Who are the top defensive backs in SEC history?

We’ve spent the last several weeks flipping through team-specific media guides, glancing over highlight film and nearly coming to blows at our home office determining this 25-member comprehensive list of the league’s best players in the secondary.

Editor’s note: The SDS staff weighed multiple factors during our SEC’s all-time defensive backs rankings process including career statistics, individual awards, importance to their respective team and the era in which they played. Official statistics were pulled from team web sites or media guides.

10.) MARK BARRON, ALABAMA (2008-11)

One of the most feared hitters in program history, Barron stuck around for his senior season at Alabama in 2011 and the Crimson Tide were glad he did after posting his third consecutive All-SEC campaign, a rarity in today’s game, and winning the BCS Championship.

Barron began his career as a coverage specialist on Alabama’s return teams before assuming a starting role at safety as a sophomore in 2009. He posted an SEC-leading seven interceptions that season and won the first of two national titles as one of the leaders for Kirby Smart on defense. A third-team All-American as a sophomore, Barron earned first-team status his final two years in Tuscaloosa.

Career numbers:

237 tackles, 34 passes defended, 12 INTs

Individual superlatives:

All-American (2010-11); All-SEC (2009-11)

NFL Draft:

No. 7 overall in 2012

Defining moments:

Barron posted 11 tackles, two pass breakups and a sack against Florida as a junior in 2010.

9.) STEVE ATWATER, ARKANSAS (1985-88)

Search ‘Steve Atwater Hit’ on YouTube and it yields 1,510 matches. The prep quarterback turned standout safety was a monster at the back end for the Razorbacks, a player who brought strength and physicality to the position — not to mention ball skills.

A member of the Razorback All-Century Team and the All-Decade Team for the 1980s, this two-time All-American’s 14 career interceptions is still a school record.

Atwater has been a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist three consecutive years. He played 11 seasons, 10 with the Denver Broncos, and accumulated 24 interceptions and eight Pro Bowl appearances.

Career numbers:

N/A

Individual superlatives:

All-American (1987-88); All-SEC (1987-88); Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame (1998)

NFL Draft:

No. 20 overall in 1989

Defining moments:

N/A

8.) CARLOS ROGERS, AUBURN (2001-04)

A three-sport star from Augusta, Ga., Rogers blossomed into one of the best cover corners in SEC history under the tutelage of Tommy Tuberville on the Plains, maxing out his potential as a senior in 2004 with All-SEC, All-American and Thorpe Award accolades.

Rogers’ 40 career pass breakups ranks second all-time in SEC history. As a senior in 2004, Rogers became the only Auburn defensive back to ever win the Jim Thorpe Award.

A member of Auburn’s All-Decade 2000s Team, Rogers is widely considered the Tigers’ second-best defensive player in program history behind tackle Tracy Rocker and is entering his 11th NFL season in 2015.

Career numbers:

182 tackles, 40 pass breakups, 7 INTs

Individual superlatives:

All-American (2004); All-SEC (2004); Jim Thorpe Award (2004)

NFL Draft:

No. 9 overall in 2005

Defining moments:

A four-year starter in the secondary, Rogers posted a career-best 10 tackles during a win over Mississippi State as a true freshman in 2001.

7.) JAKE SCOTT, GEORGIA (1967-68)

There may not have been a more productive two-year player at Georgia than this safety, the Bulldogs’ record holder in career interceptions (16) and interception return yards (315). Scott led the SEC in picks both of his seasons in Athens and was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.

His 10-interception campaign in 1968 is the second-best single season total in program history, behind Terry Hoage’s 12.

His NFL career was arguably more impressive than his college days. After leaving Georgia a year early to pursue a one-year stint in the Canadian League, Scott was signed by the Miami Dolphins in 1970 and played in five consecutive Pro Bowls to go along with three Super Bowl appearances. He won a championship and was named SB VII MVP in 1972.

In 2011, Scott became the 12th Georgia player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Career numbers:

16 INTs (two seasons)

Individual superlatives:

All-American (1968); All-SEC (1967-68); SEC Player of the Year (1968); Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (1986); College Football Hall of Fame (2011)

NFL Draft:

Undrafted; signed after brief Canadian League stint

Defining moments:

In 1968, Scott returned two interceptions for touchdowns — an SEC record — during a win over Kentucky.

6.) JERRY STOVALL, LSU (1961-62)

Stovall played three positions at LSU — defensive back, punter, running back — after taking over in both backfields for Tigers legend Billy Cannon in 1961. A prolific playmaker, Stovall finished second to Terry Baker in 1962 Heisman Trophy voting which shocked most associated with the SEC.

The consensus All-American did win the Walter Camp Award for national player of the year, however.

“Jerry was among some very good football players we brought in at that time,” LSU coach Paul Dietzel said. “He didn’t stick out like a beacon light, as John David Crow and Billy Cannon had done in previous years. But after he got here, it wasn’t long before he moved to the top of the class.”

Stovall, who played 97 games in the NFL with 18 career interceptions, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He coached at LSU from 1980-83, posting a 22-21-2 record.

Career numbers:

N/A

Individual superlatives:

All-American (1962); All-SEC (1962); Walter Camp Player of the Year (1962); Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (1981); College Football Hall of Fame (2010)

NFL Draft:

No. 2 overall in 1963

Defining moments:

In 1962, Stovall returned the second-half kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown during a nationally-televised 10-7 win over Georgia Tech. Spotlight opportunities on the tube were rare during that era.