It’s ranking season at ESPN, and this year, they’ve been releasing the top 25 athletes of the 21st century in various sports the past week. On Monday they got around to ranking the 25 greatest college football players since 2000.
Texas A&M Aggies fans probably expect someone like Mike Evans, or maybe Von Miller, or surely Johnny Manziel made it, right?
Sadly, no. No Aggies were represented on the list despite the number of memorable athletes that have donned the Maroon and White since 2000.
Dec 31, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) reacts to a fourth-quarter interception against the Duke Blue Devils in the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports / Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Well, Kyler Murray did make the list, and he attended Texas A&M for a year as a backup, but many remember him for his Heisman years in an Oklahoma Sooners uniform.
The list could not be an easy one to make. There have been so many memorable collegiate gridiron athletes. 24 players have won the Heisman Trophy this century. About 26 consensus All-Americans are awarded every season.
The quarterbacks that did make the list, though, it’s tough to make an argument as to why they should not have made the list. Joe Burrow’s 2019 season brought him a Heisman Trophy and led LSU to a perfect season and a national championship in one of, if not the, greatest seasons by a collegiate quarterback.
Tim Tebow was the first ever underclassman to take home the Heisman. He led Florida to a championship in 2006 and 2008. He deserves to be up there for sure.
Cam Newton’s lone season with the Auburn Tigers in 2010 after playing behind Tim Tebow in Florida saw the future NFL MVP turn over one of the greatest single years in history. Newton threw for 30 touchdowns and ran for 24 more and led Auburn to a national title over Alabama.
Texas Longhorns QB Vince Young also came in at No. 4, after leading his team to a national title over USC. He is the lone QB on the list that didn’t win a Heisman.
The number one rated player was Ndamukong Suh, a defensive tackle from Nebraska who was a Heisman finalist in 2009 and went on to win a Super Bowl (LV with the Buccaneers) and also was the 2010 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Many (future) NFL Hall of Famers were graced on the list, such as Miami Hurricanes safety Ed Reed and Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. They also released a list of 10 athletes that just missed the cut. Some notable names were Georgia Tech receiver turned NFL Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson, Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, and the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Stanford’s own Christian McCaffrey.
Manziel, Evans and Miller were absent from that list as well.
You can check out the full list of the Top 25 Greatest College Football Players of the 21st Century here.
Source link : https://www.si.com/college/tamu/news/did-espn-snub-texas-a-m-aggies-legend-johnny-manziel-in-top-25-21st-century-rankings-01j3zq5m8z57
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Publish date : 2024-07-29 14:48:40
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