Desmond Howard lands on top 1990s college football player list

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Michigan football has had three Heisman Trophy winners in program history, with two of them coming in the 1990s. It was a lucrative time for the Wolverines, coming off the long tenure of Bo Schembechler with Gary Moeller and then Lloyd Carr taking over the reins of the maize and blue.

But it was soon after Moeller took over from Schembechler that Michigan had something of a national star.

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman put together a list of the top 25 college football players of the 1990s, and at No. 15 overall was former Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard.

15. Desmond Howard, Michigan, WR/KR

Career: 127 catches, 1,944 yards, 30 TDs; 21 rushes, 215 yards, 2 TDs; 41 kick returns, 373 yards, 1 TD; 15 punt returns, 261 yards, 1 TD

Best season: 1991 Heisman Trophy winner; 61 catches, 950 yards, 19 TDs; 12 rushes, 165 yards, 2 TDs; 12 kick returns, 373 yards, 1 TD; 15 punt returns, 261 yards, 1 TD

Only two of Howard’s three seasons at UM were technically in the ’90s, but those were by far his best years. A converted running back, the shifty 5-9, 176-pound Cleveland native had a breakout season in 1990, catching 57 passes for 858 yards and nine TDs at a time when teams weren’t throwing the ball all over the place in the Big Ten. He also averaged 30 yards per kickoff return.

As a junior, he led Michigan to a Big Ten title and became the first receiver to lead the conference in scoring (138 points) — notching 11 more receiving touchdowns than anyone else in the league. His Heisman campaign was punctuated by his iconic 93-yard TD punt return against Ohio State, capped by his memorable Heisman pose.

Howard's Oscar-winning moment, so to speak, was when he returned that long touchdown against the Buckeyes. That's the moment that most remember him for, but he also had a diving touchdown against Notre Dame that also made all of the highlight reels. Of course, now he's a massive ambassador for all things maize and blue as one of the hosts of ESPN College GameDay.

He wasn't the only former Wolverine to make the list, as former defensive back Charles Woodson, who also won the Heisman Trophy, was atop the list.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Desmond Howard lands on top 1990s college football player list

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos