Florida came out on top in the SEC preseason media poll released Monday, Oct. 12, with the Gators once again tagged as the league’s team to beat.
It’s the second straight year Florida has been picked as the preseason favorite and the fourth time overall since the poll was introduced. And there’s a clear reason voters leaned that way: the defending SEC regular season champs have turned the preseason nod into a familiar ending, winning the SEC title each time they’ve been picked first.
The poll, voted on by a select panel of SEC and national media members, slotted Texas, Arkansas and Tennessee right behind Florida in the top four.
Florida’s preseason haul didn’t stop there. The Gators placed three players on the All-SEC teams, and forward Thomas Haugh was chosen as the Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 15.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last season.
Haugh earned first-team honors alongside teammate Rueben Chinyelu, who put up a double-double average of 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds. Florida’s third selection, Alex Condon, landed on the second team after posting 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
The full first team also included Juke Harris of Tennessee, Josh Hubbard of Mississippi State and Tyler Tanner of Vanderbilt.
On the second team, Condon was joined by Amari Allen of Alabama, Milan Momcilovic of Kentucky, Jordan Smith Jr. of Arkansas and Matas Vokietaitis of Texas.
The third team featured PJ Haggerty of Texas A&M, Malachi Moreno of Kentucky, Tahaad Pettiford of Auburn, David Punch of Texas and Billy Richmond III of Arkansas.
Here’s how the coaches and media grouped the league in their preseason order of finish: Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas A&M, Auburn, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU, Mississippi State and South Carolina.
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Jon Sumrall said Vernell Brown III has been back at practice more recently, though the receiver is still questionable because of a knee strain. Texas is also coming off a loss, having dropped the Red River meeting with Oklahoma, so both teams arrive looking for a response, but Florida will need to find one quickly if it wants to leave Austin with anything to show for the week. [Read more 🡒]