7) and yards per attempt (48.9). The Australia native was named to the AP All-SEC Second Team in 2023. Crashaw also earned preseason honors from Athlon Sports and Phil Steele.

Predicted order of finish

1. Georgia
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Ole Miss
5. LSU
6. Missouri
7. Tennessee
8. Oklahoma
9. Texas A&M
10. Auburn
11. Kentucky
12. Florida
13. South Carolina
14. Arkansas
15. Mississippi State
16. Vanderbilt

2024 PRESEASON MEDIA DAYS ALL-SEC TEAM

OFFENSE

First-Team

QB –  Carson Beck, UGA
RB – Trevor Etienne, UGA
RB – Jarquez Hunter, AU  
WR –  Luther Burden III, MIZ 
WR –  Tre Harris, UM 
TE – Caden Prieskorn, UM  
OL – Tyler Booker, UA
OL – Will Campbell, LSU
OL – Kelvin Banks Jr., TEX  
OL – Tate Ratledge, UGA
C – Cooper Mays, UT

Second-Team

QB – Quinn Ewers, TEX
RB –  Raheim Sanders, ARK  
*RB – CJ Baxter, TEX
*RB – Montrell Johnson Jr., UF
WR – Isaiah Bond, TEX
WR – Kyren Lacy, LSU
TE –  Mason Taylor, LSU   
OL – Emery Jones, LSU 
OL – Kadyn Proctor, UA  
OL –  Xavier Truss, UGA 
OL –  Dylan Fairchild, UGA 
C –  Parker Brailsford, UA

Third-Team

QB – Jalen Milroe, UA
RB –  Justice Haynes, UA   
RB –  Ulysses Bentley, UM
WR – Deion Burks, OU
WR – Dominic Lovett,  UGA  
TE –  Oscar Delp, UGA  
OL –  Earnest Greene III, UGA
OL – Marques Cox, UK
OL – Trey Zuhn III, TAMU
OL – Jaeden Roberts, UA
C – Jake Majors, TEX  

DEFENSE

First-Team

DL – James Pearce Jr., UT  
DL – Walter Nolen, UM    
DL – Deone Walker, UK 
DL – Nazir Stackhouse, UGA 
LB –  Harold Perkins, LSU    
LB –  Danny Stutsman, OU  
*LB – Deontae Lawson, UA
*LB – Mykel Williams, UGA  
DB –  Malaki Starks, UGA
DB –  Malachi Moore, UA 
DB –  Billy Bowman, OU  
DB –  Maxwell Hairston, UK  

Second-Team

DL – Shemar Turner, TAMU
DL – Landon Jackson, ARK 
DL – Nic Scourton, TAMU
*DL – Tim Smith, UA
*DL –  Jared Ivey, UM
LB – Debo Williams, SC
LB –  Anthony Hill Jr., TEX  
LB – Smael Mondon Jr., UGA  
DB – Jahdae Barron, TEX   
DB – Major Burns, LSU   
DB –  Andrew Mukuba, TEX  
DB – Malik Muhammad, TEX  

Third-Team

DL  – Tim Keenan III, UA
DL –  Princely Umanmielen , UM
DL – Trey Moore, TEX 
DL – Tonka Hemingway, SC
LB –  Jamon “Pop” Dumas-Johnson, UK  
LB – Jihaad Campbell, UA  
LB –  Eugene Asante, AU
DB – Domani Jackson, UA  
DB –  Daylen Everette, UGA  
DB –  Jason Marshall Jr., UF
*DB – Keon Sabb, UA  
*DB –  Nick Emmanwori, SC

SPECIALISTS

First-Team
P –  James Burnip, UA 
PK – Bert Auburn, TEX   
LS – Kneeland Hibbett, UA
KS – Alex McPherson, AU
RS  – Barion Brown, UK  
AP – Zavion Thomas, LSU 

Second-Team

P – Brett Thorson, UGA
PK – Graham Nicholson, UA 
LS – Hunter Rogers, SC
KS –  Will Stone, TEX
RS – Zavion Thomas, LSU   
AP – Dillion Bell, UGA

Third-Team

P – Jeremy Crawshaw, UF  
PK – Alex McPherson, AU  
LS – Slade Roy, LSU
KS – Trey Smack, UF
RS – Keionte Scott, AU   
*AP – Barion Brown, UK
*AP – Jaydon Blue, TEX 

* – Indicates a tie