50 greatest SEC football players this century, ranked

Best SEC football players this century – 2. Darren McFadden, Arkansas, Running Back (2005-2007)

Darren McFadden was the Arkansas superstar who stayed home and brought the Arkansas Razorbacks to new heights. He was born in Little Rock and he spent his entire young life within the state. He took the scholarship to go to Arkansas very early in his recruitment process, showing his loyalty to his home state.

He was the starter right away for the Razorbacks and he immediately made an impact. He rushed for 1,133 yards as a freshman. McFadden only had 11 touchdowns as Arkansas was dealing with a down season overall despite a few close matchups. Despite only winning four games, McFadden still earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors.

McFadden started off his sophomore season slowly due to a toe injury, but he was off to the races after Week 3. Against Alabama in the fourth game of the season, he had 112 yards and a touchdown as Arkansas beat the Crimson Tide in double overtime. That was back in 2006 and Arkansas hasn’t beaten Alabama since. He finished the season with 1,647 yards and 14 touchdowns.

McFadden already had a Doak Walker award under his belt and it looked like he might be one of the best players in college football in 2007. Unlike a lot of other superstars on this list, he was able to come back from a huge sophomore season and he had an even bigger junior season. He rushed for 1,830 yards and had 17 total touchdowns. The biggest game was a 50-48 triple-overtime victory over then No. 1 LSU. McFadden rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns and he even added a passing touchdown.