The 21st century, which officially began on Jan. 1, 2001, has produced some incredible college football so far.
That’s especially true for the SEC, which largely dominated the first 25 years of the century on a national level. SEC programs combined to win 14 national championships and 9 Heisman Trophies over that span, among other accomplishments.
To celebrate the last 25 years of SEC football, our Saturday Down South staff voted an All-Star team featuring the league’s best players of the past quarter-century. Today we’ll reveal the results for the offense and a couple of special teams positions. Next week will focus on the defensive honorees.
Here’s how the position-by-position count breaks down:
- QB: 1
- RB: 1
- WR: 3
- TE: 1
- OT: 2
- OG: 2
- C: 1
Additionally, today’s story will highlight one kicker and one special teams returner.
Players made it on to the ballot by checking one of the following criteria: multiple first-team All-SEC nods, a unanimous All-America selection or an individual award (Heisman Trophy, Biletnikoff Award, etc). From there, our staff voted on who they deemed to be most-deserving.
SEC Football: Best of the 21st century so far
One more caveat before we dive in — conference realignment timelines were accounted for in the voting process. That means former Big 12 stars like Vince Young and Von Miller were not eligible for selection even though their schools later joined the SEC.
Here are our Saturday Down South staff picks for the SEC’s all quarter century team:
Quarterback: Tim Tebow, Florida
It’s difficult to imagine a better college quarterback career than Tim Tebow’s, though this was a close vote among our staff. Tebow won a Heisman Trophy and was on 2 national championship-winning teams. He also delivered one of the most iconic postgame press conference speeches of the 21st century.
His detractors were ultimately correct about his future in the NFL aside from one memorable season with the Denver Broncos. But Tebow bridged a gap that athletes rarely do. At the peak of his relevance, he wasn’t just a successful quarterback — he was a cultural phenomenon.
Also receiving votes: Cam Newton
Running back: Darren McFadden, Arkansas
Darren McFadden’s résumé is nothing short of incredible. Forget the 4,000+ rushing yards. He’s a 2-time Doak Walker Award winner and finished runner-up in Heisman voting twice (to Tebow and Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith). He’s a true SEC football legend and a relic of the previous era — could a program like Arkansas hang on to a player like McFadden for his entire career given the current NIL and transfer rules? It seems unlikely — especially since Arkansas had 2 other future NFL running backs on its roster at the time (Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis).
McFadden’s crowning achievement on the field was arguably his 206-yard rushing performance in a road win over No. 1 LSU in Death Valley. He and then-Arkansas coach Houston Nutt gave memorable postgame interviews on the field afterwards — including a moment where McFadden chided Les Miles for his incorrect pronunciation of “Arkansas.”
Also receiving votes: Derrick Henry
Wide receiver: Amari Cooper, Alabama; Ja’Marr Chase, LSU; DeVonta Smith, Alabama
For as many remarkable wide receiver careers as there have been in the SEC over the past 25 years, these 3 stand above the others. Cooper and Chase were unanimous picks by our staff while Smith received 80% of the vote.
Cooper is still regarded as one of the most physically gifted receivers of the last couple decades. His collegiate achievements include a national championship, a Biletnikoff Award and over 3,400 receiving yards.
Chase was a member of LSU in 2019, which has a case as the best SEC team of all time. His stats on that team were staggering — 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. He averaged over 21 yards per reception. He is the only SEC receiver since 2001 with 20+ yards per reception on a volume of at least 70 catches in a single season.
Smith’s career included a Heisman Trophy in his final collegiate season, but his biggest contribution came as a true freshman. He was famously on the other end of a 2nd-and-26 pass from fellow freshman Tua Tagovailoa to defeat Georgia in the National Championship Game at the end of the 2017 season.
Also receiving votes: Jerry Jeudy
Tight end: Brock Bowers, Georgia
Bowers has a dominant statistical argument to get the nod here. Since 2001, he’s No. 1 in the SEC in receiving yards for a tight end (2,538). He also holds the single-season record (942). He won the Mackey Award twice, becoming the first player to ever accomplish that feat in the 2+ decade history of that award.
Also receiving votes: DJ Williams
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Offensive tackle: Andre Smith, Alabama; Cam Robinson, Alabama
For our staff, this was the closest vote yet with Andre Smith and Cam Robinson just edging out Luke Joeckel for the 2 offensive tackle slots. In total, 5 players received votes.
Smith was one of the first great players at Alabama under Nick Saban. He began his career in Tuscaloosa with Mike Shula, but Saban took over after his freshman season. He started at left tackle as a true freshman in 2006. By 2008, Saban’s second year in charge, Smith was one of college football’s best players. He won the 2008 Outland Trophy and was a unanimous All-American that season before going No. 6 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Robinson came along a little bit later in the life cycle of Saban’s career in Tuscaloosa, but was arguably just as individually dominant. He, too, won an Outland Trophy and was a unanimous All-American. He was also a key player on Alabama’s CFP National Championship run in 2015.
Also receiving votes: Luke Joeckel, Alex Leatherwood, Michael Oher
Offensive guard: Barrett Jones, Alabama; Mike Pouncey, Florida
If only one offensive lineman could be picked for this team, Barrett Jones may well have been the choice. He played significant snaps at tackle, guard and center during his tenure with the Crimson Tide. For logistical purposes, he was only listed as a guard on our staff ballot. Jones is the only player to win the Rimington Trophy and Outland Trophy in different seasons. He was also a unanimous All-American in 2010 and won the Wuerffel Trophy in 2011. Oh, by the way, Jones was also a key starter on 3 national title-winning teams — each at a different position along the offensive line.
Pouncey just barely beat out Trey Smith for the nod. A member of Florida’s 2009 national championship team, Pouncey was a 2-time consensus All-American and made first- or second-team All-SEC in 3 consecutive campaigns. He went on to become a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and ultimately made 5 Pro Bowl rosters.
Also receiving votes: Trey Smith, Tyler Booker
Center: Landon Dickerson, Alabama
Dickerson earned the nod at center, meaning Alabama players take up 4 of the 5 slots for offensive linemen on this team. It’s hard to say it isn’t deserved — Dickerson won the Rimington Trophy and was a unanimous All-American during his college career.
Also receiving votes: Maurkice Pouncey, Florida, Ryan Kelly, Alabama
Kicker: Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia
Rodrigo Blankenship narrowly earned the nod here. His stats are not as gaudy as some of the other choices, but he had a very memorable career in Athens. He’s one of just a few SEC kickers to win the Groza Award, doing so in 2019. Perhaps more memorably, he made 2 crucial kicks in Georgia’s famous win over Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl at the end of the 2017 season. He drilled a 55-yarder just before halftime — a result of an ill-fated squib kick from the Sooners — and also made a 38-yard field goal in overtime.
Also receiving votes: Will Reichard, Tate Sandell, Harrison Mevis
Returner: Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
Christian Kirk was a staggeringly-productive returner for the Aggies from 2015-17. The star wide out totaled 6 punt return touchdowns (on just 37 total returns!) over his 3-year college career — including at least 1 in each season. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown in 2017, giving him 7 special teams scores for his career. On the punt return side, Kirk also twice led the SEC in yards per return.
Also receiving votes: Joe Adams, Marcus Murphy, Brandon James
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
