BATON ROUGE –LSU senior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard has earned a spot on the Sporting News Preseason All-America Team, as the publication's college football preview issue hit newsstands this week.

Sheppard was the only Southeastern Conference player to be named to the defense. He was joined by Tank Carder (TCU) and Lawrence Wilson (Connecticut) at the linebacker position.

The publication also tabbed LSU 20th in its preseason Top 25 poll. North Carolina is ranked 21st, while five SEC teams are ranked in the poll led by No. 1 Alabama.

Sheppard, a native of Stone Mountain, Ga., has garnered national award watch list attention heading into his final season. He is a candidate for five major defensive awards, including the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, Lott Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award.

Sheppard, a preseason first-team All-SEC selection, ranked third in the league in total tackles with 103 in 2009, and he has played in 40 games during his career.