College football rankings: Top 25 players since 2000, per The Athletic

The Athletic revealed its top 25 college football players since 2000 now that we are a quarter of the way through the 21st century. Heisman winners, legends and more are on the list.

Some players might be higher or lower than expected. Perhaps some players might not be on the list that you would think, but we’re here to dissect it!

Without further ado, let’s dive into the top 25 players of the last quarter century throughout college football. We start with a superhero.

1. Cam Newton, QB – Auburn

Newton was ranked the top player of the last quarter century per The Athletic. His lone season at Auburn will be remembered for him being Superman and leading the Tigers to a national title.

That season, 2010 to be exact, Newton threw for 30 touchdowns, seven picks, 2,854 yards and ran for 1,473 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. Sometimes, he singlehandedly put Auburn on his back and it led to him being the No. 1 overall pick by the Carolina Panthers.

2. Reggie Bush, RB – USC

Perhaps the biggest college football star of the last 25 years is the second best player on this list. Kids would imitate his running style because you couldn’t tackle him based on his elusiveness.

Bush won a Heisman Trophy and was a national champion, and he finally got his Heisman back by the way. A human highlight reel, Bush is one of the greatest college football players in the history of the game. 3,169 yards, 25 touchdowns, 1,301 receiving yards, 13 touchdown receptions and four return touchdowns, yeah those are great numbers.

3. Ndamukong Suh, DT – Nebraska

Before Suh terrorized NFL quarterbacks, he terrorized college players. He totaled 24 sacks in his career and 12 back in 2009 and 21 tackles for loss.

Suh was a large reason why Nebraska ended with 10 wins in 2009, far away from national title contention, but a solid team nonetheless. The big defensive lineman aided a defense that held eight opponents to 10 points or fewer and not only that, he had 85 tackles during the 2009 season. That led the team. Try and find a lineman who can do that now!

4. Joe Burrow, QB – LSU/Ohio State

Burrow made his final college season count the most after he transferred to LSU. Following a decent 2018 season, 2019 made Burrow a superstar, Heisman winner and national champion.

The eventual No. 1 overall pick threw for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 76.3% completion percentage in ‘19, becoming one of the most unstoppable college QBs we’ve seen in recent memory. Perhaps The Athletic put him lower than Newton simply because of the NFL talent around Burrow, compared to Newton.

5. Lamar Jackson, QB – Louisville

The ever-electric Jackson was Michael Vick 2.0 in this century. A blazing fast dual threat quarterback that had a bit more accuracy and touch on the football, considering Vick’s elite arm strength. He won the Heisman before he became more accurate simply because of the one-man show that was the Louisville offense.

Jackson threw for 3,543 yards, 30 touchdowns, nine picks, a 56.2% completion percentage and had 1,571 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns in 2016. The Athletic put him this high due to Jackson’s ability to follow up a Heisman year with another impressive showing on the ground too: 1,601 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. Hard to replicate this dynamic weapon.

6. Ed Reed, S – Miami

A national champion with Miami back in 2001, Reed was the heart and soul of a loaded defense. Reed registered nine interceptions and 18 pass breakups in 2001. He had a career total of 21 interceptions at Miami.

Reed was seemingly ahead of his time while in college and quarterbacks and opposing coaches had no idea how to deal with him. It led to a Hall of Fame career in the NFL as well, but Reed will also be remembered for his elite Hurricane days in the early 2000s.

7. Vince Young, QB – Texas

Young’s most iconic moment came in the Rose Bowl against USC to win the national championship. His touchdown run is one of the most remembered sports images of the 21st century. But other than, Young won a Heisman and is a Texas legend, no big deal!

Back in 2005, a different time for dual threat quarterbacks, Young threw for 3,036 yards, 26 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, a 65.2% completion percentage and ran for 1,050 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. 

8. Tim Tebow, QB – Florida

Maybe a surprise from The Athletic here as Tebow was near the bottom of the top 10 players since 2000. Still, a Heisman winner and three-time finalist, Tebow is still considered one of the greatest college football players of all-time in some circles.

He helped Florida win two national titles under Urban Meyer and despite his NFL career not panning out, Tebow remains a legend in Gainesville and a CFB icon with tenacious play, ability to bulldoze defenders, and yes, a solid left arm as a passer. An inspiring leader, Tebow totaled 88 touchdown passes, 9,285 yards, a 66.4% completion percentage, 2,947 rushing yards and 57 rushing touchdowns in his college career.

9. Travis Hunter, WR/CB – Colorado/Jackson State

We just saw Hunter leave the college game, but his impact was there. He was just selected with the No. 2 overall pick by the Jaguars fresh off his Heisman season playing wide receiver and cornerback.

We haven’t seen a player be that good both ways in quite a long time. Others like Champ Bailey, Charles Woodson and yes, Deion Sanders, dabbled on both sides of the ball. But Hunter was a mostly shutdown corner while being looked at primarily at wide receiver by NFL scouts. It’ll be a fascinating watch in the NFL.

10. Terrell Suggs, DE – Arizona State

Suggs was a menace as soon as he stepped onto the football field as a freshman at Arizona State. He was the Pac-10 Freshman of the year and eventually totaled 44 sacks in his career. 

We know how good he was in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, but don’t forget his Sun Devil career where he was pretty much unblockable. It was a scary sight to see! In 2002, Suggs was ridiculous, totaling 73 tackles, 24 sacks, 31.5 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles and one interception.

The Athletic names Top 25 players since 2000

11. Larry Fitzgerald, WR – Pittsburgh
12. Andrew Luck, QB – Stanford
13. DeVonta Smith, WR – Alabama
14. Baker Mayfield, QB – Oklahoma/Texas Tech
15. Marcus Mariota, QB – Oregon
16. Chase Young, DE – Ohio State
17. Christian McCaffrey, RB – Stanford
18. Roy Williams, S – Oklahoma
19. Julius Peppers, DE – North Carolina
20. Aaron Donald, DT – Pittsburgh
21. Jayden Daniels, QB – LSU/Arizona State
22. Sean Taylor, S – Miami
23. Brock Bowers, TE – Georgia
24. Tyrann Mathieu, DB – LSU
25. Quenton Nelson, G – Notre Dame