Best college football players of all time ranked by jersey number
By John Buhler
Archie Griffin
Running Back, Ohio State Buckeyes
It’s been over 40 years since Archie Griffin won his second Heisman Trophy in 1975, but the former Ohio State Buckeyes running back is still the very best to have ever rocked a No. 45 jersey in the college football landscape. He may have had a decent NFL career for the Cincinnati Bengals, but Griffin is still best known for his dominance in the college game.
Griffin was a bell-cow back for the Buckeyes from 1972 to 1975. He accumulated 924 carries for 5,589 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. Griffin was a workhorse of a running back, surpassing 1,000 rushing yards in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons in Columbus for the Buckeyes.
Bob Ferguson
Running Back, Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State built a reputation as a Big Ten blue-blood thanks to all the elite running backs that had come through the school. One of the guys that gets overlooked historically is fullback Bob Ferguson. He finished second in the Heisman race in 1961.
Ferguson was a two-time All-American, rushing for 2,162 yards on 423 carries for 26 touchdowns. Though he never rushed for 1,000 yards in college, Ferguson was a punishing runner that helped lay the groundwork for Ohio State to be a school often associated as Tailback U.
David Pollack
Linebacker, Georgia Bulldogs
While Herschel Walker is considered to be the best player in Georgia football history, there is some debate about who was the best defensive player for the Bulldogs: Champ Bailey or David Pollack? Though Bailey put together a Hall of Fame career in the NFL, Pollack is easily the best player in Georgia history from the Mark Richt era in Athens.
Pollack was an absolute hoss coming off the edge for the Bulldogs as an outside linebacker. He was a three-time All-American, SEC Player of the Year in 2002 and a winner of just about every defensive minded award in college football. It’s a shame that a neck injury brought to an end his promising NFL career in year two with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Gale Sayers
Running Back, Kansas Jayhawks
The Kansas Comet, also known as Gale Sayers, had a brief, but brilliant NFL career with the Chicago Bears. Sayers was electrifying with the ball in his hands, first coming on the seen in the Big Eight for the Kansas Jayhawks in the early 1960s.
In three years at Kansas, Sayers had 2,675 rushing yards on 412 carries for 18 touchdowns. He was a two-time All-American for the Jayhawks in 1963 and 1964. While it has been over 50 years since he starred in Lawrence, Sayers remains the best player to have played Kansas football and the most notable college football player to wear No. 48.