Is Ndamukong Suh the Greatest Collegiate Player to Wear No. 93?

There are jersey numbers in college football that become holy. And with that, they are seared into the collective memory of fans. Not only because of the material itself, but because of the player who wore it.

At Nebraska, No. 93 is more than just a number. It's a legacy. And with a new ranking from Fox Sports, that legacy now has a name boldly stenciled next to it in bold letters: Ndamukong Suh. Among a vast ocean of college football legends, Suh's greatness in the trenches has been formally established as the gold standard of anyone to ever don No. 93.

Why Ndamukong Suh Still Represents No. 93 in College Football

Fox Sports recently released a definitive list of the greatest players to ever wear each jersey number in college football history. Their criteria were no joke, as they included prestigious accolades, statistical production, and winning percentage. When the numbers were crunched and the records reviewed, Ndamukong Suh emerged as the runaway choice for No. 93. It’s a decision that needs little justification if you watched college football during Suh’s reign of terror in Lincoln.

Suh didn't merely play defensive tackle; he revolutionized it. With freakish ability and brute power, he accumulated numbers few linebackers, never mind linemen, could even aspire to.

During his illustrious career at Nebraska, Suh amassed 215 tackles. That's not merely imposing on a lineman. Especially when it ranked him 24th in school history altogether and fourth among defensive linemen. He ended plays himself, frequently brutally, and in the backfield.

Suh collected 57 tackles for loss during his time in Lincoln, falling just 1.5 shy of the program record held by Nebraska legend Grant Wistrom. Oh, and he wasn’t just tackling running backs either. He sacked quarterbacks 24 times in his career, tying him for fourth in school history. Those numbers speak for themselves, but they only tell part of the story.

The 2009 Season That Changed Everything

Along came 2009. It's difficult to exaggerate just how mythical Suh's last season at Nebraska was. In 14 games, he accumulated 85 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks. And he did it all while frequently being double- or triple-teamed.

His supremacy won him the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, an award that no defensive player had ever obtained before. He also came in fourth in Heisman voting in that year, the first defensive tackle in 25 years to be invited to the ceremony. Fox Sports aptly refers to that year as one of the greatest individual defensive performances in the sport's rich history.

A Professional Career That Lived Up to the Hype

Suh did not take a step back when he departed from Nebraska. The Detroit Lions drafted him as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, and he did not disappoint. His professional career lasted 13 years, featured five All-Pro selections, and ended with a Super Bowl championship as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2021 team. Throughout his NFL career, he never ceased being one of the most disruptive interior forces, evidence that his dominance in college was no accident.

But Suh's greatness extends beyond the stat sheet and awards. He spurred Nebraska's Blackshirt defense, roaring back to national prominence in the late 2000s. He brought swagger, leadership, and physicality to a team that had been trying to find an identity.

Well, Suh ensured they did. And years after he departed Lincoln, his name still serves as the benchmark. When incoming defensive linemen walk into Memorial Stadium, they still hear Suh's name. He lives on in every quarterback rushed and every run stopped behind the line.

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