- Joe Burrow headlines the offense: LSU's 2019 Heisman winner earned the quarterback spot after producing one of the greatest seasons in college football history, while Alabama's Najee Harris, DeVonta Smith and Georgia's Brock Bowers also lead an offense loaded with elite talent.
- Alabama and Georgia dominate the roster: The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs account for the majority of selections, including Will Anderson Jr., Patrick Surtain II, Xavier McKinney, Roquan Smith and Nakobe Dean, underscoring the programs' sustained dominance over the past decade.
- PFF grades separate elite candidates: With multiple NFL stars competing for nearly every position, PFF grades and advanced metrics such as pressure rate, receiving grade and run-blocking grade were used to distinguish the conference's best performers over the last 10 seasons.
No conference has produced more elite college football talent over the past decade than the SEC. The Big Ten is certainly close, and three consecutive national titles going North is evidence that the gap is closing. But over 10 years, the conversation still begins in the South.
Highlighted by the undefeated national championship teams of LSU in 2019 and Georgia in 2022, the conference has consistently set the standard for excellence at the team level. But individually, the conference has also produced four of the last seven Heisman Trophy winners.
Building an all-decade team for the SEC is no easy task. Several positions feature multiple players with legitimate claims, making PFF grading an all-important factor in separating the field. Using PFF data from the last 10 seasons, here is our SEC All-Decade Team.
Quarterback
- Joe Burrow, LSU
Burrow’s second season in Baton Rouge is arguably the greatest individual season in college football history. He finished his LSU career with a jaw-dropping 76 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions.
In 2019, Burrow’s adjusted completion percentage of 81.9% and passer rating of 143.7 are among the most remarkable figures ever posted by a collegiate passer. Other candidates include Mac Jones, Jayden Daniels, Bryce Young, and Tua Tagovailoa.
Running back
- Najee Harris, Alabama
The 24th overall pick in 2021 is rightfully considered a modern great in Alabama's backfield in the era following Derrick Henry. Harris' 3,841 rushing yards are the second most by an SEC running back over the last decade, trailing only Kentucky's Benny Snell Jr. — the pair were teammates for two seasons with the Steelers.
Harris averaged 6.0 yards per carry, forced a record 183 missed tackles on rushing attempts and earned an SEC-best PFF rushing grade (96.1) over his career. Perhaps most impressively, Harris fumbled just once on 639 rushing attempts. He went on to surpass his Alabama production in Pittsburgh, recording four consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Wide receivers
- Devonta Smith, Alabama
- Malik Nabers, LSU
- Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
This is arguably the strongest offensive position in the conference. The SEC has produced bona fide NFL superstars such as Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and A.J. Brown during this period. Even so, our three selections are the only SEC wide receivers to record at least 2,500 receiving yards while earning a PFF receiving grade above 90.0 during their college careers.
DeVonta Smith stands head and shoulders above the rest in nearly every category. He ended a 29-year drought of wide receivers winning the Heisman Trophy, and nobody comes within 700 yards of his career receiving total.
Nabers and Jeudy both paired elite production with dominant play. Nabers is the only receiver to rank among the top five in both missed tackles forced and contested catches over the past decade. The trio also ranks as the top three SEC wide receivers in receptions of 15 or more yards over the past decade.
Tight End
- Brock Bowers, Georgia
Bowers is the easiest selection on the entire list. He leads all SEC tight ends in PFF grade, receiving yards, touchdowns, first downs, passer rating when targeted, explosive receptions, yards per route run and just about every other metric you can think of.
Bowers' competition, primarily Kyle Pitts and Eli Stowers, doesn't even come within 1,000 receiving yards of him. While Pitts recorded two more contested catches over his college career, Bowers was utterly dominant after the catch. His 1,487 yards after the catch and 44 forced missed tackles are both more than double the totals of the next-closest SEC tight end.
Offensive Tackles
- Jonah Williams, Alabama
- Andrew Thomas, Georgia
Like wide receiver, offensive tackle offers an endless number of options. At least one SEC offensive tackle has been selected in the first round of each of the past eight NFL drafts. Williams and Thomas were first-round picks in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
Their overall PFF grades (88.4 and 88.1) lead all SEC offensive tackles with more than 2,500 snaps over the past decade, a testament to their sustained excellence. Facing pass rushers who went on to become disruptive forces in the NFL, the pair allowed just 10 sacks on more than 2,300 combined pass-blocking snaps.
Interior Offensive Linemen
- Frank Ragnow, Arkansas
- Landon Dickerson, Alabama
- Braden Smith, Auburn
Dickerson and Smith rank among the top 10 in pressure rate allowed among interior offensive linemen with at least 200 qualifying pass-blocking snaps. While both also excelled in the run game, Frank Ragnow's 95.9 PFF run-blocking grade at Arkansas is one of the highest in PFF history.
All three players were born outside the SEC's traditional recruiting footprint — Ragnow in Minnesota, Dickerson in North Carolina and Smith in Kansas. The trio has since flourished in the NFL, combining for more than 19,000 career snaps.
Interior Defensive Linemen
- Quinnen Williams, Alabama
- Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State
Quinnen Williams played just 798 snaps at Alabama, as he spent his first two seasons behind several future first-round picks. However, his 96.0 overall PFF grade stands well clear of the field. Jeffery Simmons ranks second among SEC interior defenders with a 93.7 grade.
Williams' 15.1% pressure rate leads all SEC interior defenders over the past decade, ahead of fellow Alabama standouts Jonathan Allen and Christian Barmore. Simmons is renowned as a pass rusher in the NFL, but at Mississippi State, he was just as dominant against the run. His 33 tackles for loss or no gain and four forced fumbles on running plays both rank first among SEC interior defenders over the past decade.
Auburn's Derrick Brown and Georgia's Jalen Carter, both top-10 NFL draft picks, are unfortunate omissions from what is arguably the deepest position group on the team.
Edge Defenders
- Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
- Josh Hines-Allen, Kentucky
Only the final season of Myles Garrett's SEC career falls within our sample period. Otherwise, he would have been an easy selection here. Will Anderson Jr. and Josh Hines-Allen (who was still known as Josh Allen at the time) earned overall PFF grades of 91.6 and 90.6, respectively, before becoming difference-makers in the NFL.
They are the only two SEC edge defenders with more than 30 sacks over the past decade. Hines-Allen was remarkably efficient at converting pressures into sacks, while Anderson was a disruptive force throughout his career at Alabama. His 206 pressures are the most by an SEC edge defender over the past decade. In fact, the gap between first and second is larger than the gap between second and 27th.
Linebackers
- Roquan Smith, Georgia
- Nakobe Dean, Georgia
Georgia has been Linebacker U since Kirby Smart took over as head coach. Smith and Dean's overall PFF grades (94.5 and 91.4) lead all SEC linebackers over the past decade, with Devin White, Nick Bolton and Edgerrin Cooper not far behind.
Dean was a ruthless blitzer, a trait he carried into the NFL, recording 44 pressures and nine sacks on 200 pass-rushing snaps for the Bulldogs. His predecessor, Roquan Smith, made his name as a rangy run defender who tracked down running backs from sideline to sideline while missing just 5.5% of his tackle attempts.
Cornerbacks
- Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
- Derek Stingley Jr., LSU
- Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
Surtain is one of the few undisputed selections on this list. He earned a 93.4 overall PFF grade at Alabama while playing more coverage snaps than any SEC cornerback over the past decade. Surtain also excelled against the run and allowed only four touchdowns in coverage.
Derek Stingley Jr. delivered one of the greatest freshman seasons by a defensive back in college football history while helping LSU to an undefeated national championship. Although injuries somewhat hindered his final two seasons, his play picked up again immediately upon entering the NFL. His 39.2% completion rate allowed at LSU is the lowest by any SEC cornerback over the past decade.
Minkah Fitzpatrick gets the nod at nickel corner over Texas' Jahdae Barron, who played just one season in the SEC but still built a compelling case. Quarterbacks produced a passer rating of just 59.6 when targeting Fitzpatrick in the slot.
Safeties
- Xavier McKinney, Alabama
- Grant Delpit, LSU
Beyond McKinney, there wasn't an obvious second choice. I considered listing Minkah Fitzpatrick at safety to open the door for another cornerback, such as Greedy Williams or Roger McCreary. However, that would do a disservice to the slot role, where Fitzpatrick played his best football.
Grant Delpit is another member of LSU's undefeated national championship team, and his 17 pass breakups rank second among SEC safeties over the past decade. He also recorded eight interceptions. Meanwhile, Xavier McKinney was an all-around dominant presence on the back end of some of Nick Saban's final defenses. He excelled in every phase of the game, from pass rushing (seven sacks) to tackling (88.0% tackle conversion rate) and coverage (52.0% completion rate allowed).
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