ATLANTA – Of 68 offensive and defensive players announced Friday by the Southeastern Conference as preseason All-SEC selections, just 10 are sophomores, and only three of those sophomores earned first-team designation.
One of them was Tennessee offensive lineman Trey Smith, who comprised the entirety of the Volunteers’ delegation on the annual preseason teams as voted on by reporters at SEC Media Days.
The absence of other Tennessee players is a reminder of the talent disparity between the Vols and the other teams in the SEC as first-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt takes over and faces a daunting schedule.
Just two seasons ago, media picked Tennessee to win the SEC East and tabbed three Vols to the preseason All-SEC first-team defense. That year, the Vols placed nine players on preseason All-SEC teams.
This season, only Vanderbilt (0) had fewer players selected to a preseason All-SEC team. Media picked the Vols to finish sixth in the division, ahead of only the Commodores.