Preseason picks are always to be taken with a grain of salt, but this year’s SEC Preseason Media poll has things right where expectations are for the Hogs. With so much roster turnover, and a team where more than half are freshman (and not the McDonalds All-American variety), the Hogs are picked to finish 10th in the SEC. Daniel Gafford was named to First Team All-SEC as well.
Not surprisingly, Kentucky was picked to be the champions once again. They were followed by Auburn and Tennessee, who are both primed to pick off where they left off last season. Here is the enitre order of picks.
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
- Auburn
- Mississippi State
- Florida
- LSU
- Alabama
- Vanderbilt
- Missouri
- Arkansas
- South Carolina
- Texas A&M
- Georgia
- Ole Miss
Gafford joins Grant Williams of Tennessee, who was tabbed as Preseason Player of the Year, on the first team. Also on the team are Chris Silva of South Carolina, Tremont Waters of LSU, and Reid Travis, who transferred from Stanford to Kentucky this offseason.
With so many new faces, and an average recruiting ranking compared to the rest of the conference, it’s not surprising that the Hogs are picked where they are. Getting to postseason play will be a challenge this year with most teams keying on Gafford as the Hogs’ main threat.