Should these Kentucky football players be getting more preseason All-SEC respect?
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2023 SEC Football Media Days
Click below to read all of this week’s coverage from the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com from Southeastern Conference Football Media Days in Nashville.
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The best individual performances from Kentucky football players during the Mark Stoops era have rarely been predicted by reporters covering the SEC.
In Stoops’ 10 seasons as Kentucky’s coach, 17 Wildcats have been named first-team All-SEC by league coaches or the Associated Press after the season, but only five have received the same honor in the media’s annual preseason all-conference team voted on at SEC Media Days. Of Kentucky’s 17 postseason first-team All-SEC selections, only three were correctly predicted in the preseason media voting.
So, even if no Kentucky players are named preseason first-team All-SEC when the media voting is announced Friday, recent history suggests multiple Wildcats could still impress enough to earn postseason honors.
Defensive tackle Deone Walker is the only Kentucky player named preseason first-team All-SEC by Phil Steele, Athlon or the USA Today network, but he is not the only Wildcat worthy of consideration in the media’s voting this week.
Here are five Kentucky players who could merit All-SEC honors by the end of the season.
Deone Walker
A 2022 Freshman All-American, Walker was named second-team All-SEC by the AP after his debut season. With all four of the first-team All-SEC defensive linemen from the AP’s 2022 team now in the NFL, Walker is in position to be recognized among the SEC’s best linemen entering the season. As a freshman, Walker totaled 40 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack. With his first full offseason in a college strength and conditioning program now behind him, the 6-foot-6, 348-pound behemoth could be poised for a breakout season.
Devin Leary
It is unlikely Kentucky’s quarterback will be included on the media’s preseason All-SEC team this week since he faces questions about his ability to transition from the ACC to the SEC and bounce back from a season-ending injury. In a Herald-Leader poll of SEC reporters earlier this summer, Leary was ranked fourth in the SEC behind KJ Jefferson (Arkansas), Jayden Daniels (LSU) and Will Rogers (Mississippi State), but Leary was voted the Preseason ACC Player of the Year last year for a reason. If he can rediscover the form that saw him throw 35 touchdowns with just five interceptions in 2021, Leary could be UK’s first quarterback to earn postseason first-team All-SEC honors since Tim Couch.
Barion Brown
Entering his sophomore season, Brown still has plenty of work to do to merit mention among the SEC’s best wide receivers, but he is already one of the best kick returners in the country. As a freshman, Brown averaged 27.5 yards per return with one return for a touchdown. That might not be enough to edge out Mississippi State’s Lideatrick Griffin, who averaged 32.3 yards per return with one touchdown last season, on the preseason first team, but Brown could benefit from the blocking schemes introduced by new UK special teams coordinator Jay Boulware this fall.
Trevin Wallace
Entering his first season as a full-time starter, Wallace is certain to fly under the radar of most pundits entering the season, but there is reason to believe a breakout is coming. Even as a part-time starter last fall, Wallace totaled 54 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. The former four-star recruit has the combination of talent and experience needed to shine now that he’s out of the shadow of former Wildcat DeAndre Square.
J. J. Weaver
Weaver’s six tackles for loss and three sacks are not enough to stand out from the crowd of the SEC’s loaded edge rushers, but his statistical production is almost certain to be improved if he can stay healthy for a full season. UK coaches have never been shy about voicing high expectations for Weaver. Now is the time for him to backup that hype. If he does that, a postseason All-SEC selection looks well within reach.
This story was originally published July 18, 2023 at 9:15 AM.
