The SEC's 25 Best Players: No. 8 Michael Sam

ESPN is ranking the Top 25 players in the SEC in 2013, and we will be featuring the Top 15 on the SEC Rant. Missouri defensive end Michael Sam came in at No. 8.

The ranking is based solely on performance during the 2013 season, and is based on how players performed in key games and clutch situations. Here is what ESPN had to say about Sam:

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Sam was a consensus first-team All-American after a stellar season. He finished the year with 48 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, two pass breakups, nine quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. That led to a long list of honors, including SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and he was a finalist for the Nagurski Trophy and the Lombardi Award.

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The rest of the pack:
No. 9: Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M, Sr.
No. 10: Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia, Sr.
No. 11: Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn, So.
No. 12: Jeremy Hill, RB, LSU, So.
No. 13: Dee Ford, DE, Auburn, Sr.
No. 14: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia, So.
No. 15: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina, Jr.
No. 16: Odell Beckham, Jr., WR, LSU, Jr.
No. 17: Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri, Jr.
No. 18: T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama, So.
No. 19: Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU, Jr.
No. 20: Cody Prewitt, S, Ole Miss, Jr.
No. 21: Nick Marshall, QB, Auburn, Jr.
No. 22: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama, Jr.
No. 23: Gabe Jackson, OG, Mississippi State, Sr.
No. 24: Kenny Ladler, S, Vanderbilt, Sr.
No. 25: E.J. Gaines, CB, Missouri, Jr.