Media predicts UK to finish fifth in SEC East
Despite finishing in a three-way tie for second in the SEC East last season and returning 17 starters, UK was picked to finish fifth in the SEC East by the media. Georgia is the preseason favorite in the East with 138 first place votes. Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Missouri rounded out the East.
Alabama was picked to win the SEC West and the overall championship. The Crimson Tide had the most first-team All-SEC selections with 10, which is a new record for the SEC Media Days All-SEC Team.
UK did have three players selected to the preseason All-SEC defense. Junior defensive end/outside linebacker Denzil Ware was placed on the second-team defense while juniors Jordan Jones and Mike Edwards were named to the third-team defense.
Ware recorded 5.5 sacks and has started all but one game in his UK career. Jones led the Wildcats in tackles last season with 109. He was named All-SEC first-team defense in 2016. Edwards, who was named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award on Friday, led all SEC defensive backs in tackles in 2016 with 100 and was one of just six players overall in the league with 100 or more tackles on the season.
EASTERN DIVISION (1st Place votes in parenthesis)
1. Georgia (138)
2. Florida (96)
3 Tennessee (3)
4. South Carolina (5)
5. Kentucky
6. Vanderbilt
7. Missouri
WESTERN DIVISION (1st Place votes in parenthesis)
1. Alabama (225)
2. Auburn (13)
3. LSU (4)
4. Arkansas (1)
5. Texas A&M
6. Mississippi State
7. Ole Miss
