ATLANTA, Ga. ― Florida football senior center Jake Slaughter and Florida Gators senior defensive tackle Caleb Banks were named to the USA Today preseason All-SEC team on July 15.
The 6-foot-5, 294-pound Slaughter, coming off an All-American junior season, had made 21 career starts and last season ranked fifth nationally among centers with an offensive grade of 81.1, per Pro Football Focus. That included a pass block grade of 83.9 and run block grade (79.0) that ranked seventh nationally.
Banks (6-6, 329) is coming off a breakout junior season that included seven tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a recovered fumble in 10 starts. He’s projected as a first-round pick in next April’s NFL Draft.
Overall, Florida was picked to finish ninth in the 16-team SEC. The poll was composed of 17 writers who cover the SEC throughout the USA Today Network. Florida is coming off an 8-5 season in 2024 and is 19-19 in three seasons under current head coach Billy Napier.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Two Florida football players picked to USA Today preseason All-SEC team
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
