Best college football players of all time ranked by jersey number
By John Buhler
Tony Dorsett
Running Back, Pittsburgh Panthers
In the mid-1970s, they may not have been a better running back in college football than Tony Dorsett of the Pittsburgh Panthers. He would go on to do great things in the NFL as the star running back for the Dallas Cowboys, but Dorsett first made a name for himself in Pittsburgh.
He would win the 1976 Heisman Trophy in a season where he would run for 2,150 yards on 370 carries for 22 touchdowns. Dorsett would leave Pittsburgh as the No. 2 overall pick in the 1977 NFL Draft by the Cowboys with 1,163 career carries for 6,526 yards and 59 rushing touchdowns.
Herschel Walker
Running Back, Georgia Bulldogs
This was so hard because Auburn Tigers running back Bo Jackson is probably the best athlete the world has seen in a century. However, Georgia Bulldogs running back Herschel Walker not only won a Heisman in 1982 but the 1980 National Championship as the greatest player in Georgia football history.
Walker was a three-time All-American and finish in the top-three of the Heisman voting all three years he spent at Georgia. He would leave Athens after his junior year in 1982 for the AFL. Walker had 994 career carries for 5,259 yards and 49 touchdowns in his college career. The No. 34 is probably the most sought after jersey in college football thanks to Jackson and Walker’s dominance pounding the rock in the 1980s.
Doc Blanchard
Running Back, Army Black Knights
At one point in time, yes, Army was a football powerhouse. One of the greatest to have ever played for the Black Knights football team was three-time All-American running back Doc Blanchard. He would win the 1945 Heisman Trophy, garnering 888 yards and 17 touchdowns on 105 plays from scrimmage.
Blanchard would finish in the top four of the Heisman Trophy voting from 1944 to 1946. He would leave West Point with 282 career carries for 1,670 yards and 30 touchdowns to go along with his 14 career catches for 428 yards and five touchdowns. Averaging 7.1 yards per touch, Blanchard sure was explosive in the Black Knights backfield.
Chris Spielman
Linebacker, Ohio State Buckeyes
Steve Owens was an incredible running back for the Oklahoma Sooners. While he did win a Heisman Trophy with the Sooners, it’s hard to overlook what Chris Spielman did as a linebacker for the Ohio State Buckeyes in the mid-1980s.
Twice did Spielman finish in the top-10 of Heisman voting as a defensive player. He was a two-time All-American in 1986 and 1987, winning the Lombardi Award in 1987. Playing linebacker, he had six interceptions for 118 yards to lead the Big Ten in 1986. Spielman would go on to have a successful NFL career as the cornerstone of the Detroit Lions defense in the early 1990s.