Ranking the 50 Best College Football Players of All Time

Ahead of the 2026 college football season, Sports Illustrated has ranked the 50 greatest players in the sport’s 150-plus-year history.

Jim Brown was not only a dominant football player at Syracuse, but played basketball, track and field and has a claim to the title of greatest lacrosse player of all time. | The Sporting News/Getty Images

If one man can be blamed for college football fans’ need to rank players—to mull over how Kenny Easley compares to, say, Fernando Mendoza in their wildly different callings and eras—it’s Caspar Whitney.

Whitney, writing for Harper’s in 1889, came up with the bright idea of choosing the best 11 players at the end of the college football season for an All-American team. His selections included a descendant of a literary icon (Princeton’s Edgar Allan Poe), a future Rough Rider (Princeton’s Roscoe Channing) and a future Hall of Fame coach (Yale’s Amos Alonzo Stagg).

Today, 137 years later, All-America selections remain a potent comparison point between players across eras. Now, though, we have ways of measuring players against each other Whitney couldn’t have dreamed of: accurate statistics traditional and advanced, success in all kinds of postseason systems, Heisman Trophy votes garnered. The game has changed dramatically—in its demographics, in its level of national prestige and in its economics—but the instinct to rank and debate remains.

As we prepare for the 2026 season, Sports Illustrated’s college football staff has gone through the sport’s full history to rank the greatest players of all time, taking into account players’ lasting legacies, career statistics and accolades, debating between stars who dominated for four years and those who became transcendental legends for their single-season peaks.

Of the thousands of players who’ve taken the gridiron at the collegiate level from the game’s birth in 1869 to the present day, here are Sports Illustrated’s choices for the best 50.

50. Bubba Smith—DE, Michigan State (1964–66)

Bubba Smith was a disruptive force for one of college football’s most dominant defenses at Michigan State in the mid-1960s. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A 6'7", 280-pound giant, Smith was literally the biggest reason why Michigan State fielded one of the most dominant defensive units of all time. A fearsome pass rusher and run stuffer, Smith was an immovable object against the run-heavy offenses of the 1960s Big Ten, helping the Spartans field the nation’s No. 1 run defense in 1965 and No. 3 run defense in ‘66. Smith’s ‘66 season, during which he was named a unanimous All-American while facing double and triple-teams from opposing offensive lines, was especially impressive. After starring in the NFL, Smith went on to enjoy a successful career as an actor. On the silver screen, he’s best known for starring in the 1984 comedy Police Academy.

49. Joe Montana—QB, Notre Dame (1974–78)

It may seem hard to believe now, but Montana was anything but impressive upon arriving on campus at Notre Dame as a freshman in 1974, as he struggled rise up the depth chart of a stacked Fighting Irish quarterback room. After a seven-game stint in 1975 and a shoulder injury that caused him to sit out the entire 1976 season, Montana finally got a taste of long-term action in 1977, when he helped Notre Dame erase a 24–14 fourth-quarter deficit against Purdue in a thrilling Week 3 win. Montana helped the Irish go undefeated the rest of the way en route to a national title. His final curtain call at Notre Dame came in the 1979 Cotton Bowl, in which Montana fought off the flu to help the Irish win 35–34 after trailing 34–12—a precursor to the magical moments he’d engineer in the NFL.

48. Ozzie Newsome—WR/TE, Alabama (1974–77)

“The greatest end in Alabama history and that includes Don Hutson. A total team player, fine blocker, outstanding leader, great receiver with concentration, speed, hands.” That description of Newsome came from the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant, his coach at Alabama. Newsome helped the Crimson Tide to a 42–6 record during his college career, catching 102 passes for 2,070 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in that time. The 1977 All-American’s career average of 20.29 yards per reception stood as an SEC record until 1999, when it was broken by Arkansas’s Anthony Lucas. He went onto a Hall of Fame career with the Cleveland Browns before becoming one of the league’s greatest executives, building the Baltimore Ravens into an annual contender.

47. Michael Vick—QB, Virginia Tech (1998–2000)

Before the 1999 season, freshman ineligibility was within memory for many college football fans, and no freshman had finished in the top 10 of the Heisman voting since San Diego State's Marshall Faulk in 1991. And then came Vick. Though his statistics were not overwhelming, Vick dazzled with his arm and legs in ’99—finishing third in the Heisman voting while nearly leading the Hokies to the national championship. He played just one more collegiate season—finishing sixth in the Heisman voting in 2000—but his quarterbacking descendants spread his scrambling style far and wide.

46. Joe Greene—DT, North Texas (1966–68)

North Texas’s teams, the “Mean Green,” are not in fact named after “Mean” Joe Greene, but the nickname took hold during his time on campus, and as a result, there are few college football legends with as definitive a tie to their alma maters. Greene’s three years in Denton coincided with one of the great three-year runs in program history; North Texas went 23-5-1 and allowed less than two yards per carry while Greene anchored the defensive line. A consensus All-American in 1968, Greene went on to a standout NFL career with the Steelers and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984.

45. Johnny Manziel—QB, Texas A&M (2011–13)

Johnny Manziel electrified the SEC during his run at Texas A&M, becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy in 2012. | Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated

Johnny Football exploded onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2012. While his first three starts were very good for a first-year starter, it was Week 4 against Arkansas in which he flashed his boundless talent. He totaled 557 yards and four touchdowns against the Razorbacks, and he and Texas A&M never looked back. The Aggies finished 11–2 including a win over Nick Saban’s Alabama. With 345 total yards and two passing touchdowns against the Crimson Tide, Manziel put himself in the driver’s seat for the Heisman. He’d go on to become the first freshman to win the award, and come to be an on-field model for the litany of exciting undersized quarterbacks who would turn into college stars over the next decade-plus.

44. Derrick Thomas—LB, Alabama (1985–88)

The NCAA has only tabulated sacks since 2000, so the most jaw-dropping Thomas statistic remains unofficial: in 1988, he recorded 27 sacks in a single season. That performance won him SEC Male Athlete of the Year honors, even if he (bafflingly) only finished 10th in the Heisman balloting at the end of the year. As the Crimson Tide stepped back from true national contention for a time following coach Bear Bryant's retirement, Thomas gave Alabama fans reason to cheer, and his death in 2000 at age 33 was deeply mourned.

43. Dave Rimington—C, Nebraska (1979–82)

Rimington is on the very short list of players for whom a national award is named—the Rimington Trophy is awarded each year to the nation’s top center. While offensive line play can often be difficult to quantify, Rimington’s impact at Nebraska in the early 1980s was extremely clear. He was a two-time First-Team All-American (1981, ‘82) and is the only two-time Outland Trophy winner, awarded to the nation’s best lineman on either side of the ball. Rimington was named Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year, the only lineman to earn the honor. He was even a fifth-place finisher for the Heisman, an extreme rarity for an offensive lineman.

42. Marcus Allen—RB, USC (1978–81)

USC’s history of elite running backs is difficult for any other program to match and Allen is right near the top of any list of greatest Trojans, but he almost didn’t line up in the backfield. Allen was recruited as a defensive back and when he was initially moved to offense, it was as a fullback, with fellow Heisman winner Charles White entrenched ahead of him on the halfback depth chart. When he finally got his shot as RB1, he ran for 1,563 yards and 14 touchdowns in 1980, following it up with a sensational 2,342 yards—the first 2,000-yard season in college football—and 22 touchdowns in ‘81, earning him the Heisman. That mark stands as the USC single-season record and only four players have topped it in FBS history, with Barry Sanders’s legendary 1988 being the only better season in terms of yards per game.

41. Walter Payton—RB, Jackson State (1971–74)

Payton, the NFL’s second all-time leading rusher, at Jackson State was the definition of a jack-of-all-trades and a complete football player. A talented rusher out of the backfield, Payton also was an adept pass blocker as well as a skilled passer punter, placekicker and kick returner. Payton’s incredible athleticism and versatile skillset is inherent in one of the most impressive numbers from his collegiate career: 464. That’s the number of total points Payton finished his career with, a Division II record that stood for 24 years and represented 66 total touchdowns, five field goals and 53 extra points.

40. Sammy Baugh—QB, TCU (1934–36)

TCU’s Sammy Baugh helped revolutionize the quarterback position, and with it, offensive football. | Bettmann/Getty Images

There was college quarterback play before Baugh, and college quarterback play after Baugh, a figure so monumental that Weber State quarterback Devin Brown is wearing his No. 33 on his jersey 90 years after the end of the Hall of Famer's time with the Horned Frogs. Wielding a spongy ball, Baugh tossed 39 touchdowns against 54 interceptions in his career and amassed 3,384 yards through the air. TCU went 29-7-2 from 1934 to ’36, and the road to the passing revolution had begun.

39. Travis Hunter—WR/CB, Colorado (2023–24)/Jackson State (‘22)

It wasn’t supposed to be possible in modern football. A player, even one as athletic as Hunter, shouldn’t be able to dominate at the Power 4 level on both sides of the ball, playing in excess of 100 snaps per game between wide receiver and defensive back. Hunter wasn’t just a solid starter at two different positions, he was one of the best wide receivers and one of the best cornerbacks in all of college football. The 2024 Heisman winner is still trying to prove the same concept at the NFL level, but his place in college football history is cemented.

Forde: Travis Hunter Is SI’s 2024 Breakout Star of the Year

38. Billy Sims—RB, Oklahoma (1975–79)

Injuries limited Sims during his first three years with Barry Switzer’s Oklahoma program, but once he played his first full season for the Sooners in 1978, he was unstoppable. Sims rushed for 1,762 yards and a Division I-high 20 touchdowns that year, averaging 7.6 yards per carry en route to the Heisman Trophy. The following year, he went for 1,506 yards and again led the nation with 22 touchdowns. In one of the great performances in college football history, Sims ran for 247 yards against undefeated Nebraska, which boasted the nation’s best rushing defense. He would finish his career by earning back-to-back All-American honors.

37. Paul Hornung—QB/RB/S/K/P, Notre Dame (1954–56)

If you were asked to describe Notre Dame legend Hornung with one word, it would be versatility. Hornung was a four-year letterman in football, basketball and baseball during his high school days at Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget High, and he carried that incredible athleticism with him to South Bend, eventually leading to an award being named in his honor. Hornung’s Heisman Trophy-winning 1956 campaign was his magnum opus. That season, Hornung threw for 917 yards and three touchdown passes as a quarterback, ran for 420 yards and six scores on the ground, returned kickoffs, kicked extra points and played safety, intercepting two passes on defense for the Fighting Irish. It’s still the only Heisman-winning season from a player on a losing team.

36. Doc Blanchard—RB/LB/K/P, Army (1944–46)/North Carolina (‘42)

The “Mr. Inside” to Army teammate Glenn Davis’s “Mr. Outside,” Felix “Doc” Blanchard was also Mr. Do-It-All for the Black Knights during his three seasons at West Point, in which the program went 27-0-1 with three national titles. Punter, placekicker and linebacker were among Blanchard’s many duties on the football field, but his best work came as a fullback in 1945, when he rushed for 722 yards and 16 touchdowns while winning the Heisman Trophy. Blanchard then eschewed an NFL career for the military, flying 113 missions during the Vietnam War. Earlier in his military career, he earned an Air Force commendation for bravery after he successfully landed a burning aircraft, preventing it from crashing into a village during a flight to a U.S. base outside of London.

35. Steve McNair—QB, Alcorn State (1991–94)

Steve McNair cemented himself as a college football legend with his incredible 1994 season for Alcorn State. | Steve Kagan/Getty Images

McNair’s FCS-record of 14,496 career passing yards stood for 24 years before it was surpassed by Samford’s Devlin Hodges back in 2018. McNair was tragically killed by his then-girlfriend in a murder-suicide in July 2009, but his legend—just like the man himself—has stood the test of time. He brought glory to small-school Alcorn State in the 1990s, leading the program to back-to-back SWAC championships and two FCS Playoff appearances in four years, while being credited with leading 11 fourth-quarter comebacks. McNair’s magical 1994 season, during which he produced 5,377 passing yards, 47 touchdown passes, 904 rushing yards and nine touchdowns while becoming the first player from an HBCU school to earn an invite to the Heisman Trophy ceremony, is one of the greatest seasons by a QB ever.

MORE: Ranking America’s Best Athletes from All 50 States

34. Tommie Frazier—QB, Nebraska (1992–95)

“How many tackles can one man break?” Jim Nantz memorably asked when Frazier ripped off an epic 75-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of the 1996 Fiesta Bowl. That run put the Cornhuskers up 49–18 on Florida, sealed their reputation as one of the greatest teams in history, and has largely clouded how good a quarterback the narrow 1995 Heisman runner-up actually was. An extraordinary gifted pilot of coach Tom Osborne’s option attack, Frazier recorded 43 touchdown passes in his career, the second-highest total in the history of the Big Eight.

33. Matt Leinart—QB, USC (2001–05)

The Heisman Trophy in 2004. A Heisman Trophy ceremony invite as a finalist the year after. Back-to-back AP national championships and a 37–2 record in three years as a starter. Leinart’s legendary accomplishments and iconic plays, such as the ridiculous 61-yarder to Dwayne Jarrett on fourth-and-9 from the USC 26-yard line with under two minutes left vs. Notre Dame in 2005, are etched in stone in Los Angeles. USC football has a proud history, and it simply can’t be written without Leinart, who returned the program to the glory days during his years on campus while cementing himself as one of college football’s greatest QBs ever.

32. Ndamukong Suh—DT, Nebraska (2005–09)

Cornhuskers fans are still howling that Suh didn’t win the Heisman Trophy in 2009, a year with no obvious offensive frontrunner (Alabama running back Mark Ingram narrowly edged out Stanford running back Toby Gerhart). All he did was rack up 12 sacks, win an armful of defensive accolades and so dominate the Big 12 championship against Texas that he was named MVP in defeat. Showcasing his versatility, he returned two interceptions for touchdowns in 2008.

31. Peyton Manning—QB, Tennessee (1994–97)

Before he became one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, Peyton Manning was one of the best passers in the country during his four years at Tennessee, where he is still the school’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes. Manning posted his best season as a senior 1997, in which he threw for 3,819 yards, 36 touchdowns and set a then-school record with 523 passing yards in a November win over Kentucky. He lost a tight Heisman Trophy race to Michigan’s Charles Woodson, and went on to become the No. 1 pick in the 1998 draft. Manning never won a national title at Tennessee (which would go on to win the BCS national title the year after his departure), but he did lead a remarkable, double-digit point comeback against Auburn to win the Volunteers their first-ever SEC championship in ‘97.

30. Larry Fitzgerald—WR, Pitt (2002–03)

Before his Hall of Fame NFL career, Larry Fitzgerald was completely unguardable at Pitt. | Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated

Pull up tape of Fitzgerald at Pittsburgh, and you’ll see an array of some of the most impressive catches you’ve ever seen: receptions of the one-handed variety, jump balls in the end zone and ridiculous snags in traffic with multiple defenders draped all over him. Fitzgerald was a problem defenders rarely solved. He was also a touchdown machine, having set an NCAA record with a touchdown catch in 18 straight games. His 2003 season, in which he tallied 92 receptions for 1,672 yards and a whopping 22 touchdowns while seeing double and triple coverage weekly, might be the greatest season by a wide receiver in college football history.

29. Bronko Nagurski—RB/DT, Minnesota (1927–29)

In the 1920s, college football underwent a pronounced, oft-forgotten demographic shift—the Waspiness of the early game made room for the sons of Eastern and Southern European immigrants—and out of this trend came stars like Nagurski. At the then-imposing size of 6'2", 226 pounds, Nagurski bruised opponents on both sides of the ball, rushing for 737 yards in eight games in 1929. That total becomes especially impressive when one considers how tentatively games proceeded then, with teams huddling carefully after every play; we can only imagine how he’d have fared with a 2020s upbringing.

28. DeVonta Smith—WR, Alabama (2017–20)

Smith authored one of the greatest seasons by a wide receiver in Alabama history in 2019, tallying 1,256 receiving yards and 14 touchdown receptions. But as great as ’19 was for Smith, it was merely a precursor, for the Amite, La., native went on to put together one of the greatest seasons by a wide receiver in college football history in ’20, racking up a school-record 1,856 yards and 23 touchdown receptions while becoming the first wideout since Desmond Howard to win the Heisman. Smith was at his best in the biggest games that year, as his 15-catch explosion in the 2020 SEC title game, and his 12-215-3 line in the national title game will attest.

Forde: DeVonta Smith Epitomizes Alabama's Receiver Reign

27. Ed Reed—S, Miami (1997–2001)

Reed was the complete package for Miami, the consummate winner, a ball-hawking safety with a nose for the football and a leader who commanded the respect of his teammates. For evidence of that last point, simply pull up video of his “I’m hurt, dawg!” halftime speech from an October 2001 game against rival Florida State with the Hurricanes’ perfect season in jeopardy. Reed, who tallied 17 interceptions and four defensive touchdowns over his last two seasons alone, was the heart and soul of one of the most dominant defensive teams in the sport’s history.

26. Lamar Jackson—QB, Louisville (2015–17)

Watching Jackson at Louisville felt like witnessing the next evolution of quarterback, a step forward from dual-threat superstars of the previous era like Vick. Like many of the players of his ilk that came before, Jackson was the best athlete on the field whenever he put on his pads for the Cardinals. Unlike some of those players, he was also a truly deadly passer—and has continued to prove himself in that category at the NFL level. During his 2016 Heisman campaign, Jackson threw for 3,543 yards with 30 touchdowns to nine interceptions, adding 1,571 rushing yards and 21 scores. He couldn’t repeat as Heisman winner, losing to Baker Mayfield the following year, but his 2017 season was arguably even better.

25. Baker Mayfield—QB, Oklahoma (2014–17)/Texas Tech (‘13)

Baker Mayfield went from little-known walk-on to a Heisman winner at Oklahoma and eventual No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. | Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated

Arguably the greatest walk-on in CFB history started his collegiate life at Texas Tech before winning a three-way quarterback battle for the Sooners’ starting job entering the 2015 season. The rest is history, as Mayfield finished in the top four of the Heisman voting every year of his Oklahoma career with a win in 2017—leaving school in the FBS top 10 in passing touchdowns and efficiency. A charismatic, gleeful provocateur and the first college superstar to play his entire career under the all-seeing eye of algorithmic social media, Mayfield bridged the bliss of the sport’s early social media presence with our current Age of Rage Bait.

24. O.J. Simpson—RB, USC (1967–68)

Simpson was at the beginning of a colossal American life—one that would culminate with his trial and acquittal on two murder charges, as well as a prison sentence for armed robbery—when he suited up for the Trojans. However, the elements that would make him a celebrity were there, including—most crucially—his preternatural talent running the football. He led the nation with 1,415 rushing yards in 1967 and repeated the feat in 1968, winning the Heisman Trophy and scoring 22 touchdowns in just 10 games.

23. Reggie White—DL, Tennessee (1980–83)

White was ordained as a Christian minister at the age of 17, a development that not only helped him make an impact off the field, but also led to one of the great nicknames in football history: “The Minister of Defense.” For four seasons in Knoxville, White lived up to that nickname, his sermons coming in the form of 32 sacks, including a program-record 15 in his heralded 1983 season. White also racked up 100 tackles that year en route to being named the SEC’s Player of the Year, helping the Volunteers win the Citrus Bowl over Maryland, a game that saw White sack Terrapins quarterback Boomer Esiason, knocking the star QB from the game with a separated shoulder.

22. Jerry Rice—WR, Mississippi Valley State (1981–84)

In 1984, college football fans looked just outside of Itta Bena, Miss., and found some of the gaudiest statistics the game had ever seen. Those statistics came courtesy of Rice, a wide receiver who caught 112 passes for 1,845 yards and a mind-bending 27 touchdowns as a senior for the Delta Devils. The greatest player to grace FCS since the division’s 1978 founding repeatedly torched opponents like Southern (17 catches, 199 yards), Kentucky State (17 catches for 294 yards), and Jackson State (15 catches for 285 yards).

21. Archie Griffin—RB, Ohio State (1972–75)

”He's a better young man than he is a football player, and he’s the best football player I’ve ever seen,” Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes famously said of Griffin, the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner despite many spirited attempts in the years since. His coming-out party against North Carolina in 1972, in which he ran for 239 yards to set an Ohio State record, remains etched in Buckeyes folklore. To this day, he ranks fourth in Big Ten history in rushing yards, and was second as recently as the mid-2010s.

20. Ricky Williams—RB, Texas (1995–98)

Ricky Williams never stopped growing as a player at Texas, and after his surprising decision to return to the Longhorns for the 1998 season, he cemented his place in college football history with his Heisman campaign season. | Bob Rosato/Sports Illustrated

Williams’s career in Austin was remarkable for many reasons, the first being the simple fact that he found a way to improve each season during his four years at Texas—even after an unbelievable, 1,893-yard, 25-touchdown 1997 season. In ‘98, Williams was a defensive coordinator’s worst nightmare, averaging an astonishing 193.1 rushing yards per game en route to 2,124 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground. But what was most impressive about his Heisman-winning campaign was how he seized control of the race after a mid-September speed bump in the form of 43 yards on 25 carries vs. Kansas State. He then rattled off back-to-back 300-plus yard performances, including a Texas-record 350 yards against Iowa State, to take a vice grip of the sport’s most hallowed award.

19. Vince Young—QB, Texas (2002–05)

Simply put, Young is one of the greatest dual-threat quarterbacks to ever lace them up in college football. The Texas legend was the first collegiate signal-caller to pass for 3,000-plus yards and rush for 1000-plus yards during his stellar 2005 season, in which he finished second in the Heisman Trophy vote. As great as the numbers are, so much of what made Young elite goes beyond numbers. Flip on the tape of Young’s electrifying performances in the 2005 and ’06 Rose Bowls, and you’ll see the elusiveness, escapability and elasticity that made him nightmarish to tackle. His national-championship sealing touchdown run on fourth-and-5 vs. USC was one of the greatest moments to cap off one of the greatest performances in one of college football’s greatest games.

Vince Young: In Texas, Football Is All About Family

18. Charles Woodson—CB/WR, Michigan (1995–97)

Woodson, who played for Orlando Pace’s rival Ohio high school, headed north to play for coach Lloyd Carr's Wolverines—a move that paid dividends. He made first team All-Big Ten every year of his career, and in 1997 he turned in one of the great individual seasons in college football history on a national championship Michigan team. Woodson led the conference in interceptions with seven, returned punts, dabbled on offense and won the Heisman trophy over Manning.

17. Tony Dorsett—RB, Pitt (1973–76)

Called the greatest running back in history by longtime Panthers broadcaster Bill Hillgrove in 1976, Dorsett responded, “Well, my stats prove it.” The Western Pennsylvania native ran away with the Heisman Trophy in ’76 after leading the nation in rushing yards (1,948) and rushing touchdowns (21) on a national championship Pitt team. He left school as the all-time leading top-division rusher, and he’s still fifth.

16. Roger Staubach—QB, Navy (1961–64)

Roger Staubach didn’t begin his college journey at Navy, but at New Mexico Military Institute, where he spent one year after high school before heading to Annapolis. Midway through his sophomore season in 1962, Staubach was inserted into a game against Cornell and gave the stagnant Midshipmen offense a major spark, leading them on six touchdown drives en route to a 41–0 win. Staubach started the Army-Navy game after a late-season skid and led the Midshipmen to a 34–14 win over their archrival. Staubach’s 1963 season was special; he threw for 1,474 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions with another 418 rushing yards and three scores. He swept the Heisman and Maxwell awards and was a unanimous All-American, leading Navy to a 9–1 record and another Army-Navy win before a Cotton Bowl loss to undefeated national champion Texas.

15. Reggie Bush—RB, USC (2003–05)

Reggie Bush was one of the most explosive college football players in recent memory during his 2005 Heisman campaign at USC. | Peter Read Miller/Sports Illustrated

One of college football’s most scintillating running backs of all time also found himself in the crosshairs as the powers that be in the sport resisted modernity. Had he played 20 years later, Bush would have made magnitudes more than the reported six figures he was paid during his time with the Trojans. Instead, he had his 2005 Heisman taken away for 14 years, an antiquated scandal that overshadowed an all-time great college run. En route to winning the Heisman, Bush totaled 2,218 yards and 18 touchdowns from scrimmage, averaging 8.6 yards per carry and 9.4 yards per touch on the year.

14. Deion Sanders—CB, Florida State (1985–88)

Sanders was a touchdown waiting to happen at Florida State in the 1980s without playing a single offense snap for the Seminoles—that came later after he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 1989 NFL draft. Before that, Sanders was a dynamic force as a cornerback and punt returner for FSU, setting the school record for the most punt return yards during his four seasons while tallying three punt return touchdowns and 14 interceptions, three of which were returned for scores. Prime Time was simply electric

13. Joe Burrow—QB, LSU (2018–19)/Ohio State (‘15–17)

Joe Burrow, or Joe Burreaux as he’s known around Louisiana, will never have to pay for a drink in The Bayou State after what he accomplished on the field for the legendary 2019 LSU Tigers. Throwing to two future All-Pro wide receivers in Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, Burrow and the LSU offense made sweet music, slinging what was then an FBS-record 60 touchdown passes to go along with 5,671 passing yards. Burrow capped off LSU’s perfect 15–0 season with a six-touchdown performance in the title game vs. Clemson, then became an all-time meme while smoking a celebratory stogie in the postgame locker room.

12. Hugh Green—DE, Pitt (1977–80)

The most complete collegiate defensive player of his era collected 49 sacks during his Panthers career, the program’s all-time record. (He unofficially had 53 career sacks, including 17 as a senior alone). Nearly two decades before Woodson, Green very nearly won the Heisman Trophy in 1980, losing to South Carolina running back George Rogers in a still-controversial vote. He made three consensus All-America teams, a feat that has been accomplished just six times since the end of World War II.

11. Earl Campbell—RB, Texas (1974–77)

It’s hard to say what was more difficult in the 1970s in Austin: finding thigh pads that could fit around Campbell’s tree trunk-esque 34 1/2 inch quads or finding a defender capable of tackling the 232-pound wrecking ball. Campbell, starring in Darrell Royal’s Wishbone offense, used his chiseled physique and sneaky speed to punish defenders en route to a couple of 1,000-yard seasons, including a 1,744-yard, 18-touchdown performance that secured him Texas’s first-ever Heisman Trophy.

10. Orlando Pace—OT, Ohio State (1994–96)

One of the greatest offensive linemen in the history of football, Ohio State’s Orlando Pace didn’t allow a sack in 1995 or ‘96. | John Biever/Sports Illustrated

The gargantuan Pace started as a true freshman for the Buckeyes in 1994 and never looked back. Growing more dominant in each of his collegiate seasons, he didn't allow a sack in ’95 and replicated that feat in ’96 while finishing fourth in the Heisman voting. Few players on this list can credibly claim to have popularized a statistic, but Pace may have done just that with the pancake block.

9. Red Grange—RB/DB, Illinois (1923–25)

The history of college football superstardom begins with Grange, a three-time All-American who led the Fighting Illini to the national championship in 1923. Taking advantage of new forms of mass media and a booming economy, Grange burnished his legend with performances such as his five-touchdown day against Michigan upon the dedication of Memorial Stadium. The NFL’s first true box-office draw later became one of the first great players to jump to TV broadcasting.

8. Tim Tebow—QB, Florida (2006–09)

Perhaps the most iconic college football player of the 2000s, Tebow carved out a role in Urban Meyer’s Florida offense as a run-heavy second-string quarterback during his freshman season, helping the Gators capture the 2006 BCS national championship. Two years later, they won it again, this time with Tebow as the engine of the offense. The year in between, he won the 2007 Heisman as a sophomore, throwing for 3,286 yards, 30 touchdowns and just six interceptions while adding 895 rushing yards and a whopping 23 touchdowns on the ground. He finished with 9,286 passing yards, 2,947 rushing yards and accounted for 145 combined touchdowns.

7. Dick Butkus—LB/C, Illinois (1962–64)

Butkus was such an influential figure in the history of football, specifically in the history of linebacker play, that there is an award named after him to celebrate the excellence of players at the position he once starred at for Illinois, and later, the Chicago Bears. A tackling machine, Butkus was the nucleus of the Fighting Illini defense, as exemplified by his 1963 season, in which he recorded a then-school record 145 stops and forced 10 fumbles while leading the program to a Rose Bowl victory. Butkus was also a versatile player, starring at center for Illinois and finishing third in the Heisman vote in 1964, the highest finish at the time for a defensive player and lineman.

6. Bo Jackson—RB, Auburn (1982–85)

Jackson, one of the greatest athletes ever, had an unmatched blend of power and speed that made him a human highlight reel, particularly during his incredible Heisman Trophy-winning 1985 season in which he rushed for 1,786 yards and 17 touchdowns. From the “Bo Over The Top” play in the 1982 Iron Bowl to Jackson torching the Florida defense with his track star speed during a 197-yard performance in a 1983 game vs. the Gators, there are countless legendary moments that showcase why he was one of the most dominant college football players ever.

5. Cam Newton—QB, Auburn (2010)/Florida (2007–08)

Few college football players have reached the heights that Cam Newton did in his one-and-only season at Auburn, during which he led the Tigers to an undefeated national championship campaign and won the Heisman going away. | Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated

He arrived at Auburn in 2010 at the end of a long and winding collegiate road, having been suspended from Florida for allegedly stealing a laptop before winning a junior-college national title at Blinn in Texas. Newton had expectations, to be sure, but no one thought he’d tear up the SEC (30 touchdowns through the air, 20 on the ground) and lead a Tigers team of modest talent to a 14–0 record and the national championship. His season, which culminated in a landslide Heisman Trophy win, remains one of the most enduring college football memories of the 21st century.

4. Jim Thorpe—RB/DB/K/P, Carlisle (1907–08, ‘11–12)

Thorpe, an accomplished practitioner of (deep breath) baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, tennis, track and field, boxing and ballrooom dancing, is less a man than a folk hero in this day and age. Here are the facts of his remarkable college football career, achieved amid the stifling racism of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School: he was a two-time consensus All-American (1911 and ‘12), and may have ripped off as many as 29 rushing touchdowns in ’12 (which would tie for seventh all-time). The ’12 season included his signature moment: upon having a 92-yard touchdown run called back for holding against Army, he simply ran for a 97-yard touchdown on the next play.

3. Barry Sanders—RB, Oklahoma State (1986–88)

The stats from Sanders’s 1988 Heisman campaign—maybe the greatest single season that any running back has had in college football history—tell the story here. In just 11 games, he rushed for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns on 344 carries. Those remarkable numbers don’t include his 222-yard, five-touchdown performance against Wyoming in the Holiday Bowl. In the back half of Sanders’s season, including the bowl, he ran for at least 215 yards and two scores per game, and averaged 282.3 yards and 3.8 touchdowns per outing. Sanders topped 300 yards four times during the season. He was frankly unstoppable, and that didn’t change once he entered the NFL as the No. 3 pick to the Lions in the 1989 draft.

2. Herschel Walker—RB, Georgia (1980–82)

It is difficult to match Walker’s accomplishments on the college gridiron. The legendary Georgia running back was a three-time consensus All-American from 1980 to ‘82, capturing the Heisman Trophy in his final season by rushing for 1,752 yards and 17 touchdowns. He eclipsed 1,600 yards and ran for at least 15 touchdowns in each of his three seasons, and finished no worse than third in Heisman voting. His freshman season ended with Georgia winning the 1980 national title.

1. Jim Brown—RB/DB/K, Syracuse (1954–56)

Before making his case as the greatest NFL player of all time, Jim Brown did it all for Syracuse. Literally. Brown led Division I in rushing touchdowns with 13 during his senior season in 1956, finishing with 986 yards in just eight games. He also kicked extra points with the Orange, and logged eight career interceptions on defense. Along with football, Brown played basketball and ran track at SU, and also has a claim to the title of greatest college lacrosse player of all time. Few can come close to matching Brown’s full college athletics résumé.

Layden: Jim Brown Lived a Remarkable Life Like Few Other Athletes

---

More College Football From Sports Illustrated

Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s College YouTube channel.