Snubs, sleepers and comeback candidates: 10 potential postseason All-SEC honorees come the end of the 2024

The SEC revealed the media’s preseason picks for the league’s predicted champion (Georgia), order of finish and all-conference teams on Friday. I broke down what my fellow brethren got right and wrong with the 2024 ballot and All-SEC selections, mentioning several notable omissions from the three teams entirely.

But here’s a more expansive list of 10 players who were excluded from preseason honors but could be named to an All-SEC team come the end of the year.

QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

With just three spots for quarterbacks, there was bound to be an SEC gunslinger who received the short end of the straw — and it wound up being Dart. It was no surprise that Carson Beck took First-Team honors, but Dart absolutely merited consideration alongside Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe.

Dart returns as the second-highest graded QB in the league, per PFF, and he stands to put up career-highs in his final season in Lane Kiffin’s offense. If he leads the Rebels to the SEC Championship or a CFP spot — then he’ll certainly make a postseason All-SEC team.

WR Nic Anderson, Oklahoma

I wasn’t shocked that Anderson wasn’t one of six receivers selected (again, why there are more RB picks than WRs is crazy in the Year of our Lord 2024) but the Sooners’ sophomore could absolutely play his way into postseason honors.

As a freshman, Anderson had 38 receptions — 10 of which went for touchdowns. He averaged 21.0 yards per catch (No. 5 nationally) for 798 yards. He’s a vertical threat on almost every play, and his home run ability stands to impress plenty of SEC voters who maybe didn’t watch him play in the Big 12 last season.

WR Eugene Wilson, Florida

The other awesome sophomore receiver who was snubbed was Wilson. Among all freshmen in 2023, he finished second behind Anderson for touchdowns (six) and No. 2 in receptions (61).

With Ricky Pearsall off to the NFL, Wilson stands to see an even greater target-share this fall. He’s sure-handed (zero drops last season) and is an electric playmaker with the ball in his hands (18 missed tackles forced).

DB CJ Taylor, Vanderbilt

Taylor was Vandy’s best player last season — both from the eye test and by analytics. He played multiple positions in the secondary, including nickel, rover and safety. The senior is excellent as a pass rusher from the slot, recording three sacks and 10 hurries. He also had two interceptions, 7.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and multiple PBUs — all this in just eight games as he suffered a bad injury on a pick against Georgia.

The SEC has lots of quality safeties in 2023, but Taylor — even on a terrible team — should not be overlooked.

RB Rocket Sanders, South Carolina

Last year was a complete lost season for Sanders, who had just 209 yards on 62 carries in an injury-riddled year. In 2022, the hulking speedster had more yards (232) and touchdowns (3) in a single game against Ole Miss.

Sanders had seven games over 100 yards in his sophomore season, finishing with 10 touchdowns and 1,443 yards — Top 20 nationally. He’s reportedly healthy now, and while he won’t be running behind an above-average OL, he stands to see a ton of carries for South Carolina this fall. If he comes anywhere close to replicating his 2022 stats, he’ll be a postseason honoree again.

LB CJ Allen, Georgia

The Bulldogs placed 15 players on the three All-SEC teams, including inside linebacker Smael Mondon. Former Georgia MIKE Jamon Dumas-Johnson, now at Kentucky, also made the preseason ballot.

But what if the guy who pushed Dumas-Johnson out the door and might play more snaps than Mondon ends up being the best option of the bunch? As a freshman, Allen got better and better as the year progressed, playing his best in wins over Ole Miss and Tennessee in late November. He struggled some in the SEC Championship against Alabama, but UGA’s staff is sky-high on the sophomore’s upside.

OG Cam’Ron Johnson, Missouri

Johnson helped anchor a Tigers’ offensive line that produced a Top 5 offense in the SEC last season, earning all-conference honors by the AP. So the fact that he wasn’t among any of the guards to earn a preseason nod is at least notable.

Johnson is switching from right guard to left guard (his natural position) this year. He’s a plus-run blocker but needs to improve his pass blocking (17 pressures allowed) and eliminate careless penalties to work his way back into the voters’ minds.

DT Omari Thomas,

Much like quarterback and receiver in the SEC this fall, there are only so many spots for a conference flush with really good defensive linemen, so Thomas probably can’t be justified as a true snub. Still, the Vols have among the best DLs in the SEC this fall, and not a single Tennessee lineman made any of the three teams.

Thomas isn’t flashy, and certainly won’t stuff the stat sheet (just 11 career TFLs), but if he’s a key cog in another Top 20 run defense he could make a team come the end of the year.

RB Dylan Sampson,

In a backup role in 2023, Sampson averaged 5.7 yards per carry and led Tennessee with seven rushing touchdowns. He finished with 604 yards — which ranks in the Top 10 among all returning SEC tailbacks.

Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small are off to the NFL, so Sampson becomes the top dog in Tennessee’s backfield this year. The Vols are always going to lean on the ground game to open up play-action shots downfield, and Sampson should see ample carries as they look to ease into the Nico Iamaleavea era.

TE Benjamin Yorosek, Georgia

The Bulldogs placed one tight end on the preseason All-SEC teams, and while Oscar Delp could absolutely emerge as an all-conference performer, what if UGA’s other tight end is the more productive replacement for Brock Bowers?

Stanford transfer Ben Yorosek had a pair of down seasons dealing with a shoulder injury and horrible QB-play, but the was an All-Pac 12 First-Team honoree in 2021 when he averaged 15.3 yards per catch and finished with the fourth-most YAC among all tight ends (just behind Bowers and two others).

Others who could earn postseason honors come December: Ole Miss LB Chris Paul, Ole Miss WR Jordan Watkins, Missouri QB Brady Cook, Georgia LB Jalon Walker, Kentucky C Eli Cox, Texas TE Amari Niblack, Alabama WR Germie Bernard, Texas A&M CB Deez Ricks, Georgia C Jared Wilson, Florida LB Shemar James