Six Rebels named to Preseason Coaches All-SEC teams

Six players were named to the Preseason Coaches All-SEC teams on Tuesday, a little over a week before the 2022 Ole Miss football season begins.

Nick Broeker and Jonathan Mingo were selected to the second team, while AJ Finley, Zach Evans, Jeremy James and Cedric Johnson were named to the third team by the coaches in the Southeastern Conference.

This is not the first preseason honor for Broeker, who also was named to the All-America selection by Athlon Sports. The Springfield, Illinois native has been a starter since his freshman year, and opted to come back for his senior season to increase his draft stock before likely declaring for the NFL draft at the end of the 2022 season.

Jonathan Mingo has struggled in his previous three seasons after battling through a tough injury that caused him to miss over half of the 2021 season. He is considered a huge threat at wide receiver this year, with his veteran status among a young group of receivers.

The Mobile, Alabama native AJ Finley returns for his senior season and was named to the third team after an impressive junior season for the Rebels. Finley had 12 starts at safety, recording three interceptions and 91 tackles for the Landshark defense.

Zach Evans is the lone transfer to make the All-SEC team for Ole Miss, after transferring from TCU early this spring. Evans has shown consistent improvement throughout his time in Oxford, and is set to have a breakout season for the Rebels this fall.

James is the second offensive lineman to make this list after he started every game of the last two seasons. He is expected to move over to left tackle this year, joining a group of veteran linemen.

Junior Cedric Johnson appeared in 13 games as a sophomore, starting 11 of those as a defensive end. He also finished the season with 6.5 sacks, second only to Sam Williams. Johnson was also named to Bruce Feldman’s Top 50 freaks list.