By JC Nevils
There are many pretty good to great players to play the game of college football, but there are only a few that come along every decade or so that no one can ever forget. Some had better careers than others, but they all had one thing in common—being electric with the ball in their hands. Here are my most dangerous players from the past two decades.
1. QB Vince Young, Texas
The Houston native was a high school legend by all accounts, as he ended up being rated as the top prospect in the 2002 class. A year later he burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman looking like nothing we have seen before other than maybe Michael Vick, but young was 6-foot-5. Yes, he was that exciting. He finished his career at Texas with a 30-2 record as a starter, a Heisman Trophy runner up and a BCS National Championship, in a game that is widely known as the greatest college football game ever.
2. RB Reggie Bush, USC
Bush was the best college football player I saw growing up as kid by far, and I believe many adults thought the same back then. He was that great with the ball in his hands. He was already well known before signing with USC, and it didn’t take long for him to make his name known. By the end of his sophomore year he was already a First Team All-American along with having two national championships. His 2005 season put him in college football lore. He went on to win the Heisman in a landslide, while leading the Trojans to a third-straight national title game appearance. They ended up losing to Young and Texas, but that season will forever be remembered by all accounts.
3. WR/RB Percy Harvin, Florida
Right after Bush left in came another freshman on the scene out of Virginia. While no one can quite resemble what Bush did on the field, Harvin came the closest. He came in with Tim Tebow along with a loaded 2006 class, and took the game by storm. He was a major part in the Gators winning the national title that year while playing mostly running back, but he played wide receiver as well. By the end of his junior year they had won another title and he was a First Team All-American, eventually going in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft.
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4. CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado
While he quite literally just finished his college career, there was no way I could leave Hunter off of this list. Other than sample size of Charles Woodson at Michigan, we have never seen a player be elite on both sides of the ball full time. He was legit an All-American on both sides of the football. He wound up winning the Biletnikoff Award as the best wide receiver in the nation along with the Heisman. For some odd reason he was snubbed out of the Thorpe Award given to the best defensive back, but everyone knows who should have won. He plans to do the same this year in the NFL as the second-overall pick. A generational player for sure.
5. WR Ted Ginn Jr., Ohio State
As a track and football athlete coming out of legendary Glenville High School in Cleveland, he was already well known. He may have even been better in track, but he chose to keep his talents home in Ohio and play for the Buckeyes. Originally rated as the top corner in his class, he would begin his career on the defensive side, but it didn’t take long for him to move to offense and the rest would be history. Once he did, he got snaps at wide receiver, running back, and in the return game that year in which he returned four for touchdowns to set a new Big Ten record. He would finish his career being a First Team All-American and top-10 NFL draft pick.
6. WR DeSean Jackson, Cal
As a Los Angeles native playing for legendary high school Long Beach Poly, many thought it would be a lock for Jackson to wind up at USC. While he did want to go there, he felt like they short changed him so decided to sign with Cal-Berkeley. He would be teammates with Marshawn Lynch and others to develop a great nucleus. He burst onto the scene immediately. While not being the biggest, he made up for it with his electric speed and quickness. He was simply a blur in open field. He finished his career with back-to-back All-American honors while setting the PAC-10 record for punt returns in a season (4) and career (6).
7. QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Jackson was another one of those generational quarterbacks that changed the game. As a true freshman he wasn’t the starter, but every time he came into the game something exciting was bound to happen. He really showed off his talents against Auburn when he ran circles around them. For the next two seasons the college football world would be put on notice. His sophomore year in 2016 he became the first player ever to pass for 3,500 yards and rush for 1,500 yards in a season, which earned him the Heisman. His next year was about the same, but simply put, we won’t see anything like him in college football for a while. He’s still doing the same in the NFL as we speak.
8. RB CJ Spiller, Clemson
The Florida native was all set to go to Florida State before a last minute trip to Clemson set up by some assistant named Dabo Swinney swayed him to become a Tiger. The rest was history as the people say. As a true freshman he burst onto the scene as one of the most explosive players in the country, and would never look back. He was also a track star, which was very evident on the field. Simply put, he may be the best kick returner in college football history along with being an exceptional running back. He finished his career with seven kickoff returns for touchdowns which is still the NCAA record, while still holding the ACC record for career all-purpose yards. He went on to be a top-10 NFL draft pick, and single handily changed the trajectory of the Clemson program to be what it is today.
9. WR/CB Devin Hester, Miami
The best returner in college football and the NFL goes to Hester in my eyes. What other player can make the NFL Hall of Fame by simply returning punts and kicks? That right there let’s you know just how dangerous he was as a football player. He changed games instantly while leaving our jaws dropped with the pure talent and speed he was blessed with. At Miami though he played multiple positions including at corner, wide receiver and running back. In his sophomore season in 2004 he was a First Team All-American as a returner, as he took three punts and one kick return to the house. Again, the rest as they say was quite literally history.
10. RB/WR De’Anthony Thomas, Oregon
Another L.A. native that was supposed to end up at USC but didn’t was Thomas, aka “Black Mamba.” To have a nickname before you even step foot on campus let’s you know just how great of a football player you have to be. Coming out of Crenshaw High he was expected to make an immediate impact, and that he surely did. In a loaded offense with the likes of Marcus Mariota at quarterback along with LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner in the backfield, it was a show. He finished his first season with 2,235 all-purpose yards, and a school record for freshman with 18 total touchdowns earning him PAC-12 Co-Offensive Freshman of the Year as well as being named a Freshman All-American. He would earn Second Team All-American honors his sophomore year, and eventually go on to the NFL after his junior year. By all accounts he was one of the most electrifying players to ever touch the field for Oregon as well as the NCAA.
