Compiling, comparing Georgia players on preseason All-SEC lists

Phil Steele’s preseason All-SEC teams were released with the publication of the magazine, and in total, 12 Georgia players made either the first, second, third or fourth-team. In comparison, Athlon Sports – another preseason preview magazine – had 13. All in all, 16 Bulldogs have been named preseason All-SEC by either preview, and we compile that into one list for you today.

Consensus First-Team All-SEC

Three players were named First-Team All-SEC by both Phil Steele and Athlon Sports. Brock Bowers, Jalen Carter and Broderick Jones were consensus First-Team All-SEC according to the preview magazines, and I’m sure that comes with little surprise. Bowers and Carter were also consensus First-Team All-Americans.

Bowers led Georgia in all receiving categories last season as a freshman from the tight end position. With 56 catches for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns, Bowers broke all the single-season records for tight ends as well as the receiving touchdown record for a player at any position. He was named SEC Freshman of the Year by the Coaches, SEC Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press, First-Team All-SEC by both, national Freshman of the Year by two different organizations and an All-American by several others.

Carter is viewed as Georgia’s highest rated draft prospect for the 2023 NFL Draft and for good reason. The former five-star and No. 14-ranked player in the Class of 2020 has only scratched the surface of what he’s capable of, recording 37 tackles including 8.5 for loss and 3.0 sacks last season. Carter also blocked two kicks including an important one in the National Championship Game win over Alabama. He was named to the Coaches’ All-SEC Second-Team after last season, and with three players leaving the defensive line, he’ll have more opportunities to break through to even greater heights.

Jones started Georgia’s last four regular season games of 2021, filling in for the injured starter at left tackle, Jamaree Salyer. Another time during the regular season – against Auburn – Salyer went down with injury, and Jones was tasked with playing over half the game. Then, in the National Championship Game, Salyer moved inside to guard allowing Jones to enter for the Bulldogs in need of a spark during the second quarter. He played the remainder of the game, helping Georgia go on to take home the title over Alabama as the Bulldogs’ offense found the end zone three times in the second half after only managing a pair of field goals in the first.

Split First-Team All-SEC

Kelee Ringo, Nolan Smith and Warren Ericson are the three Georgia players that made one preseason First-Team All-SEC but not both. Ringo and Smith were Second-Team according to Steele while Ericson was not included at all by Athlon Sports. Ringo, Smith and Ericson all also received a spot on a preseason All-American team with Ringo coming in as a consensus preseason All-American. He was on the First-Team for Athlon and Second-Team for Steele while Smith was a Second-Team All-American according to Athlon and Ericson named a third-teamer by Steele.

Ringo and Smith are about to be two of Georgia’s biggest leaders on the defensive side of the football in 2022. Both former five-stars, Kirby Smart and company will want to see them shine with so many stars from last year’s unit gone and off to the NFL. Ringo, a redshirt freshman last year, was named to the Coaches’ Freshman All-SEC Team after starting the final 12 games of the season for the Bulldogs. He finished the year with 34 tackles, eight pass breakups and two interceptions – one of which he returned for a touchdown to seal the deal on Georgia’s National Championship win over Alabama.

As for Smith, he started all 14 games in which he played, finishing with 56 stops on the season, fifth-best on the team. He also finished with 9.0 tackles for loss, second-best among Bulldogs, with 3.5 of them coming on quarterback sacks. Smith led Georgia in tackles with a career-high eight stops in the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff Semifinal win over Michigan at the Capital One Orange Bowl, one of two times that he reached that number on the season. Other categories in which Smith posted career-highs during the 2021 campaign include sacks (Arkansas, 1.5), tackles for loss (Alabama2, 2.0), quarterback pressures (Michigan, 7), interceptions (Florida, 1), forced fumbles (South Carolina, Florida, 1) and recovered fumbles (Florida, 1). Smith was named SEC co-Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against the Gamecocks and Gators.

Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the football, Ericson returns having started 14 games as well. He was not the starter out of the gate, taking over for an injured Tate Ratledge during the first drive of the season-opener, and there were times where Ericson was replaced himself. That’s causing for some to question whether he’ll be the primary starter again in 2022. However, with his experience on the interior of one of the best offensive lines in the country and his ability to play multiple positions, Ericson is seen highly by Steele.

Consensus Second-Team All-SEC

Christopher Smith is the lone player named Second-Team All-SEC by both Steele and Athlon. Steele also included him as a Second-Team All-American in the preseason.

Smith played in 12 games for Georgia last season, starting 11 of them, as he finished with 35 total tackles, four pass breakups, three interceptions and two quarterback pressures. In three of the Bulldogs’ biggest games of the season – Clemson, Tennessee, Alabama – Smith played every snap on the back end of the defense. He also showed up big in those games. Smith returned an interception 74 yards for the only touchdown of the game in Georgia’s season-opening win over No. 3 Clemson last season. He moved over from safety to STAR to help against an up-tempo, pass-heavy Tennessee offense on the road. And his performance in the National Championship Game was especially impressive with a career-high seven tackles, two pass breakups and an interception, as well as a key block on Kelee Ringo’s return. Smith was recently named the No. 2 safety in all of College Football by On3 Sports.

Split Second-Team All-SEC

Sedrick Van Pran, Kenny McIntosh and Kearis Jackson – as a punt returner – were all Second-Team All-SEC according to Athlon but lower according to Steele. Van Pran was a Phil Steele fourth-teamer while Jackson cracked Steele’s Third-Team as a punt returner. McIntosh was not included by Steele at all.

Van Pran started all 15 games for Georgia in the middle of the offensive line at center. He played more snaps during the season than any other Bulldog including every offensive snap in eight games (Clemson, Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Michigan, Alabama).

McIntosh served as Georgia’s No. 3 option at running back but certainly one of the best out of the backfield in the passing game. Behind Zamir White and James Cook, McIntosh managed 328 yards and three touchdowns on 58 carries while adding 242 yards and another two scores on 22 catches. He also threw for a touchdown in the Capital One Orange Bowl on a trick play to Adonai Mitchell.

Jackson was never quite healthy last season, undergoing surgery just before the season started and playing with a brace on his knee for much of the year. Still, Jackson played in all 15 games and finished with 16 receptions for 194 yards and a touchdown. He also returned punts in all 15 contests, finishing with 22 returns for 189 yards, an average of 8.6 yards per return, with a long return of 41 yards in the win over Charleston Southern. Jackson ranked 19th nationally and fourth in the SEC for punt return average.

Third and Fourth Team

Once you get to the third and fourth teams, there seems to be little consensus between voters. In fact, Robert Beal was the only Georgia player included by both as a preseason All-SEC player, making the Third-Team for Athlon and the Fourth-Team for Steele. He led Georgia in sacks last season with 6.5 of his 23 total stops coming on quarterback takedowns. Beal had 16 quarterback pressures on the season and recorded a career-high three QB pressures in the National Championship Game. Beal recorded a sack in each of Georgia’s last three regular season games as well as both of the Bulldogs’ outings in the College Football Playoffs. Against Michigan, he had a season-high four tackles including the sack.

The following players were named All-SEC by one or the other, but not both, and included on the Third or Fourth-Team:

• Warren McClendon (Athlon Third-Team)
• Kendall Milton (Steele Third-Team)
• Arik Gilbert (Athlon Fourth-Team)
• Adonai Mitchell (Athlon Fourth-Team)
• Ladd McConkey (Steele Fourth-Team)