Heard, Rodriguez Earn Preseason Coaches All-SEC Honors

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Senior offensive lineman Lance Heard and junior tight end Willie Rodriguez have been named to the 2026 Preseason Coaches All-Southeastern Conference Team, it was announced Wednesday. Heard earned second-team honors, while Rodriguez was selected to the third team.

UK offensive lineman Lance Heard is shown here during a recent interview at UK Football Media Day at Kroger Field. (Photo by Jamie H. Vaught)

Heard, a 6-foot-6, 325-pound offensive lineman from Bonita, Louisiana, transferred to Kentucky after two seasons at Tennessee (2024-25) and one season at LSU (2023), and enters the 2026 season as one of the Wildcats’ key additions on the Big Blue Wall. He has played 35 career games and made 24 starts. He has seen action on more than 1,700 snaps and allowed just three sacks overall. Heard was named to the All-SEC Third Team after making all 12 starts at left tackle for the Volunteers in 2025.

In addition to the coaches’ team nod, Heard has been a mainstay on preseason honors lists. Heard was tabbed to the Outland Trophy Watch List, honoring the nation’s best interior offensive lineman. He was also named to the All-SEC Second Team preseason list by the league’s media and Athlon. He is a third-team selection by Phil Steele.

Rodriguez, a 6-4, 249-pound tight end from Taylor Mill, Kentucky, returns as an important piece of the Wildcats’ offensive attack. He started in seven of 12 games played last season, making 23 catches for 310 yards and one touchdown. He had two receptions for 28 yards and the first touchdown of his collegiate career against Eastern Michigan and a career-high six receptions for a career-best 78 yards at Vanderbilt. His six receptions were the most for a tight end for a UK player since C.J. Conrad caught six at Mississippi State in 2015.

The Kentucky product is a preseason nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy and the Allstate/AFCA Good Works Team. Additionally, Rodriguez has been named to the preseason All-SEC Third Team by the media and Athlon. He is a second-team selection by Phil Steele.

The football season will kick off in 17 days, as Kentucky will play host to Youngstown State Sept. 5 at 1 p.m. ET in Kroger Field on SEC Network+.

Primary inventory single-game tickets for all Kentucky home games are now on sale online through Ticketmaster and UKFootballTix.com.