Best college football players of all time ranked by jersey number
By John Buhler
Ross Browner
Defensive End, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Defensive end Ross Browner is one of the best to play on the defensive side of the ball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was a two-time unanimous All-American for Notre Dame in 1976 and 1977, winning the Lombardi Award and the Maxwell Award in 1977.
Browner is the only player in college football history to win the UPI Lineman of the Year twice. He would be inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993. Browner would play 10 professional football seasons, mostly with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Steve Emtman
Defensive Tackle, Washington Huskies
During the Don James era in Seattle, there may not have been a finer player to play for the Washington Huskies than defensive tackle Steve Emtman. During his junior season in 1991, Washington would win a national title and Emtman would be a unanimous All-American for the Huskies.
He would clean up when it came to the 1991 awards season. Emtman would win the Outland Trophy, the Lombardi Trophy, the UPI Lineman of the Year award and the Bill Willis Award. The Indianapolis Colts would take him No. 2 overall in the 1992 NFL Draft. Injuries would turn Emtman into an all-time bust. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Dewey Selmon
Defensive Tackle, Oklahoma Sooners
We will get to his younger brother Lee Roy in a minute, but former Oklahoma Sooners defensive tackle Dewey Selmon is the best player in college football history to wear a No. 91 jersey. Selmon was a two-time All-American for the Sooners in 1974 and 1975, helping Oklahoma win two national titles.
Selmon would go on to play the historically awful expansion team known as the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Lee Roy would join him in Tampa Bay, where he would become the first star player in Buccaneers franchise history. The elder Selmon brother has his Ph.D. from Oklahoma in philosophy. The dude could play some football. He can think, too.
Reggie White
Defensive End, Tennessee Volunteers
There are few names in the football world that exude a notion of greatness by just uttering his name. Former Tennessee Volunteers defensive end Reggie White is on that short list for sure. He was a dominant college player for Rocky Top before becoming one of the best pass rushers in NFL history mostly with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers.
In his four years at Tennessee, White would have 293 tackles and 32 sacks, which would be a school record that would stand until Derek Barnett broke it in 2016. He was a unanimous All-American in 1993. Tennessee has retired his No. 92 jersey. White has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.