Five Gamecocks Named to Coaches’ Preseason All-SEC Teams

Five University of South Carolina players dot the 2020 Coaches’ Preseason All-SEC teams, the Southeastern Conference office announced on Thursday.
 
The Gamecocks were represented by Sadarius Hutcherson, Israel Mukuamu and Aaron Sterling on the second team unit, and Jaycee Horn and Ernest Jones on the third-team squad.

Hutcherson, a 6-4, 320-pound fifth-year senior offensive lineman from Huntingdon, Tenn., is the most experienced player on the roster, having appeared in 35 games, including 29 starts. A returning starter at left tackle, Hutcherson, who is on the preseason Outland Trophy Watch List, is slated to be the Gamecocks’ starter at left guard, a position he has played extensively in his career.
 
Mukuamu, a 6-4, 205-pound defensive back from Bossier City, La., was an AP second-team All-SEC selection a year ago. He led the team with four interceptions, including three in the upset win over third-ranked Georgia. A starter in 14-consecutive games, Mukuamu was named to the 2020 Lott IMPACT Trophy and Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch lists.
 
Sterling, a 6-1, 245-pound senior defensive end from Atlanta, is coming off his best season as a Gamecock. He registered 40 tackles in 2019, including a team-high 10.0 tackles for loss, and 6.0 sacks, tying for 10^th in the SEC. Over the last three seasons he has appeared in 33 games, making 15 starts, with 16.0 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks.
 
Horn, a 6-1, 205-pound junior cornerback from Alpharetta, Ga., has collected 85 tackles and 17 pass breakups over the past two seasons. He was a member of the 2018 SEC All-Freshman team and was considered the team’s Most Productive Player on defense as a true freshman.
 
Jones, a 6-2, 230-pound junior from Waycross, Ga., is the vocal leader of the Gamecock defense. He posted a team-high 97 tackles a season ago, 20 more than any other player on the squad, while ranking fourth in the SEC with 8.1 tackles per game from his MIKE linebacker position.
 
The Gamecocks will open the 2020 season on Saturday, Sept. 26, when they host the Tennessee Volunteers at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. Game time is set for 7:30 pm ET and the contest will be televised on SEC Network.
 
2020 Preseason Coaches All-SEC Football Team (* – ties)
 
First Team Preseason All-SEC
 
OFFENSE
TE          Kyle Pitts, Florida
 
OL         Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
              Trey Smith, Tennessee
              Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
              Landon Dickerson, Alabama
 
C            Drake Jackson, Kentucky
 
WR        DeVonta Smith, Alabama
              Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
 
QB         Kyle Trask, Florida
 
RB         Najee Harris, Alabama
            Kylin Hill, Mississippi State
       
AP          Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
 
DEFENSE
DL          Bobby Brown, Texas A&M
            LaBryan Ray, Alabama
            Big Kat Bryant, Auburn
            Jordan Davis, Georgia
 
LB          Dylan Moses, Alabama
              K.J. Britt, Auburn
            Nick Bolton, Missouri
 
DB         Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
              Derek Stingley, LSU
              Richard LeCounte, Georgia
              Jacoby Stevens, LSU
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK          Brent Cimaglia, Tennessee
P            Max Duffy, Kentucky
RS          Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
 
Second Team Preseason All-SEC
 
OFFENSE
TE          Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M
 
OL         Sadarius Hutcherson, South Carolina
              Deonte Brown, Alabama
               Landon Young, Kentucky
              Austin Deculus, LSU*
            Brodarious Hamm, Auburn*
            Wanya Morris, Tennessee*
            Ed Ingram, LSU*
 
C            Trey Hill, Georgia
 
WR        George Pickens, Georgia
            Terrace Marshall, LSU
 
QB         Kellen Mond, Texas A&M
 
RB          Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
            Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M
 
AP         Derek Stingley, LSU
 
DEFENSE
DL         Kobie Whiteside, Missouri
            Malik Herring, Georgia
            Aaron Sterling, South Carolina  
            Dayo Odeyingbo, Vanderbilt
 
LB          Henry To’o To’o, Tennessee
            Monty Rice, Georgia
            Erroll Thompson, Mississippi State*
            Nakobe Dean, Georgia*
            Ventrell Miller, Florida*
 
DB         Kaiir Elam, Florida
            Eric Stokes, Georgia
            Demani Richardson, Texas A&M
            Tyree Gillespie, Missouri*
            Marco Wilson, Florida*
            Israel Mukuamu, South Carolina*
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK          Cade York, LSU
P            Jake Camarda, Georgia
RS         Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
 
Third Team Preseason All-SEC
 
OFFENSE
TE          Arik Gilbert, LSU
 
OL         Carson Green, Texas A&M
              Kenyon Green, Texas A&M
            Evan Neal, Alabama
            Dan Moore, Texas A&M
       
C            Landon Dickerson, Alabama
 
WR        Seth Williams, Auburn
            Elijah Moore, Ole Miss
 
QB         Bo Nix, Auburn
 
RB         Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss
            Larry Rountree, Missouri
     
AP         Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss*
            Kadarius Toney, Florida*
            Christian Tutt, Auburn*
 
DEFENSE
DL         Zachary Carter, Florida
            Josh Paschal, Kentucky
            Kobe Jones, Mississippi State
            Glen Logan, LSU
 
LB         Boogie Watson, Kentucky
            Dimitri Moore, Vanderbilt
            Nolan Smith, Georgia*
            Ernest Jones, South Carolina*
            Andre Mintze, Vanderbilt*
 
DB         Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
            Bryce Thompson, Tennessee
            Yusuf Corker, Kentucky
            Christian Tutt, Auburn*
            Josh Jobe, Alabama*
             
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK         Evan McPherson, Florida
P            Mac Brown, Ole Miss
RS          Christian Tutt, Auburn