Editor’s word: All week, The Athletic is wanting again at the most effective of the primary 25 years of the 2000s in faculty soccer. Learn the highest 25 groups right here and test again for the highest 25 coaches, video games and applications.
Over the previous few weeks, I reached out to round three dozen coaches, TV analysts and NFL scouts. I had a easy query to ask that proved to be extra sophisticated than anticipated: Who do you assume is the most effective faculty participant over the previous 25 years?
My specialists got here at it from a bunch of various views. Can one wonderful season overshadow a wonderful physique of labor? How a lot ought to stats, stage of competitors or the gamers round them consider? How do you examine offensive linemen to quarterbacks or defensive tackles to vast receivers? One among my specialists, a Heisman Trophy winner himself, instructed me on the finish of our dialog that his top-25 rating “in all probability must be a prime 100” due to what number of deserving gamers would get not noted.
As we glance again at the most effective of the primary 25 years of the 2000s in faculty soccer, right here’s my rating of the highest 25 gamers:
25. Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame
A 6-foot-5, 325-pounder from New Jersey, Nelson redshirted his freshman yr in 2014 earlier than changing into a standout three-year starter at guard. In his senior season, Nelson in 2017, Nelson was a unanimous All-American and an enormous purpose why the Irish averaged 6.25 yards per carry — third-best within the nation — regardless of not having a star working again.
CBS analyst Aaron Taylor, a former Notre Dame nice, heads the committee for the Joe Moore Award, which honors the nation’s prime O-line. He known as Nelson “a neanderthal throwback,” describing him as “blunt pressure trauma wrapped in ballet slippers. Brute power, unhealthy intentions, and simply nimble sufficient to pressure you to query your love of soccer out on the perimeter.”
24. Tyrann Mathieu, DB, LSU
Profession: 133 tackles, 16 TFLs, 4 INTs, 11 FFs, 4 complete TDs
Greatest season: 2011; 76 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 2 INTs, 6 FFs, 2 defensive TDs, 2 PR TDs
The 5-8, 183-pound New Orleans native was some of the dynamic defensive gamers we’ve ever seen. He truly began solely 14 video games in his profession with LSU from 2010-11, however he induced relentless havoc and was a playmaker on each protection and particular groups. He got here from all over the place, beginning 10 video games at cornerback, three at nickel and one at free security. When some groups ready for LSU, they noticed him as a strong-side linebacker due to how he was typically deployed.
“He was a beast,” stated former Fox Sports activities analyst Mark Ingram, the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama.
In 2011, Mathieu completed fifth within the Heisman voting because the centerpiece of a protection that gave up 11.3 factors per sport in main LSU to the BCS title sport. His profession with the Tigers ended sooner than anticipated when he was dismissed from the workforce earlier than the 2012 season as a consequence of a violation of workforce guidelines. He’s gone on to develop into a three-time All-Professional within the NFL.
“I do know it didn’t finish properly for him at LSU, however that yr, he was distinctive,” stated Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, a former head coach at West Virginia and Houston. “He simply made play after play after play — gimme that! The Honey Badger simply doesn’t give a f—, proper? He simply makes performs.”
23. Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Profession: 175 catches, 2,538 yards, 26 TDs; 19 carries, 193 yards, 5 TDs
Greatest season: 2022; 63 catches, 942 yards, 7 TDs; 9 carries, 109 yards, 3 TDs
The Napa, Calif., native proved to be a singular weapon for the Bulldogs nearly from the second he arrived in Athens in 2021. The 6-4, 240-pound athlete was half tight finish, half wideout, half working again, half utility knife, permitting him to create mismatches all around the area. He led nationwide champion Georgia with 56 catches as a freshman. The subsequent yr in Georgia’s nationwide title win over TCU, Bowers had seven catches for 152 yards and one TD.
Bowers was the Dawgs’ go-to man each time they actually wanted one thing. He’s the one two-time winner of the John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s prime tight finish.
22. Sean Taylor, S, Miami
Profession: 188 tackles, 14 INTs, 3 TDs
Greatest season: 2003; 77 tackles, 10 INTs, 3 TDs
A 6-2, 230-pound former Florida state 100-meter champion, Taylor was maybe essentially the most intimidating security who has ever performed soccer. He was considered one of solely 4 true freshmen who noticed the sector on the 2001 Hurricanes — ranked Monday by Stewart Mandel as the most effective workforce of the century to this point — making 26 tackles. In 2002, as a starter, he had 85 tackles and 4 interceptions, together with two within the nationwide title sport loss to Ohio State. In his third season, he led the nation in interceptions and set a faculty document with three decide sixes.
Sean Taylor was the Massive East’s defensive participant of the yr in 2003. (Al Bello / Getty Photographs)
21. Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU/Arizona State
Profession: 12,749 yards, 66.3%, 89 TDs, 20 INTs, 158.4 score; 617 rushes, 3,307 yards, 34 TDs
Greatest season: 2023; 3,812 yards, 72.2%, 40 TDs, 4 INTs, 208.0 score; 135 rushes, 1,134 yards, 10 TDs
Daniels didn’t lead LSU to a nationwide title in his second act in faculty soccer, however he capped a five-year faculty profession with a spectacular senior season in Baton Rouge. He performed three seasons at ASU and had some good moments, together with a 17-to-2 TD-to-INT ratio as a freshman in 2019, however in his final yr with the Solar Devils, who had been falling aside beneath Herm Edwards, he threw as many interceptions (10) as touchdowns.
At LSU, Daniels flourished. He had a few elite receivers (Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.) and purchased into how cutting-edge expertise may remodel how he noticed the sport. The German VR “flight simulator” that Daniels skilled with helped the QB make staggering enchancment. He averaged 11.7 yards per try and set a single-season FBS document with a go effectivity score of 208.0 en path to profitable the 2023 Heisman Trophy.
20. Aaron Donald, DT, Pitt
Profession: 181 tackles, 67 TFLs, 29.5 sacks, 10 PBUs, 6 FFs
Greatest season: 2013; 59 tackles, 29 TFLs, 11 sacks, 3 PBUs, 4 FFs
All the things Donald was doing within the NFL for the Rams he first did for Pitt. He had no less than 16 tackles for loss in three consecutive seasons, capping his profession by profitable nearly each faculty award a D-lineman can get in 2013: the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award.
“His manufacturing was off the charts,” stated NFL Community’s Bucky Brooks, a former NFL scout. “It was ridiculous for a D-tackle to have that sort of stuff. He dominated.”
In all, his 67 tackles for loss lead all defensive tackles within the 2000s.
19. Julius Peppers, DE, North Carolina
Profession: 177 tackles, 53 TFLs, 30.5 sacks, 5 INTs, 2 INTs, 5 FFs, 3 TDs
Greatest season: 2000; 2000; 64 tackles, 24 TFLs, 15 sacks, 1 INT, 2 TDs
There’s been a outstanding run of freakish, super-sized energy forwards coming off the sting in faculty soccer the previous 25 years — Jadeveon Clowney, Myles Garrett and Chase Younger to call a couple of — however the 6-7, 285-pound Peppers was truly a legit energy ahead on the basketball courtroom for the Tar Heels. (In a single NCAA tourney sport, Peppers had 21 factors and 10 rebounds.) Nevertheless it was in soccer the place he actually shined.
He led the nation in sacks and had a school-record 24 TFLs in 2000 earlier than profitable each the Bednarik Award and Lombardi Award in 2001. He was inducted into the School Soccer Corridor of Fame in 2024.
18. Roy Williams, S, Oklahoma
Profession: 287 tackles, 34 TFLs, 9 INTs, 44 PBUs
Greatest season: 2001; 107 tackles, 14 TFLs, 5 INTs, 22 PBUs
A standout on the Sooners’ 2000 nationwide title workforce, the 6-1, 220-pound California native set a BCS nationwide title sport document for many tackles by a defensive again with 12 as Oklahoma shut down Florida State 13-2.
The subsequent season, as a junior, Williams grew to become the primary participant to win each the Nagurski Trophy, because the nation’s prime defensive participant, and the Thorpe Award, honoring the nation’s finest defensive again.
Williams’ signature play occurred within the 2001 Crimson River Rivalry sport with Texas pinned deep close to its purpose with two minutes remaining and OU clinging to a 7-3 lead. Williams crowded the road earlier than the snap, backed up, then blitzed, racing in and leaping over Longhorns working again Brett Robin, almost swiping the ball out of Chris Simms’ hand. The ball bounced into the fingers of Teddy Lehman, who grabbed the fluttering ball and scored to propel Oklahoma to a 14-3 win.
17. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
Profession: 632 rushes, 3,922 yards, 21 TDs; 99 catches, 1,206 yards, 10 TDs; 26.4 yards per KR, 11.2 yards per PR, 2 return TDs
Greatest season: 2015; 337 rushes, 2,019 yards, 8 TDs; 45 catches, 645 yards, 5 TDs; 28.9 yards per KR, 8.7 yards per PR, 2 return TDs
The son of former Cardinal soccer participant Lisa McCaffrey and vast receiver Ed McCaffrey had a strong debut season in 2014, however he actually cranked issues up as a sophomore, smashing Barry Sanders’ NCAA all-purpose yardage document of three,250 yards with 3,864 yards as a runner, receiver and return man (he even threw two TD passes too). McCaffrey completed second to Alabama’s Derrick Henry in a detailed Heisman vote. In 2016, the 5-11, 202-pound Colorado native led the nation in all-purpose yards once more with 212 per sport.
16. Chase Younger, DE, Ohio State
Profession: 99 tackles, 43 TFLs, 30.5 sacks, 8 PBUs, 9 FFs
Greatest season: 2019; 46 tackles, 21 TFLs, 16.5 sacks, 3 PBUs, 6 FFs
The Buckeyes have had nearly as spectacular a run of elite D-linemen as they’ve had with stud wideouts. The 6-6, 270-pound Younger was at his finest in 2019 when he grew to become a legit Heisman contender after he dominated a top-15 Wisconsin workforce that had allowed solely 10 sacks in its first seven video games. Ohio State acquired half of that in a 38-7 blowout win, with Younger producing 4 of these sacks and 5 TFLs.
In accordance with Professional Soccer Focus, Younger produced 5 of the highest 9 highest-graded video games by a go rusher within the FBS in 2019, together with the highest three. He gained the Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and keyed the nation’s No. 1 protection that allowed fewer than 260 yards per sport, and he completed fourth within the Heisman race regardless of lacking two video games.
15. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Profession: 10,796 yards, 66.8%, 105 TDs, 14 INTs, 171.8 score; 337 rushes, 2,237 yards, 29 TDs
Greatest season: 2014; 4,454 yards, 68.3%, 42 TDs, 4 INTs, 181.7 score; 135 rushes, 770 yards, 15 TDs
A 3-star recruit from Hawaii, the soft-spoken 6-4 220-pound Mariota was larger than you assume — and sooner too. He made every thing look simple. In three seasons, Mariota totaled 134 touchdowns with simply 14 interceptions. He took residence the 2014 Heisman Trophy, incomes over 88 % of the first-place votes whereas main Oregon to the nationwide title sport.
Within the CFP semifinals towards FSU, Mariota threw for 338 yards to go along with 62 speeding yards because the Geese blew out the Noles 59-20. However Oregon misplaced within the title sport, 42-20, towards Ohio State. In his profession at Oregon, Mariota was 12-3 in video games towards ranked opponents. All 12 of these wins got here by double digits, with the Geese averaging 48.5 factors in these video games.
Baker Mayfield had three consecutive top-four Heisman finishes. (Andy Lyons / Getty Photographs)
14. Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma/Texas Tech
Profession: 14,607 yards, 68.5%, 131 TDs, 30 INTs, 175.4 score; 404 rushes, 1,083 yards, 21 TDs
Greatest season: 2017; 4,627 yards, 70.5%, 43 TDs, 6 INTs, 198.9 score; 94 rushes, 311 yards, 5 TDs
Mayfield gained the beginning job as a walk-on freshman at Texas Tech in 2013 earlier than transferring to Oklahoma, the place he additionally initially walked on. He flourished in Lincoln Riley’s system, main the Sooners to a few Massive 12 titles and two Playoff bids and ending within the prime 4 of the Heisman race three years in a row, together with profitable the award in 2017.
Mayfield was at his finest when the highlight was brightest. In his return sport to Lubbock, going through all types of animosity from the Crimson Raiders crowd, Mayfield handed for 545 yards and 7 TDs (with no INTs) in a 66-59 win to outduel Patrick Mahomes. In 2017, he threw for 386 yards and three TDs, finishing 77 % of his passes in a blowout win at No. 5 Ohio State. He later shredded rival Oklahoma State for 598 passing yards and 5 TDs in a 62-52 win in Stillwater. He threw for seven TDs and nil picks in two video games towards top-10 TCU that season and had No. 2 Georgia on the ropes in a 54-48 loss within the CFP semifinal.
13. DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
Profession: 235 catches, 3,965 yards, 46 TDs
Greatest season: 2020; 117 catches, 1,856 yards, 23 TDs
The Louisiana native broke onto the nationwide scene by catching a 41-yard landing go on a second-and-26 in additional time to present Bama a 26-23 win over Georgia within the 2017 nationwide title sport. The spindly 6-0, 170-pounder made large strides every season after that. By 2019, his junior season, Smith was the most effective gamers in faculty soccer, catching 68 passes for 1,256 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The subsequent season, Smith was the most effective participant in faculty soccer, placing collectively essentially the most spectacular season by a wideout in main faculty soccer historical past to win the Heisman Trophy. Within the nationwide title sport towards Ohio State, Smith had 12 catches for 215 yards and three TDs regardless of leaving early within the second half with a hand harm.
“DeVonta Smith was like watching an Olympic gymnast,” stated CBS faculty soccer analyst Rick Neuheisel. “He all the time caught the touchdown. He was extremely sleek regardless of the place the ball was.”
12. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
Profession: 9,430 yards, 67%, 82 TDs, 22 INTs, 162.8 score; 163 rushes, 957 yards, 7 TDs
Greatest season: 2010; 3,338 yards, 70.7%, 32 TDs, 8 INTs, 170.2 score; 55 rushes, 453 yards, 3 TDs
When Luck dedicated to the Cardinal in the summertime of 2007, Stanford was coming off a 1-11 season. It was arguably the worst program within the energy conferences. He was Jim Harbaugh’s most vital recruit in turning this system from punchline to powerhouse. The 6-4, 235-pound Luck was large, quick and correct. The valedictorian of his highschool in Houston, Luck slot in completely with what made Stanford so particular at the moment, as a lot off the sector as on it.
After redshirting in 2008, he beat out returning starter Tavita Pritchard and led the Cardinal to wins over No. 8 Oregon and No. 9 USC in 2009, with Stanford scoring over 50 factors in each video games. The subsequent season, the Cardinal went 12-1, pounded Virginia Tech within the Orange Bowl and completed No. 4 within the nation. Even after Harbaugh left for the NFL and David Shaw took over, Luck helped preserve Stanford as a pressure, producing an 11-2 season.
“The one time I can bear in mind throughout my scouting profession the place they instructed me, ‘This man teaches the set up on the primary day of camp.’ They only let him rise up there and educate it,” stated NFL Community analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former NFL scout. “They provide him a number of huddle calls and let him run the sport on the line of scrimmage. He simply had extra mental energy than anyone I’ve ever scouted.”
In his three seasons, Luck was a Heisman Trophy runner-up twice. He had a 31-7 document as a starter earlier than changing into the No. 1 decide within the 2012 NFL Draft.
“He took this system the place nobody thought it may go, taking them to 2 straight BCS bowls within the peak of faculty soccer,” stated ESPN analyst Steve Coughlin, a Stanford tight finish within the late ’90s. “He put them on the map, and (prime) different gamers adopted after they noticed it might be carried out.”
11. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pitt
Profession: 161 catches, 2,677 yards, 34 TDs
Greatest season: 2003; 92 catches, 1,672 yards, 22 TDs
The Panthers had been hardly recognized for prolific passing assaults within the early 2000s. Fitzgerald’s QB at Pitt, Rod Rutherford, by no means threw a go within the NFL. Within the yr earlier than and the yr after Fitzgerald’s two seasons, Pitt wideouts caught a mixed 32 landing passes — two fewer than the 6-3, 220-pounder from Minnesota had in his record-setting two seasons in faculty.
In 2003, Fitzgerald typically confronted double and triple protection however grew to become the primary sophomore to win the Walter Camp Award for nationwide participant of the yr. He completed second within the Heisman vote to Oklahoma quarterback Jason White.
10. Terrell Suggs, DE, Arizona State
Profession: 163 tackles, 65.5 TFLs, 44 sacks, 14 FFs, 2 INTs, 9 PBUs
Greatest season: 2002; 73 tackles, 31.5 TFLs, 24 sacks, 6 FFs, 1 INT, 3 PBUs
The 2000 Pac-12 Freshman of the 12 months, Suggs was a menace, bursting onto the scene with 16 TFLs and 10 sacks. And that was only a style of what he had in retailer for opponents. In 2001, he had 18 TFLs and 4 compelled fumbles. As a junior, the 6-2, 265-pound edge rusher tore aside opposing offenses, setting an NCAA document with 24 sacks to go together with 31.5 TFLs and 6 compelled fumbles, sparking ASU to its first profitable season in six years. Suggs had 4.5 sacks and 6.5 TFLs in a single sport towards Washington.
“He was unblockable,” Rick Neuheisel, the Washington coach on the time, stated just lately. “He was an excellent mixture of pace, energy and nice hand power, and had a lot grit. He had all of it.”
9. Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado/Jackson State
Profession: 171 catches, 2,167 yards, 15 TDs; 80 tackles, 9 INTs, 22 PBUs, 1 FF
Greatest season: 2024; 96 catches, 1,258 yards, 15 TDs; 36 tackles, 4 INTs, 11 PBUs, 1 FF
The five-star recruit shocked the school soccer world by starting his faculty profession with Deion Sanders and Jackson State within the FCS. Then he adopted Sanders to Colorado and have become the best two-way participant within the fashionable period of soccer.
There have been a couple of different elite athletes who’ve performed each methods in faculty, however the most effective of them, shutdown corners Charles Woodson and Champ Bailey, merely dabbled on offense. The 6-1, 185-pound Hunter not solely gained the Heisman Trophy in 2024, however he additionally gained the Biletnikoff Award as the highest receiver and the Bednarik Award as the highest defensive participant. In 2023, Hunter performed a complete of 1,102 snaps (475 on offense, 631 on protection, 32 on particular groups), a mean of 115 per sport. He averaged 114 snaps in 2024.
His uncommon instincts and burst make him a nightmare for rival QBs and DBs. Nevertheless it’s his gasoline tank that actually makes Hunter distinctive, and that features all of the “wow” performs he made late in video games.
Travis Hunter performed greater than 700 snaps on each offense and protection in 2024. (Andrew Wevers / Getty Photographs)
8. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
Profession: 9,285 yards, 66.4%, 88 TDs, 16 INTs, 170.8 score; 692 rushes, 2,947 yards, 57 TDs
Greatest season: 2007; 3,286 yards, 66.9%, 32 TDs, 6 INTs, 172.5 score; 210 rushes, 895 yards, 23 TDs
The H-back-sized quarterback was a pressure, bulldozing his method upfield as a runner whereas additionally spreading the sector to benefit from the Gators’ pace and weapons. Tebow helped Florida win the 2006 nationwide title as a change-up runner behind Chris Leak. The subsequent yr, it was his present. UF went 9-4, however he gained the Heisman by accounting for 55 complete touchdowns.
In 2008, he led Florida to a different nationwide title, throwing 16 touchdowns and no picks over the ultimate six video games. He was the face and chief of a gifted however unstable locker room. It made for an fascinating combine, however they gained a ton of video games and he put up eye-popping stats. The 6-3, 235-pound lefty had some of the prolific careers in faculty soccer historical past, going to New York as a Heisman finalist 3 times.
7. Vince Younger, QB, Texas
Profession: 6,040 yards, 61.8%, 44 TDs, 28 INTs, 163.9 score; 457 rushes, 3,127 yards, 37 TDs
Greatest season: 2005; 3,036 yards, 65.2%, 26 TDs, 10 INTs, 163.9 score; 155 rushes, 1,050 yards, 12 TDs
Texas hadn’t gained a nationwide title in 35 years earlier than Younger acquired rolling. There have been some rising pains with Younger and the Longhorns early in his profession, however coach Mack Brown ended up giving Younger the keys to the offense and UT took off. He ran for 4 touchdowns and 199 yards in a 38-37 win over Michigan within the Rose Bowl to cap the 2004 season, then grew to become the primary participant to throw for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 in the identical season in 2005.
He saved his finest sport for final when undefeated Texas confronted USC, which was using a 34-game profitable streak. The Trojans had a 12-point lead with beneath seven minutes remaining within the fourth quarter however they simply couldn’t cease Younger, who ran in two late touchdowns to propel the Longhorns to the win.
“That they had all the time had the expertise, however he gave them the swagger and the boldness, which was precisely what they wanted,” stated CBS faculty soccer analyst Brian Jones, a former star linebacker at Texas. “He reworked that locker room. He was so particular. To his credit score, Mack allowed him to take management. He acknowledged that, ‘OK this dude is totally different.’”
6. Ed Reed, S, Miami
Profession: 288 tackles, 21 INTs, 52 PBUs, 7 TFLs, 4 FFs, 5 TDs
Greatest season: 2001; 44 tackles, 9 INTs, 18 PBUs, 1 TFL, 206 INT return yards, 2 TDs
Reed was the most effective participant and inspirational chief of the 2001 Hurricanes, who Stewart Mandel ranked as the most effective workforce of the 2000s. When Reed confirmed up at Miami in 1997, the Canes had been reeling from hefty NCAA sanctions. He performed a essential function within the rebuild. They went from No. 20 to No. 15 to No. 2 to No. 1 in his 4 seasons after redshirting.
Reed noticed the sport in a different way than maybe any defensive again. He was typically three steps forward of rival quarterbacks, setting traps for them. He holds UM information for interceptions with 21, interception return yardage with 389 and decide sixes with 5. Reed was additionally a demon on particular groups, blocking 4 punts. He sparked a Miami protection that led the nation in 2001 in interceptions (27) and complete turnovers compelled (45).
“You wanted to know the place Ed Reed was always,” stated Rick Neuheisel, who coached towards Reed twice in faculty and later was on the Ravens’ employees when Reed was an All-Professional. “He was improbable. Only a particular, particular athlete.”
5. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
Profession: 9,043 yards, 57%, 69 TDs, 27 INTs, 146.6 score; 655 rushes, 4,132 yards, 50 TDs
Greatest season: 2016; 3,543 yards, 56.2%, 30 TDs, 9 INTs, 148.8 score; 260 rushes, 1,571 yards, 21 TDs
A 3-star recruit from South Florida, Jackson grew to become a spectacular one-man present at Louisville. He was as dynamic a runner as Michael Vick however a way more prolific passer.
He carried the Cardinals to a 9-4 document and No. 20 remaining rating in 2016, which included a detailed 42-36 loss to eventual nationwide champion Clemson in Demise Valley. In that sport, Jackson ran for 162 yards and two touchdowns and handed for 295 yards and one other landing. In a single dazzling breakout efficiency at Syracuse, he ran for 199 yards and handed for 411 yards with eight complete touchdowns. The week after the Syracuse sport, he led Louisville to a 63-20 romp over No. 2 FSU behind his 4 speeding touchdowns, placing up essentially the most factors the Noles had ever allowed in a sport.
Vick, watching all of it, tweeted: “Lamar Jackson 5x higher than I used to be at V-Tech.”
Jackson ran away with the Heisman Trophy in 2016, getting 80 % of the first-place votes to develop into the youngest participant to ever win it at 19. The subsequent yr, Jackson rushed for 1,601 yards and 18 touchdowns regardless of defenses being so geared as much as gradual him down. When Jackson left, the Cardinals fell to 2-10 and 0-8 within the ACC and Bobby Petrino was fired.
4. Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
Profession: 8,852 yards, 68.8%, 78 TDs, 11 INTs, 172.4 score; 258 rushes, 820 yards, 13 TDs
Greatest season: 2019; 5,671 yards, 76.3%, 60 TDs, 6 INTs, 202.0 score; 115 rushes, 368 yards, 5 TDs
The pilot of essentially the most explosive offense in faculty soccer historical past, Burrow was the right QB on the excellent time for the Tigers. He was handed over at Ohio State however blossomed in Baton Rouge, the place he wowed coaches along with his outstanding grasp of soccer once they did a movie session with him. He exuded management and competitiveness and had a commanding presence far past any faculty quarterback I’ve ever seen. The expression “like a coach on the sector” will get thrown round rather a lot. In Burrow’s case in 2019, it was an actual factor. The son of a former faculty defensive coordinator, Burrow appeared like a 30-year-old NFL QB.
In his first season with the Tigers, Burrow was good, however neither he nor LSU was fairly prepared. Late in that season, LSU went to extra empty units and purchased into the run-pass choice sport, giving the QB the keys to the workforce. It unlocked every thing.
“Joe studied soccer like a coach,” stated Ed Orgeron, LSU’s coach. “He additionally actually knew his guys’ personalities. He knew what they did properly and what they didn’t accomplish that properly. He knew what everyone else was speculated to be doing, which is uncommon for a school participant. And our guys actually had been dialed into him as a result of they’d a lot respect and belief in him as a result of they’d seen the toughness and character he’d displayed.”
In 2019, Burrow accomplished 76.3 % of his passes for five,671 yards with 60 touchdowns and simply six INTs. Within the Tigers’ three postseason video games, LSU confronted three different star quarterbacks: Georgia’s Jake Fromm, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. LSU blew all three out. Burrow threw 16 touchdowns and nil interceptions towards these three top-four opponents. Fromm, Hurts and Lawrence mixed for one landing and three picks. Burrow’s Tigers confronted 5 groups ranked within the prime eight, beat all of them and blew out 4 of the 5.
Sure, Burrow had an elite group of receivers, led by Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase, and a veteran O-line, however the QB was magnificent in how he operated every thing.
“Burrow was distinctive as hell,” Rick Neuheisel stated. “He was a savant. He had the acumen for an offensive man that will rival anyone however he additionally had the acumen for the defensive facet as a result of his dad was a defensive coordinator.”
3. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
Profession: 215 tackles, 50 TFLs, 24 sacks, 4 INTs, 3 FFs, 2 TDs
Greatest season: 2009; 85 tackles, 21 TFLs, 12 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF
The Huskers had been a very good workforce in 2009 however hardly a nationwide title contender, ending 10-4 and No. 14. However thanks largely to the 6-4, 310-pound Suh, Nebraska held eight of its opponents to 10 factors or fewer.
Suh destroyed offenses like no participant we’ve seen over the previous quarter-century. He led Nebraska in tackles for the second consecutive season with 85, essentially the most by a Huskers D-lineman in 35 years. His efficiency within the Massive 12 title sport towards a Texas workforce that got here in averaging 43 factors per sport was jaw-dropping.
“You noticed on movie him get off of blocks, destroy double-teams and noticed how disruptive he was,” stated then-Texas working backs coach Main Applewhite, now the top coach at South Alabama. “You may slide your line to him, it didn’t matter. On the finish of the day, it acquired again to one-on-ones, and he was gonna whip individuals’s asses.”
With Suh disrupting every thing the Longhorns tried, Texas managed simply 13 factors, eking out a 13-12 win. Suh’s stats — 12 tackles, seven for loss and 4.5 sacks — don’t even inform half the story of the issues he induced UT that day.
“Your double groups don’t transfer him,” Applewhite stated. “What he did that day was precisely the definition of ruining a sport.”
Suh completed fourth within the Heisman voting. He gained the Lombardi Award, Nagurski Award, Outland Trophy and the Bednarik Award. He grew to become the primary defensive participant to win the Related Press School Participant of the 12 months Award because it was created 11 years earlier.
2. Reggie Bush, RB, USC
Profession: 433 rushes, 3,169 yards, 25 TDs; 95 catches, 13,01 yards, 13 TDs; 4 return TDs
Greatest season: 2005; 200 rushes, 1,740 yards, 16 TDs; 37 catches, 478 yards, 2 TDs; 1 return TD
Arguably essentially the most electrifying participant in faculty soccer historical past, Bush helped the Trojans win nationwide titles in his first two seasons after which gained the Heisman in his third. In 2005, he averaged 223 all-purpose yards per sport, together with a memorable Saturday evening when he went for 513 towards Fresno State. His knack for game-changing performs was uncanny.
“He single-handedly gained us some video games,” stated Orgeron, a former USC assistant.
After I requested specialists for his or her tackle the most effective participant of the 2000s, Bush’s identify got here up by far essentially the most.
“The one excellent grade I ever gave to a school participant was Reggie,” Daniel Jeremiah stated. “He was a jaw-dropping faculty participant. He was so significantly better than everyone else on the sector, it wasn’t even shut. You went out of your solution to watch him. He was actually must-see TV.”
1. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
FBS profession: 2,908 yards, 65.4%, 30 TDs, 7 INTs, 178.2 score; 285 rushes, 1,586 yards, 24 TDs
Greatest season: 2010; 2,854 yards, 66.1%, 30 TDs, 7 INTs, 182.0 score; 264 rushes, 1,473 yards, 20 TDs
He was faculty soccer’s Superman. He spent just one yr at Auburn, transferring from Blinn School in Texas after beginning his profession at Florida, nevertheless it was essentially the most outstanding single season by a serious faculty quarterback within the historical past of the game — sufficient to place him atop this record.
The towering 6-5, 250-pound Newton ran by means of the toughest convention in faculty soccer, main the Tigers to a 14-0 document. Essentially the most outstanding element of Newton’s dominance that yr was he led Gene Chizik’s Auburn squad — ranked No. 23 within the preseason — to an ideal document and did it shouldering a load in contrast to some other nationwide champion QB we’ve ever seen. He didn’t have a single talent participant drafted. Solely tackles Brandon Mosley (fourth spherical) and Lee Ziemba (seventh spherical) had been picked on the O-line. The whole beginning protection had solely two gamers drafted.
“He performed with no one,” Bucky Brooks stated. “He was only a pressure of nature.”
In his first sport with the Tigers, Newton set an Auburn QB speeding document with 171 yards towards Arkansas State. He ran for over 170 yards in 5 of the Tigers’ first seven video games. Within the Iron Bowl towards Alabama, Newton carried the Tigers to a 28-27 victory in Tuscaloosa after being in a 24-0 gap. Within the SEC title sport rout of South Carolina, he threw 4 landing passes and ran for 2 extra, accounting for 408 yards.
Requested what number of video games this Auburn workforce would’ve gained in 2010 with out Newton, ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic, a former Auburn heart, stated: “Six, possibly seven.”
Auburn was 8-5 the yr earlier than Newton arrived and 8-5 the yr after he left. With Newton, the Tigers ran the desk, profitable 5 video games by three factors or fewer, together with the nationwide title matchup with Oregon. They scored over 50 factors six occasions, one thing they did solely 3 times in Chizik’s different three seasons mixed at Auburn. In addition they gained as many SEC video games in that one season with Newton (9, together with the convention title sport) as they did within the two seasons earlier than Cam and the 2 after him mixed.
“He simply dragged a bunch of common faculty gamers to the nationwide championship,” Daniel Jeremiah stated. “We all the time speak concerning the distinction between vehicles and the trailers — the quarterbacks that get pulled by the workforce versus those who pull the workforce. From a school soccer standpoint, there was no larger truck than Cam Newton.”
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Robert Beck / Sports activities Illustrated / Getty, Wealthy Barnes, John David Mercer, Dale Zanine / Imagn Photographs)
