There’s no sport quite like college football. Every sport is dominated, in terms of attention, by its highest levels. College basketball isn’t a shred of what it used to be, MLS is barely the same sport compared to European football, and I honestly can’t even tell you what hockey leagues exist outside of the NHL.
The reason I believe any of us fell in love with college football was the players. I remember the first college football game I ever watched, Oregon was playing in the Civil War against Oregon State and Oregon returned a kickoff for a touchdown. I couldn’t have been older than six or seven, and I don’t even remember that player's name, but I do remember the excitement of watching that player breaking tackles down the sideline.
By the time I was eleven or twelve I was all in. College football was run by Reggie Bush, Vince Young, and if you’re from Salt Lake City like me, then Alex Smith was your guy. I couldn’t get enough of college football. Every Saturday I was glued to the television because I HAD to watch the Oklahoma State/Baylor game or see what would happen in the Florida/Ole Miss matchup.
Not much has changed as an adult;I’ll watch any college football game I can find. SMU is playing UCF on a Wednesday night? Sign me up! East Carolina is playing Virginia Tech? Already blocked off on my calendar.
Naturally some schools mean more than others, and some players have left a bigger impact on me than others. Brandon Walker from Barstool made a list of his favorite players from each school, and going through his list got me thinking about who my favorite players from each school would be.
So here’s the list! Except for one school I only did players I saw play, Bo Jackson is the coolest person to come out of Auburn but I wasn’t around to see him do his thing, so he's not on the list. A lot of these names you’ll know right off the bat, a few might jog your memory. I hope that’s the case because it was fun for me just making the list and going through players I used to love to watch play from each school.
I broke down the schools by their current Power 5 conference, Texas and OU are included in the Big XII even though they’ll be dipping to the SEC next season.
PAC 12:
Arizona; Khalil Tate, Quarterback 2016-2019: Tate was an absolute baller, rushing for 327 yards in his first start against Colorado. I firmly believe that Kevin Sumlin was the worst thing to happen to Tate’s career and that Sumlin tried to use him in the worst way possible. It was frustrating to watch U of A knowing they could’ve been so much better with one of the most lethal quarterbacks in the country.
Arizona State; N’Keal Harry, Receiver 2016-2018: Both Arizona schools feature players who played while I was living in Arizona, which is naturally when I paid the most attention to either school. The kid from Chandler was an absolute baller at Arizona State, and I thought the best receiver in the country his last year in Tempe. Watching him dominate future NFL corners in person was a sight to see, he’s one of the players who you don’t need to know anything about football but you can tell right away he’s the man.
California; Isi Sofele, Running Back 2009-2012: I’m a little bit biased here because I played high school football with Isi, but man was he fun to watch. Isi played at the tail end of the Jed Tedford era, which unfortunately for the Golden Bears was the last time they were consistently above average.
Colorado; Chidobe Awuzie, Cornerback 2013-2016: Awuzie was a corner I watched a lot when he was coming out of the draft, who’s ending up having a solid NFL career, currently playing for the Bengals.
Oregon; Christian Gonzalez, Cornerback 2022, 2020-2021 (Colorado): The recent draft pick of the New England Patriots was a one year player at Oregon after transferring from Colorado. I thought he was the best defensive back in the draft this year. He’s instinctive to the point where you want to watch his highlights multiple times because you can see his brain working in motion, and typically faster than the offensive players he’s going up against.
Oregon State; Brandin Cooks, Receiver 2011-2013: Cooks was electric at Oregon State, it’s fun when someone is far and away better than everyone and Cooks stood out for the Beavers as much as anyone else in recent memory.
Stanford; Shayne Skov, Linebacker 2009-2013: Stanford football with Jim Harbaugh and transitioning to Dave Shaw was electric, and had I been good enough to play college football I would’ve gone to Stanford and not even thought about it. Skov was the personification of that era of Stanford football. Sideline to sideline player who loved to hit and let you know about it. Stanford used to be the toughest team in the country, and Skov was the face of that.
UCLA; Dorien Thompson-Robinson, Quarterback 2018-2022: DTR played high school ball for Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman. His sophomore year he played receiver while backing up Tate Martell, then started at quarterback his junior and senior seasons. A five year starter at UCLA who doesn’t get enough credit for stabilizing a program that easily could've been in a much worse state without DTR at the helm.
USC; Sam Cunningham, Running Back 1969-1972: Sam Cunningham is the only player I didn’t watch in person to make the list because he’s not only the coolest, but most influential player in college football history. Sam Cunningham and USC came down to Birmingham to play Bear Bryant’s all White Crimson Tide team. Sam Cunningham ran all over Alabama, averaging over eleven yards a carry and scoring twice in Southern California’s beatdown of Bear Bryant’s squad. The very next season Alabama began integrating their football program, with John Mitchell and Wilbur Jackson becoming the first black players to play for the University of Alabama.
FWIW, my favorite USC player who I saw play was safety Taylor Mays. The dude was put on earth to ensure that no receiver ever wanted to run across the middle of the field ever again, the hardest hitting college player I’ve ever seen.
Utah; Alex Smith, Quarterback 2002-2004: That 2004 Utah football team that went undefeated and won the Fiesta Bowl was the first sports teams that I had real feelings for. Alex Smith was somewhat unrecruited in high school cause all he really had to do was hand the ball off to Reggie Bush, but he lucked out by overlapping at Utah with Urban Meyer and became the best player in school history and the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Washington; Byron Murphy, Cornerback 2016-2018: Really I could’ve picked any defensive back from those Chris Peterson Washington teams. Murphy gets the nod because he went to Saguaro High School in Scottsdale where I used to workout when I lived in Arizona. Murphy was so quick to react to the ball, an unbelievably smart player. He also played pissed off all the time.
Washington State; Andre Dillard, Offensive Tackle 2014-2018: Dillard is the first offensive lineman to make the list. Playing with Gardner Minshew and for Mike Leach Dillard wasn’t exactly the star of the show; but his stability allowed Gardner Minshew to do his thing and Leach the flexibility to let his quarterback grip it and rip it.
BIG XII
Baylor; Denzel Mims; Receiver 2016-2019: Mims, like a lot of Baylor receivers, was a stud in college who hasn’t fully panned out yet in the NFL. In college he averaged over 15 yards a reception and topped over 1,000 receiving yards in two separate seasons for the Bears.
Brigham Young; Jamaal Williams; Running Back 2012-2016: Jamaal was at BYU while I was in college there, he was a sociology major as well so I even got to be in a couple classes with him. No one seems to have more fun playing football than Jamaal Williams, the dude plays and lives with this contagious joy that makes it hard not to love him. Plus he holds BYU records for: most single game rushing yards, most single game touchdowns scored, and most single game points scored.
Cincinnati; Sauce Gardner, Cornerback 2019-2021: Gardner was so good in college that he won his teammate the Thorpe Award for best defensive back in the country (which Gardner should’ve won). Gardner was so good that no one would throw the ball to his side of the field, so everyone threw at his teammate Coby Bryant.
Iowa State; Brock Purdy, Quarterback 2018-2021: What Purdy did at Iowa State is somehow underappreciated and is really one of the most remarkable things of the past twenty plus years of college football. He led Iowa State to the conference championship game and a Fiesta Bowl win over Oregon. I’ll repeat, Iowa State won a NY6 Bowl game! I thought just getting to six wins would be a massive achievement for the Cyclones. One year removed from Brock Purdy leaving ,and I know this is an oversimplification, but Iowa State dropped to 4-8 and only managed to win one conference game.
Kansas; Chris Harris, Cornerback 2007-2010: Kansas was a tougher school to pick a player from if we’re being honest. Chris Harris was on that Orange Bowl team and I remember him so he gets the nod here.
Kansas State; Dalton Risner, Offensive Lineman 2014-2018: Risner is one of those players who you can tell truly loves football, and plays with a real joy. Plus he was an extremely talented player at Kansas State who’s had a productive NFL career so far.
Oklahoma; Baker Mayfield, Quarterback 2014-2017, 2013 (Texas Tech): Instead of taking a scholarship offer to FAU or Washington State out of high school after both Texas and his dream school Oklahoma said no to him, he decided to walk-on at Texas Tech. He ended up winning the job in Lubbock and then ultimately transferring to Oklahoma, winning the Heisman, and becoming the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. He’s the ultimate competitor, and it’s a story I don’t think is talked about enough.
Oklahoma State; Martel Van Zant, Cornerback 2004-2007: Martel Van Zant was born deaf. Despite that he went on to start at cornerback for Oklahoma State. The crowd at Oklahoma State would throw their hands in the air and do the sign language celebration for clapping. It was really cool to see an entire fanbase and program lean in and be so supportive.
Texas; Aaron Ross; Cornerback 2002-2006: Aaron Ross is the first football player I remember being able to tell that he was the smartest player on the field. One play he was supposed to be in the flat in cover two but he just left his assignment and drifted back to undercut a corner route and make an interception. The quarterback knew Texas was in cover two so he didn’t even think about Ross being there. He was the best player in an awesome defensive backfield, one of my favorite college football teams ever.
Texas Christian; Jeremy Kerley, Receiver 2007-2010: Kerley was a legitimate threat to score every time he touched the ball. He played with Andy Dalton in the Mountain West days for TCU and Kerley was unguardable in that conference. A lot of BYU fans I know still consider him the most dangerous player they’ve ever played against.
Texas Tech; Michael Crabtree, Receiver 2006-2008: November 1st, 2009 has to be the best day in the history of Texas Tech football right? Losing by one to the #1 ranked Texas Longhorns with one play left head coach Mike Leach called “Ace Six” which he said later is named as such because it’s designed to score six points. Michael Crabtree beat out two Texas defenders for the ball on the sideline, then muscled through a tackle on his way to a game winning touchdown and the best play ever for the Red Raiders.
West Virginia; Steve Slaton, Running Back 2005-2007: Tavon Austin gets all the credit, but Steve Slaton was the original West Virginia threat to score from anywhere on the field. Slaton averaged over eighteen touchdowns a year in Morgantown, that is absolutely bonkers. He was as good at breaking tackles as any running back this century. In open space you could barely get your hands on him, but he could just as easily run through arm tackles inside the redzone. He truly was a threat to score every single time he touched the ball.
BIG 10:
Illinois; Juice Williams, Quarterback 2006-2009: Before we even get to the football stuff, there’s no cooler name in college football history than Juice Williams (LOTS of good ones, none better imo). Juice led Illinois to the Rose Bowl including a win over #1 Ohio State in Columbus. At least in 2007 Juice made Illinois the coolest team in the country.
Indiana; Michael Penix Jr., Quarterback 2018-2021, 2022-Present (Washington): Even though Penix is currently a Washington Husky, the play of his career happened in an Indiana Uniform when he dove for the pylon to beat #8 Penn State in overtime to start the 2020 season. Now at Washington he has a chance to win the PAC 12 title and become a first round NFL draft pick.
Iowa; Josh Jackson, Cornerback 2014-2017: The All-American cornerback for the Hawkeyes’s defining moment was when he had three interceptions in Iowa State’s throttling of Ohio State in 2017.
Maryland; Vernon Davis, Tight End 2003-2005: Vernon Davis is the most athletic tight end to come out of college this century, including Kyle Pitts. In my opinion Davis was the first real tight end who was basically another receiver. There were very good pass catching tight ends before Davis, but Davis was the first legit receiver out there.
Michigan; Nico Collins; Wide Receiver 2017-2020: Collins could score from anywhere on the field. A lot of his big plays were simply just beating the defense over the top, but he was also capable of taking a simple out route and doing the rest of the work himself to get to the end zone.
Michigan State; Michael Geiger, Kicker 2013-2016: Gotta get our special teams brothers and sisters involved at some point. Geiger is the kicker who’s 41 yard field goal as time expired beat defending national champs Ohio State. He windmilled the entire length of the field in celebration. Michigan State would go onto win the Big 10 and make the CFP.
Minnesota; Boye Mafe, Edge 2017-2021: I’m a sucker for long, explosive edge defenders and Mafe fits that to a T. I almost went with one of the many NFL receivers Minnesota has been churning out, but couldn’t deny Mafe the chance to represent the Gophers on this list.
Nebraska; Ameer Abdullah, Running Back 2011-2014: Abdullah was the definition of an “all-purpose back” at Nebraska. He was easily the best part of watching Nebraska games during his career.
Northwestern; Greg Newsome II, Cornerback 2018-2020: Newsome is one of the most fluid cornerbacks to come out of college in recent memory. Felt like he never allowed receivers to create separation no matter what they did.
Ohio State; Nick Bosa, Edge 2016-2018: Sweet, sweet Nick Bosa. Nick has 8.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in his last full season at Ohio State before becoming the second overall draft pick, would’ve been the first overall draft pick if not for a meteoric season from Kyler Murray.
Penn State; KJ Hamler, Wide Receiver 2017-2019: The theme of the Big 10 is apparently undersized players for their position. Hamler is only 5’9” but he could catch seemingly anything that was thrown at him, and was such a creative route runner, just a joy to watch.
Purdue; Rondale Moore, Receiver 2018-2020: All 5’7” 180 lbs. of Rondale Moore was the best player on the field when Purdue curb stomped #2 Ohio State and ruined the Buckeyes playoff chances. The most explosive athlete under 5’10” I’ve ever seen in college football.
Rutgers; Patrice Rene, Cornerback 2021, 2016-2020 (North Carolina): Patrice Rene was born in Haiti, moved to Canada, and then moved to the United States to finish high school. He speaks Creole, French, and English. I had the opportunity to interview him on the podcast and he was one of the brightest guests we’ve ever had. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with him and watching him on the field.
Wisconsin; Chris Borland, Linebacker 2009-2013: The 5’11” linebacker certainly didn’t play to his size. A naturally instinctual player who was always around the ball.
SEC:
Arkansas; Drew Sanders, Linebacker 2022, 2020-2021 (Alabama): The Alabama transfer played edge for Nick Saban, and was actually roommates with now Houston Texan Will Anderson. He transferred to Arkansas and switched to off ball linebacker, and played like a heat seeking missile. He was always around the ball, and always in the backfield.
Alabama; Minkah Fitzpatrick, Defensive Back 2015-2017: Nick Saban played defensive back in college, and coached defensive backs at basically every level as he moved up to Alabama’s head coach. Even now he’s extremely hands-on with Bama’s defensive backs, they’re probably the hardest coached position group in the entire country. More often than not Saban has the best player in the secondary play that “Star” position, and in my humble opinion Minkah Fitzpatrick has been the best to ever do that for Nick Saban.
Auburn, Nick Marshall, Quarterback 2013-2014, 2011 (Georgia): Nick Marshall and Auburn took us on a ride in 2013, and oh what a ride it was. Beating their two biggest rivals via the Prayer at Jordan-Hare and the Kick Six, I think the two most improbable plays I’ve seen in my life, and they happened in the same season to the same team. Marshall was a cornerback at Georgia who converted to quarterback at Auburn and made Auburn must watch television every week that season.
Florida; Tim Tebow; Quarterback 2006-2009: This is admittedly a layup pick for favorite player, but unless you’re a fan of another SEC school I don’t know how you couldn’t love Tebow at Florida. I love players who play with a real intensity and passion for their school and for winning, and winning meant EVERYTHING for Tebow.
Georgia; A.J. Green, Wide Receiver 2006-2008: Green did everything so well and so quietly that he sometimes gets a bit underrated I think. Green was a crisp route runner, created separation, and won at the point of attack. If I were designing a receiver in a lab I would basically just have the scientists recreate A.J. Green.
Kentucky; Will Levis, Quarterback 2021-2022, 2018-2020 (UConn): Was Will Levis the perfect Quarterback? Of course not, but was he entertaining? Absolutely! Levis is an extremely competitive player, and sometimes that would show in his play when he’d try and force plays he didn’t really need to. Especially against Florida for some reason it felt like Levis was just not going to let Kentucky lose.
LSU; Patrick Peterson, Cornerback 2008-2010: Just like AJ Green, if I were to create a cornerback it’d be just a carbon copy of Patrick Peterson. His short area quickness is unmatched, he ran a < 4.4 forty yard dash, could literally do anything he wanted to on a football field—I believe he could have been All SEC at like five different positions if he wanted to.The problem was he was so dominant at cornerback it’s hard to convince yourself to move him away from corner.
Mississippi State: Willie Gay Jr., Linebacker 2017-2019: Willie Gay Jr. is as fast of a linebacker as I can remember in college. He shot through holes, and was not going to let a running back beat him to the sideline.
Missouri; Larry Borom, Offensive Tackle 2017-2020: Borom was a fantastic player at Missouri who you couldn’t help but watch. It’s rare for an offensive lineman to draw your attention, especially for me since I’m usually watching a receiver or something in the secondary. With Missouri though I was naturally drawn to Borom.
Ole Miss; Patrick Willis, Linebacker 2003-2006: I think Patrick Willis is the best player to come through Oxford since Archie Manning. His last year at Ole Miss he was the SEC defensive player of the year and a consensus All-American, one of only thirteen consensus All-Americans the Rebels have ever had. Willis is my personal favorite player of all time. When he filled a hole he FILLED THE HOLE. He hit so hard he almost killed a couple LSU Tigers. Tough, passionate, always around the ball, you could tell just watching how much football meant to him. Getting drafted by the 49ers only cemented him as my favorite player ever, college or professional.
South Carolina; Pharoh Cooper, Wide Receiver 2013-2015: Pharoah Cooper walked so that Deebo Samuel could run at South Carolina, to the point where Deebo Samuels’ NFL comp by NFL scout Lance Zierlan was literally Pharoh Cooper. Cooper was built like a tank at 5’11” 203 lbs. and was a threat to score from anywhere he caught the ball.
Tennessee; Rashaun Gaulden, Defensive Back 2014-2017: Rashaun Gaulden is the coolest player in college football history. He’s the Tennessee player who after a Volunteer touchdown against Alabama he went right up to a group of Alabama fans and gave them the double bird.
Texas A&M; Mark Dodge, Linebacker 2006-2007: Dodge didn’t get one Division 1 offer out of high school and enlisted in the army. He was actually at the Pentagon on 9/11 filing an application for White House Clearance when the plane crashed. By 2004 Dodge decided to attempt football again, enrolling at Feather River Community College in Quincy, California. Texas A&M came calling and his senior season he led the Aggies in tackles with 117.
Vanderbilt; Zach Cunningham, Linebacker 2013-2016: Lots of linebackers on the SEC list. I’m not a Vanderbilt Historian, but at least in the last fifteen-twenty years I think Cunningham was the best player to come through Vanderbilt. Super tough, just a stereotypical SEC linebacker. Unstereotypical of Vandy, which is what made him so good.
ACC:
Boston College; Zay Flowers, Wide Receiver 2019-2022: If Flowers isn’t the most talented player to play at Boston College in my lifetime, he’s certainly the most entertaining. Only player who’s made me make sure I knew when Boston College was playing to say the least.
Clemson; Kelly Bryant, Quarterback 2015-2018, 2019 (Missouri): Bryant had the misfortune of being sandwiched between Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence at Clemson. If he wasn't being judged against the two best players in Clemson history I think he’d be looked upon much more favorably. He won the ACC and took Clemson to the College Football Playoff, which no matter what anyone in orange said is a massive deal.
Duke; Jamison Crowder, Wide Receiver 2011-2014: Crowder was electric at Duke. His time coincided with the middle of David Cutcliffe’s tenure in Durham, and what I would say was the peak of Duke football under Cutcliffe. I just remember feeling like everyone in the stadium knew Crowder was going to get the ball in big moments and he still consistently made plays.
Florida State; Derwin James, Safety 2015-2017: If i could steal any football player's talent Mon-Stars style it’d be Derwin James. He could line up at any position basically at Florida State and still would’ve been the best player on the field. Truly could do anything you asked him to do, a defensive coordinator’s dream and the definition of a swiss army knife.
Georgia Tech; Calvin Johnson, Wide Receiver 2004-2006: When I was in high school Utah played Georgia Tech in a bowl game and the only thing I remember in the buildup to the game was hearing about this Georgia Tech Receiver named Calvin Johnson. The hype was underselling Johnson, if anything, and should’ve been allowed to go to the NFL after his freshman year.
Louisville; Jaire Alexander, Cornerback 2015-2017: Alexander was the perfect mix of physicality and short area quickness at Louisville. Two of the most important traits for a cornerback luckily. He’d lock people up, force turnovers, and was even a threat to score on special teams.
Miami; Shaq Quarterman, Linebacker 2016-2019: Quarterman was the best player of what was at the time the best linebacker group in the country. He’s at the top of the list of who’s tape I’d pull up if I wanted to show someone how to properly play linebacker in college.
North Carolina; Dyami Brown, Wide Receiver 2018-2020: Brown was so good at beating defenders downfield that I wrote an entire article just about how he creates separation when he was at Carolina. Brown had such a great understanding of small details in route running that make life miserable for defensive backs.
North Carolina State; Ryan Finley, Quarterback 2016-2018, 2013-2015 (Boise State): I always thought Finley was an underrated quarterback who had a good feel for the game and could make more plays than given credit for.
Notre Dame; Kyren Williams, Running Back 2019-2021: Kyren made the best play I’ve ever seen in person. He took a handoff in the shotgun, tried to bounce it to his right, broke 2-3 tackles, and cut it back to the left sideline. Broke another tackle then outran the defenders 91 yards for a touchdown. Please watch it if you haven’t seen it. I lost my mind watching it in person.
Pitt; Tyler Boyd, Wide Receiver 2013-2015: Just like his NFL career, Boyd was an underrated and really solid player at Pitt. Nothing fancy but he’s going to do his job every time.
Syracuse; Andre Sisco, Safety 2018-2020: Sisco was the ultimate center fielder safety at Syracuse. Seemed to just have the green light to chill back there and try to get as many picks as possible.
Virginia; Bryce Hall, Cornerback 2016-2019: Hall was someone I desperately wanted the 49ers to draft. I loved his physical style, and he was a massive part of Virginia’s success under Bronco Mendenhall
Virginia Tech; Kendall Fuller, Cornerback 2013-2015: Could’ve picked any of the Fuller brothers really, but the nod went to Kendall. Kendall just always stuck out to me as a really smart player every time I watched Virginia Tech.
Wake Forest; Sam Hartman, Quarterback 2018-2022, 2023 (Notre Dame): First learned about Sam Hartman while he was in high school during that Netflix “QB1” series. He went on to be the all time leader in ACC Touchdown passes.
-By Jake Cowden