By Dave Holcomb
SouthernPigskin.com

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Dave Holcomb shares his top 25 SEC players from the last 20 years.

Here at Southern Pigskin, I am continuing my celebration of recent college football history, looking into the best from the SEC over the last 20 years.

Weve already taken a look at the Top 20 offensive and defensive players, but I thought it would be fun to now combine the two lists and decide who are the best 25 overall players since 2000.

Without further ado, here is that list:

25. Jonathan Allen, Alabama — Of course the first two players on this list would be from Alabama. Allen led the Crimson Tide to the national championship in 2015 and then won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award in 2016. Also that season, he took home the Lombardi award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and Chuck Bednarik award. He was a unanimous All-American in 2016 and made the first-team All-SEC team three times.

24. Barrett Jones, Alabama — Jones was the best offensive lineman on a championship team three times at three different positions — right guard, left tackle and center. Thats about all one needs to know about Jones. In 2011, he became a first-team All-American at left tackle and won the Outland Trophy before switching to center. During 2012, he won the Rimington Trophy and made first-team All-American again.

23. Eli Manning, Ole Miss — The youngest Manning brother faced unrealistic expectations due to his father and brother, yet he absolutely shined at Ole Miss. With 3,600 passing yards and 29 touchdowns, he led the Rebels to their first 10-win season during 2003 in more than 30 years. Manning won numerous awards and ended his career with 10,119 passing yards and 81 touchdowns passes. In SEC history, Manning remains in the top six in passing yards, touchdown passes and passer rating. He went on to win two Super Bowl MVP awards with the New York Giants.

22. Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina — Clowneys 2012 season was the best any South Carolina defender ever had, as he set school records with 13.0 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss. He earned a spot on the All-American team and won the Ted Hendricks award as the best defensive end in the country. However, he didnt live up to the hype during his final season in 2013. Injuries slowed him, and he coasted to the end of the year. Yet, he still went first overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.

21. Devin White, LSU — Winner of the Butkus award and a two-time first-team All-SEC member, White displayed all the traits needed to be a great linebacker. He also became a consensus All-American in 2018, and he posted 133 total tackles as a sophomore during the previous season.

20. Josh Allen, Kentucky — Allen cleaned up during award season in 2018 with the SEC Defensive Player of the Year honor, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik award. He also became second-team All-SEC in 2017 and an All-American during 2018.

19. Percy Harvin, Florida — Readers wont find a better dual-threat on this list. Harvin posted more than 400 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards as a freshman and then greater than 600 rushing and receiving yards in both his sophomore and junior seasons. He finished his career with nearly 3,800 yards from scrimmage and 32 touchdowns. Harvin helped lead the Gators to two 13-1 seasons and a pair of national titles.

18. John Henderson, Tennessee — The Tennessee defensive lineman played two seasons prior to 2000, but he counts for our list because he was a consensus All-American and first-team All-SEC in 2000 and 2001. Henderson also won the Outland Trophy in 2000.

17. Mark Ingram, Alabama — Ingram made history as the first Crimson Tide player to win the Heisman Trophy in 2009, leading Alabama to a 14-0 season with a then school-record 1,658 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He finished just eight yards shy of 2,000 yards from scrimmage that season. Over his entire career, he posted just shy of 4,000 yards from scrimmage, including 3,261 rushing yards and 46 total touchdowns.

16. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama — Tagovailoa was one of the harder players to place on our lists. Although he led Alabama to an incredible second-half comeback in the national championship as a freshman, he never led the Crimson Tide to a title as a full-time starter, and he didnt win the Heisman like the other top quarterbacks on this list. However, Tagovailoas awards and stats speak for themselves. He earned a plethora of accolades, including All-American, first-team All-SEC and the Maxwell during his career. He also completed more than 69 percent of his passes for an average of almost 11 yards per attempt with 87 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. In two years as a starter, Tagovailoa recorded 83 total scores.

15. Patrick Peterson, LSU — The only SEC player of the last 20 years to win both the Jim Thorpe and Chuck Bednarik awards, Peterson became a starter late during his freshman season. He joined the All-American team as a sophomore and junior and made first-team All-SEC during his junior season in 2010. Peterson then became the No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

14. C.J. Mosley, Alabama — The Alabama defense has featured so many great linebackers over the last decade that they could probably make up a majority of this list. Mosley earned a spot on the Freshman All-American team in 2010 and helped the Crimson Tide win two national championships in 2011 and 2012. Mosley made the All-American and first-team All-SEC teams twice, won the 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year award and the 2013 Butkus award as well.

13. Shawn Andrews, Arkansas — Andrews became an immediate star, earning a spot on the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America team and then two All-American nominations the next two seasons. He also made first-team All-SEC twice before becoming a first-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. Andrews also won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy twice for being the best blocker in the SEC. In 2003, he was a finalist for both the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy.

12. Todd Gurley, Georgia — If not for injuries and a suspension over autographed memorabilia, Gurley would have easily landed in our Top 10. Gurley amassed nearly 1,400 rushing yards as a freshman and then never repeated that feat, but he eclipsed the 900-yard mark on the ground in all three of his seasons. He averaged 6.4 yards per rush in his career, including 7.4 yards per carry as a junior. The new Atlanta Falcons back ended his college career with 3,285 rushing yards and 42 total touchdowns in just 30 games.

11. Tyran Mathieu, LSU — Nicknamed cHoney Badger,d Mathieu won SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors and the Chuck Bednarik award in 2011 as a sophomore. He also finished as a Heisman Trophy finalist that season. Mathieu didnt play his junior season after violating team rules and receiving a football dismissal from LSU, but he still went on to star in the NFL, making the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.

10. Patrick Willis, Ole Miss — There arguably hasnt been a better tackler in the SEC over the last 20 years. Willis recorded 265 total tackles as a junior and senior on his way to two All-American and two first-team All-SEC nominations. He also won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award in 2006. Willis became just as big of a star in the NFL before retiring just after turning 30.

9. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M — Manziel became larger than life at Texas A&M with a victory against Alabama and a Heisman Trophy during his freshman season. He became the first freshman to win college footballs most coveted trophy in 2012. Over two seasons, Manziel posted 7,820 passing yards with 63 touchdowns through the air along with 2,169 more yards on the ground. In total, he accounted for 93 touchdowns in just 26 games. Texas A&M won 11 games in 2012, which is a win total it has matched just one other time over the last 25 years.

8. Eric Berry, Tennessee — The Volunteers safety won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Jim Thorpe awards but captured each honor in separate seasons (2008 and 2009). In a three-year college career, he made the All-American and first-team All-SEC each twice. He posted 245 total tackles, including 17.5 for loss and 14 interceptions.

7. Derrick Henry, Alabama — While Ingram became the first Crimson Tide player to win the Heisman Trophy, Henry repeated the feat six years later and broke all of Ingrams rushing marks. Henry eclipsed Herschel Walker too for most rushing yards in a single season in SEC history with 2,219 rushing yards during 2015. That was the only season he surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the ground, but his historic 2015 campaign remains one of the best a running back has ever experienced, and it came while leading Alabama to another championship. Henry finished his career with 3,591 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns.

6. Cam Newton, Auburn — Arguably the most important transfer player in SEC history other than maybe Joe Burrow, Newton only starred at Auburn for one season, but that was enough for him to win the Heisman Trophy and a national championship. In 2010, he averaged 10.2 yards per pass with 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Overall, he accounted for 4,369 yards and 51 touchdowns on his way to the Heisman Trophy. Auburn defeated Oregon in the title game to complete a perfect season.

5. Glenn Dorsey, LSU — Its hard imagining having a better season as a defender in college football than Dorsey experienced in 2007. He won the Lombardi award, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Lott Trophy while making the All-American and All-SEC teams for a second time. Furthermore, he led LSU to a national championship.

4. David Pollack, Georgia — The only three-time All-American on our list, Pollack is one of the most decorated defenders in college football history. With the Bulldogs, he became a three-time All-American and three-time first-team All-SEC player. He also won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Ted Hendricks award twice. In 2004, Pollack took home the Chuck Bednarik and Lombardi awards.

3. Darren McFadden, Arkansas — Falling short in the Heisman voting twice didnt prevent McFadden from landing at No. 3 on our list. Thats because he finished as the runner-up to college footballs most coveted individual prize twice and was the best back of his era. In 2006 and 2007, McFadden won the Doak Walker Award twice, the Jim Brown trophy, and Walter Camp Award while making the All-American team twice. Surpassing the 1,000-yard mark in all three of his seasons, McFadden posted 4,590 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns during his career.

2. Joe Burrow, LSU — Almost 65 percent of Burrows career passing yards came during one season, but his 2019 campaign was so historic, it cant be ignored. Burrow set NCAA records with 5,671 passing yards and 60 touchdowns with only six interceptions last year. He averaged a ridiculous 12.5 yards per pass. Burrow won just as much away from the field as he did on it last fall, cleaning up the award season with just about every accolade possible, including the Heisman Trophy. Then, he finished off the tremendous season with a 15-0 record and a national title against the defending champions.

1. Tim Tebow, Florida — No one is responsible for more touchdowns in SEC history. He helped Florida win two national championships and won the Heisman Trophy in 2007. As a starter, he went 48-7. Theres plenty of areas on this list that can be debated, but the top spot is not one of them. Tebow belongs in a class of his own as perhaps the greatest college football player in any conference since the turn of the century. In four seasons, he amassed 9,285 passing yards and 88 touchdowns versus only 16 interceptions. He also chipped in nearly another 3,000 yards and 57 scores on the ground. Overall, Tebow posted 12,232 total yards and 145 touchdowns.