Preseason All-SEC teams were officially released on Friday following the conclusion of the four-day SEC Media Days event this week in Tampa, FL. While there are multiple Tennessee names on the list, there’s also an ex-Vol that made the cut.
Former Tennessee offensive tackle Lance Heard landed as a preseason All-SEC Second Team selection on Friday. Heard transferred to Kentucky during the offseason after spending two seasons at Tennessee and one season at LSU. The Louisiana native started 23 games for the Volunteers during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
It won’t be long before Heard returns to Neyland Stadium, except it will be on the opposite sideline with a roaring Big Orange crowd in his ear. The Volunteers host the Wildcats in Knoxville on Nov. 7, and the game is already tagged as a nighttime kickoff. While it is not confirmed by UT, it might be the game that Tennessee breaks out its new Adidas Dark Mode uniforms under the lights.
In 2024, his first year as Tennessee’s starter, Heard struggled as he battled through injury. However, this past season, he was much improved, especially in pass protection, where he gave up just two sacks and 15 quarterback pressures.
Despite the improvement in the pass game, Heard was worse as a run blocker. Heard earned a 74.4 pass block and 69.8 run block grade according to PFF during his junior season.
More From RTI: Tennessee Football Lands Two Expert Predictions For Talented In-State Running Back Asa Barnes
Tennessee had four players land on the preseason All-SEC teams: RB DeSean Bishop, OT David Sanders Jr., OG Wendell Moe Jr. and LB Arion Carter. All four players were named as third-team selections.
Tennessee Football holds an 85-26-9 all-time series lead over border rival Kentucky. The Vols have won five straight contests over the Wildcats, including last year’s 56-34 shootout in Lexington, and have won 12 of their last 14 matchups in the rivalry series.
Tennessee and Kentucky’s yearly series isn’t going anywhere in the near future. While the SEC shook things up with its new nine-game conference schedule moving forward, Tennessee and Kentucky are tagged as annual opponents to preserve longtime rivalries. The Vols’ other two annual opponents include in-state rival Vanderbilt and Third Saturday in October foe Alabama.
The SEC media picked Tennessee to finish 8th in the conference and Kentucky to finish 14th (third-to-last).
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