# The 66 Greatest College Football Players of All Time

> Leather-helmet halfbacks, playoff-era quarterbacks and a few small-school record breakers are judged here only on what they did before turning pro.

*By YPB Team · Published November 10, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-66-greatest-college-football-players-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Herschel Walker** — score 1000/1000
   Georgia running back who helped win the 1980 national title as a freshman and won the 1982 Heisman Trophy.
2. **O. J. Simpson** — score 969/1000
   USC tailback who won the 1967 national title and the 1968 Heisman Trophy.
3. **Chuck Bednarik** — score 965/1000
   Penn center and linebacker who won the 1948 Maxwell Award; the Bednarik Award carries his name.
4. **Archie Griffin** — score 935/1000
   Ohio State running back and the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner (1974 and 1975).
5. **Gale Sayers** — score 902/1000
   Kansas halfback nicknamed the Kansas Comet who was a two-time All-American in 1963 and 1964.
6. **Jim Brown** — score 897/1000
   Syracuse running back of 1954–56 who was a unanimous All-American in 1956 and also starred in lacrosse.
7. **Lamar Jackson** — score 810/1000
   Louisville quarterback who won the 2016 Heisman Trophy at age 19.
8. **Reggie Bush** — score 785/1000
   USC running back whose 2005 Heisman Trophy was vacated in 2010 and restored in 2024.
9. **Deion Sanders** — score 759/1000
   Florida State cornerback who was a two-time consensus All-American and won the 1988 Jim Thorpe Award.
10. **Tim Tebow** — score 738/1000
   Florida quarterback who won the 2007 Heisman Trophy as a sophomore and national titles in the 2006 and 2008 seasons.
11. **Ron Dayne** — score 685/1000
   Wisconsin running back who won the 1999 Heisman Trophy and set the NCAA career rushing record.
12. **Dick Butkus** — score 685/1000
   Illinois linebacker and center who was a two-time All-American in 1963 and 1964; the Butkus Award bears his name.
13. **Ndamukong Suh** — score 685/1000
   Nebraska defensive tackle who swept the Outland, Lombardi, Bednarik and Nagurski awards in 2009.
14. **Lee Roy Selmon** — score 685/1000
   Oklahoma defensive tackle who won the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award in 1975 and two national titles.
15. **Travis Hunter** — score 685/1000
   Colorado receiver and cornerback who played both ways and won the 2024 Heisman Trophy.
16. **Eric Dickerson** — score 685/1000
   SMU running back who shared the Pony Express backfield with Craig James and finished third in the 1982 Heisman voting.
17. **Barry Sanders** — score 627/1000
   Oklahoma State running back who rushed for 2,628 yards in 1988 and won that year's Heisman Trophy.
18. **Reggie White** — score 627/1000
   Tennessee defensive lineman who was a consensus All-American and SEC Player of the Year in 1983.
19. **Adrian Peterson** — score 627/1000
   Oklahoma running back who rushed for 1,925 yards as a freshman in 2004 and was the Heisman runner-up.
20. **Desmond Howard** — score 627/1000
   Michigan receiver and returner who won the 1991 Heisman Trophy and struck the Heisman pose after a punt return against Ohio State.
21. **Ronnie Lott** — score 627/1000
   USC defensive back who was a consensus All-American in 1980 and was part of the 1978 national title team.
22. **Lawrence Taylor** — score 627/1000
   North Carolina linebacker who was a consensus All-American and ACC Player of the Year in 1980.
23. **Bronko Nagurski** — score 627/1000
   Minnesota fullback and tackle who was an All-American in 1929; the Nagurski Trophy is named after him.
24. **Glenn Davis** — score 627/1000
   Army halfback known as Mr. Outside who won the 1946 Heisman Trophy.
25. **Tony Dorsett** — score 627/1000
   Pittsburgh running back who won the 1976 Heisman Trophy and that season's national title.
26. **Bruce Smith** — score 561/1000
   Virginia Tech defensive end who won the 1984 Outland Trophy.
27. **Bo Jackson** — score 561/1000
   Auburn running back who won the 1985 Heisman Trophy.
28. **Earl Campbell** — score 561/1000
   Texas running back who won the 1977 Heisman Trophy.
29. **Marshall Faulk** — score 561/1000
   San Diego State running back who ran for 386 yards against Pacific as a freshman in 1991, then an NCAA single-game record.
30. **Hugh Green** — score 486/1000
   Pittsburgh defensive end who won the 1980 Lombardi Award and finished second in that year's Heisman voting.
31. **DeVonta Smith** — score 486/1000
   Alabama receiver who won the 2020 Heisman Trophy, the first wide receiver to win it since 1991.
32. **Davey O'Brien** — score 486/1000
   TCU quarterback who won the 1938 Heisman Trophy and led the Horned Frogs to that season's national title.
33. **Charles Woodson** — score 486/1000
   Michigan cornerback who won the 1997 Heisman Trophy, the first primarily defensive player to do so.
34. **Cam Newton** — score 486/1000
   Auburn quarterback who won the 2010 Heisman Trophy and that season's BCS national title.
35. **Walter Payton** — score 486/1000
   Jackson State running back of 1971–74 who scored 464 career points, then an NCAA record.
36. **Bubba Smith** — score 486/1000
   Michigan State defensive end who was a two-time All-American and played in the 1966 game against Notre Dame billed as the Game of the Century.
37. **Archie Manning** — score 486/1000
   Ole Miss quarterback who produced 540 yards of total offense against Alabama in 1969.
38. **Billy Sims** — score 486/1000
   Oklahoma running back who won the 1978 Heisman Trophy.
39. **Paul Hornung** — score 486/1000
   Notre Dame quarterback who won the 1956 Heisman Trophy for a team that finished 2–8.
40. **Sammy Baugh** — score 486/1000
   TCU quarterback and punter of 1934–36 who was a two-time All-American.
41. **Doak Walker** — score 486/1000
   SMU halfback who won the 1948 Heisman Trophy; the Doak Walker Award is named for him.
42. **Peyton Manning** — score 486/1000
   Tennessee quarterback of 1994–97 who led the Volunteers to the 1997 SEC title and was that year's Heisman runner-up.
43. **Ernie Davis** — score 401/1000
   Syracuse running back who in 1961 became the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy.
44. **Doug Flutie** — score 401/1000
   Boston College quarterback who won the 1984 Heisman Trophy and threw the Hail Flutie pass to beat Miami.
45. **Christian McCaffrey** — score 401/1000
   Stanford running back who gained an NCAA-record 3,864 all-purpose yards in 2015.
46. **Doc Blanchard** — score 400/1000
   Army fullback known as Mr. Inside who won the 1945 Heisman Trophy.
47. **Ricky Williams** — score 400/1000
   Texas running back who won the 1998 Heisman Trophy and broke the NCAA career rushing record that season.
48. **Marcus Mariota** — score 400/1000
   Oregon quarterback who won the 2014 Heisman Trophy, the first in the school's history.
49. **Roger Staubach** — score 400/1000
   Navy quarterback who won the 1963 Heisman Trophy.
50. **Larry Fitzgerald** — score 400/1000
   Pittsburgh receiver who won the 2003 Biletnikoff Award and finished second in the Heisman voting.
51. **Vince Young** — score 400/1000
   Texas quarterback who ran for the winning touchdown against USC in the Rose Bowl that decided the 2005 national title.
52. **Tommie Frazier** — score 400/1000
   Nebraska quarterback who started for national title teams in 1994 and 1995 and ran 75 yards for a touchdown in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl.
53. **Billy Cannon** — score 400/1000
   LSU halfback who won the 1959 Heisman Trophy, remembered for his Halloween-night punt return against Ole Miss.
54. **Marcus Allen** — score 302/1000
   USC tailback who in 1981 became the first player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season and won the Heisman Trophy.
55. **Jerry Rice** — score 302/1000
   Mississippi Valley State receiver who set Division I-AA receiving records in 1983 and 1984.
56. **Andrew Luck** — score 302/1000
   Stanford quarterback who finished second in the Heisman voting in both 2010 and 2011.
57. **Steve Spurrier** — score 302/1000
   Florida quarterback who won the 1966 Heisman Trophy.
58. **Tom Harmon** — score 302/1000
   Michigan halfback who won the 1940 Heisman Trophy.
59. **Red Grange** — score 187/1000
   Illinois halfback nicknamed the Galloping Ghost who scored four touchdowns in the first 12 minutes against Michigan in 1924.
60. **John Elway** — score 187/1000
   Stanford quarterback who was a consensus All-American in 1982 and finished second in that year's Heisman voting.
61. **Johnny Lujack** — score 187/1000
   Notre Dame quarterback who won the 1947 Heisman Trophy and played on three national title teams.
62. **Eddie George** — score 187/1000
   Ohio State running back who won the 1995 Heisman Trophy.
63. **Johnny Rodgers** — score 187/1000
   Nebraska receiver and return man who won the 1972 Heisman Trophy.
64. **Joe Burrow** — score 187/1000
   LSU quarterback who threw 60 touchdown passes in 2019, winning the Heisman Trophy and the national title.
65. **Ed Reed** — score 187/1000
   Miami safety who was a consensus All-American in 2001 and started on that season's national title team.
66. **Jim Thorpe** — score 187/1000
   Carlisle Indian Industrial School halfback who was named an All-American in 1911 and 1912.

Tags: usa, sports, american-football, players, college football, ncaa