Four Tennessee Vols get major respect from SEC coaches around the league

There are plenty of preseason lists, awards, and recognition that are given every August in college football.  Many of them come from media and those who cover the game, but aren't actually on the sidelines or in the booths.

There are some exceptions, and the preseason All-SEC team is one of them as it's voted on by coaches around the SEC.

The 2024 team was revealed on Thursday afternoon , and four Tennessee Vols saw their names on the list: James Pearce, Jr., Cooper Mays, Dylan Sampson, and Squirrel White.

Pearce, Jr. and Mays were both listed as first-team members, while Sampson and White earned third-team honors.  Pearce, Jr. and Mays both were also on the preseason All-SEC media first team as well back in July.

Those spots are all deserving and pretty much impossible to argue against.  At this point, it doesn't really seem like there are any glaring omissions among the rest of the Tennessee roster.  A case could have been made for Bru McCoy despite missing most of 2023 and for perhaps Omarr Norman-Lott.  However, it seems the coaches needed to see more from them and the rest of the Volunteers' roster.

That all being said, four players feel light for a roster that appears set to contend for their first-ever spot in the College Football Playoff championship field.  We'll find out soon enough if the Vols can show the coaches around the league and the country (and the selection committee) that they're one of the 12 best teams this fall.

Related: Tennessee Vols about to feature a circuitous Southern California connection in 2024