Sometimes, there’s more to a college football roster than meets the eye. We as fans are always so concerned with our favorite team’s starters; after all, those are the players out on the field making plays.

But if you look closer, there’s more to a team than just its starting lineup. Depth is vital in a violent sport like football, and sometimes depth can be just as fascinating as it can be valuable.

What do we mean? Check out these five fascinating position groups from SEC history and you’ll get an idea.

1. 1993-94 Tennessee quarterbacks

Players: Heath Shuler, Todd Helton, Jerry Colquitt, Peyton Manning

In 1993, Tennessee boasted quarterback depth unlike any other team in the nation. Starter Heath Shuler was well on his way to becoming a first-round draft pick, and backup Jerry Colquitt would eventually be drafted one year later after starting in Shuler’s place in 1994. Helton, a backup both years, would go on to have a borderline Hall of Fame baseball career for the Colorado Rockies, where he holds virtually every one of the club’s offensive records. And when Shuler left for the NFL after the 1993 season, he was replaced on the depth chart by this touted freshman named Peyton Manning who you might have heard of since.

So for those keeping score at home, Tennessee had three pro quarterbacks on its roster in a span of two years (two of which were first-round selections) and it had a fourth quarterback who hit .316 for his 17-year Major League career. Oh, and Shuler went on to be elected to Congress as well, so you can throw a political star into that mix as well. Not too shabby.

2. 2008 Florida quarterbacks

Players: Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, John Brantley

Tebow entered the 2008 season as the reigning Heisman winner and the consensus top quarterback in college football, but there was some pretty nice talent behind him on that year’s depth chart. Sophomore Cam Newton, who’d later go on to win a Heisman and BCS Championship of his own at Auburn in 2010, backed up Tebow for a second straight year, and behind Newton was Gatorade High School Player of the Year John Brantley, who would eventually replace Tebow at quarterback but struggle mightily in doing so. Tebow and Newton are two of the SEC’s great quarterbacks of all-time, and to consider them on the same roster with the best quarterback recruit in the country (at the time) alongside for the ride is simply remarkable.

3. 2007 Arkansas tailbacks

Players: Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, Peyton Hillis

McFadden wasn’t just a three-year starter at Arkansas, he was one of the SEC’s brightest stars for his entire three-year career in Fayetteville. He posted three 1,000-yard seasons, two of which topped the 1,600-yard mark, and was named a consensus All-American and Heisman runner-up in back-to-back years in 2006 and 2007. But there was just as much talent behind McFadden on the depth chart.

Despite entering the program at the same time as McFadden and backing him up for three years, Felix Jones still managed to amass multiple 1,000-yard seasons at Arkansas, earning All-America honors of his own as a junior in 2007. He departed from school a year early just like McFadden, and the two were both first-round picks in the 2008 NFL draft.

But what’s most amazing is that a third back from that 2007 Arkansas team arguably achieved more than either McFadden or Jones at the NFL level. Peyton Hillis served as primarily a fullback in his four years at Arkansas, totaling only 959 yards for his entire career in addition to paving the way for both backs mentioned above. But as Jones petered out in Dallas and McFadden struggled with injuries and lack of support in Oakland, Hillis hit the ground running to begin his pro career.

His best year came in 2010, when he ran for more than 1,100 yards for the Cleveland Browns and would earn a spot on the Madden video game cover the ensuing offseason. It’s amazing to think that after spending his college career blocking for two players with five 1,000-yard seasons and three All-America honors in three years, it was Hillis who earned the Madden cover spot when all was said and done.

4. 1942 Georgia tailbacks

Players: Frank Sinkwich, Charlie Trippi

In 1942, Sinkwich wasn’t just the best player in college football, but he was one of the premier athletes in any sport in America at the time. He was actually named the Associated Press’ 1942 Male Athlete of the Year, earning the honor ahead of legendary athletes like baseball star Ted Williams.

Sinkwich was a tailback who also handled the quarterback duties when Georgia needed to move the ball through the air. He racked up more than 1,400 yards passing and 828 yards rushing on his way to a Heisman Trophy, the first in SEC history, but he was not the only star back on the team that year.

Charlie Trippi, another dual-threat quarterback and tailback, also threw for 600 yards and ran for nearly 800 as Sinkwich’s complement in 1942. Sinkwich was the bigger star at the time, as indicated by his Heisman victory, but after returning from World War II Trippi would play another season at Georgia and would go on to be the first overall pick of the 1945 NFL draft. So this one position group featured a Heisman winner and a future top overall draft pick on the same team. That’s something that may never happen again in SEC history.

5. 2012 Texas A&M offensive line

Players: Jake Matthews, Luke Joeckel, Cedric Ogbuehi, Jarvis Harrison, Patrick Lewis

All five members of Texas A&M’s 2012 offensive line are now in the NFL, and three of those players were first-round draft choices after closing the book on their A&M careers.

Matthews was a top 10 pick as an offensive tackle in 2013, and Joeckel was a first-round tackle taken in the top 10 of the 2014 draft. Ogbuehi, who played guard in 2012 but would later move outside to tackle, was a first-round pick in this year’s draft despite recovering from a torn ACL, while Harrison was a fifth-round pick this year despite not even being the highest-rated guard among A&M’s recruiting class his year.

Lewis, the team’s center and the anchor of that year’s line, went undrafted after 2012 but has managed to last for at least two years in the league bouncing from team to team before latching on with the Seattle Seahawks.

The SEC is known to boast some impressive offensive line talent, this we know for sure. But all five starters from one team heading to the NFL? That’s something we’d expect out of Nick Saban’s bunch. Well done, Aggies.