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50 greatest college football players this century, ranked

By Jeremy Morris

Tim Tebow, #15 quarterback of the Florida Gators (Photo by Matt Marriott/University of Florida/Collegiate Images/Getty Images)
Tim Tebow, #15 quarterback of the Florida Gators (Photo by Matt Marriott/University of Florida/Collegiate Images/Getty Images) /
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C.J. Mosley #32 of the Alabama Crimson Tide (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
C.J. Mosley #32 of the Alabama Crimson Tide (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
  • Butkus Award (2013)
  • 2x Consensus All-American (2012, 2013)
  • SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2013)
  • 2x first-team All-SEC (2013)

After Rolando McClain’s departure, C.J. Mosley stepped in and helped to fill the void, making a significant contribution as a true freshman. As a sophomore, he shared time with fellow future pro, Nico Johnson, but missed time that season with a dislocated elbow that occurred during Bama’s fourth game of the year.

Once he took over as full-time starting outside linebacker as a junior and senior in 2012 and 2013, he led the team in tackles both seasons while earning first-team All-SEC and first-team All-American honors in back to back years. As a senior, took home the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker, a season after finishing third behind Manti T’eo and Jarvis Jones in 2012.

He left Tuscaloosa with a pair of national championship rings and was drafted No. 17 in the 2014 NFL Draft, the highest an Alabama linebacker had been picked since Rolando McClain went top-10 in 2010.

Bonus Fact: C.J. Mosley set his high school’s single-game, season, and career tackle records including 362 in 22 games his junior and senior seasons. He also ran the 110-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and competed in the long jump, high jump, and triple jump.

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