SI Team Writers Vote on Top-10 Players in SEC, Along with Coach of the Year

The SI team writers have voted on the Top-10 players in the SEC along with the preseason coach of the year. Find out where everyone falls.

Sports Illustrated's team publishers collectively voted on the Top-10 players in the SEC for the 2020 football season, and no Georgia player made the cut. 

As per usual, the Alabama hype is at an all-time high, with 6 players making the cut from the Crimson Tide, including the Dylan Moses being voted as the preseason defensive player of the year despite having missed the entire 2019 season with a torn ACL. 

The Bama hype continued with Najee Harris being voted as the preseason offensive player of the year, though according to voting, the two best players in the conference play for the defending national champions. 

1. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
2. Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
3. Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama
4. Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
5. Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama
6. DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
7. Kylin Hill, RB, Mississippi State
8. Alex Leatherwood, T, Alabama
9. Kyle Trask, QB, Florida; (tie) Jaylen Waddle, WR/RS Alabama

Also received votes (in alphabetical order): Nick Bolton, LB Missouri; KJ Costello, QB, Mississippi State; Jerrion Ealy, RB, Ole Miss; Richard LeCounte, S, Georgia; Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina; Jamie Newman, QB, Georgia; George Pickens, WR, Georgia; Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida; Tyler Shelvin, DL, LSU; Trey Smith, T, Tennessee; Jacoby Stevens, S, LSU; Seth Williams, WR, Auburn

The group had previously announced its preseason All-SEC teams, and predicted order of finish, both of which were led by the Crimson Tide.

As if the loads of Bama love wasn't enough to aggravate our Georgia readers, preseason coach of the year went to Dan Mullen down at Florida.

For the record, my voting went like this: 

• Offensive Player of the Year: Ja'Marr Chase
• Defensive Player of the Year: Dylan Moses 
• Special-Teams Player of the Year: Jaylen Waddle 
• Coach of the Year: Mark Stoops 

Top-10

1. Ja’Marr Chase 
2. Dylan Moses 
3. Derek Stingley jr
4. George Pickens
5. Devonta Smith
6. Kylin Hill 
7. Najee Harris
8. Richard LeCounte
9. Alex Leatherwood
10. Jamie Newman 

I think Mark Stoops does more with less than any coach in the entire conference. Last season he managed an (8-5) record with a wide receiver playing quarterback. This year, he actually has a quarterback with Joey Gatewood having transferred in. Nor have I ever been overly impressed with Dan Mullen. Especially after watching him torch two timeouts on the opening drive of a critical football game last season against Georgia because he had the incorrect personnel on the field. 

Ja'Marr Chase is the best player in the conference, I agree with my co-workers there. However, the fact that no Georgia player makes the cut is blasphemous to me. George Pickens is a top-10 player in this conference, there's no question about that in my mind. 

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