Mizzou football standouts Cayden Green & Ahmad Hardy were named 1st Team All-SEC in the preseason poll announced on Friday. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
TAMPA, FL — Three University of Missouri football players were named to the Southeastern Conference media’s Preseason All-SEC Teams, which were released on Friday and voted on by the credentialed media who attended SEC Media Days this past week in Florida.
The three Missouri players were running back Ahmad Hardy, offensive lineman Cayden Green, and long-snapper Brett Le Blanc. Hardy and Green were both first-team selections on offense, while Le Blanc was a third-team choice on special teams.
Mizzou RB Ahmad Hardy led the SEC in rushing with 1,649 yards and also scored 16 touchdowns last season. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Hardy is a returning consensus All-American after rushing for 1,649 yards, which led the SEC and was second-most nationally last season. He also scored 16 touchdowns and was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, an honor given annually to the nation’s best running back.
Green is a returning All-SEC left tackle, after starting 11 of 13 games last season. The 6-foot-5, 325-pounder enters the 2026 season as a likely first-round pick in next spring’s NFL Draft.
Le Blanc is a fourth-year player, who started all 13 games for the Tigers last season, handling all long snaps on place-kicking and punting opportunities. He also seems to have pro potential, after joining Mizzou out of high school as a blue-chip long-snapping prospect.
Mizzou OL Cayden Green is a two-time all-conference selection, who many experts believe could be a first round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft next spring. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Missouri, which went 8-5 last year, will begin the 2026 season at home on Thursday, September 3, with a game against FCS Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Kickoff at Faurot Field that evening is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast nationally on the SEC Network.
2026 Preseason All-SEC Football Teams:
OFFENSE
| Position | First Team | Second Team | Third Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss | Arch Manning, Texas | Gunner Stockton, Georgia |
| Running Back | Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss Ahmad Hardy, Missouri | Jadan Baugh, Florida Nate Frazier, Georgia | DeSean Bishop, Tennessee Hollywood Smothers, Texas |
| Wide Receiver | Cam Coleman, Texas Ryan Coleman-Williams, Alabama | Mario Craver, Texas A&M Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma | Ryan Wingo, Texas Nyck Harbor, South Carolina |
| Tight End | Trey’Dez Green, LSU | Lawson Luckie, Georgia | Willie Rodriguez, Kentucky |
| Guard/Tackle | Trevor Goosby, Texas Cayden Green, Missouri Jordan Seaton, LSU Earnest Greene III, Georgia | Dontrell Glover, Georgia Michael Fasusi, Oklahoma Michael Carroll, Alabama Lance Heard, Kentucky | David Sanders Jr., Tennessee Patrick Kutas, Ole Miss Brandon Baker, Texas Wendell Moe Jr., Tennessee |
| Center | Drew Bobo, Georgia | Mark Nabou Jr., Texas A&M | Braelin Moore, LSU |
| All-Purpose | Mario Craver, Texas A&M | Ryan Niblett, Texas | Jadan Baugh, Florida |
DEFENSE
| Position | First Team | Second Team | Third Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive Line | Colin Simmons, Texas Will Echoles, Ole Miss Dylan Stewart, South Carolina Princewill Umanmielen, LSU | David Stone, Oklahoma Elijah Griffin, Georgia Taylor Wein, Oklahoma Quincy Rhodes Jr., Arkansas | Kam Franklin, Ole Miss DJ Hicks, Texas A&M Gabe Harris, Georgia Jayden Woods, Florida |
| Linebacker | Whit Weeks, LSU Xavier Atkins, Auburn Rasheem Biles, Texas | Raylen Wilson, Georgia Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss Kip Lewis, Oklahoma | Arion Carter, Tennessee TJ Dottery, LSU Yhonzae Pierre, Alabama |
| Defensive Back | KJ Bolden, Georgia Zabien Brown, Alabama Bray Hubbard, Alabama Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia | Kelley Jones, Mississippi State DJ Pickett, LSU Ty Benefield, LSU Eli Bowen, Oklahoma * Peyton Bowen, Oklahoma * | Keon Sabb, Alabama Champ Anthony, Auburn Khalil Barnes, Georgia Jelani McDonald, Texas |
SPECIAL TEAMS
| Position | First Team | Second Team | Third Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placekicker | Tate Sandell, Oklahoma | Lucas Carneiro, Ole Miss | Alex McPherson, Auburn |
| Punter | Grant Chadwick, LSU | Grayson Miller, Oklahoma | Ethan Pulliam, Mississippi State |
| Return Specialist | Ryan Niblett, Texas | Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma | Vernell Brown III, Florida |
| Kickoff Specialist | Tate Sandell, Oklahoma | Lucas Carneiro, Ole Miss | Terry Bussey, Texas A&M |
| Long Snapper | Ben Anderson, Oklahoma | Trey Dubuc, Texas | Brett Le Blanc, Missouri |
* – indicates a tie in the voting.
2026 MIZZOU TIGERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 03, 2026 (Thursday) | 7 pm | Home | Arkansas- Pine Bluff | Faurot Field |   |
| September 11, 2026 (Friday) | 7 pm | Away | Kansas | Lawrence, Kan. / David Booth Memorial Stadium |  |
| September 19, 2026 (Saturday) | 11:45 am | Home | Troy | Faurot Field |  |
| September 26, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Away | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. / Davis Wade Stadium | |
| October 03, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Home | Florida | Faurot Field | |
| October 10, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Home | Texas A&M | Faurot Field | |
| October 17, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Away | Ole Miss | Oxford, Miss. / Vaught Hemingway Stadium | |
| October 31, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Away | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. / Razorback Stadium | |
| November 07, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Home | Texas | Faurot Field | |
| November 14, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Away | Georgia | Athens, Ga. / Sanford Stadium | |
| November 21, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Home | Kentucky | Faurot Field | |
| November 28, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Home | Oklahoma | Faurot Field |