SEC Football history: 50 best players of all time

9. Best SEC football players of all time: Reggie White, Tennessee football

For legendary University of Tennessee sack master Reggie White, it took a bit before he became the player that he was when he left the school. After improving so much as a freshman that he won the school’s Andy Spiva Award, White became a menace as a sophomore, racking up eight sacks, and being named a Sophomore All-American.

Expecting big things as a junior, White was hampered by an ankle injury, but it did not stop him from getting to the quarterback seven times, including twice in the Peach Bowl to close out the year. While he did not live up to the preseason All-American hype, he certainly did the following season, which was a year for the ages as far as the SEC is concerned.

White racked up 100 tackles as a senior, including nine for a loss, while getting to the quarterback 15 times. He was named the SEC’s Player of the Year that season, was first-team All-SEC, and was named a unanimous selection as an All-American. He finished his career with the Volunteers with 32 sacks, a record that was broken only recently.

As a pro, the Minister of Defense was one of the all-time greats in NFL history, as he was the fourth over pick in the USFL in 1984, and after the league folded, he landed in Philadelphia. He became one of the greatest sack artists in NFL history, won a ring with the Green Bay Packers, and was immortalized at Tennessee by having his No. 92 retired posthumously.