Razorbacks' Legend Receives Ranking That Further Solidifies His Status as CFB Great

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – One of Arkansas' most beloved alums, Darren McFadden, recently received an unexpected tribute from ESPN after he was named to their list of the best all-time college football players by jersey number.

The list, which was published on ESPN's website earlier this month, provided a healthy debate for sports fans across the country on who were the best players in college football history to wear each jersey number #1 through #100.

For example, the list, which was composed by several different writers at ESPN, named Deshaun Watson the best player in college football history to wear #5.

While some football fans may be thinking Watson was a strange choice to make the list based on how his NFL career has turned out, the decision to add Watson makes sense due to the fact that the selections were based solely on the athletes' college careers.

While several selections on the list sparked debates and hot sports opinions, one of the most controversial entries was Arkansas's own Darren McFadden, who was named the best player in college football history to wear #5.

McFadden was named to the list over some of the best running backs in college and NFL history, including Christian McCaffrey, LaDainian Tomlinson and his former rival Reggie Bush.

While all three of these players had more sucess than McFadden in the NFL his record breaking career while at Arkansas was to hard for ESPN to pass up.

For those who may have forgotten, McFadden was arguably the greatest running back in college football during the mid-2000s.

While with the Razorbacks, he was nearly impossible to stop, averaging over 1,000 yards a season and finishing his college career with 4,590 total rushing yards giving him the title of most rushing yards in Arkansas football history.

McFadden was also a touchdown machine while with the Razorbacks, averaging over 10 a season and finishing his college career with 41 total, which puts him second, just behind the recently deceased Bill Burnett, in all-time rushing touchdowns for the university.

Outside of breaking long-standing program records while at Arkansas, McFadden also received national recognition across the league during his dominant college career.

He was twice awarded the Jim Brown Trophy, which is bestowed to the top NCAA running back, and was also named SEC Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008.

"The No. 5 jersey offers a who's who of elite running backs, making any selection here a difficult one, but those who saw McFadden play against brutally tough SEC defenses knows he was a cut above," ESPN said.

While McFadden's NFL career did not pan out the way Razorback fans hoped, his inclusion on this list proves that his time at Arkansas left a lasting impact across the NCAA, which fans can take pride in being part of.

Other notable college football players whom McFadden was selected over include former quarterbacks Jamies Winston and Donovan McNabb and former wide receivers Tavon Austin and Michael Crabtree.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arkansas as Razorbacks' Legend Receives Ranking That Further Solidifies His Status as CFB Great.

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