When SEC teams compete for national titles, they typically do so with players from the South. Highly rated prep stars from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee make up most of conference teams’ rosters, with regional neighbor Texas pumping in plenty of talent, too.
There are exceptions, however. Our research found current or former SEC standouts from 49 different states, as well as Washington, D.C. (can you guess the outcast?).
Some states produced multiple Heisman Trophy winners and dozens of All-Americans for the SEC. Some barely provided one player of note.
How many can you name?
The ground rules: Players either were born in the state or played high school football there. While a few players might have qualified as the best in multiple states, we avoided duplicate selections.
Alabama: Bo Jackson (Auburn RB)
The most mythologized player in SEC history was born in Bessemer, Ala., and attended McAdory High School in McCalla. A Heisman Trophy winner on the football field and a standout on the diamond, Jackson developed into a 2-sport pro and pop culture icon before a severe hip injury ended his career in 1991.
Also: Alabama legends John Hannah, Cornelius Bennett and Ozzie Newsome all hail from The Yellowhammer State. So does 1971 Heisman winner and Auburn quarterback Pat Sullivan. A long list of other impressive stars includes legendary NFL quarterbacks Bart Starr and Ken Stabler, both of whom played for the Crimson Tide.
Alaska: Shane Bonham (Tennessee DT)
Bonham is among of a surprising number of Alaskans who found their way to the NFL (very few, however, are SEC alums). Wearing Reggie White’s No. 92, this Fairbanks native and Air Force transfer quickly became one of Phillip Fulmer’s best defensive players. He had 4 career NFL sacks after the Detroit Lions made him a third-round pick in the 1994 NFL Draft.
Arizona: Christian Kirk (Texas A&M WR)
Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin got an extraordinary haul from the Grand Canyon State in February 2014, signing 3 of Arizona’s best prospects: quarterback Kyle Allen, defensive end Qualen Cunningham and Kirk, a dominant wide receiver from Scottsdale who turned down Auburn and UCLA, among others.
Allen broke up the trio by transferring to Houston, but Kirk was outstanding in his first two seasons with the Aggies; he already has 163 career catches for 1,937 yards and 16 touchdowns, as well as 5 punt-return scores. He’s a surefire preseason All-America selection this summer.
Arkansas: Don Hutson (Alabama WR)
Jerry Rice may have made the “greatest wide receiver” debate boring by the mid-1990s, but Pine Bluff, Ark., native Don Hutson did the same thing decades before. A College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame selection, Hutson made SEC defenders dizzy and rewrote (heck, wrote) the receiving record book at both levels. A teammate of Bear Bryant’s in Tuscaloosa, Hutson was christened the “Alabama Antelope” during his college career and the “Babe Ruth of wide receivers” by AL.com last summer.
Also: Former Arkansas running back Darren McFadden is one of the best players in college football history to have never won a Heisman (he was a runner-up twice). Massive left tackle Shawn Andrews was a back-to-back consensus All-American for Arkansas. Chicago Bears legend Dan Hampton honed his run-stopping skills — and his singing voice — with the Razorbacks before joining the Monsters of Midway.
California: Anthony Miller (Tennessee WR)
A track star from Pasadena, Miller looked to be on his way to an excellent senior season in 1987 before he tore a knee ligament. As a result, his career numbers with the Volunteers (47 receptions for 765 yards and 5 touchdowns) didn’t make much impact on the school record book. But Miller’s 4.3 40-yard dash was impressive enough to warrant his No. 15 overall selection by the San Diego Chargers in the 1987 NFL Draft, and he went on to make 5 Pro Bowls during his lengthy stay in the professional ranks.
Also: Georgia running back Terrell Davis was similarly underwhelming during his college career, at least relative to the NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP trophies he collected after becoming a sixth-round draft pick in 1995. Tennessee running back Arian Foster continued that theme, providing the Vols with a few good — not great — seasons before breaking out as an All-Pro ball carrier for the Houston Texans. Los Angeles-born quarterback Greg McElroy won a national title with Alabama in 2009.
Colorado: Dan Skipper (Arkansas OL)
This massive 6-foot-10 tackle was a mainstay on the Razorbacks offensive line after arriving in 2013, and he just finished the second of back-to-back All-SEC campaigns. Skipper, who is from Arvada, figures to be a mid- to late-round pick in the NFL Draft this spring. We assume he’ll be selected by a team with a tall quarterback.
Also: The Centennial State provided 2 of the country’s best specialists: Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson and Alabama punter JK Scott, both of whom will return in 2017.
Connecticut: Aaron Hernandez (Florida TE)
The 2009 John Mackey Award winner and 2008 national champion, Hernandez dominated for Florida after a record-setting prep career near ESPN headquarters in Bristol. But his play on the football field will always be secondary to his criminal history. Hernandez is serving a life sentence without parole in Massachusetts on a 2015 murder conviction. of two men in 2012.
Also: Fellow Gators tight end Jordan Reed took over after Hernandez left for the NFL in 2010. He was All-SEC as a junior and was recently named to his first Pro Bowl.
Delaware: Jamie Duncan (Vanderbilt LB)
Long before Zach Cunningham was roaming the field for Vandy, Duncan was an All-American middle linebacker for the Commodores. In 1997, he was named the Associated Press SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and he finished his college career with more than 300 tackles. A 7-year NFL career followed for this Wilmington native.
Also: Tex Warrington starred as an Auburn defensive lineman during the World War II era.
Florida: Tim Tebow (Florida QB)
The Sunshine State is perhaps the SEC’s richest source of talent, and deciding on a winner in this category required deep thought. But it’s pretty much impossible to decide against Tebow, the southpaw who helped deliver two national titles — and another Heisman Trophy — to Gainesville while becoming one of college football’s biggest stars. Tebow flamed out in the NFL, but the kid from Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Fla., was nearly unstoppable in college.
Also: Quarterbacks Danny Wuerffel and Steve Spurrier (born in Miami Beach, raised in Tennessee) both won the Heisman at Florida before Tebow. Gators legends Emmitt Smith and Jack Youngblood also originated from Florida. Alabama pass rusher Derrick Thomas was one of the SEC’s best defensive players. ‘Bama running back Derrick Henry flew past the conference’s single-season rushing record en route to the Heisman in 2015.
Georgia: Herschel Walker (Georgia RB)
Any discussion of the SEC’s most dynamic offensive players should begin with Auburn running back Bo Jackson and Georgia running back Herschel Walker, who combined to become the face of the conference in the 1980s. They both wore uniform No. 34, and they both had enough world-class talent to either bowl through opponents or leave them in the dust. Walker, known for playing through pain, was the more consistent back; the Wrightsville native finished in the top 3 of the Heisman voting in 3 consecutive seasons, winning the award in 1982.
Also: He only unleashed one season of chaos upon SEC defenses, but Auburn quarterback Cam Newton‘s 2010 Heisman campaign was unforgettably great. South Carolina running back George Rogers won a Heisman of his own after a 1980 season in which he rushed for nearly 1,800 yards. Legendary NFL quarterback Fran Tarkenton helped UGA win the SEC in 1959. Georgia cornerback Champ Bailey, Georgia defensive end David Pollack and Tennessee safety Eric Berry are among the Peach State’s impressive group of post-millennium All-Americans.
Hawaii: Jesse Mahelona (Tennessee DT)
Victim of a fatal car accident 8 years ago, Mahelona played for 3 different NFL teams after an All-American career with the Volunteers from 2004-05. This Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, native and Orange Coast (Calif.) College transfer led the SEC with 18.5 tackles for loss during his first season on Rocky Top, and he was a fifth-round selection by the Tennessee Titans.
Also: Vanderbilt defensive lineman and NFL fifth-rounder Mark Ilgenfritz was born in Honolulu and raised in Sandy Springs, Ga.
Idaho: Brad White (Tennessee DT)
White was a 3-year letterman for the Vols following a successful high school wrestling career in Idaho Falls. He was good enough on Rocky Top to earn a 12th-round draft selection in 1981, and he wound up playing 6 NFL seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts (for whom he started 15 games in 1985) and the Minnesota Vikings.
Illinois: Laquon Treadwell (Ole Miss WR)
Part of a massive recruiting haul by Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze in the early 2010s, Treadwell, the country’s highest-ranked wide receiver, chose Mississippi over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and eventually helped the Rebels reach the Sugar Bowl. Some feared his career would be over after an ugly knee injury in 2014, but the Chicago native rebounded to earn an All-SEC selection the following season and work his way back to first-round draft status.
Also: LSU center Ethan Pocic was named an All-American for his efforts this past season.
Indiana: Rex Grossman (Florida QB)
Florida’s offense was struggling to find its rhythm at the turn of the millennium. Steve Spurrier turned to Grossman, a Bloomington native, to get the Gators back in gear. Grossman helped UF win the SEC in 2000 as a redshirt freshman, and then was the Heisman Trophy runner-up the following year. Spurrier left for the NFL before Grossman’s final campaign, a move that derailed the quarterback’s productivity. Despite the rough final season, Grossman is considered an all-time great in Gainesville.
Also: Santa Claus native Jay Cutler was one of Vanderbilt’s few bright spots during a forgettable decade, and — like Grossman — eventually won a bunch of games for the NFL’s Chicago Bears.
Iowa: Terry Hoage (Georgia DB)
One of the most successful SEC defenders in history, Hoage blocked a Notre Dame field-goal try the true freshman to help Georgia win the 1980 national title. He followed through on his potential with with All-America selections in 1982 and 1983. Vince Dooley called him “the best defensive player I’ve ever coached,” and the Iowa-born, Texas-bred safety went on to play 13 seasons in the NFL.
Kansas: Shane Ray (Missouri DL)
An All-SEC selection with the Tigers in 2014, Ray was born in Missouri but played high school football just across the border in Roeland Park. The Denver Broncos made him their first-round pick in 2015, and he already has a Super Bowl ring to his name.
Kentucky: Sonny Collins (Kentucky RB)
Three consecutive All-SEC selections, a pair of All-American seasons and an SEC Player of the Year award are tough to beat. Collins, a Madisonville native, was a backfield force the Wildcats in the mid-1970s, racking up nearly 4,000 career rushing yards — including 18 100-yard games — while Kentucky failed to make much of a dent in the SEC standings.
Also: Former No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Tim Couch is widely considered the best Kentucky quarterback of all time. Alabama running back Shaun Alexander made his presence known in the Crimson Tide record book before winning the 2005 NFL MVP award. Vanderbilt offensive lineman Will Wolford went on to appear in 3 Pro Bowls and 3 Super Bowls during a lengthy pro career.
Louisiana: Peyton Manning (Tennessee QB)
Call it new-school bias, but Manning has become more of a cultural phenomenon than any of the Louisiana greats who came before him. A great college career led to a record-breaking NFL career full of MVP awards (5, the most all time) and Super Bowl appearances (4). The son of an SEC legend and the brother of another, Manning is a New Orleans native.
Also: Legendary LSU running backs Billy Cannon and Jim Taylor took no mercy on SEC defenses in the 1950s. LSU quarterback Bert Jones was The Sporting News Player of the Year for the Tigers, and was later named NFL MVP after succeeding Johnny Unitas in Baltimore. Tigers defensive back Tommy Casanova earned first-team All-America selection in consecutive seasons from 1969-1971. More recent LSU notables: wide receiver Josh Reed, running back Kevin Faulk, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and defensive back Tyrann Mathieu. Peyton’s brother Eli Manning found considerably less success at Ole Miss but won a glut of trophies — the Unitas Golden Arm, Maxwell Award and SEC Offensive Player of the Year — for his work in 2003.
Maine: Chet Bulger (Auburn OT)
Born and raised in Rumford, Bulger somehow found his way to Auburn on a track-and-field scholarship in the late 1930s. As so many athletes from that era tended to do, Bulger migrated to the football field and learned enough to get picked up by the Chicago Cardinals in 1942. A nail-biting win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1947 NFL Championship Game served as the primary highlight of Bulger’s 9-year career.
Maryland: Joe Haden (Florida CB)
A key part of Florida’s 2008 championship team, Haden leaped to elite status in the following season, earning unanimous All-American honors as well as The Sporting News Defensive Player of the Year award. This Fort Washington product skipped his senior year to enter the NFL Draft. He received Pro Bowl invitations in 2013 and 2014 while with the Cleveland Browns.
Also: Brothers and Hyattsville natives Cyrus Kouandjio and Arie Kouandjio opened huge holes for Alabama running backs earlier this decade, receiving All-American recognition for their efforts.
Massachusetts: Arthur Lynch (Georgia TE)
Lynch’s 6-foot-5, 250-pound build was ideal for a combo tight end, and he proved more than capable of handling both blocking and pass-catching during a successful Bulldogs career from 2009 to 2013. The Miami Dolphins selected the Dartmouth native with their fifth-round draft pick the following spring.
Michigan: Mark Ingram (Alabama RB)
With the number of All-SEC backs that roll through Alabama, it’s easy to forget about some of these guys. Ingram, a Flint native, might have been overshadowed a bit by Derrick Henry’s Heisman Trophy season just 6 years after his own, but you should be mighty impressed by the 1,992 yards and 20 touchdowns he piled up from scrimmage as a sophomore.
Also: The SEC’s all-time passing leader, Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, played high school ball in Tampa, Fla., but was born in Detroit.
Minnesota: Steve Kiner (Tennessee LB)
His family moved to Florida by the time he got to high school, but Kiner — a two-time All-American and the 1969 SEC Defensive Player of the Year — was born in Sandstone. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, this rangy 220-pound linebacker impressed Bear Bryant enough that the legendary coach called Kiner the best SEC ‘backer of the late 1960s (per the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame).
Also: Arkansas center Frank Ragnow, who received a few moments of counseling from Nick Saban this fall, played at Chanhassen High School.
Mississippi: Archie Manning (Ole Miss QB)
Sure, his Mississippi teams didn’t win many meaningful games. But Manning was transcendent enough to warrant All-SEC selection twice, consecutive fourth-place Heisman finishes, the Walter Camp Award and several other accolades during his time in Oxford. Born and raised in Drew, Manning’s No. 18 was swiftly retired by the university, and many speed limit signs around the Mississippi campus read “18 mph.”
Also: Offensive tackle Frank “Bruiser” Kinard became Ole Miss’ first All-American player in 1936, and he went on to become a 6-time All-NFL selection. We mentioned Heisman-winning LSU running back Billy Cannon in the Louisiana section, but he also deserves a mention here because he was born in Philadelphia, Miss. … Mississippi State linebacker Johnie Cooks was an imposing tackler who parlayed his scary size and speed into the No. 2 overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft. He later won a ring with the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV.
It also should be noted that the SEC — and the rest of the power conferences — overlooked Mississippi natives who became some of the best players in NFL history, including Brett Favre, Walter Payton and Jerry Rice.
Missouri: Sheldon Richardson (Missouri DT)
Before the Tigers hopped out of the Big 12, the Show-Me State rarely sent players to the SEC. Since then, the state produced 5 first-team All-SEC choices, including Richardson. A St. Louis native, Richardson famously declared Missouri’s first SEC opponent — Georgia — to be a purveyor of “old-man football,” and made up for the ensuing loss with 75 tackles on the season.
Also: Fellow Missourians — and Tigers — Kony Ealy and Shane Ray both spent much of their lives in Missouri, with Ray playing high school ball just across the Kansas border.
Montana: Max Copeland (Missouri OL)
We can say with confidence that no Montana-born SEC player has ever done anything of note in the NFL. Therefore, we’re forced to lower the bar to “solid SEC starter with a strong connection to Montana.” And who better to help us out than Copeland, a Kansas City-born, Billings-raised guard who helped Mizzou reach the 2013 SEC Championship Game? He has a hall of fame sense of humor, at least.
Nebraska: Christian LaCouture (LSU DL)
Much like pre-2012 Missouri, Nebraska rarely sends players to the SEC. LaCouture, a 4-star prospect from Lincoln in the recruiting class of 2013, was a major exception. He broke out as a junior in 2015 before a major knee injury before the 2016 season. The Tigers are welcoming him back for one final go-round this coming autumn.
Nevada: Max McGee (Tulane FB)
You know: The guy who got drunk before Super Bowl I and still caught 2 touchdown passes for the Vince Lombardi-led Green Bay Packers. McGee was a fullback and punter for the Green Wave from 1950-1953, more than a decade before Tulane left the SEC. He spent almost all of his young life in Texas after being born in Saxton City and famously gained more than 3,000 yards as a high school senior in White Oak High School.
New Hampshire: Tori Gurley (South Carolina WR)
As you might imagine, there are few football stars from New Hampshire, period, so we had to stretch the ground rules. Gurley grew up in South Carolina and attended Rock Hill High School, but also spent a year at New Hampton (N.H.) Prep School before accepting a scholarship offer from the Gamecocks. He tied the school record with 14 receptions in a single game against Vanderbilt, and he later spent time with several NFL organizations before settling into the Canadian Football League.
New Jersey: Art Still (Kentucky DE)
Fran Curci’s 1977 Wildcats team featured plenty of NFL talent as it swept the SEC and finished 10-1. But nobody was better than Still, a sack-happy (well … sacks weren’t an official stat yet, but he made 22 tackles for loss as a senior) All-American from Camden. Still was selected No. 2 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs the following spring. He’s now in both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Chiefs Hall of Fame after 4 Pro Bowl invites for his play in Kansas City.
Also: Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno destroyed competition in Middleton and then racked up 3,379 yards from scrimmage and 32 touchdowns in just 2 college seasons from 2007-2008. Current Alabama cornerback and Old Bridge native Minkah Fitzpatrick got immediate playing time with the Crimson Tide in 2015, and upped his play this past fall to become a first-team All-American.
New Mexico: Don Fielder (Kentucky DL)
Born in Las Cruces and raised in Garden Grove, Calif., Fielder was one of the USFL’s top defensive players during the league’s 3-year run in the 1980s. He finished with 23 sacks for the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars (forever the best mark in franchise history) and then got his chance in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He appeared in 11 games during his lone Bucs season (1985) and had 1 career tackle — a sack against the Los Angeles Rams.
New York: Lance Smith (LSU OL)
It’s no surprise that a Northeastern basketball state would produce relatively few football stars for the Southeastern Conference. Smith — an All-American guard in 1984 who went on to play 12 NFL seasons — is one of the rare exceptions. Three-time All-SEC pick Dalton Hilliard was one of a handful of future NFL backs Smith blocked for in Baton Rouge.
Also: Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno got his props in the New Jersey section, but he was born in The Bronx before shipping across the water to the Garden State. Ole Miss quarterback and Buffalo native Chad Kelly put together one of the best two-season runs in Rebels history.
North Carolina: Heath Shuler (Tennessee QB)
Long before he became a congressman from North Carolina, Shuler lit up the state’s football fields. A Bryson City native and 1993 Heisman runner-up, Shuler set most of the Volunteers’ passing records — ones Peyton Manning erased a few years later. Shuler was the 1994 NFL Draft’s No. 3 overall pick, by the Washington Redskins. He had mostly miserable 5-year career, throwing 33 interceptions against 15 touchdowns. He found redemption in politics, winning his first campaign for the House in 2006. He served three terms.
Also: Carl Pickens did a little bit of everything for Tennessee in the early 1990s. He was an All-SEC defensive back before switching to receiver and becoming an All-American. A suspension and ACL injury marred the end of his college career, but Georgia running back Todd Gurley was 2-time All-SEC selection earlier this decade. Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes was a 2-time national champ, 2-time All-American and 3-time All-SEC selection from 2006 to ’09. We’ll cover Alabama center Dwight Stephenson, born in Murfreesboro, in the Virginia section.
North Dakota: Derek Abney (Kentucky WR)
Abney had one of the SEC’s greatest single-season performances. He became a consensus first-team All-American in 2002 after pairing solid receiving stats (40 receptions for 569 yards and 4 touchdowns) with insane returning skills (26.8 kick-return average and 15.1 punt-return average for 6 combined touchdowns). Born roughly 60 miles from the Canadian border in Minot, Abney played high school ball in Everest, Wis. He chose the Wildcats over Ohio State and Purdue, among others.
Ohio: Frank Sinkwich (Georgia RB)
Born in Croatia and raised in Youngstown, Sinkwich did more within 3 years than most star players accomplish in their careers. In 1942, he finished his Georgia career with a national title, a second consecutive All-American selection, and the school’s first Heisman Trophy. As a rookie for the Detroit Lions, he was named All-Pro. His second year, he was named NFL MVP. World War II drew him to Merchant Marine service and the Army Air Forces. A football-related knee injury while in the Air Forces limited him upon his NFL return in 1946.
Also: Alabama center Ryan Kelly followed up an All-American career by commanding the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive line as a rookie this past autumn.
Oklahoma: Felix Jones (Arkansas RB)
Part of a potent 1-2 punch with Darren McFadden at Arkansas, Jones was also an elite return man. This Tulsa native had 5,088 all-purpose yards and 27 touchdowns in 3 seasons. He was All-SEC twice, an All-America in 2007 and the 2007 SEC Special Teams Player of the Year. A first-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2008, he also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers before leaving football after the 2013 season.
Also: Missouri linebacker Kentrell Brothers put up 152 tackles as a senior in 2015, good enough to make the former 3-star recruit an All-American and an NFL Draft pick.
Oregon: James Whalen (Kentucky TE)
Unwanted by Division I teams out of Portland, Whalen spent 1 unimpressive season at Shasta College in California before his family — which relocated to Kentucky — urged him to head east. His mom put together a “highlight” film and gave it to him to present to new Wildcats coach Hal Mumme. Whalen got his shot as a walk-on. He became an All-American after a senior season in which he caught 90 passes for 1,019 yards and 10 scores. He was named a Southeastern Conference Legend last season.
Pennsylvania: Joe Namath (Alabama QB)
Broadway Joe’s numbers didn’t stick out much at Alabama, but he led the Crimson Tide to the 1964 national championship and impressed enough scouts that both AFL (No. 1 overall) and NFL (No. 12 overall) teams made him a first-round pick the following year. Namath, from Beaver Falls, signed with the former league’s New York Jets en route to making history. Namath’s Super Bowl III guarantee was perhaps the most iconic moment in the history of pro football, and he stacked up countless individual accolades leading to his Hall of Fame induction in 1985.
Also: World War II interrupted Charley Trippi‘s Georgia career, but the running back returned to win the Maxwell Award in 1946. Before Bear Bryant coached Namath at Alabama, he helped Kentucky quarterback and punter George Blanda prepare for a pro career that spanned 4 decades.
Rhode Island: Joe Reed (Mississippi State QB)
Reed transferred to MSU from Baylor following his sophomore year when the Bears adopted a pass-first philosophy. The Bulldogs required just as much passing from Reed, however, and he surprised the SEC with more than 1,600 yards passing as a senior in 1970. Born in Newport, Reed went on to play 9 NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.
Also: Tennessee return specialist Walt Slater led the country in punt-return average in 1941, and then led the NFL in punt-return yardage during his lone season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tennessee’s Gordon Polofsky was an All-SEC fullback and linebacker on back-to-back national championship teams in 1950 and ’51. Auburn kicker “Automatic” Al Del Greco is currently the No. 19 scorer in NFL history.
South Carolina: Jadeveon Clowney (South Carolina DE)
The perfect defender for the YouTube era, Clowney’s massive hits continually found their way onto weekly highlight reels. His greatest triumph was the decimation of Michigan running back Vincent Smith in the 2013 Outback Bowl, a violent hit that fans will watch for decades to come. This Rock Hill native’s combination of size and athleticism ruined many a game plan and led to All-America selections in 2012 and 2013.
Also: Before he played on 3 Super Bowl-winning teams with the New England Patriots, Gadsden High School grad Richard Seymour was an All-American defensive tackle at Georgia. 5-time Pro Bowl player John Abraham (Lamar High School) played 1 season of high school football before getting 23.5 sacks during his South Carolina career. Former All-American Georgia safety Jake Scott (born in Greenwood) was named MVP of Super Bowl VII.
South Dakota: Craig Puki (Tennessee LB)
The 1979 Tennessee Volunteers only beat 1 ranked team, but they made it count. Puki, a captain born in Deadwood, and recruited from the Seattle area, made a key goal-line stop against No. 13 Notre Dame, and fans celebrated the victory by tearing down the goalposts. He found immediate success after leaving Rocky Top, starting for the San Francisco 49ers as a rookie in Super Bowl XVI.
Tennessee: Reggie White (Tennessee DE)
The Minister of Defense haunts the dreams of 1980s SEC quarterbacks. His senior year on Rocky Top included 100 tackles (72 unassisted), 15 sacks and consensus All-American honors. From there, the Chattanooga product simply got better. White dominated the NFL as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, and he retired in 1998 as the league’s all-time sack leader with 198. He died of cardiac arrhythmia in 2004 at the age of 43.
Also: Those familiar only with Johnny Majors‘ coaching career need remember that he was an All-American halfback and 2-time SEC Player of the Year in the 1950s. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Steve Spurrier was born in Florida but starred for Science Hill High School in Johnson City. Tennessee defensive lineman Doug Atkins is among 8 Vols to have his number retired. He helped UT win the 1951 national title and was an All-American the following season. Nashville star Bill Wade quarterbacked his way to All-America status at Vanderbilt, and he led the Chicago Bears to the 1963 NFL championship. Modern stars include Alabama offensive lineman Barrett Jones, Tennessee defensive tackle John Henderson, Tennessee linebacker Al Wilson, Ole Miss linebacker Patrick Willis and Kentucky quarterback Randall Cobb.
Texas: Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M QB)
As mercurial as he was on and off the field, Manziel was even more talented. As a shrimpy redshirt freshman, he made opposing defenses — including Nick Saban’s vaunted Alabama squad — look silly throughout 2012. His numbers over two seasons (9,989 combined yards and 93 touchdowns) easily put him among the greatest players to step foot in an SEC stadium.
Also: Marshall native Y.A. Tittle chose LSU over Texas and had All-SEC seasons in 1946 and 1947 before becoming a 7-time Pro Bowl selection. Charles Alexander‘s LSU single-season rushing record stood for 37 years before Leonard Fournette broke it in 2015. Future NFL Hall of Fame selection Alan Faneca won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy at LSU in 1997. Our Iowa selection, Georgia defensive back Terry Hoage, played high school football in Huntsville.
Utah: Buist “Buzz” Warren (Tennessee HB)
Born in Provo, Warren is among the only players to compete in an Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl. He didn’t star on any of those teams, but did enough to play for the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers in 1945. Per a Steelers program from that season, Warren “developed into one of the prettiest passers ever turned out in the hill country” during his time on Rocky Top.
Vermont: None
We scoured the Internet for someone (anyone!) who might qualify for this spot. When that failed, we consulted the sports department at The Burlington Free Press. It agreed that a Vermont-born or Vermont-bred SEC player might not exist. The basic explanation: Back when the state produced more Division I football players — roughly, before 1970 — the SEC recruiting net wouldn’t have included those players. Now that the SEC searches everywhere for talent, Vermont just doesn’t produce enough of it.
If you know of someone we missed, please let us know in the comment section.
Virginia: Dwight Stephenson (Alabama C)
A 2-time All-American and 2-time national champion hailing from Hampton High School, Stephenson anchored the Crimson Tide line before moving on to a successful NFL career in which he made five consecutive All-Pro teams. He’s a member of the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade team, playing on a Miami Dolphins offense that produced Dan Marino’s record-setting rookie season in 1984.
More: Tennessee running back Beattie Feathers was an All-American before becoming the NFL’s first 1,000-yard rusher in 1934 (allegedly, we must add). Georgia quarterback and NFL legend Fran Tarkenton was born in Richmond. A strong group of modern All-SEC players includes Auburn running back Rudi Johnson, Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin and Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo.
Washington: Jacob Eason (Georgia QB)
With his freshman season complete, Eason is in position to help Georgia return to national prominence in 2017. This former 5-star recruit from Seattle has a wealth of talent around him — most notably running back Nick Chubb — and should make the Bulldogs SEC East favorites when the media convenes in Hoover, Ala., this July.
Washington, D.C.: Jalen Tabor (Florida CB)
Tabor committed to Arizona in January 2014 but changed his mind a week later. Now, he’s entering the NFL Draft after a strong career at Florida that culminated in a second consecutive SEC East title and All-SEC selection. The pride of D.C. is considered a top-5 or top-10 draft talent by most prognosticators.
West Virginia: George Cafego (Tennessee QB)
“Bad News” Cafego is one of the most decorated Vols in the history of the program. A Whipple native, Cafego was twice named an All-American and finished fourth in the 1939 Heisman Trophy balloting. He was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1940 NFL Draft and later served as a Tennessee assistant coach for 3 decades.
Also: An original member of the Cleveland Browns and an 8-time professional champion, Frank Gatski began his college career at Marshall before World War II forced him overseas. When he returned, the Marshall football program had yet to restart, so he went to Auburn to finish his playing career. Charleston native Dick Huffman was an All-American tackle for Tennessee in 1946.
Wisconsin: Eric Kelly (Kentucky CB)
Kelly’s best season came as a junior in 1999, when he set a Kentucky record with 13 deflected passes and snagged a career-high 3 interceptions. A member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, he underwhelmed as a senior but showed enough to warrant a third-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings. Born in Milwaukee and raised in Florida, Kelly’s best moment as a pro — a game-sealing interception — came against his hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001.
Also: We mentioned Kentucky all-purpose star Derek Abney in the North Dakota section, but, given that he spent his high school career in Weston, we’ll include him here, too.
Wyoming: Craig Baynham (Georgia Tech RB)
This is admittedly a stretch, as Baynham played 1 season in the SEC (1963) before Georgia Tech left the conference. He had an injury-marred career for the Yellow Jackets but was able to parlay his limited time on the field into a 12th-round NFL Draft selection by the Dallas Cowboys. His best pro season came in 1968, when he had 818 yards from scrimmage and scored 8 times.
Which choices do you disagree with? Let us know in the comments section below.
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