For decades, the SEC’s hallmark has been defense.
The 21st century, which officially began on Jan. 1, 2001, has included some of the most-feared and most highly respected defenders to ever play the sport. This story will celebrate the best of the best that have come through the SEC since the turn of the century.
Our Saturday Down South staff voted an All-Star team featuring the league’s best players of the past quarter-century. Last week, we covered the offense. This week we’ll go through the entire defense as well as honor a punter and coach.
Here’s how the position-by-position count breaks down on defense:
- DE/OLB: 2
- DT: 2
- ILB: 2
- CB: 3
- S: 2
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 (Jim Thorpe Award, Bednarik Award, etc). From there, our staff voted on who they deemed to be most-deserving.
SEC Football: Best defenders of the 21st century
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 on defense:
Defensive end/outside linebacker: Myles Garrett, Texas A&M; Will Anderson, Alabama
This was perhaps the most contentious position on the board. South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney missed by a single vote while Georgia’s Jarvis Jones and David Pollack were also worthy of consideration (both won the Lombardi Award).
Garrett had a sensational 3-year run at Texas A&M. He left College Station with 48.5 tackles for loss and 32.5 sacks. He was a unanimous All-American in 2016 and that wasn’t his best season in college (statistically speaking, at least). Garrett’s peak was in 2015 when he recorded 19.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and 5 forced fumbles. For some, that’s a great college career. For Garrett, it was just his sophomore season.
Anderson also peaked early with a historic sophomore season at Alabama. He recorded an unbelievable 34.5 tackles for loss in 2021 alone. He added in 17.5 sacks to complete one of the most disruptive edge rusher seasons in the history of the sport. As a junior the following season, he added a measly 17 tackles for loss and 10 sacks to his total. For his efforts, he won the Nagurski Trophy twice, the Bednarik Award once and was a unanimous All-American. His sophomore season is the stuff of legends to this day — he recorded multiple tackles for loss in 8 consecutive games at one point during the 2021 season.
Also receiving votes: Jadeveon Clowney, Jarvis Jones, David Pollack
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Defensive tackle: Glenn Dorsey, LSU; Nick Fairley, Auburn
Glenn Dorsey’s 2007 season is legendary. His havoc stats may appear underwhelming relative to the edge rushers we just talked about, but his 12.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks were enough to get him a top-10 finish in Heisman Trophy voting. He also recorded a sack in LSU’s National Championship Game win over Ohio State at the end of the 2007 campaign.
Like Dorsey, Nick Fairley also helped his team win the national title. Fairley was the centerpiece of Auburn’s defense in 2010 when Cam Newton powered the Tigers to college football’s top prize. Fairley put up unbelievable numbers for an interior lineman, claiming 24 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks during that 2010 campaign. Fairley had a memorable moment in the second half of the Iron Bowl in 2010. With his team trailing 24-7 and with the Crimson Tide in the red zone, Fairley burst through Alabama’s offensive line, caused a Greg McElroy fumble and then pounced on it. Auburn went on to dominate the second half and won 28-27, keeping its national championship hopes alive.
Also receiving votes: Jordan Davis, Quinnen Williams
Inside linebacker: Patrick Willis, Ole Miss; Roquan Smith, Georgia
Patrick Willis was a consensus pick from our staff, but the second spot was much more of a split decision. Smith ultimately won out, but a total of 7 players received votes at inside linebacker. That makes sense given how the SEC seemingly produces elite linebackers year after year.
Willis makes this list because of his historic 2006 season at Ole Miss. He led the SEC with 87 solo tackles to go along with 11.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 7 pass deflections and 2 forced fumbles. He also led the SEC in solo tackles in 2005 with 90. He captured SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors and All-America status in 2006 before going on to a legendary career with the San Francisco 49ers.
Smith wasn’t on the Georgia teams that ultimately won the national championship, but he played as big of a role as any other player in building Kirby Smart’s program. Smith was a key player on Smart’s first UGA teams and was an All-American when the Bulldogs reached the National Championship Game in 2017. Forget his 137 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 2017 — he was everywhere in Georgia’s instant-classic win over Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl. It was Smith who brought down OU’s Jordan Smallwood on 3rd-and-short in overtime of that game, forcing the Sooners to settle for a field goal. UGA went on to win the game in double OT.
Also receiving votes: DeMeco Ryans, Brandon Spikes, CJ Mosley, Rolando McClain, Nakobe Dean
Cornerback: Patrick Peterson, LSU; Tyrann Mathieu, LSU; Vernon Hargreaves, Florida
LSU claims 2 cornerbacks spots, strengthening its grip on DBU. Peterson was a no-doubt selection — the former first-round pick won the Jim Thorpe and Bednarik Awards during his time in Baton Rouge. His 7 career interceptions significantly undersell the impact he had while shutting down half the field for LSU’s secondary from 2008-10.
Mathieu’s place on this list is perhaps more contentious, but fitting for a player who inspired so many emotions from fans while playing for the Tigers. Nicknamed “Honey Badger” for his high-effort, frenetic style, Mathieu stood at just 5-foot-9 but was able to make a huge impact as a defensive back in the SEC and, later, in the NFL. In college, Mathieu registered 133 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 4 interceptions, 16 pass deflections and a staggering 11 forced fumbles. He did all of that in 2 seasons while also contributing as an elite punt returner (2 PR touchdowns in 2011). He won the Bednarik Award and finished 5th in Heisman Trophy voting in 2011 as well.
The last cornerback to make the cut is Hargreaves, who is Florida’s lone representative on the defensive side of the ball. Although he never won a national individual award, Hargreaves earned first-team All-SEC honors 3 times, making him one of the few players in league history to accomplish that feat. He left Gainesville with 121 tackles, 10 interceptions and 27 pass deflections. Hargreaves was a unanimous All-American in 2015 before becoming a first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Also receiving votes: Patrick Surtain II
Safety: Eric Berry, Tennessee; Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
Both Eric Berry and Minkah Fitzpatrick were unanimous selections for our staff. Let’s start with Berry, who was an absolute ball magnet during his time with the Vols. He picked off 14 passes in 3 seasons, returning 3 of them for touchdowns. He was a 2-time unanimous All-American, an SEC Defensive Player of the Year and won the Jim Thorpe Award.
Fitzpatrick has a similar résumé but also was part of 2 national championship-winning teams in Tuscaloosa. He picked off 9 passes during his college career, returning 4 of them for touchdowns. His trophy case also includes the Jim Thorpe Award as well as a Bednarik Award. Fitzpatrick was also credited with 26 pass deflections during his college career.
Punter: JK Scott, Alabama
JK Scott won our staff vote for the best punter of the last quarter-century in the SEC. The former Alabama punter recorded 108 punts inside the 20-yard line during his college career, which is the most of any SEC punter since 2013. He was also first-team All-SEC twice and was a member of 2 national championship-winning teams at Alabama.
Also receiving votes: Max Duffy, Dustin Colquitt, Braden Mann
Coach: Nick Saban, LSU and Alabama
Could anyone else have been selected for this spot? Not according to our staff, who unanimously selected Nick Saban as the SEC’s top coach of the last 25 years. That designation significantly undersells Saban, who is by any measure one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of college athletics. His résumé at LSU and Alabama includes 7 national championships, 11 SEC titles and 5 SEC Coach of the Year honors. Since 2001, Saban has won 143 SEC games. Mark Richt is second on that list with 83. Among active SEC head coaches, Kirby Smart (69) and Lane Kiffin (36) are the closest.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
