19 former players from SEC programs to appear in Super Bowl XLIX

The matchup in Super Bowl XLIV was set on Sunday when the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots defended their home fields in a pair of thrilling conference championship games.

The Seahawks rallied to eventually defeat the Green Bay Packers in overtime in the NFC title game, while New England relied on three third-quarter touchdowns to pull away from the Indianapolis Colts in a 45-7 rout to win the AFC championship.

Among the 106 active players slated to suit up for this year’s Super Bowl, a whopping 19 players (18 percent) hail from SEC schools.

Here’s a rundown of those 19 players and what they contributed in Sunday’s conference championship games:

Seattle Seahawks

15 players on active roster

• James Carpenter — G — Alabama: Started at offensive guard (offensive linemen do not record statistics)
• Kevin Norwood — WR — Alabama: 1 target, 0 catches
• Jesse Williams — DT — Alabama: No stats recorded
• Alvin Bailey — OT — Arkansas: Started at right tackle in place of the injured Justin Britt (offensive linemen do not record statistics)
• Demarcus Dobbs — DE — Georgia: 1 tackle
• Chris Matthews — WR — Kentucky: Recovered onside kick that allowed Seattle to score go-ahead touchdown late in regulation
• Tharold Simon — CB — LSU: No stats recorded
• Justin Britt — OT — Missouri: Missed Sunday’s game due to injury
• K.J. Wright — LB — Mississippi State: 6 tackles, 1 pass defended
• Lemuel Jeanpierre — OL — South Carolina: Did not start along offensive line but did recover a short kickoff before kneeling to end the play.
• Tony McDaniel — DT — Tennessee: 4 tackles
• Michael Bennett — DE — Texas A&M: 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
• Patrick Lewis — C — Texas A&M: Did not start along the offensive line.
• Christine Michael — RB — Texas A&M: No stats recorded
• Steven Terrell — S — Texas A&M: No stats recorded

New England Patriots

4 players on active roster

• Dont’a Hightower — LB — Alabama: 3 tackles
• Brandon LaFell — WR — LSU: 4 catches, 28 yards
• Chris White — LB — Mississippi State: 2 tackles
• Brandon Bolden — RB — Ole Miss: No stats recorded

School Breakdown

• Alabama: 4
• Arkansas: 1
• Auburn: 0
• Florida: 0
• Georgia: 1
• Kentucky: 1
• LSU: 2
• Mississippi State: 2
• Missouri: 1
• Ole Miss: 1
• South Carolina: 1
• Tennessee: 1
• Texas A&M: 4
• Vanderbilt: 0

Ethan Levine

A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.