Xavier Atkins headlines Auburn football's All-SEC nods: Full list, order of finish

[ASFN Admin]

Auburn football walked away from SEC Media Days with a trio of All-SEC selections, but it was also predicted to finish in the bottom half of the league for a sixth consecutive year.

This year's preseason All-SEC team, as voted on by media days attendees, included linebacker Xavier Atkins as a first-team selection and kicker Alex McPherson and defensive back Champ Anthony as third-team honorees. Auburn was predicted to finish 12th in the league.

Atkins was a second-team All-American and first-team All-SEC last season, leading the Tigers with 84 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks in his first season on the Plains. McPherson bounced back from illness that sidelined him for nearly the entire 2024 season to make 20 of his 23 field goal tries last fall, and he went 35 for 35 on extra point attempts.

Anthony's last two seasons have been hampered with leg injuries, but he was named a team captain in 2025. He played in seven games last fall, recording 13 tackles.

Here's a full look at this year's preseason All-SEC team:

2026 All-SEC football team: Full list, predicted order of finish​

• First team
  • QB: Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss)
  • RB: Kewan Lacy (Ole Miss); Ahmad Hardy (Missouri)
  • WR: Cam Coleman (Texas); Ryan Coleman-Williams (Alabama)
  • TE: Trey'Dez Green (LSU)
  • OL: Trevor Goosby (Texas); Cayden Green (Missouri); Jordan Seaton (LSU); Earnest Greene III (Georgia); C Drew Bobo (Georgia)
  • DL: Colin Simmons (Texas); Will Echoles (Ole Miss); Dylan Stewart (South Carolina); Princewill Umanmielen (LSU)
  • LB: Whit Weeks (LSU); Xavier Atkins (Auburn); Rasheem Biles (Texas)
  • DB: KJ Bolden (Georgia); Zabien Brown (Alabama); Bray Hubbard (Alabama); Ellis Robinson IV (Georgia)
  • Specialists: K Tate Sandell (Oklahoma); P Grant Chadwick (LSU); KR Ryan Niblett (Texas); APP Mario Craver (Texas A&M); KOS Tate Sandell (Oklahoma); LS Ben Anderson (Oklahoma)
• Second team
  • QB: Arch Manning (Texas)
  • RB: Jadan Baugh (Florida); Nate Frazier (Georgia)
  • WR: Mario Craver (Texas A&M); Isaiah Sategna III (Oklahoma)
  • TE: Lawson Luckie (Georgia)
  • OL: Dontrell Glover (Georgia); Michael Fasusi (Oklahoma); Michael Carroll (Alabama); Lance Heard (Kentucky); C Mark Nabou Jr. (Texas A&M)
  • DL: David Stone (Oklahoma); Elijah Griffin (Georgia); Taylor Wein (Oklahoma); Quincy Rhodes Jr. (Arkansas)
  • LB: Raylen Wilson (Georgia); Suntarine Perkins (Ole Miss); Kip Lewis (Oklahoma)
  • DB: Kelley Jones (Mississippi State); DJ Pickett (LSU); Ty Benefield (LSU); Eli Bowen (Oklahoma)*; Peyton Bowen (Oklahoma)*
  • Specialists: K Lucas Carneiro (Ole Miss); P Grayson Miller (Oklahoma); KR Isaiah Sategna III (Oklahoma); APP Ryan Niblett (Texas); KOS Lucas Carneiro (Ole Miss); LS Trey Dubuc (Texas)
• Third team
  • QB: Gunner Stockton (Georgia)
  • RB: DeSean Bishop (Tennessee); Hollywood Smothers (Texas)
  • WR: Ryan Wingo (Texas); Nyck Harbor (South Carolina)
  • TE: Willie Rodriguez (Kentucky)
  • OL: David Sanders Jr. (Tennessee); Patrick Kutas (Ole Miss); Brandon Baker (Texas); Wendell Moe Jr. (Tennessee); C Braelin Moore (LSU)
  • DL: Kam Franklin (Ole Miss); DJ Hicks (Texas A&M); Gabe Harris (Georgia); Jayden Woods (Florida)
  • LB: Arion Carter (Tennessee); TJ Dottery (LSU); Yhonzae Pierre (Alabama)
  • DB: Keon Sabb (Alabama); Champ Anthony (Auburn); Khalil Barnes (Georgia); Jelani McDonald (Texas)
  • Specialists: K Alex McPherson (Auburn); P Ethan Pulliam (Mississippi State); KR Vernell Brown III (Florida); APP Jadan Baugh (Florida); KOS Terry Bussey (Texas A&M); Brett Le Blanc (Missouri)
• Predicted order of finish
  1. Georgia (88)
  2. Texas (57)
  3. Ole Miss (6)
  4. Texas A&M (5)
  5. LSU (2)
  6. Alabama (3)
  7. Oklahoma (2)
  8. Tennessee
  9. Florida
  10. Missouri
  11. South Carolina
  12. Auburn
  13. Vanderbilt
  14. Kentucky (1)
  15. Mississippi State
  16. Arkansas

Asterisks denote ties in voting. Parentheticals in predicted order of finish denote first-place votes.


Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.To support Adam's work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Xavier Atkins headlines Auburn football's All-SEC nods: Full list, order of finish

Continue reading...