Oct. 12, 2026, 5:05 a.m. ET
- Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes was named the preseason SEC Player of the Year for the 2026-27 season by the USA TODAY Sports Network.
- South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was selected as the preseason SEC Coach of the Year.
- South Carolina was unanimously predicted to finish first in the conference.
After a spectacular sophomore season, USA TODAY Sports Network voters picked Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes as preseason SEC Player of the Year going into the 2026-27 season.
Blakes was the only player to earn unanimous selections in the 2025-26 USA TODAY Sports Network’s All-SEC awards, winning SEC Player of the Year after a historic season. She averaged 27.1 points on the season and 30.5 points in SEC games, which made her the first SEC player this century to average 30 points in conference play.
South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards and Texas forward Madison Booker also received two votes each for POY. All three players were unanimously voted to the All-SEC first team.
South Carolina and LSU were the only teams with multiple preseason All-SEC selections, the Gamecocks leading the way with three players between the first and second teams.
LSU guard Mikaylah Williams and Kentucky center Clara Strack round out the first team, and Strack was picked as the preseason SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Strack, who was second in the SEC in blocks last season (2.5), was the only player to receive more than one vote. Mississippi State forward Madison Francis, Ole Miss guard Talaysia Cooper, LSU guard MiLaysia Fulwiley and Booker all received a vote for DPOY.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was picked to win SEC Coach of the Year as she looks to lead the Gamecocks to a sixth straight SEC regular-season championship. Staley has won the award seven times, including three straight seasons from 2022-24. The Gamecocks were also the unanimous choice to win the SEC.
LSU point guard Jada Williams was the heavy favorite for SEC Newcomer of the Year. The senior transferred to play for the Tigers after averaging career bests of 15.3 points and 7.7 assists at Iowa State last season.
Here are the preseason All-SEC teams and individual awards as chosen by the USA TODAY Sports Network’s SEC coverage team:
First team
G Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt*
F Madison Booker, Texas*
F Joyce Edwards, South Carolina*
G Mikaylah Williams, LSU
C Clara Strack, Kentucky
*Unanimous selection
Second team
G Tessa Johnson, South Carolina
G Aaliyah Chavez, Oklahoma
G MiLaysia Fulwiley, LSU
G Talaysia Cooper, Ole Miss
F Chloe Kitts, South Carolina
Preseason Coach of the Year
Dawn Staley, South Carolina
Preseason Player of the Year
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
Preseason Newcomer of the Year
Jada Williams, LSU
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Clara Strack, Kentucky
Order of Finish
- 1. South Carolina
- 2. Texas
- T-3. LSU
- T-3. Vanderbilt
- 5. Kentucky
- 6. Ole Miss
- 7. Oklahoma
- 8. Tennessee
- 9. Mississippi State
- 10. Florida
- 11. Texas A&M
- 12. Alabama
- 13. Georgia
- 14. Missouri
- 15. Auburn
- 16. Arkansas
Poll participants: Lulu Kesin, Greenville News; Aria Gerson, Tennessean; Sam Hutchens, Clarion-Ledger; Cory Diaz, Daily Advertiser; Sam Sklar, Clarion Ledger; Cora Hall, Knoxville News Sentinel; Alaina Morris, Louisville Courier-Journal; Colton Sulley, The Oklahoman; Meghan Hall, USA TODAY; Mitchell Northam, USA TODAY.
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