Three-time All-Pro (1968, 1971, 1973). Lionel Messi is a football player from Argentina who plays for FC Barcelona. Billy Ray Smith Jr. made his own legacy at Arkansas, however, lettering four years at defensive end and serving as team captain in 1982. Concrete Charlie, as he was named, is distinctive as the last and greatest of the NFLs 60-minute men. The Crimson didn't lose another game until 1915. Kinnick excelled at both, not to mention being one of the best backs in the nation. The two-time All-American broke five NCAA, 14 SEC and 28 Florida records, including career passing efficiency (170.8), completion percentage (67.1) and rushing yards by a quarterback (2,947). In his only Iron Bowl, Newton led the Tigers from a 24-point deficit to win at Alabama, 28-27. 7. Notre Dame and USC each have nine players; Oklahoma, eight; Alabama and Ohio State, seven. Woodson's versatility and big-play ability allowed him to become the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman since the sport moved to a two-platoon system in the early 1960s. 114. So, without further ado, let's jump right into the top-20 countdown. Best Running QBs. Sanders began as a junior by returning that season's opening kickoff for a touchdown too. 1 USC. Harmon's final college game was his masterpiece. But Bowden is certain which Seminole was the best athlete he ever coached. 113. Otto Graham (QB, Northwestern, 1941-43) Doak Walker (RB, SMU, 1945-49) Easily the second-greatest offensive lineman in NFL history (the greatest will make his appearance down this list), Hannah held the title himself, dubbed the lineman GOAT by Sports Illustrated in 1981. "Deion Sanders, no doubt about it," Bowden says. MOHAMED SALAH. As a senior in 1955, Cassady rushed for 146 yards in Ohio State's 17-0 victory at Michigan, Hayes' first victory in the Big House. He continues the trend of definitive GOATs at their position, and only slides down to 3rd because of the insane longevity of the two players ahead of him. But this is as far as he can reasonably slip before we need to start talking about bias toward the past. One of the hardest hitters in NFL history, Dick Butkus accolades dont necessarily measure up with his contemporaries this high on the list, but thats fine considering his relatively short career. The top 25 rankings are from the USA Softball/ESPN top 25 rankings . Flutie put the Eagles in a major bowl (Cotton) for the first time in 42 years and returned Boston College to the college football map, a map that within the decade would include the Big East Conference. 66. Lee Roy was a two-time All-American in 1974 and 1975, won the Lombardi and Outland awards as a senior and was the No. First, Steve Owen, the coach of the New York Giants in the 1940s, declared Davis "better than Red Grange. "I block, and I block, and I block," Jackson told Sports Illustrated after the game, "and we win and win and win. And yet, one of them one the MVP , and Munoz is largely forgotten in NFL history. Manning gained 540 yards of total offense, an SEC record that stood for more than three decades, in a 33-32 loss. 1. Baker Mayfield (QB, Texas Tech/Oklahoma, 2013/2015-17) Ranked! The 100 best football players of all time | FourFourTwo He was a consensus All-American in 1963 and 1964. So it should speak to the talent above Brown that as the greatest to ever play arguably the second-most important role on an NFL team, he ranks at the bottom of this particular Mt. The Top 25 Fastest Players in NFL History - Bleacher Report Ronaldo was, obviously, in 1st while Messi had to settle for 4th. Rushing yards: 3,616 | Yards per rush: 8.4 | Touchdowns: 53 44, he earned 10 varsity letters in four sports at Syracuse -- basketball, football, lacrosse and track. Taylor spent his first two injury-plagued seasons at North Carolina playing inside linebacker and nose guard. Hall of Fame. An oft-told legend is that a college football coach, lost during a recruiting trip in Minnesota, asked a farmer for directions to the nearest town. Deshaun Watson (QB, Clemson, 2014-16) Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 2004; two-time Super Bowl champion (1998, 99); 1989 AP MVP; 1998 Super Bowl MVP; 1992 Walter Payton Man of the Year; 9-time Pro Bowler; Achievements: Inducted into Pro Footbal HOF 2010; 18,355 rushing yards, No. Alfredo Di Stefano 4. A points system was used for the rankings starting with 60 points for the top player on a list down to 1. Simpson, whose outsized career and personality overshadowed one of the best running backs of that generation. As a senior, he made all-state. Up until recently, the game was predicated on defense, running backs, and if the air attack was good enough, quarterbacks. He ran for 147 yards before leaving for good. He turned down the U.S. Navy brass who wanted him to play service football because he wanted to be a good officer. Eight pro bowls (1968-75). 2 the next season. Brown was the greatest all-around athlete in Syracuse history -- and perhaps in all of collegiate sports. Justice is on the short list of greatest players never to win the Heisman. 84. More importantly, the win sealed Cassady's victory in the Heisman vote. Top 50, here we go. One of the most explosive offensive players in history, McCaffrey broke Barry Sanders' NCAA single-season all-purpose yards record (3,864) as a sophomore in 2015, when he had eight straight games with more than 200 total yards; finished runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting; and was a unanimous All-American and the AP player of the year. He intercepted five passes, averaged 42.0 yards per punt, and completed 55.3% of his passes in an era when anything over 50% was exceptional. Von Miller and JJ Watt are the only active players that even reach triple digits. Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (2000 Class); 4x Super Bowl Champion; 3x Super Bowl MVP; 2x MVP; 3x First-Team All-Pro; 2x Second-Team All-Pro; 8x Pro Bowl. 29. Youll find less successful running backs with shorter careers higher than him on this list, and if not for his sordid history off the field, he might have just been up there with them. His Super Bowl win wont be remembered outside of Green Bay, sandwiched as it was in the middle of the more famous Cowboys and Broncos dynasties, but Favres peak as the leagues resident gunslinger was as good as anyones. RANKED The 101 greatest football players of the last 25 years. CFB150 home. John David Crow (RB, Texas A&M, 1955-57) During his three seasons, the Crimson Tide went 29-2-2. Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (2005); 3x Super Bowl Champion; 1x Super Bowl MVP; 2x MVP; 1x OPoY; 3x First-Team All-Pro; 3x Second-Team All-Pro; 7x Pro Bowl; 2x NFC OPoY; 2x Bert Bell Award. Young finished his BYU career with 7,733 passing yards and 56 touchdowns while running for 1,084 yards and 18 scores. Legendary Nebraska coach Bob Devaney called Glover "the greatest defensive player I ever saw." He rumbled up the right sideline, running through several Rebel tackles for the touchdown that won the game. The 2006 Biletnikoff Award winner's speed, hands, size and work ethic made him almost impossible to cover. 4. France. Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders, Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 2009; 2001 Super Bowl champion; 1993 AP Defensive Player of the Year; 1st-team All-Pro (1989, 90, 92, 92, 94, 2002); 11-time Pro Bowler, Teams: Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1999; 1986 AP Offensive Player of the Year; 1st-team All-Pro (1983, 84, 86, 87, 88); 6-time Pro Bowler, Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1989; 4-time Super Bowl champion (1974, 75, 78, 79); 1975 AP Defensive Player of Year; 1st-team All-Pro (1975, 81); 5-time Pro Bowler, Teams: Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1985; 1973 NFL AP MVP; 1973 Bert Bell Award winner; 1st-team All-Pro (1972, 73, 74, 75, 76); 6-time Pro Bowler, Achievements: Super Bowl XLV champion; 2x NFL MVP (2011, 2014); Super Bowl XLV MVP; 2-time First-team All-pro (2011, 2014); Second-team All-pro (2012); Seven pro bowls, Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1978; 3-time NFL champion (1961 62, 65); 2-time Super Bowl champion (1966, 67); 1st-team All-Pro (1964, 65); Pro Bowler. He also ran for 444 yards and eight scores. Parker was the Buckeyes' first Outland Trophy winner in 1956 and a two-time All-American. He set FCS career records with 14,496 passing yards and 16,823 total yards. Ronaldo Nazario 7. The 6-2, 210-pound halfback filled Brown's jersey -- and his shoes. A bruising and powerful runner, Owens set what was then an NCAA record with 17 consecutive 100-yard rushing games. His biggest play came against USC in 1948, when he caught a short pass and broke no fewer than eight tackles to score a 35-yard touchdown to tie the Trojans 14-14 at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. Passing yards: 9,285 | Rushing yards: 2,947 | Total TDs: 145 (88 pass/57 rush) Jerry Robinson (LB, UCLA, 1975-78) Receptions: 45 | Receiving yards: 730 | TDs: 7 Put it this way: Thirty-one seasons later -- after a period in which the Crimson Tide have won six national championships and put 23 consensus All-American defenders on the field -- no Alabama player has come within 12 of Thomas' mark of 39 tackles for loss in a season. Don Hutson (E, Alabama, 1932-34) He threw or rushed for 42 touchdowns, and more importantly, the 1965 All-American and 1966 Heisman runner-up led the Boilermakers to play to their potential. He would be gone two years later, dying from leukemia. Spurrier won the 1966 Heisman Trophy as Florida's quarterback and returned to his alma mater to coach the Gators to their first national title three decades later. Reggie White (RIP, Minister of Defense) is the greatest edge rusher of all time. . 15. He finished third in Heisman voting and won the Payton Award as the top FCS player in 1994. The two-time first-team All-American leads the Yellow Jackets in eight categories, including receiving yards (2,927), touchdown passes (28) and 100-yard receiving games (13). As a senior in 1969, Owens carried the ball 358 times for 1,523 yards and 23 touchdowns. In 1973, Parker became the first full-time offensive lineman inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jones became an NFL legend in a 14-year career, spent largely with the Los Angeles Rams. 2nd black player ever inducted); NFL champion; 4-time AAFC champion; Pro Bowl; 2-time First-team All-Pro (1948, 1950); averaged 5.6 YPC (a record that still stands for FBS). Marshall Faulk 20. White excelled on the field and in the classroom at Colorado. The Gary, Indiana, native was the first Iowa player to earn first-team All-America honors in two seasons. Without a doubt, the wildest statistic among these 150 players is that Spielman made 29 tackles against archrival Michigan in his junior season. Interceptions: 7 Since 1995, the Chuck Bednarik Award has been given to college football's best defensive player. He took home the 1978 Heisman Trophy during his junior season. Passing yards: 6,040 | Rushing yards: 3,127 | Total TDs: 81 (37 rush/44 pass) In 1982, when Nebraska averaged more than 500 yards and 40 points per game, on an offense that included ballhandling stars such as quarterback Turner Gill, backs Mike Rozier and Roger Craig, and wide receiver Irving Fryar, the 6-3, 275-pound Rimington won the Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year award. His four 300-yard games in a season? Teams: Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (2016); 1x Super Bowl Champion; 3x MVP; 1x OPoY; 3x First-Team All-Pro; 3x Second-Team All-Pro; 11x Pro Bowl. Jim Brown (RB, Syracuse, 1954-56) Passing yards: 2,181 | Rushing yards: 823 | Passing TDs: 15 The Downtown Athletic Club bestowed the Heisman name to the award after John Heisman died the following year. Sims didn't repeat as a Heisman winner -- he finished second -- because Charles White of USC beat him out; with 1,506 rushing yards, it's hard to say that Sims faltered. Punting. In three seasons with the Buckeyes, Pace earned the moniker "Pancake Man" for his uncanny ability to flatten opponents and leave them lying on their backs. 10. Let us know on Twitter or Facebook. Oh, yeah, the 6-foot, 195-pound Woodson also set an NCAA record in the 60-meter hurdles and won five Big Ten track championships. While playing for the Minnesota Vikings, Page graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School. Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (1971 Class); 1x Super Bowl Champion; 3x MVP; 8x First-Team All-Pro; 1x Second-Team All-Pro; 9x Pro Bowl; RoY (1957). Now that we're a few years removed from the NFL's 100th Anniversary and the GOAT Tom Brady just recently retired, it's time to update our rankings of the 50 Greatest NFL Players of all time.. He is the only defensive player to win Associated Press Player of the Year, and he claimed the Outland, Lombardi, Bednarik and Nagurski honors as a senior. 82. At 6-foot-8, 225 pounds, he brings size and versatility to Arizona in a . 23. At 6-foot-4 with a lightning-quick release, Marino surely looked like an NFL quarterback. 90. Up until his recent swoon, all eyes were on Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes as the best player in the game today and leader of a new pro football era. He came from New Orleans to San Diego State with little fanfare. 118. Then there's the like's of the best soccer players in the world today, a few of whom also might have claim to the title, such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski, and Karim Benzema. Hugh Green (DE, Pitt, 1977-80) 103. The Panthers went 42-6 in Marino's four seasons, finishing as the country's No. He finished second to South Carolina's George Rogers in Heisman Trophy voting as a senior, the highest-ever finish by a full-time defensive player. 4 player in the 2024 class and the No. Head coach Joe Paterno eyeballed George's frame on his recruiting visit and saw a linebacker. They've witnessed their idol give an explosive interview about Manchester United which saw him leave the Premier League club. Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football HOF (1984); 3-time Super Bowl champ; 2-time First-team All-Pro (1971, 1973); AFL champion (1967); 3-time First-team All-AFL (1964, 1968, 1969); 4-time Pro Bowl selection; held the Super Bowl record for longest interception (75 yards) until James Harrison broke it. 62. Tackles: 315 While not quite as impactful as the greatest defensive player of all time, Reggie White is a clear positional GOAT, and this is the lowest he can reasonably be slotted before we start to disrespect the defensive side of the game of football. You have to go all the way down to 8th to find Portuguese superstar, Ronaldo. 1. "There's never been a better one," former Volunteers coach Johnny Majors said. Rushing yards: 4,443 | Yards per rush: 5.8 | Rushing TDs: 40 Doug Flutie (QB, Boston College, 1981-84) Cornelius Bennett (LB, Alabama, 1983-86) Rushing yards: 4,589 | Touchdowns: 62 | Total offense: 5,595 yards In 1980, he won the Maxwell Award as the country's best player, won the Lombardi Award as the best lineman and won the Walter Camp as the nation's most outstanding player. Rushing yards: 1,455 | Yards per carry: 4.9 | Touchdowns: 19 Ward's ability to run and pass made him the forerunner of the modern quarterback. Achievements: 4-time Super Bowl champ; 3-time First-team all-Pro (2002, 2004, 2014); 3-time Pro Bowl selection; Holds NFL records for most consecutive FGs made (44), most career FGs made (582) and most career points in NFL history (2,600); Only player to score 1,000+ points for 2 teams. -- Ivan Maisel. The two-time unanimous All-American is the only player in FBS history with consecutive 300-yard rushing games. Here's how much impact Luck had on Stanford's football program: When Luck departed for the NFL draft after his junior season, an anonymous donor endowed the team's offensive coordinator and changed the job title to the Andrew Luck Director of Offense. His smile and general joie de vivre electrified a sport that, in the mid-1980s, was mired in scandal. Ranking the 10 greatest football players of all time Ron Dayne (RB, Wisconsin, 1996-99) As a junior, he finished second to fellow junior Doak Walker of SMU. He was an all-league quarterback and captain of the baseball team at the Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and was accepted to Yale and the U.S. Military Academy. It was presented by the NFL Network in 2010. We take size for granted now, but when Smith lined up at defensive end for the Spartans in his junior and senior seasons, the first two years of fully legal two-platoon football, his 6-7, 283-pound frame represented a quantum leap. He delivered unforgettable moments, too, including a one-handed catch against NC State and a game-winning snag against Clemson in 2004. In the middle of a run in which the Seminoles finished in the top five for 14 consecutive seasons, Dunn played enough as a freshman to gain 868 tandem yards and score 10 touchdowns, including the one that sealed Florida State's chance to play for the 1993 national title. 21. Seattle Seahawks (1995-1999) Dallas Cowboys (2000-2003) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2004-2008) New England Patriots (2009) Pittsburgh Steelers (2009) Washington Redskins (2010) Joey Galloway has had a. 39. His "Bo Over the Top" touchdown leap broke a nine-game losing streak in the Iron Bowl, Bear Bryant's last. Jim Parker (OL, Ohio State, 1954-56) 129. Brooks spent his entire 14-year NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading the franchise to its only world championship with a 48-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII in January 2003. Receiving yards: 404 | Touchdowns: 3 Receiving yards: 2,479 | Punt return yards: 1,515 | Punt return TDs: 7 The Irish finished second in 1948. The next season, Robinson had 28 tackles against Air Force. He earned Phi Beta Kappa and the 1939 Heisman, finishing his Hawkeyes career with 2,169 total yards and 18 interceptions. As a senior in 1983, Rozier rewrote the school record book, with 2,148 yards and 29 touchdowns, averaging nearly 8 yards per carry. Receiving yards: 1,565 | Return yards: 1,607 | All-purpose yards: 4,187 College softball top 25 scores, schedule, TV info | NCAA.com He had been so impressive that he won the 1943 Heisman, anyway. Tom Brady can now rightfully claim his title as the GOAT as he rides into the sunset, for good this time. By his junior year, USC won a share of the conference championship. "Don had the most fluid motion you had ever seen when he was running," said Bear Bryant, who was the other end on the Tide team. Stats: 35 Receptions, 560 Receiving Yards, 7 Touchdowns. 1995 Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George recalls how his recruitment to Penn State turned into a disappointment when he was asked to play linebacker, instead of running back. Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden began to use him in a no-huddle shotgun set midway through Ward's junior season. As the highest-ranking Buffalo Bill, Bills Mafia would riot if he slid any lower than that too. While Brown is best known as the running back who launched the legend of jersey No. Achievements: Inducted into Pro Football HOF in 1985; NFL MVP 1971, Super Bowl VI MVP; 22,700 passing yards, 153 passing touchdowns, 20 rushing touchdowns, 2,264 rushing yards; lost statistics by delaying entry into NFL for four years because of military commitment after graduating from the Naval Academy. As a sophomore (1.004 yards), he broke the Pitt school rushing record. We couldn't tackle him." Jack Ham (LB, Penn State, 1968-70) Ditka once punched two Pitt guards in the huddle during a game because he didn't think they were playing hard enough. At 273 pounds, Parker was the biggest player the Baltimore Colts had ever drafted. Before the left-handed Young won three Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers, he was a dangerous dual-threat quarterback at BYU. NFL's best players ever at every offensive position - ESPN Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1967; 2-time NFL champion (1949, 60); 1st-team All-Pro (1950, 51, 52, 53, 54, 60); 8-time Pro Bowler, Teams: Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, Oorang Indians, Rock Island Independents, New York Giants, Chicago Cardinals, Achievements: Inducted into Pro Football HOF (1963); First-team All-pro (1923), Achievements: Inducted into Pro Football HOF (1998); Super Bowl XX Champion; 7-time First-team All-pro (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991); Second-team All-pro (1990); 10 pro bowls, Achievements: Inducted into Pro Football HOF (1963); 2-time First-team All-pro (1930, 1931). After the team dropped consecutive Orange Bowls in the 1992 and '93 seasons, Frazier's junior season in 1994 was nearly derailed by blood clots. In top-level association football competitions, 24 players have scored 500 or more goals over the course of their career in both club and international football, according to research by the IFFHS, first published in 2007. Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (1989); 4x Super Bowl Champion; 1x DPoY; 2x First-Team All-Pro; 4x Second-Team All-Pro; 1x AFC DPoY; 5x Pro Bowl. As a senior, he finished runner-up to Notre Dame end Leon Hart. In his last college game, Griese led Purdue to a 14-13 victory over USC in the 1967 Rose Bowl. He has become Exhibit A for anyone out to prove the outsized thumbprint of Notre Dame. Heads you win, tails you lose." Whats even crazier is that if not for a long tour of Vietnam after college, he might have had five more cracks at the NFL chip. The online publisher has ranked the greatest footballers of all time and Messi is in at No.1. At the time of his retirement, Marino held over 40 total NFL records (youll see those record breakers later), and was the first quarterback to ever surpass both the 50 and 60,000 passing yard threshold, and the 400 touchdown pass mark. Warrick Dunn (RB, Florida State, 1993-96) (2:25). He's the only Big Ten player to win consecutive Rose Bowl MVP awards. Coaches always maintain that the longer a game goes, the more that talent will reveal itself. 69. 107. Griffin changed his coach's mind, perhaps by rushing for a school-record 239 yards in the second game of the season. Just look at the top of every record. 131. 119.