Top 25 college football players of all time

The history of college football is crowded with legends, but a handful of players tilted the sport on its axis and forced everyone else to catch up.

This list of the 25 greatest college football players of all time leans on what they did on campus, not what they became in the NFL. It is about dominance, records, trophies and how much gravity they had when they stepped on the field.

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Ranking 25 players across more than a century of college football is an impossible job, but running through this kind of list serves a purpose. It is a reminder that the sport has always been carried by singular talents, and every fall there is a chance we are watching the next name that will eventually force its way into a debate like this.

We are going in reverse order, from 25 down to 1, because the arguments get louder with every name you scroll past.

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25. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn (2010)

Cam Newton only needed one season at Auburn to leave a permanent mark on the sport. In 2010 he accounted for over 4,000 yards of total offense and 50 total touchdowns, dragged the Tigers through multiple comebacks, won the Heisman Trophy and delivered a national championship.

That Auburn offense was basically a Newton highlight reel dressed up as a spread option playbook. Every defense knew who was getting the ball and still could not stop it.

24. Ron Dayne, RB, Wisconsin (1996–1999)

Ron Dayne was the battering ram that embodied Wisconsin football. He finished his career with an NCAA record for career rushing yardage (6,397) in the major college ranks, won the 1999 Heisman Trophy and powered the Badgers to back-to-back Rose Bowl wins.

Everyone in the stadium knew Wisconsin wanted to line up and hand Dayne the ball between the tackles. He still piled up yards in chunks, especially late in games when defenses wore down.

23. Hugh Green, DE, Pittsburgh (1977–1980)

Hugh Green was so disruptive off the edge that he finished second in the 1980 Heisman voting, a nearly impossible task for a defensive end. Over four seasons, he racked up staggering tackle-for-loss (52) and sacks (49) numbers while anchoring some of Pitt’s best modern teams.

Offensive coordinators had to build entire game plans around avoiding him, and he still lived in backfields for four straight years.

22. Bo Jackson, RB, Auburn (1982–1985)

Bo Jackson is one of the most gifted athletes to ever pick up a football, and his Auburn career put that on display. The 1985 Heisman winner topped 1,700 rushing yards that season and produced a long highlight reel of runs where he simply looked faster and stronger than everyone else on the field.

Injuries held down his college-career production, but on a per-play basis, almost no one has been scarier with the ball. Jackson averaged 6.6 yards per carry for his career.

21. Reggie Bush, RB, USC (2003–2005)

For a few seasons at USC, Reggie Bush felt like a glitch. As a runner, receiver and returner, he turned tight Pac-10 games into track meets and created angles defenders had never seen before. Bush won the 2005 Heisman on the strength of 1,740 rushing yards (8.7 yards per attempt), more than 2,200 all-purpose yards and an endless string of jaw-dropping plays.

Official records have been complicated by NCAA sanctions, but anyone who watched those Trojans teams remembers who made them terrifying.

20. Dick Butkus, LB/C, Illinois (1962–1964)

Dick Butkus set the standard for middle linebackers long before the position turned into a combine event. At Illinois he was an All-American on both offense and defense, but his reputation comes from the way he patrolled the middle of the field, erasing running games by force.

Butkus was the Big Ten MVP in 1963 and finished sixth in the 1963 Heisman voting and third in 1964, which gives you a sense of how much respect he earned from around the country in an era when defenders rarely sniffed individual awards.

19. Marshall Faulk, RB, San Diego State (1991–1993)

Marshall Faulk put up video game numbers at San Diego State. In three seasons he scored 57 rushing touchdowns and finished in the top 10 of the Heisman voting three times, including second in 1992, while playing in a non-power conference.

He was years ahead as a true dual-threat back, as dangerous split out wide as taking a handoff. If he had played on a blue-blood program, his legacy might feel even larger.

18. Peyton Manning, QB, Tennessee (1994–1997)

Peyton Manning left Tennessee as the SEC’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, the face of a program that lived near the top of the polls for his last three seasons. He never won a national title in Knoxville, but he delivered three straight top-10 finishes and a Heisman runner-up in 1997.

More than anything, Manning changed what the quarterback position looked like in college, running a pro-style passing game with full-field reads and complete control at the line of scrimmage.

17. Desmond Howard, WR/PR, Michigan (1989–1991)

Desmond Howard was the definition of a game-breaker. As a receiver and returner he scored 21 touchdowns in his 1991 Heisman season alone, including iconic moments like the punt return against Ohio State that ended with the Heisman pose in the end zone.

He turned a traditional Big Ten power into a modern offense and forced special teams coordinators to make uncomfortable decisions about whether to even kick him the ball.

16. Earl Campbell, RB, Texas (1974–1977)

Earl Campbell ran like every carry was a personal contest. The 1977 Heisman winner led the nation in rushing that season with 1,744 yards (6.5 yards per attempt), carried Texas to an 11–0 regular season and left a trail of broken tackles behind him.

His combination of power and balance fit perfectly in the wishbone era and helped keep Texas firmly in the national conversation throughout his career.

15. Roger Staubach, QB, Navy (1962–1964)

Roger Staubach wo...

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →