RotoWire.com has put together SEC Football's Quarter Century team, consisting of 11 starters apiece on offense and defense, as well as three special teams players. These 25 greatest football players of the past 25 years are joined by the SEC's greatest coach of the 2000-2025 time period.
Position | Player | Team | Years |
QB | Tim Tebow | Florida | 2006-2009 |
RB | Darren McFadden | Arkansas | 2005-2007 |
WR | Alabama | 2017-2020 | |
WR | Amari Cooper | Alabama | 2012-2014 |
WR | Ja'Marr Chase | LSU | 2018-2019 |
TE | Brock Bowers | Georgia | 2021-2023 |
OT | Andre Smith | Alabama | 2006-2008 |
OG | Shawn Andrews | Arkansas | 2001-2003 |
C | Maurkice Pouncey | Florida | 2007-2009 |
OG | Barrett Jones | Alabama | 2008-2012 |
OT | Luke Joeckel | Texas A&M | 2010-2012 |
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Top SEC Quarterback: Tim Tebow
Some other star SEC QBs went on to have more successful NFL careers, but Tebow's mix of individual accolades and team success at Florida has been unmatched. He led the Gators to national championships in 2006 and 2008 while winning the 2007 Heisman Trophy in between.
SEC's Dominant Running Backs: McFadden's Legacy
McFadden has back-to-back second-place finishes in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2006 and 2007, leading the SEC in rushing yards while racking up a total of 3,477 rushing yards and 30 rushing TDs in that two-year span.
Record-Breaking Receivers in SEC History
Smith (235 catches for 3,965 yards and 46 TDs) and Cooper (228 catches for 3,463 yards and 31 TDs) occupy the top two spots in catches, receiving yards and receiving TDs in Alabama school history. Chase lacks the longevity of other members of the SEC quarter-century team, but his 2019 peak season was one for the SEC record books: 1,780 receiving yards and 20 TDs en route to a national championship.
Best of the Rest
Bowers rounds out the skill position group with arguably the best TE career in the history of college football – 2,538 receiving yards, 24 total TDs and two national championships. Smith, Andrews, Pouncey and Joeckel were all first-round NFL Draft picks after their outstanding college careers, while Jones fell to the fourth round due to an injury despite having three national championships and three first-team all-SEC selections on his resume.
SEC's Defensive Powerhouses: Clowney to Peterson
Position | Player | Team | Years |
DE | Jadeveon Clowney | South Carolina | 2011-2013 |
DT | Glenn Dorsey | LSU | 2004-2007 |
DT | Nick Fairley | Auburn | 2009-2010 |
DE | David Pollack | Georgia | 2001-2004 |
LB | Ole Miss | 2003-2006 | |
LB | C.J. Mosley | Alabama | 2010-2013 |
LB | Roquan Smith | Georgia | 2015-2017 |
CB | Patrick Peterson | LSU | 2008-2010 |
S | Eric Berry | Tennessee | 2007-2009 |
S | Minkah Fitzpatrick | Alabama | 2015-2017 |
CB | Joe Haden | Florida | 2007-2009 |
Clowney has arguably the least impressive resume of this stacked group as just a one-time All-American without a championship, but he provided one of the most memorable defensive highlights in college football history and was impressive enough at South Carolina to be drafted first overall in 2014.
Dorsey, Fairley, Pollack Round Out D-Line
Dorsey was the SEC defensive player of the year (DPOY) and an All-American during LSU's 2007 championship season, while Fairley was an All-American during Auburn's 2010 title run, leading the SEC with 24 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. Pollack's the only two-time SEC DPOY in this lineup (2002 and 2004); Will Anderson Jr. also achieved that feat in 2021 and 2022 but didn't make the quarter-century team.
Patrick Willis, C.J. Mosley Lead SEC Linebacker Legacies
Willis was an All-American and SEC DPOY in 2006, while Smith achieved those same feats in 2017. Mosley was a two-time All-American, two-time national champion and 2013 SEC DPOY. Berry and Fitzpatrick were both two-time All-Americans as well, with Berry claiming SEC DPOY in 2008 and Fitzpatrick winning two national championships. Peterson was an All-American and SEC DPOY in 2010, while Tebow's ex-teammate Haden is a fitting bookend to the defensive starters, winning a championship in 2008 before getting All-American honors in 2009.
Special Teams Stars: SEC's Kicking and Returning Elite
Position | Player | Team | Years |
K | Daniel Carlson | Auburn | 2014-2017 |
P | Drew Butler | Georgia | 2007-2011 |
Returner | Derek Abney | Kentucky | 2000-2003 |
Carlson made 92 of 114 field-goal attempts and all 198 of his PAT tries in four years with Auburn while leading the SEC in made field goals each of his last three seasons. Butler averaged over 44 yards per punt in each of his last three years at Georgia, including an All-American 2009 season, during which he led the SEC with 48.1 yards per punt. Abney had four punt return TDs and two kickoff return TDs in 2002 alone, and he added one punt return TD apiece in 2001 and 2003 while leading the SEC in kickoff return yards all three of those years.
Nick Saban Leads SEC All Quarter Century Team
Coach | Team | Years |
Nick Saban | LSU, Alabama | 2000-2023 |
Saban has been the leading figure in the SEC's dominance of college football over the past quarter-century. Starting with Saban's first championship at LSU in 2003, the SEC has produced 14 of the last 21 national championship teams. Saban coached seven of those 14 teams. After getting his first ring during his 2000-04 run with LSU, Saban had the most successful coaching stint in college football history with Alabama from 2007-23, winning national championships in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020 while helping many members of the SEC's quarter-century team reach their potential.
