SEC Preseason Media Ballots Released

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Published Jul 22, 2022

SEC Preseason Media Ballots Released

Alan Cole • GamecockScoop

Staff Writer

@Alan__Cole

The dust has settled from SEC Media Days in Atlanta, and the dust has settled on the pre-season media ballots. Media members voted individual players to pre-season first, second and third teams, as well as the ranked order of finish for teams in both divisions and the overall conference champion.

South Carolina checked into fifth-place on the SEC East ballot, pulling in behind Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida, although the Gamecocks did receive some love in the big picture. As expected, the defending national champion Bulldogs dominated the poll with 172 out of 181 votes to win the division, but South Carolina checked in with three of the remaining nine.

All three media members who voted on South Carolina to win the division also picked the Gamecocks to win the conference overall, giving Shane Beamer’s team the third-most votes to win the SEC behind Alabama (158) and Georgia (18).

On the individual front, two South Carolina players on each side of the ball made it onto the league wide ballot.

The league’s media voted defensive lineman Zacch Pickens onto the second-team all-defense, and potential 2023 NFL Draft first-round pick cornerback Cam Smith joined him on the list. Pickens was one of three players who represented South Carolina during its turn at media days on Tuesday.

The pass-catching corps for South Carolina made two appearances on the third-team offense in the form of wide receiver Josh Vann and tight end Jaheim Bell. A stellar performance in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl helped launch Bell into some national spotlight; the junior caught two touchdown passes for 159 total yards. Vann ended last season with 679 receiving yards and is another player who has received some early buzz about the NFL Draft next April.

“I’m a tight end guy,” Beamer said during SEC Media Days. “I love utilizing the tight end. Feel like we've got some pretty special ones on our team, too, with Austin Stogner. When he got hurt at Oklahoma in 2020, he was playing as well as any tight end in the country. Jaheim Bell returns for us. Traevon Kenion. Added Nate Adkins to that group as well. I like our group as well.”

South Carolina will open its all camp on Aug 5, and begin the 2022 season on Sep. 3 against Georgia State.