Editor’s note: SDS is ranking the 25 best SEC players — at any position — of the last decade. Alabama RB Mark Ingram is next up in a 25-part daily series.

14.) ALABAMA RB MARK INGRAM (2008-10)

In the closest Heisman vote in history, Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram became Alabama’s first winner in program history following a spectacular sophomore season in 2009, eclipsing Bobby Humphrey’s single-season rushing record with 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns.

A 5-foot-9, 215-pound tank, Ingram was one of the best ball carriers to ever play in the SEC, bulldozing over defenders and side-stepping others on his way to 3,261 career yards on the ground, enough to land him in the Top 25 all-time. He was an impact player from the start as a four-star recruit, setting an Alabama record for touchdowns as a true freshman with 12 in 2009 behind starting tailback Glen Coffee.

As his career progressed, Ingram became a receiving threat out of the backfield, similar to a Marshall Faulk-type role. One of college football’s most-feared downhill runners during his tenure, Ingram skipped his senior season for the NFL Draft as a projected first-round.

Heading into his fifth professional season next fall, Ingram has found his niche with the New Orleans Saints, making his first Pro Bowl during the 2104 campaign.

Career numbers: 572 carries, 3,261 yards, 60 catches, 670 yards, 42 total TD
Individual superlatives: Heisman (2009) Consensus All-American (2009); SEC Off. POTY (2009)
NFL Draft: No. 28 overall in 2011
Defining moment: In the BCS Championship Game, Ingram rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns as the offensive player of the game. Earlier during that 2009 season, he rushed for a career-high 246 yards in Tuscaloosa against South Carolina.