BATON ROUGE – Eight LSU football players – four on offense and four on defense – have been named preseason All-Southeastern Conference as voted on by members of the media, the league office announced on Friday.
The preseason All-SEC team, as well as the predicted order of finish for the league, was determined in a vote of media attendees at the recently concluded SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama. LSU was picked to finish second in the SEC Western Division behind Alabama.
On offense, LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry earned first team honors with guard Damien Lewis being a second team selection and quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Justin Jefferson earning third team recognition.
Cushenberry and Lewis were the only Tiger offensive linemen to start every game last year and helped power an LSU offense that averaged 32.4 points and 402.1 total yards per game. LSU also featured a 1,000-yard rusher for the sixth straight season.
Burrow set five school records in what was his first year as LSU’s starting quarterback, leading the Tigers to a 10-3 mark and a No. 6 final ranking. Burrow, who became the first player in LSU history to throw for at least 2,800 yards and rush for at least 375 yards in the same season, ranked sixth in the SEC in total offense with 253.3 yards per game.
Jefferson became the first player to lead the Tigers in every receiving category in the same season since Rueben Randle in 2011. Jefferson led the Tigers in receptions (54), yards (875), yards per catch (16.2) and touchdowns (6).
Defensively, returning All-America Grant Delpit and defensive end Rashard Lawrence were both named first team with cornerback Kristian Fulton on the second team and linebacker Jacob Phillips on the third team.
Delpit, who is rated as the No. 1 defensive back by USA Today going into 2019, led the SEC in interceptions with five and finished second in the league in passes defended with 14 a year ago as he earned unanimous All-America honors.
Lawrence capped his junior year in 2018 by earning defensive player of the game honors in LSU’s win over UCF in the Fiesta Bowl. He finished the season with 54 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and 4.0 sacks.
Phillips is LSU’s leading returning tackler from a year ago as he recorded 87 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack, while Fulton started 10 games at cornerback and posted 25 tackles, one interception and 10 passes defended. Fulton has been tabbed as a preseason All-America and rated as the No. 3 defensive back in college football by USA Today.
2019 Preseason Media Days All-SEC Teams
OFFENSE
First-Team
QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
RB D’Andre Swift, Georgia
RB Najee Harris, Alabama
WR Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
WR Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
TE Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri
OL Andrew Thomas, Georgia
OL Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
OL Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn
OL Jedrick Wills Jr., Alabama
C Lloyd Cushenberry III, LSU
Second-Team
QB Jake Fromm, Georgia
RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt
RB Lamical Perine, Florida
WR Kalija Lipscomb, Vanderbilt
WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
TE Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt
OL Solomon Kindley, Georgia
OL Damien Lewis, LSU
OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms, Missouri
OL Isaiah Wilson, Georgia
C Darryl Williams, Mississippi State
Third-Team
QB Joe Burrow, LSU
RB Larry Rountree, Missouri
RB JaTarvious Whitlow, Auburn
WR Justin Jefferson, LSU
WR Bryan Edwards, South Carolina
TE * Miller Forristall, Alabama
TE * Charlie Woerner, Georgia
OL Deonte Brown, Alabama
OL Ben Cleveland, Georgia
OL Logan Stenberg, Kentucky
OL Matt Womack, Alabama
C Drake Jackson, Kentucky
DEFENSE
First-Team
DL Raekwon Davis, Alabama
DL Derrick Brown, Auburn
DL Rashard Lawrence, LSU
DL Jabari Zuniga, Florida
LB Dylan Moses, Alabama
LB Anfernee Jennings, Alabama
LB Erroll Thompson, Mississippi State
DB Grant Delpit, LSU
DB J.R. Reed, Georgia
DB Trevon Diggs, Alabama
DB C.J. Henderson, Florida
Second-Team
DL Nick Coe, Auburn
DL Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
DL Marlon Davidson, Auburn
DL Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
LB Cale Garrett, Missouri
LB De’Jon Harris, Arkansas
LB David Reese II, Florida
DB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
DB Xavier McKinney, Alabama
DB Kristian Fulton, LSU
DB Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State
Third-Team
DL LaBryan Ray, Alabama
DL McTelvin Agim, Arkansas
DL Chauncey Rivers, Mississippi State
DL Tyler Clark, Georgia
LB Terrell Lewis, Alabama
LB Jacob Phillips, LSU
LB Kash Daniel, Kentucky
DB DeMarkus Acy, Missouri
DB Shyheim Carter, Alabama
DB Richard LeCounte, Georgia
DB Daniel Thomas, Auburn
SPECIALISTS
First-Team
P Braden Mann, Texas A&M
PK Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia
RS Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
AP Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
Second-Team
P Tommy Townsend, Florida
PK Anders Carlson, Auburn
RS Marquez Callaway, Tennessee
AP Kadarius Toney, Florida
Third-Team
P Arryn Siposs, Auburn
PK Evan McPherson, Florida
RS Jashaun Corbin, Texas A&M
AP Lynn Bowden, Kentucky
* – Indicates a tie