Best College Football Player of the 21st Century

[BurningRiver]

I'm incredible biased, but I think I would put Te'o in my top ten.

 

[pumpdog20]

Tebow
Calvin Johnson
Bush
Suh
Timmy Chang

 

[SaltyND24]

Are you still going to say AP? I'm surprised he hasn't been mentioned more.

Somebody had already done so before me...but yes, not too many people mentioned him which was surprising for sure. On my list, no doubt...

 

[SaltyND24]

Tebow
Calvin Johnson
Bush
Suh
Timmy Chang

Whoa, bro!!! Colt Brennan all day son!

 

[dudesthisisthebest]

Johnny Football

 

[military_irish]

Michael Crabtree won two Biletnikoff awards and had some pretty stout numbers while having Graham Herrell as a QB.

 

[NDWorld247]

Vince Young - Best player in the best/biggest game of the 21st century.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

Manti Te'o

 

[greyhammer90]

I'm incredible biased, but I think I would put Te'o in my top ten.

You are incredibly biased.

 

[ACamp1900]

Anthony Vernaglia

 

[FearTheBeard]

Tommy Rees ...

 

[Rambler09]

Dayne Crist (for his leadership, duh).

 

[ACamp1900]

Ill be interested to see where Clowney figures in this in a few years...

 

[Fbolt]

Let it be known that I posted in this thread before irishhog77 nominated Bruce Heggie

Jimmy Clausen.

But really, vince and Tim played out of this world.

Vince Young, Andrew Luck, Reggie Bush, Tebow, Manti Te'o

I'm incredible biased, but I think I would put Te'o in my top ten.

I recognize these ND names, but who are all these other players? Did they play for ND and I just am not familiar with them?

 

[GBdomer]

IMO Cam Newton had the best single season I've ever seen
Vince Young
Reggie Bush
Tim Tebow

 

[clashmore_mike]

Ben Koyack has the potential to be #1 when it's all said and done.

 

[PANDFAN]

tebow,bush,young

i don't get how suh is being mentioned....1 dominate year...his junior year was essentially what tuitt did last year...wouldn't even remotely be close to being in this discussion

 

[rikkitikki08]

1. Leon Sandcastle

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Anthony Vernaglia

Ugg...just add more salt to the wounds.

 

[pkt77242]

Tebow
Bush
Leinart
Young
Griffin III
Jason White
Suh
Adrian Peterson

 

[FLDomer]

You guys are idiots...clearly Ron Powlus

 

[Kingbish01]

Hands down Reggie Bush or Tebow. IMO there is a huge gap between 2 and 3.

 

[dublinirish]

has to be Bush, he was amazing in college as much as it pains me to say it

 

[irishpat183]

Reggie Bush- Dude was so versatile..could do everything on the field.

Danny Woodhead- Yeah. Look him up in college.

Suh- Never seen a guy dominate the defensive side like he did

 

[Old Man Mike]

Since this is college, I'll say as a preface that I think that Tim Tebow [just talkin' football] is better than anyone [though guys like Young and Suh are hard to argue against], but if the list were just a bit longer then Pat White and Luke Kuechley would deserve some praise. White was as big a threat as anyone I've watched for years, and I've not seen a better college linebacker than Kuechley.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Since this is college, I'll say as a preface that I think that Tim Tebow [just talkin' football] is better than anyone [though guys like Young and Suh are hard to argue against], but if the list were just a bit longer then Pat White and Luke Kuechley would deserve some praise. White was as big a threat as anyone I've watched for years, and I've not seen a better college linebacker than Kuechley.

^This.

 

[RDU Irish]

Adrian Peterson has to be up there. You have to take the entire college career, not just the end of it into full consideration for this discussion.

 

[IrishLax]

Michael Crabtree won two Biletnikoff awards and had some pretty stout numbers while having Graham Herrell as a QB.

Totally forgot about Crabtree, that is a great pull.

 

[Kingbish01]

Since this is college, I'll say as a preface that I think that Tim Tebow [just talkin' football] is better than anyone [though guys like Young and Suh are hard to argue against], but if the list were just a bit longer then Pat White and Luke Kuechley would deserve some praise. White was as big a threat as anyone I've watched for years, and I've not seen a better college linebacker than Kuechley.

Kuechley was a stud, but I think A.J. Hawk and Patrick Willis were both better, and I bet it's fair to assume they played against tougher teams being in the Big Ten and Sec.

 

[IrishLax]

You can definitely make a case for Te'o when you consider he came the closest a defensive player has come to ever winning the Heisman in this decade AND won more individual awards than any singular player in this decade. If he had capped it off with a stellar national championship game, I think he'd be the default token defender in a top 10. Even as is, if you ignore the of the field BS (we're doing as much for Reggie Bush... guy had all his stuff vacated) it's hard to not put him in a top group of at least defenders with his production/accolades.

Kuechly, as has been said, was probably the best LB talent I ever saw in this last decade and I bet if he played for an SEC team instead of Boston College he'd be considered an all-time great.

I don't really understand Leinart getting praise. He was a system QB who was lucky to have unbelievable talent around him at all positions. If you're going to give him props for team accomplishments and accolades he earned accordingly, we might as well give props to all of the QBs who lit it up... Pat White, Case Keenum, Graham Harrell, etc. etc. etc. as well as record breaking backs like Montee Ball.

I think you have to stick with the truly dynamic players... like Tebow, Young, Bush, etc. who dominated because of their talents more than their situation.