A long time ago, you know, before Al Gore invented the Internet, the SEC handed out one Player of the Year award.
Jake Scott won in 1968 and Reggie White won in 1983, but it almost always went to an offensive player.
In 2003, the SEC decided to give the defensive players some love and created separate offensive and defensive Player of the Year awards.
Derrick Henry and Reggie Ragland, respectively, took home the trophies this year.
How would they measure up against the POY winners in the BCS era? Glad you asked.
Before you start guessing, here’s a bit of trivia to help: Two recent Heisman Trophy winners did not win the SEC Offensive Player of the Year that same season. One was Mark Ingram, in 2009, so he’s not eligible for our list. The other rallied to win the SEC OPOY the next year and is on the list.
Here, then, are the SEC’s 10 best POY winners from 1998-present, focusing more on that season than accomplishments before or after.
10. Patrick Peterson, LSU, 2010
Grading defensive backs on interceptions is risky business because the best ones are like rattlesnakes: Once you know they’re there, you stay clear.
Teams stayed clear of Peterson in 2010, but he still managed to pick off four.
He also provided the defense’s version of a dual-threat, leading the SEC in punt returns and kickoff returns to also earn the SEC’s special teams POY award as well.
9. Eric Berry, Tennessee, 2008
Cover corners get all the love, but safeties bring the pain.
Berry, a safety with a corner’s ball-hawking instincts, led the nation with seven interceptions and two returns for touchdowns. He set an SEC record with 265 return yards off interceptions, which helped him also set the SEC record for career yards with 494.
And that doesn’t even begin to tell the story of what a hitter he was. This might, however …
The man, the myth, the legend! Eric Berry days until it's football time in Tennessee! #1429 #BerryStrong #VFL pic.twitter.com/cuml85M49Y
— Rocky Top News (@rockytop_news) August 22, 2015
8. Tre Mason, Auburn, 2013
All Mason did was run for 1,816 yards — then the third-most in SEC history — and lead Auburn to the BCS Championship Game.
He capped the the SEC season by rushing for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns in the title game victory over Missouri.
Auburn's Tre Mason rushes for 304yds and 4TDs as they beat Missouri 59-42 to become SEC Champs! pic.twitter.com/SaIJW5valV – @BleacherReport
— Shawn McKenzie ?? (@SMcK17) December 8, 2013
7. Tim Tebow, Florida, 2008
Tebow’s numbers were better in 2007, when he edged Darren McFadden to win the Heisman but lost to McFadden in the SEC Offensive Player of the Year voting.
But Tebow still threw 30 TD passes against just four interceptions in 2008 and led the Gators to their second national championship in three years.
6. Darren McFadden, Arkansas, 2007
McFadden burst on the scene in 2005, running for 1,113 yards as a freshman. He followed with 1,647 as a sophomore and became the second running back in SEC to crack 1,000 in each of his first three years when he ran for 1,830 in 2007.
At the time, only Herschel Walker (1,891 in 1981) had a better single season.
The highlight was a 321-yard effort against South Carolina, tying the SEC overall single-game record and setting it against an SEC opponent.
Arkansas rushes for 541 yards & Darren McFadden breaks SEC record vs South Carolina with 321 rushing yards in 2007. pic.twitter.com/vjnkI2kO2a
— The Arkansas Logo (@Arkansas_Logo) October 10, 2013
5. Amari Cooper, Alabama, 2014
Julio Jones set the bar for Alabama receivers. Cooper soared past it with arguably the greatest season in conference history.
Cooper became just the second SEC receiver to top 1,700 receiving yards in a season, finishing with a school-record 1,727 on an SEC-record 124 catches.
Sixteen of the catches went for touchdowns — including the final two in the playoff loss to Ohio State.
4. Tim Couch, Kentucky, 1998
Kentucky wasn’t a factor in the first season of the BCS era, but Couch certainly was.
He passed for 4,275 yards, not only becoming the first SEC QB to go over 4,000 yards but shattering the record he set the previous year by 390 yards.
Before Couch, Peyton Manning was the only other SEC QB in history to pass for more than 3,800 yards.
Couch also threw for 36 touchdown passes in 1998, which matched Manning’s best season and were just three shy of tying Danny Wuerffel’s since-broken SEC record.
3. Derrick Henry, Alabama, 2015
Henry not only became the first SEC running back to break 2,000 yards in a season, he carried the Tide to the national championship. He had four 200-yard games in the second half of the regular season, and then scored five touchdowns in two playoff games.
Lifting the 25-pound Heisman Trophy was probably his easiest workout of the year.
2. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M, 2012
Again, focus on the year, not the trail of self-destruction that has followed.
Manziel, in his first year as a starter, in the Aggies’ first year in the SEC, took the league by storm.
He won every major award, including the Heisman, the first freshman to do so. He set NCAA records for freshman rushing yards by a quarterback (1,410) and total offense (5,116).
Maybe the most astonishing thing he did in 2012? He led! the SEC in rushing, finishing ahead of Todd Gurley, Eddie Lacy, Tre Mason and T.J. Yeldon.
1. Cam Newton, Auburn, 2010
The before and after Auburn team photos tell you everything you need to know about Newton’s season. The 2009 Tigers went 8-5 … just like the 2011 Tigers did.
Newton was the difference in 2010.
He led the 2010 Tigers to a 14-0 record, which included a dramatic Iron Bowl victory and BCS Championship Game win over Oregon.
He threw 28 touchdown passes and ran for 20 more in winning the Heisman Trophy and setting the bar for other dual-threats to clear.
Others have put up bigger numbers. Nobody had a bigger impact on one season.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
