Best college football players of all time from every state

South Dakota – Jay Novacek

Another lightly-populated state gets its time to shine here, as players like Jay Novacek, John Dutton, and Adam Vinatieri all hail from the Mount Rushmore state. Novacek earns himself the pick here, however, as Novacek is a Hall of Famer who (admittedly) could have been even better if he had been employed correctly.

Novacek was born in South Dakota but enrolled at the University of Wyoming, and later played a valuable x-factor role in the Cowboys offense. However, Novacek was on the receiving end of 83 passes and recorded over 1,500 yards to pair with a solid 10 touchdowns. He also ran the ball in for three touchdowns and was an All-WAC and consensus All-American in 1984.

Though mostly known for his NFL career in which he was a five-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro, and three-time Super Bowl champion, Novacek was a beast of a tight end in college, and also was an All-American for the Wyoming track team, winning the WAC decathlon and setting a record in that event, and in the pole jump.

Though it would definitely have been interesting to see him run in a tight-end focused offense in college, Novacek partially wins this one thanks to lack of competition. However, for its population size (only 885,000 people), South Dakota does offer some impressive individuals, like those listed above. The tight end from Martin ranks as the top one.