Best college football players of all time ranked by jersey number
By John Buhler
Everybody’s got a favorite number, right? If you like college football, here are the very best to wear each jersey number from No. 1 to No. 99.
Most people have a favorite number. If given the chance growing up, you probably asked for a specific jersey number to wear when you tried to play sports as a youth. There is a really good chance that number was your way of paying tribute to your favorite athlete.
For that reason, it is understandable why most people’s favorite numbers are in that No. 1 to No. 99 range. You might have worn that number well in a grassy field somewhere, but these 99 college football players definitely made that numerical value proud from their great work on the gridiron.
Here is the best player to wear each jersey number in college football history.
Anthony Carter
Wide Receiver, Michigan Wolverines
It takes a lot to be No. 1. For that reason, No. 1 is not the most accomplished of all the college football jersey numbers in the land. That being said, one guy wore it better than the rest in Ann Arbor in the early 1980s. Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Anthony Carter was a three-time All-American.
When he left school in 1982, Carter owned just about every receiving record at Michigan. He finished his college career with 161 catches for 3,076 yards and 29 touchdowns. Keep in mind that he played in a Bo Schembechler offense that preferred to pound the rock.
Deion Sanders
Cornerback, Florida State Seminoles
On and off the field, Deion Sanders is one of the most impactful football players of all-time. He starred collegiately as the shutdown corner for Bobby Bowden’s Florida State Seminoles from 1985 to 1988. Dynamic in both the return game and in coverage skills, Sanders’ supreme talent on the outside made him the first prototype of a star cover corner in the NFL.
A two-sport star at Florida State, Sanders would certainly personify the Prime Time moniker on the baseball diamond and the football field. He had 14 career interceptions for 287 yards and three touchdowns as a defensive back. As a punt returner, Sanders had 126 returns for 1,429 yards and three touchdowns.
Carson Palmer
Quarterback, USC Trojans
While he is still slinging it today in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals, quarterback Carson Palmer was an incredible college football player in the then Pac-10 for the USC Trojans. He and safety Troy Polamalu were the two upperclassmen that helped usher in the Trojans dynasty under former head coach Pete Carroll.
Palmer won the 2002 Heisman Trophy in his redshirt senior season. That year he completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 3,942 yards, 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In his USC career, Palmer completed 59.1 percent of his passes for 11,818 yards, 72 touchdowns and 49 interceptions.
Deshaun Watson
Quarterback, Clemson Tigers
Don’t let recency bias fool you. Former Clemson Tigers starting quarterback Deshaun Watson is now the greatest college football player to wear a No. 4 jersey. In three seasons with the Tigers, Watson led Clemson to two national titles, winning it all over the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2016.
Watson was an All-American in 2015 and a two-time Heisman Finalist. He completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 10,168 yards, 90 touchdowns and 32 interceptions in his Clemson career. As a runner, Watson had 435 career carries for 1,934 yards and 26 rushing touchdowns.