The Gators received the fourth-most votes to win the SEC Championship
Birmingham, Ala. – The Gators have been picked to win the SEC Eastern Division, while placing fourth in the voting for the SEC Champion, according to a preseason poll of media covering SEC football.
Individually, Florida had six players selected to All-SEC teams, including two first-team members, three second-team members and a third-team member.
Florida Selected to Win the SEC East
The Gators were selected to win the SEC Eastern Division with 624 points, including 53 first-place votes, while Georgia was second with 613 points and 43 votes to win the division. Tennessee was third with 434 points. Points were awarded on a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale.
The selection marks the first time since 2010 the Gators are picked to win the division.
Florida enters the 2020 season after finishing second in the Eastern Division last year, compiling a 6-2 record in SEC play.
Alabama was picked to win the SEC Western Division with 660 total points, followed by LSU with 489 and Auburn with 488. Alabama received 86 first-place votes in the SEC West. Additionally, the Crimson Tide were also picked to win the SEC title, receiving 77 votes in the process.
Only seven times since 1992 has the predicted champion at SEC Media Days proceeded to win the SEC Championship Game.
EASTERN DIVISION (1st Place votes in parenthesis)
School
Points
Florida (53)
624
Georgia (43)
613
Tennessee
434
Kentucky
405
South Carolina
287
Missouri
224
Vanderbilt
101
WESTERN DIVISION (1st Place votes in parenthesis)
School
Points
Alabama (86)
660
LSU (8)
489
Auburn
488
Texas A&M (2)
454
Ole Miss
238
Mississippi State
238
Arkansas
121
SEC CHAMPION
School
Points
Alabama
77
Georgia
7
LSU
7
Florida
5
Florida Places Six on Preseason All-SEC List
UF’s two first-team members were redshirt senior quarterback Kyle Trask and junior tight end Kyle Pitts, while defensive lineman Zachary Carter and defensive backs Kaiir Elam and Marco Wilson were named to the second-team. Receiving third-team All-SEC recognition, linebacker Ventrell Miller rounds out the selection of Gators on the All-SEC Teams.
Trask started in 10 games last season after stepping in to take over Florida’s offense at the start of the fourth quarter during the Gators’ victory over Kentucky. The following week, Trask made his first career start against Tennessee, throwing for 293 yards with two touchdowns. Trask threw for 2,941 yards with 25 touchdowns across 12 games played in 2019 and was named to the SEC All-Conference Third Team for his performances.
Pitts appeared in all 13 games throughout the 2019 season for the Gators and is regarded as one of the top tight ends in college football after totaling 54 receptions for 649 yards and five touchdowns. The Philadelphia native led all tight ends in the SEC in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns and finished third nationally amongst FBS tight ends in receptions. Pitts was named to the AP/Coaches’ All-SEC First Team.
Carter appeared in all 13 games and made starts against Vanderbilt and Missouri on the defensive line. He helped make Florida the only team in the SEC with more than six players with at least three sacks. Carter tied for second on the squad with career-highs in sacks (4.5) and tackles-for-loss (7).
Elam appeared in all 13 games and made five starts in his first collegiate season where he totaled 11 tackles, three interceptions and four passes defended (tied for second-most on the team). Elam was named to the Coaches Freshman All-SEC Team and the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
Wilson played and started in all 13 games, recording 36 total defensive stops (23 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and two pass break-ups. Wilson recorded an interception against Tennessee, Auburn and Missouri and was one of four Florida defensive backs with at least three interceptions.
Miller finished second on the team in tackles with 55 and was one of eight Gators to finish with at least three sacks. Miller appeared in 12 games, starting in 11 at linebacker. The Lakeland, Florida native registered career-highs of eight tackles against Florida State and in the Capital One Orange Bowl against Virginia.
2020 PRESEASON MEDIA DAYS ALL-SEC TEAM
OFFENSE
First-Team
QB – Kyle Trask, Florida
RB – Najee Harris, Alabama
RB – Kylin Hill, Mississippi State
WR – DeVonta Smith, Alabama
WR – Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
TE – Kyle Pitts, Florida
OL – Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
OL – Trey Smith, Tennessee
OL – Landon Dickerson, Alabama
OL – Landon Young, Kentucky
C – Drake Jackson, Kentucky
Second-Team
QB – Kellen Mond, Texas A&M
RB – Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
RB – Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M
WR – George Pickens, Georgia
WR – Terrace Marshall, LSU
TE – Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M
OL – Deonte Brown, Alabama
OL – Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
OL – Sadarius Hutcherson, South Carolina
OL – Ed Ingram, LSU
C – Trey Hill, Georgia
Third-Team
QB – Mac Jones, Alabama
RB – Zamir White, Georgia
RB – Larry Rountree, Missouri
WR – Seth Williams, Auburn
WR – Elijah Moore, Ole Miss
TE – Arik Gilbert, LSU
OL – Austin Deculus, LSU
OL – Brodarious Hamm, Auburn
OL – Evan Neal, Alabama
OL – Wanya Morris, Tennessee
C – Landon Dickerson, Alabama
First-Team
DL – Big Kat Bryant, Auburn
DL – LaBryan Ray, Alabama
DL – Jordan Davis, Georgia
DL – Malik Herring, Georgia
LB – Dylan Moses, Alabama
LB – K.J. Britt, Auburn
LB – Nick Bolton, Missouri
DB – Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
DB – Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
DB – Richard LeCounte, Georgia
DB – Jacoby Stevens, LSU
Second-Team
DL – Bobby Brown, Texas A&M
DL – Dayo Odeyingbo, Vanderbilt
DL – Kobie Whiteside, Missouri
DL – Zachary Carter, Florida
LB – Henry To’o To’o, Tennessee
LB – Monty Rice, Georgia
LB – Jabril Cox, LSU
DB – Kaiir Elam, Florida
DB – Eric Stokes, Georgia
DB – Marco Wilson, Florida
DB – Israel Mukuamu, South Carolina
Third-Team
DL – Aaron Sterling, South Carolina
DL – Glen Logan, LSU
DL – Josh Paschal, Kentucky
DL – DJ Dale, Alabama
LB – Ventrell Miller, Florida
LB – Erroll Thompson, Mississippi State
LB – Boogie Watson, Kentucky
DB – Demani Richardson, Texas A&M
DB – Smoke Monday, Auburn
DB – Tyree Gillespie, Missouri
DB – Christian Tutt, Auburn*
DB – Bryce Thompson, Tennessee*
SPECIALISTS
First-Team
P – Max Duffy, Kentucky
PK – Brent Cimaglia, Tennessee
RS – Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
AP – Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
Second-Team
P – Jake Camarda, Georgia
PK – Cade York, LSU
RS – Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
AP – Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
Third-Team
P – Zach Von Rosenberg, LSU
PK – Anders Carlson, Auburn
RS – Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
AP – Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
* – Indicates a tie
