Celebrating the SEC’s multiple consensus All-American selections

Every SEC school can claim dozens of All-Americans throughout their respective histories, many dating back to the 19th century. But those same schools claim far fewer consensus All-Americans, and even fewer who earned that illustrious honor twice.

With that in mind, we’ve uncovered and honored the SEC’s multiple-time consensus All-American honorees in an effort to highlight the players who sustained success unlike any others throughout their collegiate careers.

ALABAMA

Terrence Cody (2008-09): Although Alabama claims 59 consensus All-Americans in its history, Cody was the first to achieve the feat twice during his career in Tuscaloosa. Serving as Nick Saban’s first high-profile star at Alabama (for both his play and his playing weight), Cody was a part of the 2009 team that won Saban’s first title at ‘Bama and set a school record with six All-American selections.

Barrett Jones (2011-12): Jones will go down as perhaps the most versatile offensive lineman in SEC history, starting at three different positions (right guard, left tackle and center), earning consensus All-America honors at the latter two positions. He was a member of three national title teams at Alabama and won the Outland and Rimington Trophies before departing for the NFL.

C.J. Mosley (2012-13): Mosley wasted no time making an impact at Alabama, earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 2010 before earning consensus All-America honors twice. In 2013 he won the Butkus Award and was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and in his first NFL season in 2014 he earned a Pro Bowl invite, second-team All-Pro honors and the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

ARKANSAS

Billy Ray Smith Jr. (1981-82): Smith starred for the Razorbacks in the late 1970s and early ’80s, recording 299 career tackles including 63 for loss, which remains a school record. He captained the 1982 team to a 9-2-1 record, and then went on to star for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers, where he earned second-team All-Pro honors and a spot on the Chargers’ 50th anniversary team.

AUBURN

Bo Jackson (1983, 1985): By now you’re likely familiar with Jackson’s legendary athletic career. The unmatched success in three different sports (football, baseball and track), the heroic plays he made look so easy and the accolades and achievements most athletes only dream of all contribute to Jackson’s incredible legacy. Among those accolades are two consensus All-America honors and a Heisman Trophy cementing Jackson as one of the greatest college football players of all-time.

Tracy Rocker (1987-88): Rocker picked up where former Auburn legend Aundray Bruce left off when he departed from the plains to become the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Rocker was a two-time consensus All-American and also won the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award before beginning an NFL career of his own, and he led Auburn to an incredible 19-3-2 record in his two All-American seasons.

FLORIDA

Wilber Marshall (1982-83): Marshall was a three-time first-team All-SEC selection in addition to his two consensus All-American seasons at Florida, and as a senior in 1983 he was named National Defensive Player of the Year by ABC Sports. He recorded 343 tackles (58 for loss) and 20 sacks for Charley Pell’s Gators, and in 2006 the Gainesville Sun named him No. 4 on its list of the 100 greatest Gators ever.

Brandon Spikes (2008-09): Spikes achieved something even the legendary Tim Tebow couldn’t accomplish during the Urban Meyer dynasty at Florida in the late-2000s. He was twice named a consensus All-American as the leader of a defense that sent nearly its entire starting lineup into the NFL, making plays in every way imaginable. He logged 14.5 tackles for loss, six interceptions, a forced fumble and four defensive touchdowns in his two All-American seasons, and was regarded as one of the most feared defenders in the SEC.

GEORGIA

Frank Sinkwich (1941-42): In addition to earning two consensus All-America honors, Sinkwich was the SEC’s first Heisman Trophy winner when he won the award in 1942. He’d go on to be the first pick of the 1943 NFL draft, and in 1942 was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, beating out legends like baseball star Ted Williams for the honor.

Herschel Walker (1980-82): Walker actually earned consensus All-America honors in each of his three collegiate seasons, placing him in the discussion among the greatest college football players of all-time. Even more impressive, he won a Heisman and was a top NFL draft pick like Sinkwich, but also placed in the top 3 in Heisman voting in each of his three seasons. He became the first true freshman to ever earn All-America honors, elevating his career achievements even a bit further.

Terry Hoage (1982-83): Hoage’s career overlapped with Walker’s, and together they helped lead Vince Dooley’s Georgia Bulldogs to new heights in the early 1980s. The Dawgs won three straight SEC titles from 1980-82, thanks in large part to Hoage, who eventually cracked the top 5 in Heisman voting as a senior in 1983 despite playing defensive back, a position rarely regarded by Heisman voters.

David Pollack (2002, 2004): To this day, many consider Pollack to be one of the best defensive players in the history of SEC football, and those fans aren’t wrong. Pollack was a three-time All-American (he wasn’t a consensus honoree in 2003 but was in ’02 and ’04), and better yet he was named the SEC’s Player of the Year in both 2002 and ’04. He won the Bednarik, Lombardi and Ted Hendricks Awards as well as the Lott Trophy, but had his NFL career cut short by a neck injury after only one season.

Jarvis Jones (2011-12): Jones is now terrorizing NFL offenses for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but during his days at UGA it was SEC quarterbacks on which Jones feasted regularly. In addition to his All-America seasons he was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, his final year in school, and he was also awarded the Jack Lambert Trophy that year, perhaps some foreshadowing to where he’d head to begin his pro career (Lambert is a Steelers legend).

KENTUCKY

Babe Parilli (1950-51): Parilli quarterbacked Kentucky through its most successful two-year stretch in program history, leading Paul “Bear” Bryant’s Wildcats to a 19-5 record including a 10-1 record in 1950. That year, the Cats upset No. 1 Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, and although they were never awarded a national championship they were retroactively named the No. 1 team from that season by the Sagarin ratings. Parilli was as successful in the NFL as he was in college, cementing his legacy as one of the great quarterbacks of his generation.

Lou Michaels (1956-57): Few know his name, but Michaels is one of the greatest offensive linemen in SEC history. He played for UK not long after Bryant’s departure for Texas A&M, and is best remembered for his famous quote “Nothing sucks like a Big Orange” following Kentucky’s victory over Tennessee in 1957. Michaels later went on to have a successful NFL career including two Pro Bowl honors.

LSU

Billy Cannon (1958-59): Cannon was college football’s biggest star in the late 1950s, winning the 1959 Heisman Trophy and earning multiple National Player of the Year honors at the end of both the 1958 and 1959 seasons. He led the SEC in rushing yards and touchdowns in 1958, and eventually went on to be the No. 1 overall pick of both the NFL and AFL drafts, making him the first player ever drafted into the AFL.

Tommy Casanova (1969-71): Casanova was a three-time consensus All-American, and he was one of four players on LSU’s defense in 1969 to earn All-America honors. His versatility is what made him a star, as he excelled nationally as a running back, kick returner, punt returner and defensive back during his three-year career on the Bayou. His number (37) is now retired at LSU, and he went on to appear in three Pro Bowls in the NFL as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

N/A — Mississippi State has 2 consensus All-Americans in its history, but none who achieved the feat twice.

MISSOURI

Jeremy Maclin (2007-08): Maclin remains one of the most exciting receivers in the NFL today, but his career began at Mizzou back when the Tigers still competed in the Big 12. It was in CoMo that Maclin erupted for 182 catches, 2,315 receiving yards, 22 receiving touchdowns, 668 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, two kickoff return touchdowns and three punt return touchdowns, all in only two years of college ball. He was college football’s greatest all-purpose player, and he’s continued to dominate as a more traditional wideout in the NFL.

OLE MISS

N/A — Ole Miss has 11 consensus All-Americans in its history, but none who achieved the feat twice.

SOUTH CAROLINA

N/A — South Carolina has 4 consensus All-Americans in its history, but none who achieved the feat twice.

TENNESSEE

Larry Seivers (1975-76): Seivers is one of the greatest receivers in Tennessee history, and when he graduated from UT in the mid-70s he held nearly every receiving record in school history, although many have since been broken. He never lasted in the NFL, but he caught the only touchdown in the Vols’ 7-3 bowl victory over Maryland in 1974, and was later named an SEC Football Legend in 2005.

John Henderson (2000-01): Henderson was one of the most feared defensive linemen in football during his heyday, earning two consensus All-America honors and the 2000 Outland Trophy before leaving Knoxville for the NFL. At UT he teamed up with fellow NFL-bound defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, and although the two never won an SEC title together they did reach a bowl game in each of their three seasons together. Henderson’s 20.5 career sacks ranked fifth in school history when he graduated in 2001.

Eric Berry (2008-09): One of the SEC’s greatest defensive backs ever, Berry was a transcendent generational talent at Tennessee in the mid-to-late 2000s. In three seasons as a Vol, including two as a consensus All-American, Berry logged 245 tackles (more than 80 per season) in addition to 17.5 tackles for loss, 14 interceptions, 31 passes defended, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and three defensive touchdowns for his career. Those numbers speak for themselves, as do his All-America honors, his Thorpe Award and his top-5 NFL draft selection.

TEXAS A&M

John Kimbrough (1939-40): Kimbrough is another name unfamiliar to most SEC fans outside of College Station, although when he starred for A&M the Aggies were still 70 years away from joining the SEC. He starred at fullback on A&M’s undefeated 1939 team that was crowned the national champion, and he finished as the runner-up in the 1940 Heisman voting before departing for the NFL, where he was the No. 2 overall pick in 1941. He’s since been named a College Football Hall of Fame inductee.

VANDERBILT

N/A — Vanderbilt has 5 consensus All-Americans in its history, but none who achieved the feat twice.

Ethan Levine

A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.