Slaughter Headlines Preseason All-America Teams

Jake Slaughter was named a preseason First Team All-American by Athlon Sports and Walter Camp.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gators center Jake Slaughter headlined the preseason Walter Camp and Athlon Sports All-America teams by being named to the first team on both while a collection of ten Gators earned all-conference recognition the publications announced.

A team captain last year, Slaughter was an AP First-Team All-American, becoming just the third Gators’ center to claim a first-team All-America honor from one of the five current publications for consensus and unanimous distinction. Starting all 13 games in 2024, he collected a slew of awards last season in AP All-SEC First-Team, ESPN All-American, PFF All-American First-Team, 247Sports/CBS All-American Second-Team, CFN All-American Second-Team, Phil Steel All-American Fourth-Team, USA Today All-SEC First-Team. He led the offensive line with 800 snaps played and owned a pass block grade of 83.9 according to PFF.

Another player announced his return for his final season was Tyreak Sapp, a third-team honoree. He led the Gators with seven sacks and 13 tackles-for-loss for 48 yards while tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles. His 90.4 PFF grade was the highest among all qualified Florida players, the eighth highest among all FBS edge rushers, the fifth highest among SEC edge rushers and the highest of any Florida defender since 2019 (Jonathon Greenard 90.5). In a three-game stretch vs. LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State, he had 8.0 tackles-for-loss (-21 yards), 3.5 sacks, and 16 tackles.

Rounding out the preseason All-American nods from Athlon is Eugene Wilson III. The wide receiver started four games before suffering a season-ending injury and earned a redshirt. He caught 19 passes for 286 yards and a touchdown in 2024. In his freshman season (2023), he was a FWAA Freshman All-American and Freshman All-SEC selection. That first season also saw Wilson finish with a team-high six touchdown catches and second on the team in receptions (61), receiving yards (538) and receiving yards per game (53.8).

Florida’s Preseason Athlon Sports All-SEC

Name

Honor

Caleb Banks<https://floridagators.com/sports/football/roster/caleb-banks/17564>

Second Team

Jadan Baugh<https://floridagators.com/sports/football/roster/jadan-baugh/17566>

Second Team

Austin Barber<https://floridagators.com/sports/football/roster/austin-barber/17565>

Second Team

Grayson Howard<https://floridagators.com/sports/football/roster/grayson-howard/17593>

Second Team

DJ Lagway<https://floridagators.com/sports/football/roster/dj-lagway/17606>