All it takes is a name. Just say a name, and college football fans will unlock memories they thought were long gone. Many of these players never saw the light of the NFL, and their moments in the sun happened on a beautiful Saturday afternoon when the entire stadium lost its mind after hours of tailgating. College football is second to church in many families, so when those moments make an impact, that impact never leaves a fan.
For this list, we want to really dig into the players who unlock memories. Of course, Vince Young’s play against USC, the Reggie Bush push of Matt Leinart, and that one hit by Jadeveon Clowney. All of those are considered the greatest plays in history, and those memories are seared in our brains if we were old enough to be there for them. We want to unlock parts of your mind you didn’t realize were still there while putting a smile on your face. Remember those plays and that college career that make fans feel all warm and fuzzy.
1. Tavon Austin, West Virginia Mountaineers
To this day, Tavon Austin is still popular among kids. His mixtape and highlight reel keep moving across social media accounts. His crazy plays have moved through the gamut of social media platforms, starting on Myspace and Vine, moving to Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, and now building new fans on TikTok and Snapchat. He started his college career in 2009 in Morgantown, and he never looked back.
Austin was a special running back-wide receiver combination that just doesn’t exist in today’s football. He was the fastest guy on the field at all times, and no matter how defenses planned to stop him, nobody could. He never averaged less than 10 yards per reception and twice averaged more than 10 yards per rush. West Virginia had a weapon in Austin, but as time went by, they realized he was an entire battalion.
We haven’t even brought up the kick returns. Austin was electric when the other team kicked off or punted to West Virginia. This was Dante Hall/Devin Hester-level scary when kicking off. In his senior year, he had 12 receiving touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns, a kick return, and a punt return for a touchdown. He really kicked off WVU’s move from the Big East to the Big 12 in a big way.
2. Denard Robinson, University of Michigan
To this day, Denard Robinson is the standard for what a video game quarterback looks like in real life. His highlights are still passed around online, and you can still hear fans say “Shoelace” like it’s a superpower. With how bad things have gotten in Ann Arbor, Robinson brings memories of better times, even if they didn’t lead to championships.
Robinson spent much of his time at Michigan as one of the most electric players in football (it was a really electric time for the sport). His ability to be the fastest guy on the field, or at least appear that way, made defenses on edge. He didn’t have the best arm, but he had enough throwing talent to keep teams honest.
Robinson never became much in the league, but his college days were second to none at the position. He was Lamar Jackson before we were truly ready for that. His talent was undeniable, like when he ran for 258 yards and threw for 244 against Notre Dame in 2010. One year later, in the first-ever night game for the Big House, he beat Notre Dame again with a last-second touchdown to Roy Roundtree. Robinson brings back great memories for Michigan fans, and honestly, most college football fans.
3. Colt Brennan, University of Hawaii
There’s something about staying up really late to watch football that matters. Yes, the West Coast games in certain sports can keep you up, but Hawaii was another level. Starting games at 11 pm meant we could stay up until 2 am or later watching our favorite sport. To this day, Colt Brennan is the face of the Hawaii football golden era. He made the run-and-shoot a known style and really put the Western Athletic Conference even higher on the map.
In 2006, he led the nation with 5,549 passing yards and 58 touchdowns. Those are video game numbers. He followed that up in 2007 with another monster year, throwing for more than 4,300 yards and 38 touchdowns while leading Hawaii to an undefeated regular season. If they were playing with a 12-team playoff, he would be fighting for a National Championship.
And he even got national recognition, finishing sixth and third in the Heisman Trophy race in 2006 and 2007, respectively. His records are still on the books, and the memories of those Saturday nights in Honolulu are still going strong. Whether we watched at noon or midnight, the late Brennan was always a perfect fit for our need for explosive football.
4. Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech University
Michael Crabtree was supposed to be the best receiver in his class, pulling up a college program by himself. It’s a rarity for a player at his position to be the guy leading wins. Crabtree was in a league of his own. Obviously, it wasn’t just that he was doing it in general, but it was where he was doing it. He was helping the Texas Tech Red Raiders become a national powerhouse. He might still be the best wide receiver in the entire 2000s.
The clip of him catching a pass in the final seconds and sprinting into the end zone against the Texas Longhorns is the stuff of legends. He caught the ball inside the five-yard line, shook off a defender, and ran into the end zone. For one night, Tech was the king of Texas. Crabtree was the reason for that.
And yes, this kind of breaks the rule for having that one play seared into the front of everyone’s brain, but Crabtree was more than that. He was a superstar who did it for the Red Raiders when he probably could have gone elsewhere and excelled. He didn’t have the career many expected him to have in the NFL, but his college career is the stuff made for history books.
5. Pat White, West Virginia University
This season, the West Virginia Mountaineers honored Pat White, and we have to admit, we’re surprised it didn’t happen sooner. White was a guy who was ahead of his time. We understand that there were dual threats prior to White, but he was the exact type of quarterback that’s thriving in the NFL today. He had the ability to throw the ball a mile, but his rushing always kept teams on the heels.
White didn’t have that success in the NFL despite the Miami Dolphins taking a chance on him, but he will always have his success in college. For four years, he led the Mountaineers to successful seasons under center. His statistics were insane. He broke 1,000 yards rushing in a season twice, and he hit 21 touchdowns passing in his senior season.
White was a dominant player on the field. His legend started in his first time being the main guy. White came in to replace an injured Bednarik with WVU down 24–7 to Louisvivlle and led the Mountaineers to a 46–44, triple overtime victory. That was one of many performances that left our jaws on the floor. He’s a two-time Big East Player of the Year, and he was a missed field goal from playing in the BCS Championship Game. Pat McAfee was that kicker, which is probably a bigger factoid today than it was then.
6. Ron Dayne, University of Wisconsin
Okay, so this one does come with two different versions. There’s the New York Giants version of Ron Dayne, which came into the league with so much hype and hope and never truly met those expectations. Then, there’s the one that everyone in the Big Ten remembers. That’s where we’ll go with this.
Dayne is one of the greatest college running backs of all time, but he doesn’t last the test of time like Barry Sanders, Ricky Williams, and Darren McFadden. However, when you mention Dayne and college running backs, we’re stuck on the impact that Dayne had. He was a 250-pound behemoth who could run through defenders. He was a defensive lineman with superstar speed. He ran with a low center of gravity and a stiff arm that sent tacklers flying. Dayne didn’t have that “lightning” speed, but it was sneaky how quick he could move when needed.
In 1999, Dayne broke Ricky Williams’s NCAA career rushing mark in front of the home crowd at Camp Randall against rival Iowa. A few weeks later, he won the Heisman Trophy. He also led the Badgers to back-to-back Rose Bowl wins in 1998 and 1999, earning MVP honors both times. He ran for more than 1,400 yards in each of his four seasons, and Wisconsin’s offense was built around feeding him the ball until the other team gave up. It didn’t matter the game plan. Dayne was winning the day.
7. Jeff Samardzija, University of Notre Dame
Do you remember Chicago Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija? Or do you remember superstar wide receiver Jeff Samardzija? The Notre Dame product was a two-sport star, but in college, football is where he thrived. The old highlights of him climbing over a defensive back to haul in a Brady Quinn pass are still astounding. He arrived on campus in 2003, and he became the centerpiece of the Charlie Weis era. As forgettable as that era was, Samardzija made a huge impact.
He plays like DeAndre Hopkins with his ability to go up and get the ball. He was really good at crossing the field and crushing the slant play. Samardzija caught 77 passes for 1,249 yards and 15 touchdowns, all school records at the time, and he became a consensus All-American in 2005. We all remember Brady Quinn, but as we saw in the NFL, he was not the same without Samardzija being the most reliable receiver in the league.
He would have been an easy first-round pick, but he chose baseball, and it was probably the right decision. He made more than $100 million as a pitcher over 13 seasons in the majors, and yet, he’s still remembered more for his impact he had in South Bend.
8. LaMichael James, University of Oregon
LaMichael James is a name that seems to have been lost to memory in college football. The Oregon Ducks are stuck in “always a bridesmaid” when it comes to national contenders, and that wasn’t different when James was dominating the field. He brought them to the BCS National Championship Game after the 2010 season, where they fell to Auburn on a late field goal, and then to a Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin after 2011. The fact they never won a championship did impact his legacy, but he should be remembered for just how good he was.
James was the engine of the Chip Kelly offense, an offense which asked a lot of its engine. As many know, Chip Kelly ran an offense that was based on pace. They did not let up, no matter the score. They were the “seven seconds or less” football version.
James was a smaller back who played much bigger than his size. He had a quick first step, great vision, and the kind of top gear that turned a 5-yard gain into a 60-yard touchdown. As a freshman in 2009, he ran for more than 1,500 yards. In 2010, he led the nation in rushing with 1,731 yards and won the Doak Walker Award, finishing third in the Heisman voting. He followed that with another huge year in 2011, running for more than 1,600 yards even after missing time with an injury.
9. Maurice Clarett, Ohio State University
For this one, you have to ignore the prominent memory and remember the player on the field. Before NIL, open transfer rules, and the Wild West setup that is today’s NCAA, Maurice Clarett was going to court to try to get paid, but he was just trying to gain early entry into the NFL Draft. When that didn’t work, he wasn’t allowed to come back to college because he already had an agent.
Controversies aside (and there were more), Clarett’s freshman season is one of the best ever. He rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 18 touchdowns, carrying an Ohio State team to a national championship. If there’s one play that stands out, it’s not a rush or even a reception for a touchdown. Clarett made an impactful defensive play when Craig Krenzel threw an interception to Sean Taylor. Clarett was able to strip the ball from the star safety, and the Buckeyes got the ball back.
This was a dominant season from a young player that got completely overshadowed by everything that happened after it.
10. Dennis Dixon, University of Oregon
Dennis Dixon felt like Oregon’s best chance. For so many years, the Ducks got close. For all the quarterbacks who came through Eugene: Bo Nix, Dante Moore, Justin Herbert, Marcus Mariota, and Dillon Gabriel, there was something about Dixon’s senior season that had everyone believing.
There was an inherent athleticism to Dixon that was infectious. People were drawn to him but the defenders couldn’t touch him. He was legitimately in a Heisman Trophy race with Tim freaking Tebow before a torn ACL ended his senior season early. At that point, he had 20 touchdown passes and just four interceptions, doing just about everything right.
The disappointment of that injury is one of the biggest “what ifs” in the history of college football. Dixon’s college story is a story of what could have been, but the memory of those first nine weeks is still the best thing about it. He was playing at such a level that he became must-see TV. The Ducks have been rolling on offense ever since, and we’re not saying that Dixon is the reason for that, but the excitement of his era of football definitely changed the narrative around Oregon.
11. Juice Williams, University of Illinois
Let’s paint a quick picture for you to tell the story of Juice Williams. Ron Zook already had the punt team on the field. Illinois led No. 1 Ohio State 28-21 in the fourth quarter, with 6:53 left, and it was fourth-and-inches at their own 34. Ohio State’s Jim Tressel called a timeout, and in the pause Juice Williams walked over and talked his coach out of kicking the ball away. With 105,000 maniacs rooting for Illinois to fail, Williams wanted the ball and a chance.
A QB sneak and the chains were moving, and the momentum had shifted. Over the next drive, Williams kept it himself and ran for four more first downs. Sixteen plays and about eight minutes later, Illinois had bled nearly the whole rest of the game off the clock without scoring a point. Ohio State got the ball back with no time left, and the upset was in the bag. It was Illinois’s first win over a No. 1 team since 1956.
He finished 2008 with 3,892 yards of total offense, a school record for a season, earning himself second-team All-Big Ten honors. Unfortunately, the team around him could not repeat his success in his senior season, but he was still putting up numbers and remained one of the biggest stars in Illinois history.
12. Jahvid Best, University of California, Berkeley
Give Jahvid Best a sliver of daylight and the play was usually over, usually before the safety had finished reading it. He arrived in Berkeley with a sprinter’s speed, and in September of his sophomore year, 2008, he ripped off 80- and 86-yard touchdown runs in a 66-3 beatdown of Washington State. He finished that season averaging 8.1 yards per carry. Imagine averaging nearly a first down every time you touch the ball. Ridiculous.
We all knew the Heisman case was coming in his third year. It was building toward a crescendo. Unfortunately, a serious injury cut that short. But he did it while making a play. He hurdled a cornerback while playing against Oregon State, but a second defender upended him and he landed awkwardly in the endzone.
But that shouldn’t be the story. Best was the best of the best at his position, and he was dominant on the ground. His athletic talents were clear from day one. In the end, he was a human highlight reel.
13. Shonn Greene, University of Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes football has this long-term philosophy it seems about the name on the front of the jersey. Every so often, there’s a defensive player who comes out of the woodwork. Many Iowa players become really good in the NFL, but that’s what made Shonn Greene stand out. Finally, the Hawkeyes had a “star.”
Greene was a battering ram who ran angry and busted through arm tackles. He finished 2008 with 1,850 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, the single-season Iowa record, and won the Doak Walker Award and consensus All-American honors. He was a throwback in a spread-offense era, and the Hawkeyes rode him all the way to an Outback Bowl win.
Greene dominated to the tune of six yards per carry. It was one dominant year, but it was a player who was building towards this.
14. Clarkston Hines, Duke University
Duke University is a basketball school. JJ Reddick, Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, Grady Dick, Zion Williamson, and a host of other stars across eras helped them become a true blue blood. When it comes to football, the success is few and far between. Every so often, they have a guy who has some success in the NFL, like Daniel Jones or Sonny Jurgenson, but the success is fleeting because of the focus of the program.
However, there’s one Duke player that defines the program. Clarkston Hines was the best wide receiver in the ACC, a legacy that still holds because of all the great wide receivers that played in this conference after him. Nicknamed “The Frequent Flyer,” Hines was a lanky route-runner who always seemed to be open. He topped 1,000 receiving yards in 1987, 1988 and 1989, making him the first ACC player to do it three years in a row and the first to lead the league in receiving yards in all three.
He made two All-American first teams, one team being voted unanimously. He was also named the 1990 ACC Male Athlete of the Year. Somehow, despite all the production, he wasn’t selected until the ninth round of the NFL Draft, showing how interesting that process was in the early 1990s.
15. Rey Maualuga, University of Southern California (USC)
In 2008, “getting Maualugaed” was the way you described a ball carrier who’d been absolutely flattened, and the “Rey’s hit list” compilations on YouTube were passed around like a warning label. He was the most feared player on a USC defense that was full of stars. He didn’t need the labels that come with this franchise. He just needed to hit people, and those hits put butts in seats.
Maualuga played middle linebacker when that was still the most important defensive position on the field. Yet, he was built like a pass rusher, and his speed was impossible for interior linemen to handle. A guard just getting a hand on him was considered a win, because he had plenty of unimpeded runs at running backs and quarterbacks.
He finished with 273 career tackles, with 79 in 2007 and 79 in 2008. As a surprise to no one, he won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player, the first Trojan to do so. And yet, with all the hits, the play we remember most is his touchdown. When playing No. 5 Ohio State, Maualuga stepped in front of a Todd Boeckman pass, took it 48 yards the other way, and shook off a would-be tackler on the way to the end zone. It was like he learned from his own tackling technique how to break tackles on the other side.
16. Brandon Spikes, University of Florida
Speaking of big hitters, let’s talk about Brandon Spikes for just a quick moment. We all remember the Tim Tebow era for… well.. Tim Tebow. He was larger than life, and he still is. He was essentially a celebrity when he was in college. But those Florida teams were much more than one player. And Spikes was the quintessential complement to Tebow in every way. For how wholesome and nice Tebow came off to the media, Spikes brought a snarl in everything he did both on and off the field.
He had this impressive mixture of speed and size that made every hit come right through the TV. We’re pretty sure he broke ribs just from watching some of those hits at The Swamp. He didn’t get a ton of flashy stats. He built his career on fear, forcing opposing offenses to avoid him at all costs.
The quintessential memory of his career happened early in the 2008 Georgia game. Knowshon Moreno was dominating defenses all season, but Spikes sent a message early. Moreno thought he saw a hole and cut back towards the line of scrimmage. Spikes closed that hole with quickness, slamming him to the ground. Florida ended up winning the game 49-10.
17. Toby Gerhart, Stanford University
Toby Gerhart holds the unfortunate distinction of being the person who lost the closest Heisman Trophy race in history. Alabama’s Mark Ingram ended up eeking out the award, but don’t let that take away from what Gerhart did while playing for Stanford. His career at Stanford had everything, from a 1-11 season where he seriously considered just focusing on baseball to leading the entire country in rushing yards with more than 1,800.
Gerhart lives in our mind because of the look. He was stacked to the gills and could crush guys up the middle. In his final college season, he ran for 100-plus yards in 11 of 13 games, won the Doak Walker Award and the Jim Brown Trophy, and was a unanimous All-American. The Cardinal knew when they gave Gerhart the ball, good things were about to happen.
In his final season, Gerhart watched as Andrew Luck took over as starter. We saw this glimpse of a dynamic duo. Unfortunately, we didn’t get their partnership long term, because that would have likely led to a national title. We did get that one play against the Oregon Ducks where he dragged the entire defense into the endzone. He finished that game with 222 yards and three touchdowns.
18. Trindon Holliday, Louisiana State University (LSU)
Some of the most exciting plays in college football are returns. Returners don’t get as famous in college like they do in the NFL. But every so often, a player is a special teams monster, and they become a household name. That’s what happened with Trindon Holliday.
It helped that he stood out in the opposite way one would think. In a land of giants, Holliday stood at just 5-foot-5. To make it in football, a player has to be beyond athletic. They have to be special. And not special like we overuse about all athletes. He has to be special when compared to his peers. Think about Mugsy Bogues in the NBA. He had to be larger than life, and Holliday had that same aura.
He had multiple 90+ yard touchdown returns in his LSU carer, showcasing an open-field explosiveness that keep kickers and punters up at night. He was a superstar in multiple sports, becoming a four-time All-American in track, but he learned as well as anyone how to translate those skills to the gridiron. By the time his college career ended, he had recorded four return touchdowns and piled up 2,453 combined kickoff and punt return yards.
19. Eric Crouch, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Eric Crouch is an enigma. His NFL career was, in a word, bizarre. His college career was incredible. He remains one of the most memorable names from Nebraska football’s golden years, a quarterback whose highlights captured everything that made the Cornhuskers’ option offense so difficult to stop. We don’t think of Nebraska as this powerhouse anymore because it’s been a generation since this era, but at the time, Crouch was keeping a football legacy alive and well.
Crouch gave defenses nightmares with his ability to run through open space, break tackles, and make plays when it seemed like all options broke down. The option offense is already a game changer for the right quarterback, but Crouch played like he was born to do this. It’s also why he had such a difficult time in the NFL, but let’s focus on the positives.
He put up numbers that looked like two different players. He rushed for 1,115 yards and 18 touchdowns while throwing for 1,510 yards, becoming one of the few quarterbacks to reach 1,000 yards both passing and rushing in the same season. He won the Heisman Trophy and still holds dozens of school records. With how things are going in Lincoln, we don’t think those records are going anywhere.
20. Marqise Lee, University of Southern California (USC)
USC has always been loaded with NFL talent. Whether their record dictates it or not, the Trojans always had guys who were taken at the top of the NFL Draft. Some of them stood out more than others in the NFL, but there are some who really stood out in college. One interesting name is Marquise Lee.
His greatest skill is to make the catch no matter the throw. Lee had a knack for making the extraordinary look routine. He arrived at USC in 2011 and immediately established himself as one of the most dangerous receivers in the country. Lee combined breakaway speed with the ability to create separation and turn short completions into long touchdowns. In 2012, he caught 118 passes for 1,721 yards and 14 touchdowns, while adding 791 yards and another touchdown on kickoff returns.
He finished his USC career with 248 receptions, 3,655 receiving yards, and 29 receiving touchdowns. USC has a long lineage of legenday wide receivers, and while his NFL career wasn’t what some expected, his college career stands on its own.
21. Will Grier, West Virginia University
Will Grier was such a vibe when he came to Morgantown, bringing hope to a Mountaineers team that was quickly running out of reasons to believe. He left the Florida Gators for WVU, preparing to do something nobody else could, put the team on his back and make them contenders.
The Big 12 was in an interesting place, with Texas and Oklahoma still holding the conference under its finger, but teams were breaking through. Baylor, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and TCU had all seen success in different capacities, and now it felt like WVU’s turn. In his first game with the Mountaineers, Grier threw for 371 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in a 31–24 loss to Virginia Tech. It wasn’t the result they were looking for, but the process was in place.
Coming into the 2018 season, Grier was on the watch lists for all of the awards, and he was one of the guys to watch for the Heisman Trophy. That season didn’t hit those heights, but between the “Horns Down” two-point conversion that beat Texas in Texas and his big-play ability, his legacy at WVU should be higher on the list. He finished with 3,864 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in that senior season. While WVU is still looking for that elusive national championship, the Grier era should be celebrated.
22. Scooby Wright III, University of Arizona
Scooby Wright III was a guy the legendary Rich Rodriguez was targeting in the mid-2010s. The problem is, nobody else was looking at him. Wright was a 6-foot-1, 246-pound linebacker who lived in opponents’ backfields. In 2014, he led the nation with 29 tackles for loss, made 163 tackles (the most of any FBS defender), added 14 sacks, and forced six fumbles. Those numbers are insane.
He swept the Nagurski Trophy, the Lombardi Award, and the Bednarik Award, was Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, and became Arizona’s sixth unanimous All-American. He was the first player since 1999 to finish in the top five nationally in tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks. Injuries limited him to three games in 2015, making that 2014 season look even bigger in hindsight.
His biggest memory for Arizona fans came during a game against the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks have never given the Wildcats a second thought when it comes to Arizona on the schedule. Arizona led the No. 2 Ducks 31-24 with under three minutes left. Oregon had just picked up back-to-back first downs and was driving. Wright got to Mariota, knocked the ball loose, and recovered it himself – a sack, forced fumble, and fumble recovery all on one play. That was the type of player Wright was. He was must-see TV on the other side of the ball.
23. Todd Reesing, University of Kansas
We’ve talked about a couple of players who played for traditional basketball schools that became stars on the gridiron, but there’s a big difference between some of the ACC schools that have middling records and the output of the Kansas football team. From 1980 until Mark Mangino took over in 2002, Kansas made three bowl games, and the last one was in 1995. Mangino also went 2-10 and got swept in Big 12 play. It was a rough go for the Jayhawks.
That’s what makes Todd Reesing so special to Kansas. He took a franchise everyone gave up on, one that nobody wanted to play for, and he made them beyond relevant. He made them contenders. But it’s because Reesing was a QB who was also overlooked. At 5-foot-11 and about 200 pounds, he wasn’t being recruited by Texas or Oklahoma, yet, he went on to rewrite every passing record at Kansas.
As a sophomore in 2007, he led Kansas to an 11-0 start, its best ever, and to a 12-1 record and a 24-21 win over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. He also won 25 games as a starter, which sounds ordinary until you see that Kansas has won fewer games in the 11 years since he left.
24. Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois University
Jordan Lynch is the reason Tuesday nights in November became appointment viewing. Before 2012, “MACtion” was an inside joke among sports fans with insomnia. Now, we all wish we had insomnia just so we can stay awake for the action.
Lynch ran like a running back and was just as dangerous throwing. In 2012, he led NIU to a 12-2 record, the program’s first BCS bowl bid and the first for any MAC team, setting an NCAA record for quarterback rushing yards with 1,815 along the way. The next year, he broke his own record with 1,920 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. If that wasn’t enough, he added 2,892 passing yards and 24 touchdowns, and led the Huskies to a 12-0 regular season. It was a ridiculous performance that we don’t discuss enough (which is why we’re here).
Lynch was (finally) rightfully inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this year. It was a deserving honor for a player who had a bigger impact on the game than he’s given credit for. His eye-popping numbers were more than secondary division stat packing.
25. McKenzie Milton, University of Central Florida (UCF)
By 2016, UCF was on the map. We knew about the supposed claim to a national championship, and they weren’t going to surprise the national powerhouses when they were finally on the schedule. McKenzie Milton was the reason UCF wasn’t worried, either.
Scott Frost chose Milton out of Hawaii to be his QB after taking over the UCF program. He jumped right into the starter’s position. Sophomore year, Milton led the Knights to a 12–0 regular season record, winning the AAC and eventually the Peach Bowl against the SEC runner-up Auburn Tigers, where Milton was named the offensive MVP.
Then, there was the injury. Milton suffered one of the most gruesome leg injuries we’ve ever seen on a football career. We all assumed his career was over, but in a miraculous comeback, Milton was able to work his way back and more than two years later, he was throwing passes for Florida State. What a journey.
26. Andrew Walter, Arizona State University
Sometimes it’s good to represent home. Andrew Walter could have picked a different, or bigger, school, but he chose to stay in Arizona and play for Arizona State University. Not to jump ahead, but Walter’s numbers set the foundation for his impact. He set numerous school records, including most passing yards (10,616), most completions (777), most touchdowns (85), and total offense (10,142).
Walter was passing guys like John Elway in the Pac-10 record books. He was always making big plays, and once he got momentum, he couldn’t be stopped. He had 10 such games where he had four or more touchdowns. He had eight games where he threw for more than 400 passing yards.
Walter was the guy who chose Arizona State, stayed home to represent, and he did it at the highest level. The pressure of playing at home never got to him. Passing all these records never got to him. Heck, he had to play his first game as QB1 with a boot on his foot, and he was still crazy effective.
27. Tyler Palko, University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh football is so interesting when it comes to legacy. They have some of the greatest players in the history of the game who came through the Steel City. Aaron Donald, Larry Fitzgerald, Dan Marino, Darrelle Revis, and Tony Dorsett is just the start of the list of greats who started their legacies at Pitt. But that doesn’t do justice to the players who didn’t have the NFL success but still made their time at Pitt valuable.
Palko finished his career with 8,343 passing yards and 66 touchdown passes, ranking third and second, respectively, in Pitt history. We just talked about the players who oozed greatness, so this is obviously impressive. He also finished second in career total offense with 8,429 yards. He was a three-time team captain, a two-time All-Big East selection, and one of the toughest quarterbacks in the conference to prepare for.
His 2004 showdown at Notre Dame is where he truly became famous. Palko threw for 334 yards and five touchdowns in a wild 41-38 Pitt victory. Those five touchdown passes were the most ever thrown by a visiting quarterback against Notre Dame at the time. And he wasn’t finished making memories. He led Pitt to a Big East championship and a Fiesta Bowl appearance that same season.
28. Storm Johnson, University of Central Florida (UCF)
Sometimes it takes a change of scenery to find your place. Storm Johnson started his college career at the University of Miami, but he found his home at UCF, where he became one of the most memorable running backs in Knights history. The Loganville, Georgia, native made the most of his opportunity in Orlando, especially during his breakout 2013 season. Johnson rushed for 1,139 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging an impressive 5.3 yards per carry. He also added 260 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the air.
He had five 100-yard rushing games in 2013, and he wasn’t afraid of the big moment. He earned First-Team All-American Athletic Conference honors and was even named a candidate for the Doak Walker Award. But if there’s one performance that stands above the rest, it’s the 2014 Fiesta Bowl against Baylor.
Johnson ran all over the Bears, finishing with 124 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. UCF won 52-42, completing one of the biggest victories in program history and giving the Knights their first major bowl victory. His three rushing touchdowns tied a UCF bowl-game record. Not a bad way to finish a college career.
29. Ian Johnson, Boise State University
Ian Johnson was a part of one of the greatest moments in the history of college football. When he rushed in for a two-point conversion on the Statue of Liberty play against Oklahoma, beating them in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, he met with his then-girlfriend Chrissy Popadics and popped the question. In front of the world, Johnson made Popadics his fiance. Almost 20 years later, they are still married and live in Boise. The story remains one of the best in sports history.
But Johnson’s career was more than just a play and a moment. In his redshirt freshman season, he rushed for more than 1,400 yards, adding 14 touchdowns. In his career, he passed Marshall Faulk with 4,158 yards, the most in WAC history. He carried Boise State to a 13-0 record in 2006, putting the Broncos on a map that nobody felt was possible. They were playing with the big boys of Division I and winning.
He also did all this despite having a collapsed lung during his senior season. Talk about gritty, Johnson was a Heisman candidate for a small school playing through a collapsed lung. This guy is a legend.
30. Jeremy Ito, Rutgers University
A kicker? Yes, a kicker makes the list, and if you talk to anyone who went to Rutgers past or present, you will understand why there is a kicker on the list. He wasn’t the best kicker in the country or even the strongest leg at the time, but for one moment in Piscataway, New Jersey, Jeremy Ito was king.
Ito was incredibly clutch. That’s how he got the nickname “The Judge,” after popular judge Lance Ito. He hit 80 field goals in his Rutgers career, but only one stands the test of time, and it’s not even his most impressive statistical kick. It was just 28 yards from the sticks, but it was the most pressure-packed kick New Jersey has seen since the first football game.
Facing the Louisville Cardinals, who were then ranked third in the nation, the game was back and forth between two undefeated and unexpected teams. Hitting the kick would be the most important moment in Rutgers football. Missing it would be another miss in a long line of Rutgers faults. Ito lined up and hit the kick, propelling Rutgers to seventh in the nation and putting all eyes on the Scarlet Knights.
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