Last week, the All-SEC honors were announced, and to the surprise of no one, the Texas Longhorns led the charge with five players on the conference's first team.
Cam Coleman, Trevor Goosby, Colin Simmons, Rasheem Biles, and Ryan Niblett found themselves among the best of the best in the SEC, but one Longhorn was placed well below where he should be.
No, this isn't going to be an article arguing that Arch Manning should've topped the list in the conference's quarterback room instead of Ole Miss's Trinidad Chambliss. It's about Texas defensive back Jelani McDonald being placed all the way down on the third-team roster.
Jelani McDonald may be the most underrated player in CFB
Nine cornerbacks and safeties made the first and second All-SEC teams, with McDonald somehow falling short of the mark.
- FIRST TEAM: KJ Bolden (Georgia), Zabien Brown (Alabama), Bray Hubbard (Alabama), Ellis Robinson IV (Georgia)
- SECOND TEAM: Kelley Jones (Mississippi State), DJ Pickett (LSU), Ty Benefield (LSU), Eli Bowen (Oklahoma), Peyton Bowen (Oklahoma)
- THIRD TEAM: Keon Sabb (Alabama), Champ Anthony (Auburn), Khalil Barnes (Georgia), Jelani McDonald (Texas)
Now, don't get it wrong, making any conference's first, second, or third team is an undeniable honor, but McDonald deserved to at least be on the second-team roster, if not the first.
Out of returning safeties in the SEC, McDonald had the most tackles in the conference last season (80), the second-best missed tackle rate (5.4%), the second-best reception percentage (51.3%), the second-best passer rating allowed (42.5%), and the third-most interceptions (3).
Despite all of those statistics, he was ranked well behind defensive backs and safeties who didn't produce the same numbers that McDonald did last year, and this season, people should expect even more out of the Longhorn.
"With Will Muschamp's aggressive play style and McDonald's ability to impact the game in multiple ways, he's even more likely to be involved in havoc plays and turnovers than he was last year," On3's Evan Vieth wrote.
Texas Longhorns on the All-SEC conference honor roll
In total, 11 Longhorns made the three teams, with the five first-team members, three second-team members, and four third-team members, including McDonald.
- FIRST TEAM: Cam Coleman (wide receiver), Trevor Goosby (offensive tackle), Colin Simmons (linebacker), Rasheem Biles (linebacker), and Ryan Niblett (return specialist)
- SECOND TEAM: Arch Manning (quarterback), Ryan Niblett (all-purpose), Trey Dubuc (long snapper)
- THIRD TEAM: Hollywood Smothers (running back), Ryan Wingo (wide receiver), Brandon Baker (offensive tackle), Jelani McDonald (safety)
Texas was voted as the second-place finisher in the conference, only trailing the Georgia Bulldogs. The Horns received 57 championship votes while the Dawgs earned a whopping 88 votes. In total, Texas earned 2,449 points, only 70 fewer than Georgia.
Read more: Texas primed for revenge in SEC Championship after preseason media poll was released
While both the team and McDonald himself may have deserved a little more praise, now it's time for the Longhorns to show that they are the best team in the SEC, and that McDonald is the best defensive back in the country.
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