For years now, LSU has called itself Defensive Back University. With prestigious alumni, tons of top-notch SEC performers and a steady stream of touted defensive back recruits, they have every right to make the claim.

But is LSU really the SEC’s DBU?

To figure it out, we did some simple tallying. We looked back at the last 10 recruiting cycles (2006-15), seasons and NFL drafts (2005-14). Each four- or five-star wide receiver recruit a school signed earned a half-point, each AP first-team All-SEC selection earned two points, AP All-American selections were worth four points and NFL draft picks were worth three.

In the cases of Missouri and Texas A&M, both of which joined the conference in 2012, we included any AP first-team Big 12 selections from 2005-11.

Team 4- and 5-star sginees 1st Team All-SEC All-Americans NFL draft picks Total points
Alabama 25 9 5 12 86.5
Arkansas 3 0 0 3 10.5
Auburn 8 0 0 6 22
Florida 25 9 3 5 57.5
Georgia 12 4 1 11 51
Kentucky 3 1 0 1 6.5
LSU 24 7 6 14 92
Mississippi State 5 2 1 3 19.5
Missouri 0 3 0 2 12
Ole Miss 5 3 2 3 25.5
South Carolina 12 1 1 10 42
Tennessee 12 2 2 3 27
Texas A&M 11 0 0 2 11.5
Vanderbilt 3 3 0 4 20.5

If you’re shocked, you haven’t been paying attention to the SEC for the last decade. LSU can indeed rightfully claim DBU for itself, racking up 92 points by our scoring.

The Bayou Bengals claim not just some of the SEC’s best DBs from the last decade, but also some of the brightest stars in the NFL today. It shows with the 14 defensive backs they have had chosen in the NFL draft since 2005, as well as their six All-American selections in that time frame, both most in the SEC. Names like Patrick Peterson, Morris Claiborne, Tyrann Mathieu and Eric Reid have all taken turns dominating in the defensive backfield over the last 10 years for the Tigers.

Also not surprising: Alabama comes in tight on LSU’s heels. The Crimson Tide have recruited more four- and five-star players than LSU (25 to 24) and have placed more on the All-SEC first team (nine to seven) over the last decade, and are a close second in draft picks (12 to LSU’s 14).

The rest of the SEC is a full level or two down. Georgia has sent 11 players to the NFL draft, while Florida has nine All-SEC first teamers and three All-American selections. South Carolina sneaks into the second tier as well, with 10 DBs drafted over the last decade.