AUBURN, Ala. — With SEC Media Days wrapping up this past week, the media voted on how they think the Southeastern Football Conference will shape up and who will be the conference’s best at each position. With the All-SEC teams announced on Friday, July 24th, Xavier Atkins, Champ Anthony, and Alex McPherson were awarded honors by the media.
🏈 2026 #SECFB Media Preseason Poll, All-SEC Team announced – @GeorgiaFootball predicted to win SEC Championship:
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) July 24, 2026
📊 https://t.co/Vh0n4DOmYC#SECMD26 x #ItJustMeansMore pic.twitter.com/rljMmkwrLh
Auburn, coming off four straight seven-loss seasons and a 2-6 conference record last year, was picked to finish in the bottom half of the SEC. The Tigers are projected to finish 12th in the conference, losing the 11th spot by 20 votes to South Carolina and ahead of only Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Arkansas.
The Tigers’, having only one winning season this decade, are projected to struggle more in Alex Golesh’s debut season on the Plains. After losing 37 players to the transfer portal this spring, and 51 total, it will be an uphill battle for the first-year coach to outperform preseason expectations.
To help Auburn try and exceed the predicted finish, the Tigers will heavily rely on their three projected All-SEC players.
Junior linebacker Xavier Atkins received a first-team selection ahead of the 2026 season, being the sole Tiger to receive the honor. In 2025, the junior led the Tigers in sacks with nine, and overall tackles with 84, receiving second-team All-American and All-SEC first-team honors for the impressive season. Atkins also recorded 17 tackles for loss, the most in the SEC last season, and will look to lead DJ Durkin’s defense through another great year.
Onto the third-team selections: cornerback Champ Anthony and kicker Alex McPherson. Both of these student-athletes were chosen by Golesh to join him in Tampa, Florida, this past week at SEC Media Days.
Anthony, whose previous two seasons were cut short by leg injuries, recorded 13 tackles in 2025 while serving as a team captain. He is primed for a big year if he can stay healthy this season.
For Auburn’s third and final preseason All-SEC selection, McPherson earned third-team honors as kicker. The senior, who has battled an off-the-field sickness the last two years, looks forward to being a prominent player this upcoming season and feels the strength has returned to his kicking. McPherson went 20-for-23 on field goal tries, ranking fifth-most in a single Auburn season and making all 35 of his extra point attempts last season. He also holds a field-goal percentage of 88.9%, which is the highest in program history.
McPherson, alongside Atkins and Anthony, will look to bring Auburn back to national relevance and compete alongside the other SEC powerhouses this season.
