Who are best college football players this century? See who made our all-2000s team

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

We are days away from Week 1 of the 2026 college football season. With 25 previous seasons in the books this century, it's a great time to look back and selected the best players of this millennium.

The challenge was difficult. There were all-time greats in competition for spots on the first and second team. Heisman winners, Hall of Famers and future NFL superstars were among those left out in the voting by more than 10 college football writers and editors at USA TODAY Sports.

Nineteen schools are represented on the first team that includes spots for specialists. Six teams have multiple players among that group with Alabama and Miami (Fla.) leading the way with three apiece.

So with out further ado, read all about those that comprise the list.

First-team offense

QB Cam Newton, Auburn

Newton was only a college starter for one season, but he certainly made it count. On his way to the Heisman Trophy in 2010, he racked up 4,327 total yards and 50 touchdowns while leading Auburn to a national championship despite playing on offense with no players who ever recorded a rushing or receiving yard in the NFL. There are other passers with gaudier career numbers, but no college quarterback in the sport’s modern history has been so singularly impactful.

RB Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma

Peterson burst on the scene, rushing for 1,925 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman in 2004 for an Oklahoma team that went undefeated in the regular season. Injuries limited his output in his final two seasons, but he still finished his three-year college career with 4,041 yards and 41 touchdowns while displaying a rare combination of raw power, agility and speed.

RB Reggie Bush, USC

Bush wasn’t just a star, but a national phenomenon, someone whose fame transcended his sport. The versatile running back was the most electrifying player to come out of USC in a decade in which the Trojans helped define the sport. His 2,218 total yards and 18 touchdowns during his Heisman Trophy-winning junior season in 2005 only did so much to explain his brilliance. Even 20 years later, his highlights are as jaw-dropping as any a college player has ever put together.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh

The player with the second-most receiving yards in NFL history offered a peek at his prodigious talent in college, where he had 1,672 receiving yards, 22 touchdowns and a slew of acrobatic catches at Pitt in 2003. As a sophomore on a five-loss Panthers team, he was edged out by Oklahoma quarterback Jason White in one of the closest and most contentious Heisman Trophy votes this century.

WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama

As a freshman, Smith was on the receiving end of Tua Tagovailoa’s title-winning pass in the 2018 College Football Playoff championship game. By the time he was a senior, he finished with 1,856 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns — both of which rank him in the top 10 all-time in the FBS in a season — for a dominant Alabama team that gave Nick Saban his final national championship. That season, he became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since 1991.

TE Brock Bowers, Georgia

Bowers was a colossus, someone whose listed measurements of 6-4 and 240 pounds somehow seemed like they were underselling him. He was Georgia’s leading receiver in each of his three seasons at the school, a stretch in which the Bulldogs went 42-2 and won two national championships.

OT Joe Thomas, Wisconsin

A Wisconsin program that has been a factory for offensive linemen for the past 30 years has likely never produced a finer one than Thomas. Before setting an NFL record by logging 10,363 consecutive snaps, Thomas was a two-time first-team All-American for the Badgers. He has earned enshrinement in both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

OT Bryant McKinnie, Miami

On a 2001 Miami team considered by many to be one of the greatest, most talented teams in college football history, there were few, if any, stars bigger than McKinnie — literally. The 6-9 All-American lineman won the Outland Trophy in 2001 and was eighth in Heisman Trophy voting, one of the highest finishes for an offensive lineman in the past 40 years. Perhaps most impressively, he never allowed a sack in his college career.

G Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame

The 6-5, 330-pound Nelson was a unanimous All-American as a senior in 2017 while serving as the centerpiece of a Notre Dame offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award. That promise he showed in college has carried over to the NFL, where he has been a three-time first-team All-Pro for the Indianapolis Colts.

G Barrett Jones, Alabama

Jones won three national championships with the Crimson Tide and a long list of postseason accolades. In addition to earning first-team All-SEC honors three times, Jones won the Outland Trophy as a junior left tackle and then the Rimington Trophy as a center the next year, becoming the first and still only player in college football history to win both awards at two positions.

C Maurkice Pouncey, Florida

A Day 1 starter for the Gators, Pouncey had his best year as a junior in 2009, when he captured the Rimington Trophy and was a consensus All-America selection. Overall, Pouncey started 39 games over three years and helped Florida capture the 2008 national championship.

All-Purpose Christian McCaffrey, Stanford

Few players this century have made as big an impact in so many ways. After sharing touches as a freshman in 2014, McCaffrey exploded with a memorable sophomore campaign that saw him post 2,019 rushing yards and an NCAA-record 3,864 all-purpose yards in finishing second for the Heisman. His performance in that year’s Rose Bowl ranks among the best in the game’s history.

First-team defense

DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska

There have been few if any more intimidating interior linemen in the sport’s history. Suh’s four-year run at Nebraska is defined by an unforgettable senior season: 85 tackles, 20½ tackles for loss, 12 sacks and an interception. He finished fourth in the Heisman voting, and might’ve been robbed.

DT Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh

Before taking the NFL by storm, Donald was a wrecking ball for the Panthers who, like Suh, hit another level as a senior. In 2013, Donald had 28½ tackles for loss and 11 sacks in taking home the Lombardi, Nagurski, Bednarik and Outland trophies.

DE Terrell Suggs, Arizona State

Suggs was a menace for the Sun Devils in the early 2000s and one of the most productive pass rushers in college football history. He recorded 10 sacks during his sophomore season and was first-team all-Pac-10. Things got better as a junior in 2002. Suggs was a unanimous first-team All-American and winner of Lombardi Award and Nagurski Trophy while setting an NCAA single-season record with 24 sacks that still stands.

DE Myles Garrett, Texas A&M

The future No. 1 overall draft pick was an immediate hit for the Aggies, pulling down 11½ sacks and 14 tackles for loss as a freshman and then led the SEC with 12½ sacks and 19½ tackles for loss one year later. While slowed by injuries in his third and final season, Garrett captured first-team All-America honors for the second time.

LB Manti Te'o, Notre Dame

A second-team All-American as a junior after a campaign with a team-high 128 tackles, Te’o was the defensive leader for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish reached the Bowl Championship Series title game in his senior season. He has a storage closet full of hardware, including the Bednarik, Nagurski, Lombardi and Butkus awards. That same year, Te’o became the second primary defender to finish second in the Heisman voting. He finished his career ranked third in program history in tackles.

LB Will Anderson, Alabama

An outside linebacker that also played at the line of scrimmage, Anderson crammed 62 tackles for loss and 34½ sacks into three seasons at Alabama, helping the Tide win one national championship in 2020 and play for another the following season. He was a two-time SEC defensive player of the year and twice won the Nagurski Award. Anderson finished fifth for the Heisman Trophy in as a sophomore then captured the Bednarik Award and Lombardi Award as a junior.

LB Paul Posluszny, Penn State

By the time his Nittany Lions’ career concluded in 2006, Posluszny had etched his name among the best in the long line of Penn State linebackers. The two-time Bednarik Award winner and Butkus Award recipient recorded 372 tackles, then a school record, including 35 for loss and nine sacks, adding three forced fumbles and a pair of interceptions.

CB Patrick Peterson, LSU

In addition to developing into one of the game’s top cover corners in his three-year collegiate stint, Peterson led the SEC in punt return average and was second in kickoff return average in his final season with the Tigers in 2010. He swept the Thorpe and Bednarik Awards in his final college season and finished his LSU career with seven interceptions and 135 total tackles.

CB Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

Dubbed the Honey Badger for his ferocity, Mathieu made quite an impression in just two seasons with the Tigers in which he forced 11 fumbles and snagged four interceptions and was an elite returner. As a freshman, he totaled 57 tackles and was most valuable player of the Cotton Bowl. He shined as sophomore in 2011, winning the Bednarik Award and finishing fifth in Heisman voting. Mathieu was suspended the following season before entering the NFL draft.

S Ed Reed, Miami

Reed's collegiate career began in 1998 but he qualifies for selection after finishing his senior season in 2001. He definitely saved his best for last as a unanimous All-America selection while helping lead the Hurricanes to the national championship. His nine interceptions that 2001 season brought his career total at Miami to 21, with five returned for touchdowns, while also recording four forced fumbles, four blocked punts, and 288 total tackles.

S Roy Williams, Oklahoma

Williams was a dynamic player and all-Big 12 selection when the Sooners won the national championship in 2000. But it was his final season that made him a legend in Norman and propelled him toward NFL stardom. The 2001 Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski Award winner wrapped up his Oklahoma career with 287 tackles with 34 for loss, still a school record for a defensive back. And oh yeah, there was that "Superman" forced fumble that sealed the team's win against archrival Texas.

First-team specialists

PR Devin Hester, Miami

Hester contributed on all three units during his three-year stint as a Hurricane from 2003-05, however he is most remembered for his electrifying returns that earned him Walter Camp All-America recognition as a sophomore and foreshadowed his record-setting pro career. In all he scored eight touchdowns in college, half of which came on punt returns, and amassed 2,070 all-purpose yards.

KR CJ Spiller, Clemson

Though his primary position was running back, the flashy Tiger was a constant scoring threat regardless of field position. He amassed 7,588 all-purpose yards and returned eight kicks for touchdowns, with a total of 21 scores of 50-plus yards during his four-year collegiate stint from 2006-09.

K Roberto Aguayo, Florida State

Though it was harder to find a catchy nickname for him like members of the Gramatica family, Aguayo was nevertheless automatic during his three years kicking for the Seminoles. The 2013 Lou Groza Award winner totaled 405 points at FSU and was perfect on 198 PAT attempts, and he never missed a field goal inside of 40 yards. He immediately endeared himself to FSU fans as a freshman in 2013 by nailing a career-best 53-yarder against Miami.

P Tory Taylor, Iowa

Perhaps no program’s fans appreciate their punter more than Iowa’s, and few did it better than Taylor. The 2023 Ray Guy Award winner helped the Hawkeyes to a 10-3 record as a senior despite the team averaging just 16.6 points a game. Taylor averaged 46.3 yards per punt over his career and led the Bowl Subdivision in kicks downed inside the 20 three years in a row.

Second team

Offense

QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
RB Derrick Henry, Alabama
RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
WR Ja'Marr Chase, LSU
TE Dallas Clark, Iowa
T Penei Sewell, Oregon
T Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
C Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
G Zak Zinter, Michigan
G David DeCastro, Stanford

Defense

DE David Pollack, Georgia
DE Julius Peppers, North Carolina
DT Glenn Dorsey, LSU
DT Ed Oliver, Houston
LB Luke Kuechly, Boston College
LB Khalil Mack, Buffalo
LB Teddy Lehman, Oklahoma
CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
CB Terence Newman, Kansas State
S Eric Berry, Tennessee
S Sean Taylor, Miami

Specialists

PR Ted Ginn Jr., Ohio State
KR Tony Pollard, Memphis
K Nate Kaeding, Iowa
P Matt Araiza, San Diego State

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who are best college football players this century? See who made our all-2000s team

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