Which Ole Miss players will be named to the Preseason All-SEC Teams?

The Southeastern Conference Media Days gets underway on Monday with all 14 head football coaches and selected players heading to Nashville and offering up thoughts on their respective team’s prospects for the 2023 season. Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin conclude the week-long event on Thursday.

One of the many items that comes out of Media Days is the Preseason All-SEC Teams as voted on by the members of the media in attendance. The actual list will be released on July 21.

As a preview or primer for Media Days why not take a crack at projecting or predicting with Ole Miss players will find their way onto the three teams a week from now.

One Ole Miss player comes to mind as a sure-thing layup for First Team and that is running back Quinshon Judkins. The reigning 2022 SEC rushing king is widely viewed as one of the top running backs in the country, if not the best, this season.

After Judkins there are a few strong candidates among the other Ole Miss players but which team they fall on is a bit of a crapshoot as voting can go so many different ways when it comes to media members and beat writers.

Related: JAKE’S TAKE: How I see the final season of the East and West Divisions shaking out in the SEC

Ole Miss will be anchored by Judkins on the All-SEC First Team

The Rebels will be represented throughout the three All-SEC preseason teams but Judkins is the lone player on the first team.

None of that will be shock if proven true come next Friday as Judkins is the top star out of the Ole Miss offense. Quarterback Jaxson Dart has a strong case — which will be discussed in a bit – but how Judkins moves up and down the field so will the offense as a whole.

Here is a projected First Team Preseason All-SEC:

OFFENSE
QB – Jayden Daniels, LSU
RB – Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss
RB – Raheim Sanders, Arkansas
WR – Dominic Lovett, Georgia
WR – Antwane Wells, Jr., South Carolina
TE – Brock Bowers, Georgia
AP – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
OL – Beaux Limmer, Arkansas
OL – Will Campbell, LSU
OL – Javon Foster, Missouri
OL – JC Latham, Alabama
C – Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia

DEFENSE
DL – Mekhi Wingo, LSU
DL – Maason Smith, LSU
DL – JJ Pegues, Ole Miss
DL – Mykel Williams, Georgia
LB – Harold Perkins, Jr., LSU
LB – Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State
LB – Jamon-Dumas Johnson, Georgia
DB – Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
DB – D.J. James, Auburn
DB – Demani Richardson, Texas A&M
DB – Malaki Starks, Georgia

SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Will Reichard, Alabama
P – Kai Kroeger, South Carolina
RS – Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

Dart deserves to represent the Rebels on the Second Team

Plenty of options for who the quarterback should be or will be when the All-SEC Second Team position is concerned. Though Dart deserves a strong look as the second best quarterback in the SEC.

Strong take? Possibly with Arkansas’ KJ Jefferson and Mississippi State’s Will Rogers also out there as an option.

Dart was one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC last season, throwing for nearly 3,000 yards when all was said and done. With expectations of him taking that next step in year two under Lane Kiffin then Dart should be contemplated in the the upper echelon of SEC quarterbacks in 2023.

Of course the unspoken quarterback battle still lingering between Dart and Spencer Sanders probably has some media members hesitant to cast Dart on any ballot next week.

Here is a projected Second Team Preseason All-SEC:

OFFENSE
QB – Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
RB – Ray Davis, Kentucky
RB – Montrell Johnson, Jr., Florida
WR – Malik Nabers, LSU
WR – Jermaine Burton, Alabama
TE – Mason Taylor, LSU
AP – Jarquez Hunter, Auburn
OL – Kenneth Horsey, Kentucky
OL – Tate Ratledge, Georgia
OL – Austin Barber, Florida
OL – Brady Latham, Arkansas
C – Seth McLaughlin, Alabama

DEFENSE
DL – Jaheim Oatis, Alabama
DL – Deone Walker, Kentucky
DL – McKinley Jackson, Texas A&M
DL – J.J. Weaver, Kentucky
LB – Dallas Turner, Alabama
LB – Smael Mondon, Georgia
LB – Ty’Ron Hopper, Missouri
DB – Kamari Lassiter, Georgia
DB – Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas
DB – Javon Bullard, Georgia
DB – Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina

SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Harrison Mevis, Missouri
P – Jeremy Crawshaw, Florida
RS – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

Here is the Projected Third Team Preseason All-SEC

OFFENSE
QB – KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
RB – Jaylen Wright, Tennessee
RB – Brian Battie, Auburn
WR – Evan Stewart, Texas A&M
WR – Jordan Watkins, Ole Miss
TE – Caden Prieskorn, Ole Miss
AP – Jabari Small, Tennessee
OL – Amarius Mims, Georgia
OL – Jeremy James, Ole Miss
OL – Xavier Truss, Georgia
OL – Tyler Booker, Alabama
C – Kingsley Eguakun, Florida

DEFENSE
DL – Realus George, Jr., Missouri
DL – Cedric Johnson, Ole Miss
DL – Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia
DL – Darius Robinson, Missouri
LB – Khari Coleman, Ole Miss
LB – Deontae Lawson, Alabama
LB – Christopher Paul, Jr., Arkansas
DB – Malachi Moore, Alabama
DB – CJ Taylor, Vanderbilt
DB – Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
DB – Jason Marshall, Jr., Florida

SPECIAL TEAMS
PK – Cam Little, Arkansas
P – Oscar Chapman, Auburn
RS – Zavion Thomas, Mississippi State