I am sure I am leaving guys out, but here we go from the top of my head. Share yours!
Quarterbacks
1) Tommie Frazier
2) Jake Plummer
3) Michael Vick
*Best Game was Vince Young vs USC
Tailback
1) Shaun Alexander
2) Lee Suggs
3) Trent Richardson
Fullback
1) Mike Alstott
2) Jerome Bettis
3) Leroy Hoard
Tight End
1) Kyle Brady
2) Jason Witten
3) Heath Miller
Tackle
1) Jonathan Ogden
2) Chris Samuels
3) Andre Smith
Guard
1) Steve Hutchinson
2) Alan Faneca
3)
Center
1) Jim Pyne
2) Jake Grove
3) Barrett Jones
Wide Receiver
1) Larry Fitzgerald
2) The Johnsons (Calvin and Andre)
3) Randy "Two Routes" Moss
Defenisve End
1) Mario Williams
2) David Pollack
3) Cornell Brown
Defensive Tackle
1) Steve Emtman
2) Warren Sapp
3) John Henderson
Middle/Inside Backer
1) Ray Lewis
2) Takeo Spikes
3) Luke Kuechly
Outside Linebacker
1) Von Miller
2) Lavar Arrington
3) Xavier Adibi
Corner
1) Brandon Flowers
2) Charles Woodson
3) Eric Berry
Safety
1) Ed Reed
2) Sean Taylor
3) George Teague
Comments
Corey Moore
Favorite college football player ever.
Reggie Bush was also really fun to watch in college, although he is a doucherocket.
I think Peterson in his freshman year was the most dominant running back I've ever seen. But his injuries might disqualify him from this list.
Reggie Bush definitely
QB: Vick
RB: Reggie Bush
FB: Alstott
WR: Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald
T: Andre Smith, Joe Thomas
G: Who pays attention to guards
C: Barrett Jones
DE: Lamar Woodley, David Pollack
DT: Warren Sapp, Terrence Cody
ILB: Luke Kuechly
OLB: Xavier Adibi, Paul Posluszny
CB: Patrick Peterson, DeAngelo Hall (mainly for his returns)
S: Eric Berry, Taylor Mays
Jake Plummer, interesting choice.
I remember him playing in a Rose Bowl against Ohio State, great game. I think the clock ran out on Plummer insider the 20 and they lost by a couple of points.
I didn't see him play week in/out, but one of the best QB'd games I've ever seen was Flutie vs. Miami. That game is far more than "the Pass." He was great that day.
I'd put Luck up there as well.
Warrick, Tory Holt @ WR maybe.
Torry Holt has to be one of the top receivers. Most folks have forgotten about him, but Charles Rogers was a beast as well.
Yeah, and Hershel was the best RB I've seen....
...although admittedly, that is two games on ESPN Classic.
Always thought
That Terrell Suggs was one of the best pure pass rushers I saw play in college
Geesh
I gotta think about this!
Don't forget the late 90's early 2000's Canes
QB 1. Vick 2. McNabb 3. Rodgers 4. Schaub 5. Tyrod 6. Weinke 7. K. Moore
RB 1. McGahee 2. Suggs 3. K Jones 4. Bush 5. Edgerrin James 6. Amos Zeroue 7. Ryan Williams 8. Portis 9. Tiki Barber 10. David Wilson
WR 1. Calvin Johnson 2. Fitzgerald 3. Andre Johnson 4. Andre Davis 5. Warrick 6. Antonio Bryant 7. Reggie Wayne 8. Sammy Watkins
OT 1. McKinnie
OG 1. Lehr
C 1. Grove
FB 1. Jarrett Ferguson 2. Duane Thomas
TE 1. Heath Miller 2. Shockey 3. Vernon Davis
DE 1. Corey Moore 2. Mario Williams 3. Cornell Brown 4. Tapp 5. Chris Long 6. Engelberger
DT 1. Suh 2. Raji 3. Pugh
CB 1. Anthony Midget 2. Macho 3. Flowers 4. Ike Charlton 5. Ronde Barber
S 1. Sean Taylor 2. Ed Reed 3. Keion Carpentar 4. Torrian Gray 5. Pierson Prioleau
LB 1. Ray Lewis 2. Xavier Adibi 3. Luke Kuechly 4. Cody Grimm 5. Ben Taylor 6. James Anderson 7. Brian Cushing
K 1. Shayne Graham 2. Janikowski 3. Nugent
Returns 1. DeAngelo Hall
You forgot an early 2000's Cane - Devin Hester. He was just as ridiculous in college. The best 2 punt returns I've ever seen were by him against Duke. Duke sucks but he just toyed with them.
What about that Soulja! Kellen Jr. He didn't pan out in the NFL, but he was a matchup nightmare at Miami.
Shockey would be over Winslow for me. As would Dallas Clark.
I think I have to do this one post per position
Because of the thought required.
RB's first (revised)
Because it stands out in my mind. I'm going to do three per position.
1. Archie Griffin
2. Herschel Walker
3. Bo Jackson
Honorable mention: Earl Campbell, & two USC backs, O.J. Simpson and Anthony Davis.
This is so hard, because I keep thinking of more players!
Like Tony Dorsett...I'm not sure I know how to rank these guys.
and
George Rogers
Running backs are tough. I saw highlights of Barry Sanders and Marshall Faulk, but I never watched them play a live game in college. Despite his legal problems, Lawrence Phillips has to be in the discussion. And, I challenge you to find a better single game than Tim Biakabatuka vs the Eddie George Heisman Ohio State team.
Tomlinson
was great as well. I'd put him up there with Faulk.
Eddie Royal
Eddie royal is arguably my favorite Hokie ever so he's in my WR mix
WR
1. Lynn Swann
2. Michael Irvin
3. Desmond Howard
Hon. Mention: Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald
TE
This one is difficult because TE's are rarely in the limelight
1. Dave Casper (yeah, I'm so old I remember when he was in college!)
2. Todd Christensen
3. Jason Whitten
I wish I could have seen Mark Bavaro in college. He was bad bad bad man in the NFL.
Which would lead me to one I didn't see play DB in college, but was even badder than Bavaro in the NFL, Ronnie Lott. Remember when he knocked Bavaro on his can.
QB's
This one is hard because I remember a LOT of excellent QB's
Had to edit this because I reconsidered #3
1. Warren Moon (I still don't understand why nobody in the NFL wanted to draft him coming out of Washington. He was incredible.)
2. Joe Montana
3. (tie) Tommy Frazier & Archie Manning
Hard not to have some honorable mentions here: Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, Jim Plunkett,Ty Detmer, Vince Young...there are tons of others.
Maybe I'm in the minority with this but I think Tebow would be number one on my list.
I'm not talking NFL here, if we're just talking college QBs, I think he is the best and most effective weapon at that position. He could just dominate a game when he was at Florida. And I don't care who you are, his leadership ability is phenomenal.
I agree about Tebow.
Meyer had it down how to use him. He was just good enough passing it.
Then I saw Cam Newton (and with the visceral connection to Tebow nonetheless) and it was just a year, but Cam was Tebow with better passing.
I would rank both ahead of Vick.
Vince Young for one year was absurdly good. I loved watching Detmer as well.
Jake Plummer had an amazing charisma in college. He was about all they had on offense, but he had this swagger that seemed almost magically to move the ball up and down the field.
Another personal favorite that nobody remembers because he was on bad teams was Tyler Watts at Alabama. He was a poor man's 2011 Logan Thomas. He was a great power runner, and a good passer on a bad team. I can recall when I worked on Saturdays and it seemed like he was always on the Jefferson Pilot SEC game of the week involved in a shootout because the Bama defense was so awful. Things have changed somewhat.
The only issue I would have with Frazier is you would be limited in the O you could run. If you wanted to run Nebraska's O, then there would be few better, thats for sure. I remember that MNC game between Nebraska and FL, what did Frazier have, 200 yards, and Phillips had another 150 or 200?
OL - the big uglies
Only going to do a couple at each position here because of the ignominy of the players.
C - 1. Dave Rimington (they named the trophy after him)
2. Jim Pyne
G - 1. John Hannah, Alabama stud
2. Barrett Jones (I put him here, where he played his freshman year, but he could fit at C, G, or T)
T - 1. Orlando Pace
2. Anthony Munoz
Honorable Mentions: Russ Grimm, Mark May, Jonathan Ogden
Pat Tillman
Not that he was the best safety, but If I could assemble a real life team of college players in their prime (if I had god-like powers or something) I would want Pat Tillman on the team. That guy is a legend. Nothing but respect for him.
Specialists (Revised: forgot the kick returner)
P - I'd love to say I remember Ray Guy in college, but Southern Miss was never on TV back then, so I guess I'll have to go with Reggie Roby from Iowa.
K - Sebastian Janikowski
KR: Johnny Rodgers, Devin Hester
Hon. Mention: Russell Erxlaben (spelling?)
DT
1. Bruce Smith
2. Lee Roy Selmon
3. Warren Sapp
Hon. Mention: Randy White
DE
1. Reggie White
2. Hugh Green
3. Dwight Freeney
Hon. Mention: Cornell Brown, Corey Moore
LB
1. Lawrence Taylor - The original LT...offensive coordinators in the ACC don't realize how happy they are that they don't have to play against this guy....amazing talent.
2. Brian Bozworth
3. Ray Lewis
Hon. Mention: Chris Speielman, Derrick Thomas, LaVar Arrington
Corner
1. Charles Woodson
2. Deion Sanders
3. Champ Bailey
Hon Mention: DeAngelo Hall
Safety
1. Ronnie Lott
2. Ed Reed
3. Sean Taylor
Hon Mention: Kenny Easley, Eric Berry
Do we pick a coach?
If so, I gotta go with Bear Bryant.
I know this is blatantly obvious, but I thought I'd point it out anyway. Just about every position that's being picked has a 2001 Miami player on the list, that team was unbelievable.