The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots are just hours away from kicking off Super Bowl LX.
One of the most-bet markets each year on Super Bowl Sunday is the MVP market, which has heavily tilted toward quarterbacks in recent years. Quarterbacks have won 5 of the last 6 Super Bowl MVP trophies, including 3 in a row.
History suggests former North Carolina star Drake Maye and ex-USC quarterback Sam Darnold are the favorites for the award. Most the best sports betting apps do have Darnold (+115 on BetMGM) and Maye (+240) out in front.
Super Bowl MVP odds
But what former SEC stars could get into the mix? Let’s break down a few of the top candidates:
Kayshon Boutte, Patriots wide receiver
Former LSU receiver Kayshon Boutte has emerged as a big-time weapon for Drake Maye in the Patriots offense. Excluding the blizzard-impacted AFC Championship Game, Boutte has at least 65 receiving yards in each of New England’s other postseason victories this year. Boutte also scored a touchdown against the Texans in the divisional round.
Cooper Kupp, who coincidentally is on the Seahawks, is the most recent wide receiver to win Super Bowl MVP, doing so with the Rams just 4 years ago.
Per BetMGM, Boutte is a huge long-shot to win Super Bowl MVP, as he’s priced at +15000 to take home the award.
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Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots running back
Rhamondre Stevenson doesn’t quite fit the question because he never played in the SEC, but Stevenson was a star at Oklahoma prior to entering the NFL. He was a 4th-round pick out of OU back in the 2021 draft and has been a consistent contributor since his rookie year.
Stevenson would be looking to snap a long drought of running backs not being picked for Super Bowl MVP. Former Georgia running back Terrell Davis was the last running back to win the award way back in 1998.
Stevenson is another long-shot, with BetMGM setting his odds at +3000 to win Super Bowl MVP.
Nick Emmanwori, Seahawks safety
Nick Emmanwori was one of the NFL’s best rookies this season, totaling 81 tackles, 11 pass deflections and 2.5 sacks while starting most weeks for one of the league’s best secondaries. The ex-South Carolina DB reportedly suffered an injury in practice earlier in the week, but is active and expected to play on Sunday night.
Defensive players have won Super Bowl MVPs before, although recent examples have been linebackers such as former Texas A&M star Von Miller. The last defensive back to win Super Bowl MVP was Dexter Jackson 2003. He picked off 2 passes in that game to help secure the award.
Emmanwori is +8000 to win Super Bowl MVP, per DraftKings.
Other ex-SEC players involved in this game include former LSU stars K’Lavon Chaisson and Will Campbell. Former SEC quarterbacks such as Drew Lock (Seahawks) and Josh Dobbs (Patriots) could see action as reserves as well.
Not in a legal betting state? You can still survey the Super Bowl MVP market on prediction markets like Kalshi, which is legal in most US states!
Here’s a live look at the Super Bowl MVP market on Kalshi:
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
