50 greatest SEC football players this century

50 greatest SEC football players this century, ranked

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 19: Joe Burrow #9 and Ja"u2019Marr Chase #1 of the LSU Tigers high five each other during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Starkville, Mississippi. The Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 36-13. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

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Michael Sam #52 of the Missouri Tigers (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Best SEC football players this century – 40. Michael Sam, Missouri, Defensive End (2009-2013)

Michael Sam is the first openly gay player to get selected in the NFL Draft, but before people knew his name for that, he was a great player for a non-traditional SEC team. Missouri joined the SEC in 2012. Since then, they’ve made some noise at times, but they’ve never been a real contender with Alabama, LSU and Georgia. However, there have been some great players to come through. Michael Sam might be the very best.

Sam led the SEC with 11.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss in his senior year. That helped him earn a share of the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award. Sam also directly made an impact on the Cotton Bowl, forcing a fumble that was returned for a touchdown in the Tigers’ win. He did all this at defensive end despite many largely considering him too small for the position. He was always breaking barriers.

Best SEC football players this century – 39. Rolando McClain, Alabama, Linebacker (2007-2009)

Rolando McClain was one of the top recruits of the 2007 class for Nick Saban. He eventually earned the starting linebacker job in the middle of his freshman season. He took over as middle linebacker in his junior year, which is when he became an Alabama legend. Just look at this line from him: 105 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, 14 quarterback hurries, two interceptions, three pass breakups, eight passes defended and a forced fumble. He literally did everything a middle linebacker possibly could. That’s why he was named SEC Player of the Year.

McClain was nationally recognized as one of the best linebackers in the country. He won the Butkus and Lambert Awards and also helped lead the Crimson Tide to a National Championship. Every time there was a big game, McClain came up big. He was great in the Iron Bowl against Auburn, in the SEC Championship against Florida and in the National Championship Game, he was able to make an impact against Texas despite Mack Brown putting together a game plan to specifically avoid him.

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