There have been many great college football players in history. Some are better than others in their separate categories. It’s not like the NFL where the QBs are usually the star of the show in college football it is different. There are many college football players but these are the best.

5. Roger Staubach

Roger Staubach is one of the best college football QBs of all time. In his college career, he played for Navy from 1962-1964. He passed for 3,571 yards and had 35 passing TDs he also had 682 rushing yards throughout his career. In the 60’s there were not a lot of good QBs in college football but as soon as Roger stepped on the turf the NCAA felt an immediate impact with him winning the Heisman Trophy in 1963 he also won the Maxwell Trophy and The Walter Camp Memorial Award. When he joined the NFL he led the Cowboys to 4 Super Bowls winning them all. Roger Staubach was pretty good when he was in college but he got even better when he made it to the NFL he will go down as one of the best.

4. Earl Campbell

Earl Campbell was the running back for Texas from 1974 to 1977. In his time with the Longhorns, he rushed for 4,443 yards and had 40 rushing TDs when he ran the ball he averaged 5.8 yards per carry which is pretty good considering he averaged that his entire college career. He was an influential running back in his time at Texas. He also became the first Longhorn to win the Heisman Trophy in 1977 after he led them to an undefeated season. Another good stat is how many 100+ yard games he had In his college career he had 40 100+ yard games. In his college career, he was an amazing running back and will go down as one of the best college players and Longhorns ever.

3. Bo Jackson

Bo Jackson was a running back for the Auburn Tigers from 1982 to 1985. In his college career, he accumulated 4,303 rushing yards and 43 rushing touchdowns. He was awarded the Heisman Trophy in 1985 over Chuck Long of Iowa, he was a 3-time all-SEC selection and a 2-time All-American. He is the only running back in Auburn’s history to rush for over 4,000 yards in their college career. He was selected 1st Overall in the 1986 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he refused to play for them. Instead he played for the Los Angeles Raiders. In his NFL career, he only had 2,782 rushing yards and 16 rushing TDs. In addition he also signed a three-year deal with Kansas City Royals for just over a million dollars. Bo Jackson was an amazing running back during his time in college but an injury ended his career. Even though he chose baseball he will go down in history as one of the best of all time.

2. Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders played for the Oklahoma State Cowboys from 1986 to 1989. In his time with OSU, he had 3,556 rushing yards and had 48 rushing TDs. Sanders had an amazing career in college, he also won various awards such as The Hesiman Trophy, The Walter Camp Award, and The Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year. He was an amazing running back in college because he was electrifying but he was even better once he made the NFL. The Detroit Lions drafted him as the 3rd overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft. In his career, he was the only running back to have over 1,000 rushing yards each season but he mysteriously retired from the NFL in 1998. Barry Sanders was among the best running backs in college and NFL history. 

1. Jim Brown 

Jim Brown played for the Syracuse Orange from 1954 to 1956. In his time with the Orange, he only had 2,901 rushing yards and 19 rushing TDs. What made Jim Brown #1 you’re probably asking yourself since he doesn’t have the best stats on the list what made him the best was his ability to run the ball since football was kind of a new sport back then and how electric he was on the football field. He set school records in most rushing TDs with 6 and had the highest rushing average with 6.2 yards per carry. He wasn’t only good in college but also in the NFL he was drafted 6th overall by the Cleveland Browns and had an amazing career with 12,312 rushing yards and 106 rushing TDs. He will go down in history as the best college football player of all time and one of the best NFL players of all time 

There have been many college football players and the people on this list were some of the best. They are on this list for many reasons how they changed the game and also how they paved the way for young inspiring athletes. These athletes were good in college in the NFL. These players will forever be remembered as the best college football players of all time.