Best college football players of all time ranked by jersey number
By John Buhler
Charlie Ward
Quarterback, Florida State Seminoles
When Florida State joined the ACC, the Seminoles were already a national football power. The first star player out of Tallahassee since joining the ACC was Seminoles quarterback Charlie Ward. While he made his money professionally playing point guard for the New York Knicks, Ward was excellent as an upperclassman from the pocket.
Ward won the 1993 Heisman Trophy, earning All-American honors. He was a two-time ACC Player of the Year for Florida State. Ward would leave football behind after the 1993 NCAA season for a career in basketball. He would complete 69.5 percent of his passes for 3,032 yards 27 touchdowns and only four interceptions in his Heisman season.
Archie Manning
Quarterback, Ole Miss Rebels
The numbers don’t really tell the cultural impact quarterback Archie Manning had in the gridiron for the Ole Miss Rebels football program. Roughly a decade after the golden age of Ole Miss football, the program had fallen on hard times. Manning would scramble, run and throw, trying to do everything he could to lead the Rebels to improbable victories in the SEC.
He would finish in the top five of the Heisman Trophy race in college. Manning was so much better than the talent he was playing around. He would go on to be the No. 2 overall pick by the nearby New Orleans Saints in the 1971 NFL Draft. His No. 18 jersey is retired at Ole Miss. The speed limit on campus reflects that jersey number he once wore for the Rebels.
Eric Dickerson
Running Back, SMU Mustangs
A long time ago, the SMU Mustangs were a triple-option powerhouse in the old Southwest Conference. Long before the Death Penalty and other stuff, the finest horse in the stable for Pony Express was sensational running back Eric Dickerson.
Keep in mind that he was splitting carries with another behemoth of a running back in Craig James and a capable mobile quarterback in Lance McIlhenny. Dickerson ended his SMU career with 790 carries for 4,450 yards and 47 touchdowns. He would go on to be a dominating NFL running back mostly with the Los Angeles Rams.
Earl Campbell
Running Back, Texas Longhorns
In the illustrious history of Texas Longhorns football, only two men have won a Heisman Trophy. Ricky Williams did it back in 1998. The first guy to bring the Heisman to Austin was legendary running back Earl Campbell. His senior season in 1977 was something else.
Campbell would total 765 career carries for 4,443 yards and 40 touchdowns in college. In 1977, Campbell would rush for 1,744 yards on 267 carries and 18 touchdowns. He would be the No. 1 overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft by the then Houston Oilers, where he would put together a hall of fame career as a punishing tailback.