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Ranking the most exciting SEC football players of all-time

In this article, I rank the top 10 most exciting SEC players in the 91 years of its existence

By Peter Bartell

Nov 26, 1983; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee senior Reggie White, a candidate for the prestigious Lombardi Trophy that goes to the nation's outstanding lineman, rests on the sidelines during the Vols 34-24 victory over Vanderbilt before 93,426 fans at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. Mandatory Credit: Ricky Rogers-USA TODAY NETWORK
Nov 26, 1983; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee senior Reggie White, a candidate for the prestigious Lombardi Trophy that goes to the nation's outstanding lineman, rests on the sidelines during the Vols 34-24 victory over Vanderbilt before 93,426 fans at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. Mandatory Credit: Ricky Rogers-USA TODAY NETWORK / The Tennessean-USA TODAY NETWORK
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The SEC has been in existence since 1933, which spans 82 years. In that time, the conference members have changed over the years, but the schools of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt have been members the entire time.

At present, the conference is at 14 members with Texas and Oklahoma joining the league in 2024. Amongst the 14 current members, there have been several memorable moments, teams, individual performances and players over the last 91 years. Moments like the SEC championship games, Iron Bowl and many more make the SEC what it is today, but the individual players have a lot to do with that.

In this article, I wanted to list the most exciting SEC players of all-time. Note that exciting does not necessarily mean the best of all-time, but rather the most fun to watch despite the numbers. Sure, most of these names will still be recognizable, but because the list is not strictly numbers-based, expect to see a name or two you may not think of.

Who are the most exciting SEC players of all-time?

10. Charley Trippi (QB, Georgia)

You have to go way back for this one, but Trippi deserves to be on the list. The quintuple threat Trippi was so versatile he was known for passing, running, punting, defense and catching. Trippi did it all in an era of the 1940’s where it was more common to see players on both sides of the ball.

Trippi led the Bulldogs to a Rose Bowl victory in 1943 and was named the game’s most valuable player. He would take an interlude to serve his country in World War II in 1944 before returning to Athens for the 1945 and 1946 seasons. In 1946, Trippi would be award the Maxwell Award as the nations most outstanding player. He was also named                the SEC Player of the Year and Consensus All-American recognition.

9. Derrick Thomas (LB, Alabama)

“D.T.” as he is known. Many remember him for his NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs where he was a nine-time Pro Bowl and two-time first-team All-Pro selection. However, Thomas started his wrecking ways on offense during his time with the Alabama Crimson Tide where he starred at linebacker from 1986-1988.

Thomas would play alongside other legendary Crimson Tide linebackers Cornelius Bennett and Keith McCants during his time in Tuscaloosa. He would total 204 tackles in three years, including 74 for loss and 10 forced fumbles.

He would receive the Dick Butkus Award in 1998 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

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