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SEC Football

ESPN includes 5 SEC stars in top 20 of 2024 player rankings

Cory Nightingale

By Cory Nightingale

Published:

ESPN’s list of the top 100 players of the just-completed 2024 season was revealed on Wednesday morning, and the SEC was well-represented with 5 players in the top 20.

Although there were no SEC players in the first 6, with Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado not surprisingly coming in at No. 1, there were plenty of the SEC’s elite from this past fall high on the list. The first SEC player named was Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., who landed at No. 7. Banks was the first player in the prestigious history of Longhorns football to win the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award in the same season.

South Carolina defensive end Kyle Kennard came in at No. 10. Kennard led the SEC in tackles-for-loss (15.5) and sacks (11.5) while adding 3 forced fumbles.

Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron was the next SEC star on the list at No. 14. Barron captured the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back. Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker was right behind Barron at No. 15 after winning the Butkus Award as the country’s best linebacker.

And right behind Walker at No. 16 was Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson, who set school single-season records with 1,491 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns in 2024.

Cory Nightingale

Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.

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