Oklahoma didn’t just sneak a few names onto the preseason coaches All-SEC teams. It landed 10.
That total, released Wednesday by the conference ahead of the 2026 season, put the Sooners behind only Georgia and Texas, which each had 11 selections. LSU followed with eight.
The headliners for Oklahoma came on special teams, where kicker Tate Sandell and long snapper Ben Anderson both made the first team. Sandell, the reigning Lou Groza Award winner, was one of five SEC players recognized at multiple spots. He earned first-team honors as both a place-kicker and kickoff specialist.
Isaiah Sategna also turned up twice on the second team, earning recognition as a wide receiver, return specialist and all-purpose player. He’s the league’s leading returning receiver and gave Oklahoma a huge season a year ago, finishing with 965 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He also ranked 10th nationally in punt return average at 13.25 yards per attempt.
Oklahoma’s second-team haul went deep on both sides of the ball. Linebacker Kip Lewis, punter Grayson Miller, safety Peyton Bowen, defensive end Taylor Wein, cornerback Eli Bowen, defensive tackle David Stone and offensive lineman Michael Fasusi all made the cut.
Lewis was Oklahoma’s tackle leader last season with 76, including 10.5 tackles for loss. Miller had already made his mark as an All-SEC punter last year, when he led the conference with a 45.85-yard average on punts.
Bowen followed up his junior season with another strong year, posting 47 tackles, seven pass breakups and two interceptions on his way to second-team All-SEC honors. Wein broke out off the edge, leading the Sooners with 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks while adding 39 total tackles, a blocked field goal, a forced fumble and a team-high 36 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. That performance earned him second-team All-SEC recognition as well.
Eli Bowen was an All-SEC pick as a sophomore after recording 24 tackles, four pass breakups and two interceptions while holding opponents to a 55.6% completion rate when targeted.
Stone, a preseason Walter Camp All-American, is coming off a standout sophomore season of his own. He finished with 42 tackles, eight for loss, 1.5 sacks and 26 total pressures.
Fasusi, a former five-star prospect, stepped in early and locked down Oklahoma’s starting left tackle job. As a true freshman, he started 10 games and allowed 19 total pressures, including four sacks.
Here is the full preseason coaches All-SEC team for 2026:
FIRST TEAM
Offense: QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss; RB Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss; RB Ahmad Hardy, Missouri; WR Cam Coleman, Texas; WR Mario Craver, Texas A&M; TE Trey'Dez Green, LSU; OL Trevor Goosby, Texas; OL Cayden Green, Missouri; OL Jordan Seaton, LSU; OL Earnest Greene III, Georgia; C Drew Bobo, Georgia; AP Mario Craver, Texas A&M.
Defense: DL Colin Simmons, Texas; DL Dylan Stewart, South Carolina; DL Princewill Umanmielen, LSU; DL Will Echoles, Ole Miss; LB Xavier Atkins, Auburn; LB Whit Weeks, LSU; LB Rasheem Biles, Texas; DB KJ Bolden, Georgia; DB Bray Hubbard, Alabama; DB Zabien Brown, Alabama; DB Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia.
Special Teams: PK Tate Sandell, Oklahoma; P Grant Chadwick, LSU; RS Ryan Niblett, Texas; KOS Tate Sandell, Oklahoma; LS Ben Anderson, Oklahoma.
SECOND TEAM
Offense: QB Arch Manning, Texas; RB Jadan Baugh, Florida; RB Nate Frazier, Georgia; WR Ryan Coleman-Williams, Alabama; WR Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma; TE Lawson Luckie, Georgia; OL Lance Heard, Kentucky; OL Dontrell Glover, Georgia; OL Michael Carroll, Alabama; OL Michael Fasusi, Oklahoma; C Mark Nabou Jr., Texas A&M; AP Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma.
Defense: DL David Stone, Oklahoma; DL Taylor Wein, Oklahoma; DL Quincy Rhodes Jr., Arkansas; DL Elijah Griffin, Georgia; LB Raylen Wilson, Georgia; LB Kip Lewis, Oklahoma; LB Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss; DB Kelley Jones, Mississippi State; DB Peyton Bowen, Oklahoma; DB DJ Pickett, LSU; DB Eli Bowen, Oklahoma.
Special Teams: PK Lucas Carneiro, Ole Miss; P Grayson Miller, Oklahoma; RS Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma; KOS Lucas Carneiro, Ole Miss; LS Brett Le Blanc, Missouri.
THIRD TEAM
Offense: QB Gunner Stockton, Georgia; RB DeSean Bishop, Tennessee; RB Hollywood Smothers, Texas; WR Ryan Wingo, Texas; WR Nyck Harbor, South Carolina; TE Willie Rodriguez, Kentucky; OL David Sanders Jr., Tennessee; OL Patrick Kutas, Ole Miss; OL Wendell Moe Jr., Tennessee; OL Brandon Baker, Texas; C Braelin Moore, LSU; AP Ryan Niblett, Texas.
Defense: DL DJ Hicks, Texas A&M; DL Kam Franklin, Ole Miss; DL Gabe Harris, Georgia; DL Jayden Woods, Florida; LB Arion Carter, Tennessee; LB Yhonzae Pierre, Alabama; LB Robert Woodyard Jr., Missouri; DB Ty Benefield, LSU; DB Jelani McDonald, Texas; DB Ty Redmond, Tennessee; DB Keon Sabb, Alabama.
Special Teams: PK Alex McPherson, Auburn; P Ethan Pulliam, Mississippi State; RS Vernell Brown III, Florida; KOS Terry Bussey, Texas A&M; LS Trey Dubuc, Texas.
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Todd McShay Sees One Big Reason Oklahoma Could Surprise People
Todd McShay sees a version of Oklahoma that could be harder to size up than outsiders expect, and a big part of that comes from how the program has been built under general manager Jim Nagy and coach Brent Venables. He pointed to a cleaner, more efficient model with defined roles, the kind of structure that can matter when a team is trying to turn offseason organization into fall results.
McShay also likes the direction of quarterback John Mateer, noting mechanical adjustments he observed during the offseason and suggesting there is room for him to improve this season. For Oklahoma, that combination of a more streamlined operation and a quarterback with apparent upside is the sort of formula that can quietly change expectations before anyone has seen the real thing on Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]
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Isaiah Sategna Sees A Different Edge In Oklahomas Offense
Isaiah Sategna has quickly become one of the more noticeable pieces of Oklahomas offense this fall, with the Arkansas transfer helping lead the receivers through camp. He has sounded confident in where the group stands heading into the season, and that confidence seems tied to the work being put in every day around a unit that is trying to sharpen both its passing game and its running game.
Sategna pointed to the offenses depth and the value of the constant competition in practice, especially going against Brent Venables defense on a daily basis. For Oklahoma, the hope is that those reps add up to a cleaner, more detailed attack when the games start counting, but the real test will be whether all that camp work translates once the lights come on. [Read more 🡒]