College football rankings: ESPN names top 25 players of 21st century (2024)

25. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin

24. Julius Peppers, EDGE, North Carolina

23. Tyrann Mathieu, S, LSU

Nicknamed "The Honey Badger" by LSU fans during hismemorable couple years on campus, Mathieu finished fifth in Heisman voting during the 2011 season after a statistically-banner campaign with four non-offensive touchdowns — two fumble recoveries and two punt returns. From the safety position, Mathieu was a big play waiting to happen and accumulated four interceptions, eight fumble recoveries and 11 forced fumbles over 26 career games.

22. Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama

21. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

20. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

Jackson, thenation's top dual-threat quarterback in 2016, pillaged opposing defenses for 4,928 yards of total offense and an ACC-record 51 touchdowns — 30 passing and 21 rushing — to become the sixth player FBS history with 20 rushing and 20 passing touchdowns in the same campaign.Considering Louisville's below-average play along the offensive line throughout the season (39 sacks allowed, most in the ACC), Jackson's lofty numbers were even more spectacular. He was nearly flawless against top-5 opponents Florida State and Clemson, dissecting two talent-rich defenses to the tune of 819 total yards and eight total touchdowns.

19. DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

18. Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma

A Heisman winner for the Crimson Tide in 2020, Smith recorded 117 catches for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns as the headliner on the nation'smost explosive offense. ... Murray was a dynamite playmaker at Oklahoma in his only season as a starting quarterback with 42 touchdown passes, 12 scores on the ground and more than 5,400 yards of total offense. Murray's flick-of-the-wrist arm strength was a calling card in Lincoln Riley's passing attack with the Sooners. That spectacular season led to a No. 1 overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft.

17. Roy Williams, S, Oklahoma

16. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

One of several recent players who would've benefited from Heisman voting coming after the College Football Playoff, Watson may have won the award in 2015 if ballots included his jaw-dropping performance against Alabama in the national championship game after throwingfor 405 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another 73 yards. He tallied 5,214 total yards of offense that campaign with 47 touchdowns as an unstoppable dual-threat machine. Alabama's Derrick Henry was the winner after eclipsing the 2,000-yard rushing plateau.

15. David Pollack, EDGE, Georgia

14. Aaron Donald, DL, Pitt

Pollack holds Georgia records that still stand in sacks (36) and tackles for a loss (58.5). In his junior season of 2004, Pollack won both the Lombardi, Bednarik, and Hendricks Awards as well as the Lott IMPACT Trophy. Pollack also won the Hendricks Award the year prior as a sophom*ore. He was also named first-team All-SEC three times and won the league's defensive player of the year honors twice in Athens.

13. Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo

12. Joe Thomas, OL, Wisconsin

11. Terrell Suggs, LB, Arizona State

Ten years ago, Mack made history as the University of Buffalo's first NFL Draft first-round selection and he's still playing at a high level. Mack was an All-American in 2013 and still holds the program record for career sacks (28.5), career tackles for loss (75) and career forced fumbles (16). In addition, he is the NCAA career record holder for both tackles for loss and forced fumbles, per his Buffalo bio.

A College Football Hall of Fame honoree soon to be enshrined in Pro Football's Hall, Larry Fitzgerald was a man among boys at Pitt as the nation's top wideout in 2002 and 2003. Over 26 career games with the Panthers, Fitzgerald caught 161 passes for 2,677 yards and 34 total touchdowns, shredding opposing defenses despite seeing a fair share of double teams and bracket coverages throughout his tenure. He managed 10 100-yard games at Pitt and eclipsed 200 yards twice. He's one of the greatest route runners in history.

Joe Burrow's magical 2019 season is the freshest in everyone's minds and it came at a historic level. Not only did he guide the LSU Tigers to a 15-0 national championship campaign, Burrow lit it up on the field with plenty of talent around him. He finished the year with 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and six interceptions, while completing 76.3% of his passes. It was evident early on that Burrow was doing something special. His 60 touchdowns and 202.0 quarterback rating are NCAA records and he also led the NCAA in completion percentage and passing yards. He later became the No. 1 overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals.

The first of two Miami legends inside ESPN's top 10, Bryant McKinnie was one of the most dominant blockers college football has ever seen. The Hurricanes only lost one game over McKinnie's two seasons as a starter and in 2001, he added the Outland Trophy to his laundry list of national laurels that also included first-team All-American status. He finished eighth in Heisman voting that year, a bit unprecedented considering offensive linemen rarely get any love from voters.

Reggie Bush won the Heisman in 2005 after he ran for 1,740 yards and 16 touchdowns on 200 carries. He was one of the key players that took USC to the BCS Championship game, where the Trojans fell just short to the Texas Longhorns. But just five years later, Bush saw his college career blow up in front of him.According to an ESPN report from 2010, an investigation found that Bush accepted improper benefits during his days playing for the Trojans. USC was put on probation for four years, had a two-year bowl ban and got handed a reduction in scholarships. In April, Bush saw his Heisman reinstated.

Tim Tebow, a former two-time national champion and Heisman winner at the University of Florida, is a member ofcollege football's 2023 Hall of Fame class. He's considered one of the greatest college football players of all-time given his achievements in the SEC under then-Gators coach Urban Meyer. Tebow'slist of accolades is expansive, chief among them was his Heisman in 2007. He was also part of two Florida teams that won a BCS National Championship and was a two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Year. He has a statue outside of Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, and finished his career with the Gators with 9,286 passing yards and 88 touchdowns to just 16 interceptions while rushing for 1,947 yards and 57 touchdowns.

Known for his hard-hitting presence and ballhawk skills at the safety position, Ed Reed enjoyed a marvelous career at Miami. He was a two-time first-team All-American and help guide the Hurricanes to a national championshipto cap a brilliant four-year career as a senior. He was a part of four bowl wins and his 21 career interceptions remain a program and Big East record. Four of those takeaways were returned for touchdowns. In total, Miami was 41-8 overall during Reed's career.

One of two Texas quarterbacks who should have a bronze trophy in his case joining Colt McCoy, Vince Young was different. After finishing second to Reggie Bush in 2005, Young took it personal and almost single-handedly beat USC in the national championship game with a memorable drive and game-winning touchdown run in the final moments. He finished with 26 touchdown passes and 1,050 yards rushing that season. For his three-year career in Austin, Young was responsible for over 9,000 yards of total offense and 81 touchdowns.

Cam Newton, who spent one season at Blinn (Texas) Junior College after departing Florida, enrolled at Auburn in 2010 and led the Tigers to their first national championship since 1957. Along the way, Newton completed passes at a 66.1% clip for 2,854 yards with 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Newton was a physical runner that accounted for 1,473 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. The Carolina Panthers saw enough of Newton to make him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Four years later, he was league MVP and playing in the Super Bowl.

Baker Mayfield began his college career as a walk-on at Texas Tech. But before it was said and done, he had become one of the best college football players of his generation. In Mayfield's Heisman season of 2017, he led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff where OU faced off against Georgia from the Rose Bowl. And while Mayfield's college days ended that day, it took double overtime. Georgia outlasted OU, 54-48, which capped an amazing season from the Sooners quarterback. Mayfield completed 70.5% of his passes for 43 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He also added five rushing touchdowns. Mayfield later became the No. 1 overall pick of the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Arguably the most dominant defensive player of the 21st century, Ndamukong Suh proved in 2009 as a senior that voters were afraid to push a player in the trenches as a Heisman frontrunner. Coming off a 7.5-sack, 16-tackle for loss junior season as an interior force, Suh was already a household name nationally and responded with a 12-sack, 20.5-tackle for loss final campaign despite constant double-teams and being the focus of every offensive coordinator's game plan. This guy was unstoppable along the defensive front.