Fansided

25 best Pac-12 football players of the last 25 years

By Nathaniel Reeves

Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) warms up prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2015 CFP National Championship at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) warms up prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2015 CFP National Championship at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
16 of 26
Next
Nov 19, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) points to the sky in celebration after a touchdown against the California Golden Bears during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Stanford defeated California 45-31. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) points to the sky in celebration after a touchdown against the California Golden Bears during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Stanford defeated California 45-31. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

11. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford

McCaffrey earns a spot as a Pac-12 legend for his record-breaking 2015 campaign alone, when he controversially missed out on winning the Heisman Trophy.

The son of former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey and soccer star Lisa McCaffrey, Christian broke several Colorado state records while playing four different positions for Valor High School. That helped McCaffrey become a four-star recruit as one of the best all-purpose backs of the class of 2014, and he committed to Stanford to follow in his parents footsteps.

McCaffrey was buried on the depth chart as a true freshman and only received 59 plays from scrimmage, although he emerged as an effective punt returner. Things changed in 2015 when McCaffrey became the primary option, as he broke Barry Sanders’ NCAA record for all-purpose yards with 3,864, including over 2,000 on the ground and 1,070 through kick returns, plus 15 total touchdowns.

Alabama’s Derrick Henry beat out McCaffrey for the Heisman, although the Stanford star was named the AP Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American. With expectations sky-high in 2016, McCaffrey turned in a strong if not quite as impressive year with 1,913 yards from scrimmage, including a school record 284 rushing yards against California.

McCaffrey declared a year early for the NFL draft and has a decent shot to go towards the end of the first round.

Home/College Football