Where Tennessee football is predicted in SEC poll, preseason team

Tennessee football was picked eighth in the SEC preseason poll by media members attending SEC media days, and four Vols were selected to the preseason third team.

Georgia was picked to win its third straight SEC title, narrowly topping Texas in the preseason poll voting.

It's a middle-of-the-pack prediction for Tennessee. And that's not a surprise considering the Vols went 8-5 last season and tied for eighth in the SEC standings.

Running back DeSean Bishop, offensive guard Wendell Moe, offensive tackle David Sanders and linebacker Arion Carter were picked preseason All-SEC, all making the third team.

Bishop was All-SEC last season, rushing for 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns. Moe was also All-SEC after transferring from Arizona, and he started at left guard and right guard for the Vols.

Carter led the SEC with 7.6 tackles per game last season, but injuries kept him out of three games. He earned All-SEC honors and declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. But he later withdrew and returned to UT for his senior season.

Sanders was a five-star recruit and Freshman All-American in 2025. He moved to left tackle this offseason to anchor an experienced offensive line.

2026 SEC preseason media poll

Here's the preseason predicted order of finish, as voted on by media members attending SEC football media days in Tampa. (First-place votes are in parantheses).

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

2026 All-SEC preseason media teams

OFFENSE

First Team

Quarterback – Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

Running Back – Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss

Running Back – Ahmad Hardy, Missouri

Wide Receiver – Cam Coleman, Texas

Wide Receiver – Ryan Coleman-Williams, Alabama

Tight End – Trey'Dez Green, LSU

Offensive Guard/Tackle – Trevor Goosby, Texas

Offensive Guard/Tackle – Cayden Green, Missouri

Offensive Guard/Tackle – Jordan Seaton, LSU

Offensive Guard/Tackle – Earnest Greene III, Georgia

Center – Drew Bobo, Georgia

All-Purpose – Mario Craver, Texas A&M

Second-Team

Quarterback – Arch Manning, Texas

Running Back – Jadan Baugh, Florida

Running Back – Nate Frazier, Georgia

Wide Receiver – Mario Craver, Texas A&M

Wide Receiver – Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma

Tight End – Lawson Luckie, Georgia

Offensive Guard/Tackle – Dontrell Glover, Georgia

Offensive Guard/Tackle – Michael Fasusi, Oklahoma

Offensive Guard/Tackle – Michael Carroll, Alabama

Offensive Guard/Tackle – Lance Heard, Kentucky

Center – Mark Nabou Jr., Texas A&M

All-Purpose – Ryan Niblett, Texas

Third-Team

Quarterback – Gunner Stockton, Georgia

Running Back – DeSean Bishop, Tennessee

Running Back – Hollywood Smothers, Texas

Wide Receiver – Ryan Wingo, Texas

Wide Receiver – Nyck Harbor, South Carolina

Tight End – Willie Rodriguez, Kentucky

Offensive Guard/Tackle – David Sanders Jr., Tennessee

Offensive Guard/Tackle – Patrick Kutas, Ole Miss

Offensive Guard/Tackle – Brandon Baker, Texas

Offensive Guard/Tackle – Wendell Moe Jr., Tennessee

Center – Braelin Moore, LSU

All-Purpose – Jadan Baugh, Florida

DEFENSE

First-Team

Defensive Line – Colin Simmons, Texas

Defensive Line – Will Echoles, Ole Miss

Defensive Line – Dylan Stewart, South Carolina

Defensive Line – Princewill Umanmielen, LSU

Linebacker – Whit Weeks, LSU

Linebacker – Xavier Atkins, Auburn

Linebacker – Rasheem Biles, Texas

Defensive Back – KJ Bolden, Georgia

Defensive Back – Zabien Brown, Alabama

Defensive Back – Bray Hubbard, Alabama

Defensive Back – Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia

Second-Team

Defensive Line – David Stone, Oklahoma

Defensive Line – Elijah Griffin, Georgia

Defensive Line – Taylor Wein, Oklahoma

Defensive Line – Quincy Rhodes Jr., Arkansas

Linebacker – Raylen Wilson, Georgia

Linebacker – Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss

Linebacker – Kip Lewis, Oklahoma

Defensive Back – Kelley Jones, Mississippi State

Defensive Back – DJ Pickett, LSU

Defensive Back – Ty Benefield, LSU

Defensive Back – Eli Bowen, Oklahoma*

Defensive Back – Peyton Bowen, Oklahoma*

Third-Team

Defensive Line – Kam Franklin, Ole Miss

Defensive Line – DJ Hicks, Texas A&M

Defensive Line – Gabe Harris, Georgia

Defensive Line – Jayden Woods, Florida

Linebacker – Arion Carter, Tennessee

Linebacker – TJ Dottery, LSU

Linebacker – Yhonzae Pierre, Alabama

Defensive Back – Keon Sabb, Alabama

Defensive Back – Champ Anthony, Auburn

Defensive Back – Khalil Barnes, Georgia

Defensive Back – Jelani McDonald, Texas

SPECIALISTS

First-Team

Placekicker – Tate Sandell, Oklahoma

Punter – Grant Chadwick, LSU

Return Specialist – Ryan Niblett, Texas

Kickoff Specialist – Tate Sandell, Oklahoma

Long Snapper – Ben Anderson, Oklahoma

Second-Team

Placekicker – Lucas Carneiro, Ole Miss

Punter – Grayson Miller, Oklahoma

Return Specialist – Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma

Kickoff Specialist – Lucas Carneiro, Ole Miss

Long Snapper – Trey Dubuc, Texas

Third-Team

Placekicker – Alex McPherson, Auburn

Punter – Ethan Pulliam, Mississippi State

Return Specialist – Vernell Brown III, Florida

Kickoff Specialist – Terry Bussey, Texas A&M

Long Snapper – Brett Le Blanc, Missouri

*Indicates a tie

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Where Tennessee football is predicted in SEC poll, preseason team