Auburn football duo earns preseason All-American nods

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Preseason awards keep piling up for a duo of Auburn football defenders.

Pro Football Network recently released its 2026 college football preseason All-American teams, which included two Tigers. Linebacker Xavier Atkins earned first-team honors while Rayshawn Pleasant earned a third-team nod as a return specialist.

Atkins is one of five SEC players on Pro Football Network's first-team All-American squad, joining Georgia's KJ Bolden, Florida's Bryce Thornton, Oklahoma's David Stone, and Texas' Collin Simmons. He was college football's highest-graded linebacker a season ago, earning an impact score of 90.4 from Pro Football Network after logging 60 solo tackles and nine sacks. He is also the highest-rated linebacker on the first team.

Rayshawn Pleasant had an opportunity to prove his worth as a returner on a greater stage last season and took full advantage. He returned 17 kickoffs for an average of 24.2 yards last season, with one returned for a touchdown. He will have more eyes on him this season as a third-team preseason All-American and is the lone kick returner from the SEC to be featured.

The SEC leads all of college football by having 22 representatives on Pro Football Network's preseason All-American teams. The Big 12 follows with 15 players, with the ACC and Big Ten each having 14. Both players have already garnered preseason respect by earning spots on preseason watchlists, including the Paul Hornung Award for Pleasant and the Bronko Nagurski Award for Atkins.

Both players hope to take a step forward and end the season with an award or two.

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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn football duo earns preseason All-American nods

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