Best college football players of all time ranked by jersey number
By John Buhler
Dwight Stephenson
Center, Alabama Crimson Tide
Before he became the Pro Football Hall of Fame center for the Miami Dolphins, Dwight Stephenson was making a name for himself as the best center to have ever played for Paul “Bear” Bryant. Stephenson was both ultra-physical and a sound technician at playing center.
He won two national titles at Alabama and was a member of two second-team All-Americans. Stephenson was one of those players that would make a mistake, correct it and never make the same mistake again for the rest of his football career. It’s a shame that a knee injury cut his NFL career far too soon. He’s probably the best center the league has ever seen.
Peter Boulware
Defensive End, Florida State Seminoles
Peter Boulware had a great career in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens. While he might have been overshadowed in the Ravens linebacking corps by some guy named Ray Lewis, Boulware had the better college career. Boulware’s redshirt junior season at Florida State in 1996 was the stuff of legend.
In 1996, Boulware outdid his 10-sack redshirt sophomore season by a wide margin. Boulware would have a school record 19 sacks, 20 tackles for a loss of yardage and seven forced fumbles. While he left Tallahassee with one year of eligibility remaining, ACC quarterbacks and coaches were not said to see him go to the NFL.
Alex Agase
Guard, Illinois Fighting Illini
Because of World War II, offensive guard Alex Agase saw his college career split between two Midwestern schools: Illinois and Purdue. Agase would spend the bulk of his college career at Illinois. He would be a three-time All-American at guard between Illinois and Purdue.
Agase would play football professionally from 1947 to 1953, most notably with the Cleveland Browns, where he would win two NFL Championships. He would go on to be the head football coach at Northwestern, Purdue and be the athletic director at Eastern Michigan.
Tommy Nobis
Linebacker, Texas Longhorns
Tommy Nobis was the first-ever player to be a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta took the star linebacker Nobis out of Texas in the 1966 NFL Draft. Nobis is widely regarded as one of the best linebackers that have not garnered Canton enshrinement.
At Texas, Nobis played linebacker and center. In 1965, Nobis was a two-time All-American, won Outland Trophy and the Maxwell Award. His No. 60 jersey is retired by both the Texas Longhorns and the Falcons. To this day, Nobis is celebrated as one of the most versatile linebackers in both the college and professional game.