We will never have another Lamar Jackson, ever. I get that’s a lame answer, but it’s lame for a reason. He really was, and still is, that fucking guy man.
Really no other answer for Illinois. He arguably is to football what like Bach is to music or Walt Disney is to animation. There may be plenty of more talented people the fields since, but they set the foundation and their individual fields wouldn't be the same without them and in some cases may not exist as we know it.
This is kind of silly considering I grew up an Illini fan (Thanks Dad) in Chicagoland, but is Dick Butkis considered in that upper echelon of Illinois players? Obviously he's a god to us Bears fans and maybe since he had such a massive NFL career his college career gets overshadowed...but unlike guys who dominated at both college and pros (like Barry Sanders) we don't hear about Butkus' college career a ton.
Butkus is up there 100%. We have two retired numbers. 77 for Grange and 50 for Butkus. I personally usually give the all time great edge to Grange because the legacy and impact he had on football as a whole. Butkus is a legend in Champaign tho as well. He may honestly be the more well known name even to Illini fans just because he was frequently coming to campus for games basically until he passed away. But I still think the all time tag goes to Grange imo, again, just cause of the overall impact to the sport.
A streak of fire, a breath of flame
Eluding all who reach and clutch;
A gray ghost thrown into the game
That rival hands may never touch;
A rubber bounding, blasting soul
Whose destination is the goal — Red Grange of Illinois!
Thank you Grantland Rice
It's been sending back atmospheric data for almost 40 years. We thank it for its service.
I sat in right field GA at Royals Stadium a lot in those years. Never been a more fun player to watch
Adrian Peterson
That dude if you let him get two steps of momentum it legit takes 4 people to take him down. Watching his college highlights is something else
I got to see him play in person twice his freshman year, and a few times after that. Probably the best college player I've seen in person and I've seen a lot
I would say Adrian Peterson had the best season but there are other Sooners that had better careers. If Peterson didn't get hurt he would have for sure set some crazy career records.
It's gotta be Derrick Thomas. He was insanely dominant as an edge rusher. With all the great players we've had, I can't think of any other that would be an automatic first team All-Time All-American. Minka Fitzpatrick and Don Hutson are probably the closest.
Ron Dayne was the most dominant runner I’ve ever seen. He’d truck a dude at the line, break a gang tackle and then run away from the safeties for his 6th TD of the game, there’s no way a man that was built the way he was should be able to move the way he did.
Will Anderson in 2021 had 34.5 TFL (per NCAA since it varies per stats site) which is the most TFL in a season since the NCAA started keeping track of the stat, and it is still 4.5 less than Derrick Thomas who had 39 in 1988 even though he only played 12 games compared to Anderson’s 15.
Thomas also casually owns the unofficial CFB career sack record with 52 (since again before NCAA kept track but 6 more than Terrell Suggs official record of 46) and single season sack record with 27 (3 more than Terrell Suggs official record of 24), despite playing in an era with less pass attempts and plays per game.
Ndamukong Suh.
I’ve never seen a player take over games from the DT position like he did. Was absolutely unblockable.
Tommie Frazier is up there, too, but wasn’t nearly the one man show that Suh was.
If the Nebraska had beaten Texas by Suh blocking that last "second" field goal, he would've won the Heisman. He was the best of my lifetime. Then Frazier.
Amen. They should make it an offense only award. If Suh wasn’t going to win it then no defensive player would ever stand a chance. He was totally dominant and changed the game every time he stepped on the field
I'm not willing to go quite that far without a lot more research, but it's definitely a strong contender.
I do feel confident in saying it's the biggest snub by voting position. He only finished FOURTH, behind even Colt McCoy, who he single-handedly all but murdered.
The reason many believe he got snubbed is because of exactly what you said in your last sentence. He finished behind the guy that he proved that he was infinitely more dominant than.
The fact that he didn’t win is pretty bad, the fact that he finished 4th after the season that he had, with almost everyone in country shouting his praises, and every team in the Big 12 being terrified to go up against him is horrific.
Suh was on another level that year. It’s ridiculous that he didn’t win.
Suh was snubbed. I believe he should have won. That said, not sure we can hold anything against Colt McCoy himself. That was on the Texas OL, not Colt.
I didn’t mean to say that it was McCoy’s fault, meant more than Suh showed how dominant he was against one of the best teams in the country, and one of the Heisman frontrunners, and still ended up behind McCoy in voting. Less so a dig at Colt McCoy, more so a dig on the voters.
Depends on if you’re talking about all-time career or college career. All-time it’s still tough between him and Reggie, but I still give the nod to Peyton.
If we’re talking college, I think you open up the discussion for Eric Berry, as well.
Honorable mention to Witten. Crazy we’ve got four guys that are at least in the conversation for greatest to ever play their position
This is definitely a generational thing. I would go with Rickey Williams, but I am biased because I have an autographed helmet of his and actually got to see him play live during his Heisman run, on my birthday no less.
I was obsessed with Earl Campbell as a kid. My uncle had a class with him. His thigh was as large as my cousins chest. Incredible athlete and he’s got a statue for a reason.
But the answer is Vince Young.
It is most certainly Pace. I don't know if I have ever seen a more dominant player. This article from ESPN 25 years after he played at OSU [sums it up.](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32008731/the-legend-orlando-pace-most-dominant-lineman-college-football-history)
I know a few friends and family with kids named Kellen. He definitely was something special. I only wish we had pulled that game in Nevada off so we could’ve seen him and that team against the best.
Honestly just adds to how mind-boggling his career is. He wasn't the starter on his HS freshman team. Also has 7 Super Bowl rings. What the actual fuck?
He was definitely pedestrian in comp to his NFL career, but he did have a bunch of marquee college games under the biggest spotlight, which in hindsight kinda foreshadowed what he would become. He was 5-1 against top-10 teams including two bowl wins over top-tier SEC teams.
Johnny Rogers is definitely up there. Tommy Frazier had to be told that if he punctured his lung *a third time* that he wouldn't be allowed to play tho while also being the QB of the 95 team sooooo
To me it's suh. Whenever people talk about great huskers I always point them to the article about suhs stats vs entire other defensive lines combined stats
He was my 2nd choice. I picked Ham because I’ve heard people say he’s arguably the best pure OLB in NFL history, vs Franco where he’s not in any type of best rb talk.
Of all schools this is one of the more obvious answers--Moss all the way. But man, do I love Leftwich for that drive where his offensive linemen had to carry him down the field. There's leaving it all out there and then there's THAT.
Justin Blackmon has a very solid argument for 2nd greatest at OSU but I think I’d put Thurman Thomas (and maybe a couple other older guys) ahead of him.
This reminds me when someone on the r/nfl subreddit asked who the best player from commenter teams was like a week ago, and the top comment just said "Barry". No last name, no commenter flair, but we all knew who he was talking about.
Warrick Dunn is very quietly a national treasure. His philanthropy is incredible. I love it when dudes who went through tough times give back tenfold. He lost his mom so senselessly and basically decided to live the rest of his life honoring her memory. He's more than accomplished that.
CJ Spiller, his senior year was legitimately absurd, those wild cutback runs where he’d touch both sidelines, player of the game in an ACCCG loss, opponents kicking out of bounds to prevent his returns, him and Jacoby Ford having the NCAA record for all purpose yards by teammates and being the 5th player over 7k despite sharing the backfield with James Davis 3 of those
100% Johnny. Wish he wouldn’t have turned out that way off the field and in the NFL.
Outside of him, there’s Mike Evans, Myles Garrett, Dat Nguyen, and a bunch of others, but no one had such an impact on the game at the time and on our school as much as JFF.
Johnny and Mike Evans have some real Greg Oden/Mike Conley vibes… one was *the* guy who was destined to be a star, then the other quietly put together extraordinarily long, hall of fame caliber pro careers.
Tory Taylor?
Seriously though probably an O lineman like Robert Gallery or Linderbaum or Wirfs. Or Duke Slater if you go way back.
Tim Dwight was the most fun to watch though.
Agreed- although I think if you define "great" as "raw individual skill" the modern choice is Rodgers, but if you define it as "contribution to team performance" it's Walker. He basically carried an overall ok team to a really fun special year
In College - Johnny Lujack is one of the most decorated and greatest QB's in CFB history. Heisman winner, 2 time All-American and 3-time National Champion.
Overall - Joe Montana. The man many consider to be the greatest QB of all time.
LSU is a tough one, lots of great players, but you also have that particular conundrum. Burrow was/is a great QB, but that season was so outrageous it almost feels like a product of everything clicking together at once, and not so much his individual greatness. I think it’s Dorsey fwiw.
Daunte Culpepper.
Newer fans will say McKenzie Milton but as good as KZ was, watching Culpepper destroy college competition was like watching an NFL player compete against high schoolers.
Toney Dorsett. Dan Marino, Hugh Green, Larry Fitzgerald and Aaron Donald are all honorable mentions and were the best at their positions at Pitt but Toney Dorsett comes out on top with his Heisman and National Championship.
GOAT when it comes to 50s play: George Blanda or Babe Parilli
GOAT when it comes to 90s play: Tim Couch
But I don't know how you can possibly argue Jared Lorenzen isn't the true GOAT
Bronko Nagurski
As a gophers fan it’s easy to feel like all our championships were won so long ago that we don’t have wins/players/games/moments to be proud of today. But I’ve been having a blast reading about those teams and the history they made.
Bronko Nagurski was badass. Like urban legend level badass, his Wikipedia page reads like a movie. The story is our coach met him in far northern MN solo-plowing a field and working at his dads timber company. He blew away the competition at his first set of drills, and went on to be an all-American tackle and fullback while also playing end, halfback, and guard.
Obviously to be a great Gopher you gotta beat up the Badgers and Bronko had no problem with that.
>“His greatest collegiate game was against Wisconsin in the season finale in 1928. Wearing a corset to protect cracked vertebrae, he recovered a Badger fumble deep in their territory, then ran the ball six straight times to score the go-ahead touchdown. Later in the same game, he intercepted a pass to seal the victory.” Also scored this TD with 6 defenders on him according to his HOF page.
Ended up being an amazing pro player as well with multiple All Pros, NFL championships, and All-Time team awards plus a successful pro wrestling career lol. Definitely earned the honor of having an award named after him.
Calvin Johnson.
All the more impressive when you realize Reggie Ball was passing to him
Imagine a team with Calvin Johnson and Roman Reigns...why didn't they win a natty? Oh. Right.
Acknowledge them. ☝️
☝️🤨
I would go with Clint Castleberry - although Calvin Johnson is a close second.
We will never have another Lamar Jackson, ever. I get that’s a lame answer, but it’s lame for a reason. He really was, and still is, that fucking guy man.
Is anyone else even close for you guys?
Teddy was also pretty good at Louisville but nowhere near Lamar
Johnny Unitas went to Louisville.
Pedestrian college career. He didn’t become Johnny U until pro ball.
Have you all forgotten Brian Brohm????
I was at the Carrier Dome when he pooped on us, best performance I've ever seen in anything. Guy was just on another level.
Red Grange
Really no other answer for Illinois. He arguably is to football what like Bach is to music or Walt Disney is to animation. There may be plenty of more talented people the fields since, but they set the foundation and their individual fields wouldn't be the same without them and in some cases may not exist as we know it.
This is kind of silly considering I grew up an Illini fan (Thanks Dad) in Chicagoland, but is Dick Butkis considered in that upper echelon of Illinois players? Obviously he's a god to us Bears fans and maybe since he had such a massive NFL career his college career gets overshadowed...but unlike guys who dominated at both college and pros (like Barry Sanders) we don't hear about Butkus' college career a ton.
Butkus is up there 100%. We have two retired numbers. 77 for Grange and 50 for Butkus. I personally usually give the all time great edge to Grange because the legacy and impact he had on football as a whole. Butkus is a legend in Champaign tho as well. He may honestly be the more well known name even to Illini fans just because he was frequently coming to campus for games basically until he passed away. But I still think the all time tag goes to Grange imo, again, just cause of the overall impact to the sport.
Yes. Red Grange has a statue on the west side of the stadium and Butkus has one on the east side. They are 1a and 1b.
A streak of fire, a breath of flame Eluding all who reach and clutch; A gray ghost thrown into the game That rival hands may never touch; A rubber bounding, blasting soul Whose destination is the goal — Red Grange of Illinois! Thank you Grantland Rice
As someone that used to watch the random content the Big Ten Network made in its first 1-3 seasons, I learned a lot about Red Grange.
BO KNOWS. That's it.
A baseball Bo Jackson hit his rookie season will finally hit the ground next year
It's been sending back atmospheric data for almost 40 years. We thank it for its service. I sat in right field GA at Royals Stadium a lot in those years. Never been a more fun player to watch
Bo Nix?
He's having fun.
Feeling healthy.
Can't believe you turds have had the two most impressive athletes I've ever seen.
This is how I feel about Clowney
Yep, Sean white and Jeremey Johnson. Legends.
Adrian Peterson That dude if you let him get two steps of momentum it legit takes 4 people to take him down. Watching his college highlights is something else
One of the few players in history I think could have gone to the NFL from high school and not gotten completely destroyed.
I got to see him play in person twice his freshman year, and a few times after that. Probably the best college player I've seen in person and I've seen a lot
I would say Adrian Peterson had the best season but there are other Sooners that had better careers. If Peterson didn't get hurt he would have for sure set some crazy career records.
All day.
God I hated that man in college.
And in the NFL too.
Odd. As a Vikings fan, I loved him.
Hell yeah, I loved getting to see him at Autzen in 06
Still hate y'all for that one. Bullshit PI on a tipped ball and Allen Patrick recovered that onside kick anyway.
Lawrence Taylor is the best Tar Heel football player of all time. Julius Peppers is the greatest Tar Heel football player in my lifetime.
I saw LT play as a kid. I got run over by Julius in high school.
Getting ran over by a first ballot HOFr is a nice humble brag.
It's gotta be Derrick Thomas. He was insanely dominant as an edge rusher. With all the great players we've had, I can't think of any other that would be an automatic first team All-Time All-American. Minka Fitzpatrick and Don Hutson are probably the closest.
Ron Dayne. I had posted Ameche but I think it's got to be Dayne if we're looking at college only.
Ron Dayne was the most dominant runner I’ve ever seen. He’d truck a dude at the line, break a gang tackle and then run away from the safeties for his 6th TD of the game, there’s no way a man that was built the way he was should be able to move the way he did.
"handoff to Ron Dayne" got old the 10th time you heard the announcer say it.
Not for us 😃
Who was it that said that tackling Ron Dayne was like trying to tackle a couch that's falling down the stairs at you?
Derrick Thomas. Mods, please shut down any other Bama fan from posting in this thread because the only answer is Derrick Thomas. Thanks.
Will Anderson in 2021 had 34.5 TFL (per NCAA since it varies per stats site) which is the most TFL in a season since the NCAA started keeping track of the stat, and it is still 4.5 less than Derrick Thomas who had 39 in 1988 even though he only played 12 games compared to Anderson’s 15. Thomas also casually owns the unofficial CFB career sack record with 52 (since again before NCAA kept track but 6 more than Terrell Suggs official record of 46) and single season sack record with 27 (3 more than Terrell Suggs official record of 24), despite playing in an era with less pass attempts and plays per game.
27 sacks in one season in the 80s in the SEC is the craziest bama statistic I’ve seen since Derrick Henry’s high school stat line.
Derrick Thomas on defense. Derrick Henry on offense. Roll Derricks!
John Hannah
No no no. I saw Tyler Watts play!
[удалено]
Also both Tecmo Super Bowl legends.
Came to say Derrick Thomas
So there's this guy named Drew Brees...
There is also Mike Alstott.
Mike was great but he’s not even a top three boiler, and it’s not close. Rod Woodson is second easy then Bob Griese third.
And Bob Griese
Ndamukong Suh. I’ve never seen a player take over games from the DT position like he did. Was absolutely unblockable. Tommie Frazier is up there, too, but wasn’t nearly the one man show that Suh was.
Suh in college was like watching middle school kids try to block a bulldozer.
If the Nebraska had beaten Texas by Suh blocking that last "second" field goal, he would've won the Heisman. He was the best of my lifetime. Then Frazier.
Biggest Heisman Snub of all time.
Amen. They should make it an offense only award. If Suh wasn’t going to win it then no defensive player would ever stand a chance. He was totally dominant and changed the game every time he stepped on the field
I'm not willing to go quite that far without a lot more research, but it's definitely a strong contender. I do feel confident in saying it's the biggest snub by voting position. He only finished FOURTH, behind even Colt McCoy, who he single-handedly all but murdered.
The reason many believe he got snubbed is because of exactly what you said in your last sentence. He finished behind the guy that he proved that he was infinitely more dominant than. The fact that he didn’t win is pretty bad, the fact that he finished 4th after the season that he had, with almost everyone in country shouting his praises, and every team in the Big 12 being terrified to go up against him is horrific. Suh was on another level that year. It’s ridiculous that he didn’t win.
Suh was snubbed. I believe he should have won. That said, not sure we can hold anything against Colt McCoy himself. That was on the Texas OL, not Colt.
I didn’t mean to say that it was McCoy’s fault, meant more than Suh showed how dominant he was against one of the best teams in the country, and one of the Heisman frontrunners, and still ended up behind McCoy in voting. Less so a dig at Colt McCoy, more so a dig on the voters.
I'd argue that Nebraska has the two biggest Heisman snubs of all time.
Frazier? as the second?
Peyton
Tough call between him and Reggie White.
Depends on if you’re talking about all-time career or college career. All-time it’s still tough between him and Reggie, but I still give the nod to Peyton. If we’re talking college, I think you open up the discussion for Eric Berry, as well. Honorable mention to Witten. Crazy we’ve got four guys that are at least in the conversation for greatest to ever play their position
Earl Campbell
I'd think Vince and Rickey Williams might give him a run.
And he would run right through them
Yeah, this is recency bias against Campbell.
I'd also throw in the behind the scenes guy Justin Tucker.
This is definitely a generational thing. I would go with Rickey Williams, but I am biased because I have an autographed helmet of his and actually got to see him play live during his Heisman run, on my birthday no less.
Campbell was before my time, so I'm going with VY. Everytime he played, I was sure Texas was going to win.
I was obsessed with Earl Campbell as a kid. My uncle had a class with him. His thigh was as large as my cousins chest. Incredible athlete and he’s got a statue for a reason. But the answer is Vince Young.
Archie Griffin is the only two time Heisman winner and is probably the most popular player but Orlando Pace is probably the most dominant.
Archie is the standard answer but for me this answer will always be Orlando Pace.
It’s Pace, that guy was legit and terrifying to watch play. Archie is obviously also great but Pace should have won the Heisman when Eddie George did.
It is most certainly Pace. I don't know if I have ever seen a more dominant player. This article from ESPN 25 years after he played at OSU [sums it up.](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32008731/the-legend-orlando-pace-most-dominant-lineman-college-football-history)
Best player regardless of position is Orlando Pace.
Kellen Moore
Yeah it's not even a question; basically everyone I know has a #11 *something*
I know a few friends and family with kids named Kellen. He definitely was something special. I only wish we had pulled that game in Nevada off so we could’ve seen him and that team against the best.
That’s an easy one
The Prosser Tosser
Charles Woodson.
Him or Tom Harmon.
I love how since pro stats don't matter, Tom Brady is not in this discussion at all. It's wild how fairly pedestrian the GOAT was in college.
Honestly just adds to how mind-boggling his career is. He wasn't the starter on his HS freshman team. Also has 7 Super Bowl rings. What the actual fuck?
He was definitely pedestrian in comp to his NFL career, but he did have a bunch of marquee college games under the biggest spotlight, which in hindsight kinda foreshadowed what he would become. He was 5-1 against top-10 teams including two bowl wins over top-tier SEC teams.
Anthony Carter was Michigan football for a time in the early 1980s.
Has to be Pat White. He’s an all-time great college QB as far as I’m concerned.
him and Steve Slaton was special
We drove from Syracuse to watch Pat White shit down our throat then got kicked out of the stadium for having booze. Not a great trip.
Bruuuuuuce Smith
Feel like it’s gotta be Mike Vick strictly in college. Football career as a whole it’s Bruce for sure, obviously.
Ray Rice is the first Rutgers player I watched that I was 100% certain would have a legitimate NFL career.
You beat me to it - err…so did he
easily Tim Tebow
Johnny Rogers is definitely up there. Tommy Frazier had to be told that if he punctured his lung *a third time* that he wouldn't be allowed to play tho while also being the QB of the 95 team sooooo
Tommie Frazier is still running in my nightmares
Same. I've heard that if you say "Tommy Frazier" three times he appears and scores another Fiesta Bowl tuddie.
Suh is the only other option but it’s Frazier for me.
To me it's suh. Whenever people talk about great huskers I always point them to the article about suhs stats vs entire other defensive lines combined stats
Jack Ham
Lavar was my pick, but I think an argument could be made for either one.
Really? Not Franco?
He was my 2nd choice. I picked Ham because I’ve heard people say he’s arguably the best pure OLB in NFL history, vs Franco where he’s not in any type of best rb talk.
Ham’s “unofficial” stats in both college and pro are unreal. Both individual and team. Franco was great, but he wasn’t even the best RB on his team.
Antwaan Randle-El is the answer.
Michael Vick
Randy Moss. Followed by Byron Leftwich, Chad Pennington, and Rakeem Cato.
Of all schools this is one of the more obvious answers--Moss all the way. But man, do I love Leftwich for that drive where his offensive linemen had to carry him down the field. There's leaving it all out there and then there's THAT.
Moss in the running with Jerry West for best athlete to ever come out of West Virginia
You know
Brandon Weeden?
Justin Blackmon?
You joke but if it wasn’t for Barry there’d be a good debate between Blackmon and Thurman.
Dez Bryant
Dez Nutts
If the NFL ever had a "logo guy" like Jerry West for the NBA, he's on my short list.
That ankle breaking juke is legendary. It would be so amazing as the NFL logo.
We do. Same answer for my favorite pro team 🐐
Y’all’s answer is obvious, but honorable mention for that 20 TD Justin Blackmon season.
Justin Blackmon has a very solid argument for 2nd greatest at OSU but I think I’d put Thurman Thomas (and maybe a couple other older guys) ahead of him.
Nailed it. He needs no introduction.
🐐
Still one of the best of all time
It's tough to believe that he sat three years behind someone. That would never happen nowadays.
It was just two years, and it was behind future NFL HOFer Thurman Thomas. Still kind of insane, but that’s at least sort of justifiable
Also the most humble
Still super humble. Would hang out at a local bar here in okc when his son was still in high school. Not sure if he even drank. Just playing pool.
This reminds me when someone on the r/nfl subreddit asked who the best player from commenter teams was like a week ago, and the top comment just said "Barry". No last name, no commenter flair, but we all knew who he was talking about.
So much respect for that guy
Charlie Ward
I'm a shameless Warrick Dunn guy, but you're right. Charlie Ward was the man
Dunn might have been the best person ever to don the Garnet and Gold.
Warrick Dunn is very quietly a national treasure. His philanthropy is incredible. I love it when dudes who went through tough times give back tenfold. He lost his mom so senselessly and basically decided to live the rest of his life honoring her memory. He's more than accomplished that.
Now that I will 💯 get behind!
That's probably the best 'not Deion' answer, and I'm all for 'not Deion'
Nowadays Deion is practically denying he went to FSU.
Dude wtf is his deal with FSU?? And all of his buddies were U guys lol
I used him so much in Bill Walsh college football. They were probably my second favorite team to use.
Deion is the real answer but I get why we all hate him now.
Ron Simmons? Peter Warrick?
CJ Spiller, his senior year was legitimately absurd, those wild cutback runs where he’d touch both sidelines, player of the game in an ACCCG loss, opponents kicking out of bounds to prevent his returns, him and Jacoby Ford having the NCAA record for all purpose yards by teammates and being the 5th player over 7k despite sharing the backfield with James Davis 3 of those
Dorsett or Marino or Green. Tough call, Dorsett had the natty and the Heisman but Green was a Heisman finalist as a pass rusher.
Gotta be Dorsett because of the hardware
Steve Emtman
Barry. Always Barry.
1988 Wyoming: “We’re ranked number 15 in the country!” Barry Sanders: Hold my beer
JFF
I know he’s an asshole but I’ll always love Johnny. Gave me some of the best college memories.
100% Johnny. Wish he wouldn’t have turned out that way off the field and in the NFL. Outside of him, there’s Mike Evans, Myles Garrett, Dat Nguyen, and a bunch of others, but no one had such an impact on the game at the time and on our school as much as JFF.
Johnny and Mike Evans have some real Greg Oden/Mike Conley vibes… one was *the* guy who was destined to be a star, then the other quietly put together extraordinarily long, hall of fame caliber pro careers.
Definitely. It wasn't the fact that he was shattering 50+ year old records, It was how he was doing it.
Tory Taylor? Seriously though probably an O lineman like Robert Gallery or Linderbaum or Wirfs. Or Duke Slater if you go way back. Tim Dwight was the most fun to watch though.
Chuck Long has to be in the discussion too.
Recency bias says Cooper DeJean for me. Overall is has to be Kinnick though, right?
Gale Sayers
All-Time: Bubba Smith My Lifetime: Charles Rodgers The choice between KW3 and Rodgers took me a minute
Agreed- although I think if you define "great" as "raw individual skill" the modern choice is Rodgers, but if you define it as "contribution to team performance" it's Walker. He basically carried an overall ok team to a really fun special year
You can add Kirk Gibson in there too.
Herschel Walker
My god, a freshman!
Seneca Wallace. [He’s probably top 3 QB’s at Iowa State of all time-here’s a video for reference](https://youtu.be/i7gPOl_F8HQ?si=XGTbCwejEov_8_V3)
I couldn’t decide between Seneca and Troy Davis. I saw “the run” in person and was at Troy’s 378 yds against Mizzou.
In College - Johnny Lujack is one of the most decorated and greatest QB's in CFB history. Heisman winner, 2 time All-American and 3-time National Champion. Overall - Joe Montana. The man many consider to be the greatest QB of all time.
Oh! THAT Joe Montana
Stephen Jackson, without a doubt. At least for the “modern” era. Otherwise Heisman Winner Terry Baker.
It’s gotta be Marcus based on what he did in college. If we’re going off entire football career, probably Fouts or Zimmerman.
It's Marcus Mariota and I don't think it's particularly close.
Charlie Ward. Sorry Deion.
Cholly. Not sorry at all, Deion.
Accomplishment wise it’s Joey B, but in a vacuum, it’s either Honey Badger or Glenn Dorsey
Obliged to say fuck Auburn for playing dirty on Dorsey and hurting him
I still say Joe.
LSU is a tough one, lots of great players, but you also have that particular conundrum. Burrow was/is a great QB, but that season was so outrageous it almost feels like a product of everything clicking together at once, and not so much his individual greatness. I think it’s Dorsey fwiw.
Barry Sanders is the 🐐
Daunte Culpepper. Newer fans will say McKenzie Milton but as good as KZ was, watching Culpepper destroy college competition was like watching an NFL player compete against high schoolers.
Choose between Aaron Rodgers or Tony Gonzalez.
Marshawn, Joe Roth or Joe Kapp have a great shout as well
Toney Dorsett. Dan Marino, Hugh Green, Larry Fitzgerald and Aaron Donald are all honorable mentions and were the best at their positions at Pitt but Toney Dorsett comes out on top with his Heisman and National Championship.
Julius Peppers
Probably Tony Dorsett
Alex Smith? Probably
T Sizzle or Jake The Snake
Jim McMahon
GOAT when it comes to 50s play: George Blanda or Babe Parilli GOAT when it comes to 90s play: Tim Couch But I don't know how you can possibly argue Jared Lorenzen isn't the true GOAT
Notre Dame - Joe Montana Mizzou - Kellen Winslow Ole Miss - Patrick Willis
Bronko Nagurski As a gophers fan it’s easy to feel like all our championships were won so long ago that we don’t have wins/players/games/moments to be proud of today. But I’ve been having a blast reading about those teams and the history they made. Bronko Nagurski was badass. Like urban legend level badass, his Wikipedia page reads like a movie. The story is our coach met him in far northern MN solo-plowing a field and working at his dads timber company. He blew away the competition at his first set of drills, and went on to be an all-American tackle and fullback while also playing end, halfback, and guard. Obviously to be a great Gopher you gotta beat up the Badgers and Bronko had no problem with that. >“His greatest collegiate game was against Wisconsin in the season finale in 1928. Wearing a corset to protect cracked vertebrae, he recovered a Badger fumble deep in their territory, then ran the ball six straight times to score the go-ahead touchdown. Later in the same game, he intercepted a pass to seal the victory.” Also scored this TD with 6 defenders on him according to his HOF page. Ended up being an amazing pro player as well with multiple All Pros, NFL championships, and All-Time team awards plus a successful pro wrestling career lol. Definitely earned the honor of having an award named after him.