In the spirit of last year's IBM Top 25 College Football Players, I'm doing a list of my own, only it's over the last 5 years.
25. Jamaal Charles RB, Texas- This guy is barely on the list because he had only one dominant stretch, but, boy, was it dominant. He singlehandedly won the Texas-Nebraska game in 2007 with his 190 yard 4th quarter.
24. Mike Nugent, K, Ohio State- This guy was an incredible kicker, and get this: his teammated actually respected him, voting him 2004 team MVP. This guy almost never missed.
23. Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College- There is a strong case to put him higher, but his first three seasons didn't compare to his last. The four bowl wins were a huge plus.
22. Todd Reesing, QB, Kansas- This guy is on here because of his ability to make something out of nothing. 5'10, he looks between the linemen before every throw.
21. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech- Although he has only completed his freshman season, he has shown the potential to be the best college WR ever. Ever.
20. Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville- He may have been the Payton Manning of college football minus the embarrasing 2007.
19. Pat White, QB, West Virginia- The best dual threat QB since Vince Young will be a Heisman front-runner next year.
18. Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii- This guy has about every passing record there is. He ranks this low a) because the system helped him (alot), b) because he did it against Utah and San Jose State, and c) because the one big game against a great team, he was on the ground the entire time (see: 2008 Allstate Sugar Bowl)
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17. Chris Long, DE, Virginia- Watching last year's Gator Bowl showed me how incredible he is, dominating a great Texas Tech Offensive Line.
16. JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU- His arm strength never ceased to amaze me, and he even had a Sugar Bowl win to legitimize (legitimize?) him.
15. Ted Ginn, Jr., WR, Ohio State- This guy had all the talent in the world, and his dynamic kickoff return to start the BCS National Championship game vs. Florida proved it.
14. Mike Hart, RB, Michigan- This guy had heart and soul, and was the only bright spot on Michigan teams that let their fans down year after year after year. He finally got a bowl win in 2007 in the Capitol One Bowl, and may have been the happiest man on the planet that day.
13. Michael Huff, FS, Texas- He won the Thorpe Award as a senior and was the key player in the most important defensive play in Rose Bowl history, winning him the Rose Bowl Defensive MVP Award.
12.Derrick Johnson, LB, Texas- This guy could shoot people to Mars if it wasn't for gravity. He is a downright tank.
11. Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame- Although he never brought home a bowl win, he did post good stats and went home with a Maxwell Award. Not too shabby for a kid from Dublin, Ohio.
10. Jason White, QB, Oklahoma- I had to find a spot for him, even if he was one of the worst all-time Heisman winners. I remember an old lady beating him at a Texas/OU halftime event.
9. Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas- He was Heisman runner-up two straight years and the first person since Ricky Williams to win consecutive Doak Walker Awards.
8. Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech- Although he didn't win a championship or even play in a BCS Bowl, he deserves to be mentioned here because he is such an incredible talent, winning the Biletnikoff Award as a junior.
7. A. J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State- This guy was a dominant run stopper and pass rusher, with a Fiesta Bowl Defensive MVP trophy and a Lombardi Award on the shelf.
6. Matt Leinart, QB, USC- He won a national championship. He won the Heisman Trophy. He even gave up being a lock to go first in the NFL Draft to come back for his senior season, only to free-fall in the next year's draft. Those easily warrant him the sixth spot.
5. Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU- This beast is already being compared to Warren Sapp. He recorded 12.5 TFL's and 7 sacks on a knee that was damaged by a cheap shot, all while performing the best celebration in college football.
4. Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma- Could be higher, might have even won the Heisman if not for his injuries, but when healthy he was dominant.
3. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida- Really only this high because of his monster 2007. And what a monster, becoming the first player ever to rush and pass for 20 TD's.
2. Reggie Bush, RB, USC- He set the record for most first place votes for the Heisman Trophy, and there were none more electrifying.
1. Vince Young, QB, Texas- Easily the best of this era and arguably the greatest of all time. His legendary performance in Pasadena will rank as one of the greatest clutch performances of all time.
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2 months ago
Congratulations... you are an incredible idiot Ross Crawford. Matt Ryan?? he was a complete unknown until last year, and you have him on your list of best college football players.. dont ya think maybe such an honor deserves more than a mediocre performance in his senior. Also how about David Greene of the Georgia Bulldogs... last time i checked he has the most wins of any NCAA quarterback ever... but i guess thats not nearly as impressive as Brian Brohm? Feel free to correct me, but your article is horrible..
2 months ago
Laffable list...
no offensive line men, no larry fitzgerald, jamaal charles over cedric benson (wtf?), no terrell suggs, no mike hass, no patrick willis.... the list goes on and on.
You shoulda made of the last 2 years, which is what this list looks like.
about 1 month ago
No Troy Smith? You have a list with Colt Brennan, Todd Reesing and Mike Hart and you don't include one of College Football most dominant players and Heisman winner?
from about 1 month ago
I was wondering the same thing. Every other Heisman winner from the last five years is on this list...
about 1 month ago
McFadden should be higher!
about 1 month ago
You could have done a whole lot better with this list. I mean, you have Brady Quinn as #9, and you state one of the biggest reasons he shouldn't have been on here. He never won a bowl game. To that note, he got his nuts handed to him in a jar in his last two against OSU and LSU. He is just one of the poor selections on this list.
about 1 month ago
You know what? i'm SO over the "system Quarterback" thing with Colt Brennan. Which "system" increses your passing percentage to 76%???? The other numbers may have gone up due to whatever circumstances but you can't deny connection. Oh, and as Far as the Sugar Bowl, Hawaiis O Line is to blame for that. I'm sorry, Georgia did there homework and knew how to get them where it hurt. too bad ALL of the hurt went to one player due to nationwide JEALOUSY.
about 1 month ago
AS A LONGHORN FAN, i LOVE SEEiN DERRiCK JOHNSON, MiCHAEL HUFF, AND ViNCE YOUNG, BUT WHAT ARE YOU THiNKiN PUTTiN JAMAAL CHARLES ON THiS LiST. HE'S EASiLY OVERHYPED, AND CEDRiC BENSON WAS A WAY BETTER LONGHORN. i AM UPSET THAT GUYS LiKE TROY SMiTH, LENDALE WHiTE, LARRY FiTZGERALD, AND OTHERS ARENT ON THiS LiST.
about 1 month ago
I would have UGA's David Pollock on the list, Only he and mister Walker have been all American three years running in the history of UGA football. He was one of those special defencive player's that could take over any game single handed. He was held on almost every play, if the ref's would've called holding a quarter of the time he would have had more sacks than any DE in the game. NFL first round.
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