In two seasons at Ole Miss, Ben Brown has established himself as a vital piece of the offensive line.

Heading into the third, the Vicksburg native and former St. Aloysius star is earning a reputation as one of the best in the Southeastern Conference.

Brown was one of five Ole Miss players selected to the preseason All-SEC team by Athlon Sports.

Brown was a third-team selection on the offensive line. The right guard has started all 24 games over the past two seasons and helped the Rebels have the No. 1 rushing offense in the SEC in 2019.

Brown also allowed just one sack in 389 pass blocks, and played a total of 851 snaps. In 2018, he was one of only three freshman right guards in the country to start every game and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.

“It’s a huge blessing,” Brown said. “It’s very exciting to get the news. Being surrounded by the best teammates and coaching staff in America makes it a lot easier.”

The other Ole Miss players picked for the Athlon’s preseason All-SEC team were running back Jerrion Ealy, wide receiver Elijah Moore, linebacker MoMo Sanogo and punter Mac Brown.

Ealy was a first-team selection as an all-purpose player. He led the SEC in kick return average in 2019, and ranked second in the SEC and No. 5 nationally in all-purpose yardage per game amongst freshmen (100.9 ypg).

Moore, Sanogo and Brown all earned fourth-team honors. The Athlon Sports preseason All-SEC team included a first- through fourth-team.

Mississippi State had three picks — running back Kylin Hill, linebacker Erroll Thompson and defensive lineman Nathan Pickering.

Hill was a first-team selection. He led the Bulldogs and finished third in the SEC in rushing in 2019, with 1,350 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Thompson was a third-team selection after leading the Bulldogs with 84 tackles last season.

Pickering, a 6-foot-4, 315-pound defensive tackle, had 11 tackles and three sacks in 2019. He was a fourth-team selection.

Defending national champion LSU had four first-team selections — wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, defensive lineman Tyler Shelvin, and defensive backs Derek Stingley Jr. and JaCoby Stevens.

Alabama had eight first-team picks, including running back Najee Harris and receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.

The four quarterbacks picked were Georgia’s Jamie Newman (first team), Florida’s Kyle Trask (second), Auburn’s Bo Nix (third) and Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond (fourth).