Three Gamecocks earn All-SEC preseason selections

The SEC media released its preseason poll and All-SEC team selections on Wednesday afternoon, and three Gamecocks netted honors.

Offensive lineman Sadarius Hutcherson and defensive back Israel Mukuamu each landed a second-team nod, while defensive lineman Aaron Sterling garnered a spot on the third team.

Hutcherson, the senior left tackle who has also been working at left guard during camp, is the most experienced Gamecocks with 29 starts under his belt — and 26 of those coming consecutively. Junior cornerback Mukuamu has five career interceptions, with three of those memorably coming in the Gamecocks’ stunning upset of No. 1 Georgia last season — and one of them a pick-six. Senior defensive end Sterling has 78 career tackles, including 16 for loss and nine sacks, and is expected to anchor the Gamecocks’ defensive line in 2020.

South Carolina was chosen to finish fifth in the Eastern Division, ahead of only Missouri and Vanderbilt. Florida was the media’s pick to win the East, followed by Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Unsurprisingly, Alabama was selected to win the SEC.