Preseason All-SEC Team shows little faith in Oklahoma's players

The Preseason All-SEC Team was released on Friday with only three Oklahoma Sooners making the cut and none on the first team.

Defensive end R Mason Thomas and new running back Jaydn Ott were on the Preseason All-SEC Second Team. Long snapper Ben Anderson was on the third team. The team and preseason poll are voted on by media at SEC Media Days.

3 Sooners on Preseason All-SEC Team

Thomas has the biggest expectations and highest NFL Draft stock among OU defenders entering his senior campaign. Thomas was an All-SEC Second-Team selection at the end of last season after recording 39 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Ott is a newcomer after transferring from California, but he already did enough at his last stop to earn some recognition at a new program and in a new conference. An ankle injury hindered Ott last season, but in 2023, he led the Pac-12 with 1,305 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, and was named First-Team All-Pac-12. Last year in 10 games while battling injury, Ott had 385 total yards and five TDs.

OU head coach Brent Venables sounded extremely excited about Ott's addition at SEC Media Days.

"He's a home-run hitter," Venables said. "Great natural runner, got great instincts, runs well behind his pads. His yards after contact are eye-popping. He makes plays as opposed to 'take what they give you.'"

Texas' Quintrevion Wisner and Texas A&M's Le'Veon Moss earned first-team honors over Ott. Although he has three years of SEC experience, Moss has never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season.

At quarterback, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers got first-team recognition, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier was second team and Texas' Arch Manning was third team over new OU quarterback John Mateer, who's an early Heisman Trophy hopeful.

LaNorris and Nussmeier have already succeeded in the SEC, so there's no argument there, but Manning has barely played any college football at all as a first-year starter after sitting behind Quinn Ewers. Manwhile, Mateer led all of FBS with 44 total touchdowns last season with Washington State before transferring this offseason.

The Sooners were also picked to finish 10th in Year 2 of the SEC ahead Auburn, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi State, respectively. The top 3 went Texas, Georgia and Alabama, respectively.

According to the SEC, the predicted champion prior to the season at SEC Media Days has won the SEC Championship Game only 10 times since 1992.

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