ATHENS — Georgia football is a consensus top-five preseason team and championship contender this season, but the Bulldogs only have four players recognized as first-team preseason All-SEC selections.
Alabama, meanwhile, had 11 players selected for first-team All-SEC honors, including one that was picked for two special teams return positions.
The Tide was also picked by 243 media members to win the SEC, while Georgia received 49 votes and LSU 3, according to Friday’s league release.
Alabama has beaten the Bulldogs each of the past two years, 26-23 in the College Football Playoff Championship Game after the 2017 season, and 35-28 in the SEC Championship Game last season.
But Georgia has led or been tied for 118 minutes and 54 seconds of 120 minutes of those games along with 281 of 290 plays in the past two meetings.
Tailback D’Andre Swift, offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, safety J.R. Reed and kicker Rodrigo Blankenship were named preseason first-team All-SEC picks according to the league’s release on Friday.
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Quarterback Jake Fromm was one of three second-team offense picks for the Bulldogs, along with offensive guard Solomon Kindley and offensive tackle Isiah Wilson.
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Georgia did not have any players on the second-team defense.
Georgia tight end Charlie Woerner and offensive guard Ben Cleveland were third-team picks on offense.
Georgia had two third-team preseason All-SEC defensive picks this year, defensive tackle Tyler Clark and safety Richard LeCounte.
The Bulldogs didn’t have any first-team preseason offense coming out of last year’s SEC Media Days. Reed and Blankenship were the only Georgia players named first-team picks last season.
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Thomas and Swift were obvious selections this season.
Thomas has already been named a preseason All-American and is considered among the favorites for the Outland Trophy,.
Swift had 1,018 yards and seven touchdowns last season, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
Reed ranked second on the team with 66 tackles last season, also recording two interceptions and two pass break-ups.
Blankenship was 19 of 23 on his field goal attempt with a long of 53 yards, and 82 of his 96 kickoffs went for touchbacks.
Fromm ranked fifth in the nation in passing efficiency (171.2) last season, leading the Bulldogs to heir second straight East Division title
Kindley is another part of an offensive line that paved the way for the SEC’s top rushing offensive last season, the Bulldogs averaging 238.8 yards per game.
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