Editor’s note: SDS is ranking the 25 best SEC players — at any position — of the last decade. Tennessee safety Eric Berry is next up in a 25-part daily series.

7.) TENNESSEE DB ERIC BERRY (2007-09)

Tennessee’s best player in the last decade and one of the Top 5 in program history, Berry is one of the most decorated defensive backs ever to play in the SEC, a two-time consensus All-American with several individual awards and accolades as a hard-hitting safety with a penchant for takeaways.

Afer establishing himself as a star in the secondary as a freshman All-American, Berry led the nation in interceptions (7) and interception return yards (265) in 2008 under immense expectations as the SEC’s top returning player against the pass. Berry returned two of those picks for touchdowns and was the runaway choice for league defensive player of the year.

With a reputation to uphold, Berry recorded a career-best 87 stops in his final campaign as a junior, taking home the Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation’s top defensive back and another unanimous All-American selection. He skipped his final year of eligibility for the NFL Draft and was selected fifth overall by the Kansas City Chiefs.

In five seasons, Berry has already been invited to three Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2013.

Unfortunately, he’s battling a much different adversary this offseason. Berry, 26, is currently undergoing treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma and has taken a leave of absence from the franchise.

Career numbers: 245 total tackles (157 solo), 17.5 TFL, 14 INT, 31 passes defended
Individual superlatives: Consensus All-American (2008-09); All-SEC (2007-09); Jim Thorpe Award (2009); SEC Def. POTY (2008); Freshman All-American (2007)
Defining moment: It would take several paragraphs to discuss Berry’s most noteworthy games in Knoxville, but a memorable third quarter against LSU in the 2007 SEC Championship as a true freshman seemed to kick-off his stardom. On consecutive possessions, Berry picked off a pass and recovered a fumble, defining his role as the Vols’ top playmaker on defense.