Best college football players of all time ranked by jersey number
By John Buhler
Dan Marino
Quarterback, Pittsburgh Panthers
Who says No. 13 is an unlucky number? Outside of winning championships at either level, college or professionally, wearing No. 13 turned out to be pretty good for Dan Marino. Before he became one of the greatest passers in NFL history, Marino was first turning heads for his hometown Pittsburgh Panthers.
At Pittsburgh, Marino completed 57.6 percent of his passes for 8,597 yards, 79 touchdowns and 69 interceptions. His junior year in 1981 was his best, as he would complete 59.5 percent of his passes for 2,876 yards, 37 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. From 1979 to 1981, Pittsburgh would go 33-3 with Marino as its star quarterback.
Sam Bradford
Quarterback, Oklahoma Sooners
Though he is now a fringe franchise quarterback in the NFL known by the delightful nickname Floppy Sleeves, don’t let anybody tell you otherwise about how dynamic of a quarterback Sam Bradford was in college for the Oklahoma Sooners. His 2008 Heisman Trophy season was otherworldly.
That year, Bradford completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 4,720 yards, 50 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. Knee injuries have robbed him of much of his promise as the former No. 1 overall pick by the then St. Louis Rams in the 2010 NFL Draft. Bradford remains an incredibly accurate passer for the Minnesota Vikings.
Tim Tebow
Quarterback, Florida Gators
To beat out Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Tommie Frazier as the best college football player to wear No. 15, that guy had to have been something special. Not only was that guy special, he was Tim Tebow. Without question, Tebow is the greatest player in Florida football history.
He won two national titles with the Gators, the 2007 Heisman Trophy and the 2008 SEC Player of the Year. Tebow completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 9,285 yards, 88 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in Gainesville. More impressively as a runner, Tebow had 692 career carries for 2,947 yards and 57 rushing touchdowns. Accuracy hurt him in the NFL, but Tebow is an undeniable SEC legend.
Peyton Manning
Quarterback, Tennessee Volunteers
Though he wore his father’s No. 18 jersey in the pros for the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos, Peyton Manning’s jersey number quarterbacking the Tennessee Volunteers was No. 16. While he didn’t win a Heisman Trophy or a national title at Tennessee, he remains the best quarterback in school history.
Manning completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 11,201 yards 89 touchdowns and 33 interceptions in his four years in Knoxville. He would be SEC Player of the Year in 1997, earning All-American honors that year, finishing second in the Heisman race to Michigan Wolverines cornerback Charles Woodson.