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The Super Bowl MVP award was birthed by Bart Starr, who captured the first 2 prestigious trophies after quarterbacking the Green Bay Packers to victory in Super Bowl 1 and 2.
But before he became a Packers icon, Starr played at Alabama, and so the SEC immediately had its fingerprints all over the Super Bowl MVP even before the Big Game became part of the American fabric. And after Starr went back-to-back, he handed the baton to another SEC alum — and another Crimson Tide quarterback — when Joe Namath led the New York Jets to an upset of the Baltimore Colts in one of the most unforgettable performances in Super Bowl history.
Three Super Bowls were played, 3 Super Bowl MVP awards were handed out and 3 individual performances were immortalized with deep SEC roots. The conference that has claimed superiority in the college game for so long even had bragging rights that stretched into the pro game’s biggest game of all.
And right away, too.
College Football Hall of Famer Jake Scott kept the SEC party going 4 years later in Super Bowl 7, with the Georgia product being named the game’s MVP to cap the Miami Dolphins’ perfect 17-0 season, which is still the only undefeated campaign in NFL history.
After a 2-decade dry spell of Super Bowl MVPs from the SEC, a couple of Pro Football Hall of Fame running backs got the conference going again. First, it was Florida’s Emmitt Smith getting the MVP prize for leading the Dallas Cowboys to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in the 1994 game. Four years later, Georgia chimed in again, with Terrell Davis carrying the Denver Broncos to their first Super Bowl championship.
A decade later, the SEC boasted 3 straight Super Bowl MVPs. Former Georgia wide receiver Hines Ward started it by leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to glory in the 2006 game. Then the Manning brothers took over the next 2 years, with Tennessee legend Peyton finally getting that first ring with the Indianapolis Colts followed the next season by Ole Miss legend Eli willing the New York Giants past the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
Four years later, Eli did it to the Patriots again with another MVP performance, courtesy of the SEC. Texas A&M was a member of the SEC by the time former Aggies linebacker Von Miller helped the Broncos to another championship in Super Bowl 50.
The past 8 Super Bowls have yielded no Super Bowl MVPs from the SEC, thanks mostly to Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes combining for 5 in this most recent span. The SEC did just fine in 58 prior Super Bowls, claiming 11 Super Bowl MVP awards courtesy of 9 conference legends.
Will the SEC’s mini-drought end Sunday in New Orleans, where the Kansas City Chiefs will go for a historic Super Bowl 3-peat against the Philadelphia Eagles? Mahomes will be an SEC roadblock once again, going for his 4th MVP. His Chiefs are favored by 1.5 points, via DraftKings Sportsbook.
There are plenty of SEC Super Bowl MVP candidates on both teams, but we’re going to dive into the 5 former SEC players most likely to capture the award. In no particular order …
1. Nick Bolton, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker
Bolton was a 2-time first-team All-SEC selection at Missouri in 2019 and 2020, and he was a second-team All-American pick in 2020. He’s already made his presence felt with the Chiefs, too, being a major part of 2 Super Bowl championship teams the past 2 seasons after being a 2nd-round pick by Kansas City in 2021.
And Mizzou fans could make the argument that Bolton should already have a Super Bowl MVP in his back pocket and might already have 1 if not for Mahomes stealing all the hardware. All the 24-year-old Texas native has done in the past 2 Super Bowls is lead the Chiefs in tackles, registering 9 (8 solo) 2 years ago against the Eagles and a whopping 13 (5 solo) in last year’s Big Game against the 49ers.
Bolton’s 36-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter against the Eagles tied the score at 14 and by halftime was an even bigger play because the Chiefs trailed 24-14 and really would’ve been in trouble if not for Bolton’s TD dash. Given Kansas City relying a lot more on its defense this season, perhaps Sunday will finally be Bolton’s moment to win another Super Bowl and capture that elusive Super Bowl MVP award.
2. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback
The Super Bowl MVP award was made for quarterbacks, because quarterbacks are always on center stage and especially in the Super Bowl. Quarterbacks have won 33 of the previous 58 Super Bowl MVPs, and Mahomes has taken home 3 of the past 5 awards. And what about Mahomes’ counterpart on Sunday night?
Hurts is an Alabama legend who also spent his final collegiate season at Oklahoma, although the Sooners weren’t a part of the SEC yet back in 2019. Yes, Hurts faded a bit in the second half in Super Bowl 57 2 years ago, but it was the Eagles’ defense that really collapsed and cost Philly a championship.
Hurts actually willed the Eagles to a tie game late in the 4th quarter after their halftime lead had evaporated. And his stats for the game were spectacular. He was 27-of-38 passing for 304 yards, 1 touchdown pass and 0 interceptions, and he ran for 70 more yards on 15 carries with 3 rushing TDs. Had the Eagles pulled the game out, Hurts would’ve almost certainly been the MVP. Maybe come Sunday night, he’ll be the quarterback with both trophies in his hands.
3. Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle
The former Mississippi State star is on the fast track to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’s already a 6-time Pro Bowl selection in his 9th season with the Chiefs, so he’s been a part of this long, glorious championship run that is still going strong. The Mississippi native is still only 30 years old and still very much a force to be reckoned with, so it’s quite possible that he could steal a Super Bowl MVP award for the defense, for a change.
Only 3 defensive linemen — and 1 defensive tackle — have won Super Bowl MVP, so Jones would have to completely ball out to add to that short list, but he’s certainly great enough to pull it off. Jones is in his prime, having been named a first-team All-Pro in each of the past 3 seasons.
He’s ready to lead the Chiefs to a 4th Super Bowl title in 6 years, and like Bolton, he has a puncher’s chance to win the Super Bowl MVP because of Kansas City’s reliance on its defense more in 2024 than in past seasons. It would be an uphill battle to actually get that MVP, but Jones has been the heart of the Chiefs’ defense for a long time now, and he would definitely be worthy of the prize.
4. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver
Sure, we could’ve put former Ole Miss standout AJ Brown in this spot instead of the guy on the opposite side of the field. But we’ll go with Smith, who instantly became an Alabama legend with his game-winning touchdown catch in overtime of the 2017 season’s national title game. Smith had a monster season (117 catches, 1,856 yards, 23 TDs) in helping the Crimson Tide win another championship in 2020, and he’s continued that momentum with the Eagles.
You know what else Smith has done? He’s excelled against the Chiefs, so the possibility of him lifting that Super Bowl MVP award is real. In the Super Bowl against Kansas City 2 years ago, Smith caught 7 balls for 100 yards, including a long catch that set up Philadelphia’s tying touchdown late in the 4th quarter. Then, in a Monday night victory in KC during the 2023 season, Smith had almost identical numbers with 6 catches for 99 yards.
The Louisiana native is only 26, but it seems like he’s been a centerpiece of the Eagles’ offense for a long time even though it’s only been 4 seasons. He became even more dangerous when Philadelphia added Brown in 2022. If Smith has yet another strong performance against the Chiefs on Sunday night, there’s a real chance he could be the 9th wide receiver to win Super Bowl MVP.
5. Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle
The mammoth wrecking ball in the middle of the Eagles’ defensive line once led Georgia to back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022, and now he’s primed to win a Super Bowl in just his second pro season. Carter arrived as an NFL star with a vengeance in 2024, being named to the Pro Bowl and a second-team All-Pro. He had 25 solo tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in the regular season, before adding 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble during Philadelphia’s playoff run to the Super Bowl.
Carter arguably saved the Eagles’ season in the divisional-round victory against the Rams, sacking quarterback Matthew Stafford in the final moments of the game with Los Angeles driving for the winning touchdown. The Florida native is only 23 years old, which is a scary thought for the rest of the league going forward.
He’s part of Philadelphia’s brigade of Georgia Bulldogs that’s created a pipeline from Athens to Philly in recent years. The Eagles didn’t get near Mahomes in the Super Bowl 2 years ago, which was their ultimate undoing in losing on a late field goal. But Carter could be the answer to that issue on Sunday night. When asked at Super Bowl opening night how they plan to stop Mahomes, Carter answered: “One thing is to sack him.”
Easier said than done, of course, but if Carter is indeed the difference-maker, he could also be the Super Bowl MVP.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
