BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Members of the media have tabbed LSU to defend its Southeastern Conference Western Division title, the league office announced on Thursday.
In a poll of 82 media members at the annual SEC Media Days in Birmingham, LSU claimed 43 first place votes and 140 total points to lead the SEC Western Division, while Alabama was second with 24 first place votes and 203 total points. Rounding out the Western Division poll is Ole Miss in third, followed by Auburn, Arkansas and Mississippi State.
“It’s nice to be recognized by the media, but I don’t put a whole lot of stock into preseason polls,” LSU coach Nick Saban said. “I think it’s exciting for the fans, but what is ultimately going to determine which team wins this league is the team that plays with the most consistency throughout the conference schedule.”
Tennessee received 41 first place votes and a total of 136 points to lead the SEC Eastern Division. Georgia followed the Vols with 19 first place votes and 175 total points followed by Florida and South Carolina. Kentucky and Vanderbilt round out the Eastern Division predictions.
Tennessee was also tabbed the overall SEC Champion with 34 first place votes, followed by Florida with 17, Georgia with 16 and LSU with four. Ole Miss and South Carolina each received two first place votes, while Alabama picked up one vote.
Individually, LSU’s LaBrandon Toefield and Domanick Davis were both selected to First Team Preseason All-SEC on offense, while Bradie James was the Tigers’ lone first team selection on defense.
Toefield returns as the SEC’s leading rusher after picking up a career-best 992 yards on a SEC-record tying 19 rushing TDs last season.
Davis earned a spot on the first team as a return specialist. Last year, Davis led the SEC in punt returns with an average of 13.8 yards per return.
James ranked second on the squad last season with 113 total tackles on his way to earning First Team All-SEC honors in 2001.
Michael Clayton, a Freshman All-SEC pick in 2001, was named to the second team preseason offense, while junior defensive tackle Chad Lavalais and senior defensive back Damien James were both named to the second team defense.
2002 PRE-SEASON ALL-SEC TEAM
[80 total voters]
* – Ties
| Pos. | Name | School | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown |
| FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE | ||||||
| TE | Jason Witten (33) | Tennessee | 6-5 | 265 | Jr. | Elizabethton, Tenn. |
| OL | Jon Stinchcomb (75) | Georgia | 6-6 | 282 | Sr. | Lilburn, Ga. |
| OL | Shawn Andrews (57) | Arkansas | 6-5 | 350 | So. | Camden, Ark. |
| OL | Shannon Snell (24) | Florida | 6-5 | 301 | Jr. | Tampa, Fla. |
| OL | Justin Smiley (22) | Alabama | 6-4 | 296 | So. | Ellabell, Ga. |
| C | Ben Claxton (60) | Ole Miss | 6-3 | 288 | Sr. | Dublin, Ga. |
| QB | Rex Grossman (54) | Florida | 6-1 | 220 | Jr. | Bloomington, Ind. |
| WR | Kelley Washington (66) | Tennessee | 6-4 | 225 | So. | Stephens City, Va. |
| WR | Taylor Jacobs (32) | Florida | 6-1 | 198 | Sr. | Monticello, Fla. |
| RB | LaBrandon Toefield (56) | LSU | 6-0 | 225 | Jr. | Independence, La. |
| RB | Earnest Graham (42) | Florida | 5-9 | 215 | Sr. | Ft. Myers, Fla. |
| PK | Damon Duval (62) | Auburn | 6-1 | 187 | Sr. | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| RS | Domanick Davis (27) | LSU | 5-10 | 211 | Sr. | Breaux Bridge, La. |
| FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE | ||||||
| DL | Jarret Johnson (56) | Alabama | 6-4 | 287 | Sr. | Chiefland, Fla. |
| DL | Ian Scott (56) | Florida | 6-3 | 307 | Jr. | Gainesville, Fla. |
| DL | Kindal Moorehead (43) | Alabama | 6-4 | 304 | Sr. | Memphis, Tenn. |
| LB | Bradie James (71) | LSU | 6-3 | 238 | Sr. | West Monroe, La. |
| LB | Boss Bailey (57) | Georgia | 6-4 | 218 | Sr. | Folkston, Ga. |
| LB | Dontarrious Thomas (55) | Auburn | 6-4 | 223 | Jr. | Perry, Ga. |
| LB | Mario Haggan (47) | Miss. State | 6-3 | 253 | Sr. | Clarksdale, Miss. |
| DB | Rashad Faison (74) | S. Carolina | 5-9 | 190 | Sr. | Wauchula, Fla. |
| DB | Todd Johnson (57) | Florida | 6-1 | 201 | Sr. | Sarasota, Fla. |
| DB | Jabari Greer (36) | Tennessee | 5-10 | 175 | Jr. | Jackson, Tenn. |
| DB | Lawrence Richardson (29) | Arkansas | 5-10 | 174 | Jr. | Galveston, Texas |
| P | Glenn Pakulak (30) | Kentucky | 6-3 | 230 | Sr. | Lapeer, Mich. |
| SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE | ||||||
| TE | Doug Zeigler (32) | Ole Miss | 6-4 1/2 | 254 | Sr. | Wilmington, Ohio |
| OL | Will Ofenheusle (21) | Tennessee | 6-8 | 305 | Sr. | Martin, Tenn. |
| OL | Travelle Wharton (14) | S. Carolina | 6-4 | 300 | Jr. | Fountain Inn, S.C. |
| OL | Kevin Breedlove (14) | Georgia | 6-4 | 305 | Sr. | Clemson, S.C. |
| *OL | Michael Munoz (12) | Tennessee | 6-6 | 300 | So. | Mason, Ohio |
| *OL | Max Starks (12) | Florida | 6-8 | 345 | Jr. | Orlando, Fla. |
| C | Alonzo Ephraim (15) | Alabama | 6-4 | 312 | Sr. | Birmingham, Ala. |
| QB | Eli Manning (18) | Ole Miss | 6-4 | 215 | Jr. | New Orleans, La. |
| WR | Fred Gibson (23) | Georgia | 6-4 | 180 | So. | Waycross, Ga. |
| WR | Michael Clayton (12) | LSU | 6-4 | 185 | So. | Baton Rouge, La. |
| RB | Carnell Williams (36) | Auburn | 5-11 | 193 | So. | Attalla, Ala. |
| RB | Andrew Pinnock (12) | S. Carolina | 6-0 | 255 | Sr. | Bloomfield, Conn. |
| PK | Alex Walls (10) | Tennessee | 6-1 | 190 | Sr. | Bristol, Va. |
| RS | Jason Armstead (18) | Ole Miss | 5-10 1/2 | 160 | Sr. | Moss Point, Miss. |
| SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE | ||||||
| DL | Kenny King (21) | Alabama | 6-5 | 277 | Sr. | Daphne, Ala. |
| DL | DeMarco McNeil (18) | Auburn | 6-2 | 303 | Jr. | Prichard, Ala. |
| DL | Chad Lavalais (9) | LSU | 6-3 | 270 | Jr. | Marksville, La. |
| LB | Eddie Strong (31) | Ole Miss | 6-4 | 245 | Sr. | Batesville, Miss. |
| LB | Tony Gilbert (16) | Georgia | 6-1 | 242 | Sr. | Macon, Ga. |
| LB | Eddie Moore (11) | Tennessee | 6-0 | 220 | Sr. | South Pittsburg, Tenn. |
| LB | Brooks Daniels (7) | Alabama | 6-2 | 205 | Jr. | Jasper, Fla. |
| DB | Ken Hamlin (27) | Arkansas | 6-2 | 200 | Jr. | Memphis, Tenn. |
| DB | Damien James (25) | LSU | 5-11 | 191 | Sr. | Carencro, La. |
| DB | Josh Morgan (20) | Miss. State | 6-1 | 199 | Sr. | Vicksburg, Miss. |
| DB | Rushen Jones (12) | Vanderbilt | 6-1 | 198 | Sr. | Memphis, Tenn. |
| P | Damon Duval (27) | Auburn | 6-1 | 187 | Sr. | Chattanooga, Tenn. |