50 greatest SEC football players this century, ranked

Best SEC football players this century – 7. Ja’Marr Chase, LSU, Wide Receiver (2018-2019)

This recent LSU Championship was the result of one of the best collections of talents coming together at the best possible time. It was the offense that was incredibly unstoppable. A lot of that had a lot to do with Joe Burrow putting up one of the most special seasons ever seen, but Burrow would never have done that without Ja’Marr Chase.

Chase was given a starting role in the middle of his true freshman season. He didn’t knock it out of the park, but he made some plays and showed some flashes of what would be a legendary sophomore season. He finished his season with 313 and three touchdowns. This included six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown against UCF in the Fiesta Bowl.

Where do we start on the magical 2019 campaign? Chase broke so many records and won so many awards in 2019. He broke the record for receiving yards and touchdowns in a season in SEC history (which has since been broken by DeVonta Smith). He led the league in yards and touchdowns and helped Burrow win the Heisman Trophy. The previous LSU record for touchdowns in a season was 12 by Dwayne Bowe. Chase finished the season with 20.

Chase finished the season with a win for the 2019 Biletnikoff Award and he was named a unanimous All-American. He put on a show in the 2019-20 National Championship against Clemson. He had 221 yards on nine catches and two touchdowns. It was a fitting end to a magical season. Chase decided to sit out the 2020 season and prepare for the NFL Draft as LSU was clearly preparing for a rebuild. He’s torn up the NFL, showing he was just scratching the surface in college.