Brad Freeman's All-Time Lifetime College Football Team

So with this August being the start of the 150th anniversary of the start of college football, here’s my all-time team of college football players during my lifetime. I was born in July 1984, so I know the guys from the eighties, nineties, and 2000’s onward.

In college football there are 85 players on the team under scholarship. Then every year, somebody graduates, transfers, or there’s walk-on’s. Walk-on’s are guys that show up for an open tryout as a student-athlete in the spring and summer, and if they are really good that player gets a full scholarship to pay for all his academic expenses like the other players who are on full scholarships, and recruited by the coaching staff straight out of high school.
 
College has no preseason, so they start the very last week of August and finish the season with the national championship game between the 2 best big state schools around New Year’s.
 
Note: As you will notice, I’m a much more defense oriented person.

Offense:
QB1: Michael Vick (Virginia Tech)
QB2: DeShaun Watson (Clemson)
QB3: Tim Tebow (Florida)
QB4: Peyton Manning (Tennessee)
 
RB1: Eddie George (Ohio State)
RB2: Reggie Bush (USC)
RB3: Adrian Peterson (Oklahoma)
RB4: LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU)
RB5: Christian McCaffrey (Stanford)
 
WR1: Peter Warrick (Florida State)
WR2: Bobby Engram (Penn State)
WR3: Desmond Howard (Michigan)
WR4: Randy Moss (Marshall)
WR5: Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech)
WR6: Larry Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh)
WR7: Roy Williams (Texas)
WR8: Lee Evans (Wisconsin)
 
TE1: Dallas Clark (Iowa)
TE2: Jason Witten (Tennessee)
TE3: Todd Heap (Arizona State)
TE4: Heath Miller (Virginia)
TE5: Jeremy Shockey (Miami FL)

LT1: Orlando Pace (Ohio State)
LT2: Johnathan Ogden (UCLA)
LT3: Tony Boselli (USC)
 
LG1: Steve Hutchinson (Michigan)
LG2: Rodney Hudson (Florida State)
LG3: Mike Iupati (Idaho)
 
OC1: Dominic Raiola (Nebraska)
OC2: Ben Wilkerson (LSU)
OC3: Maurkice Pouncey (Florida)
 
RG1: Will Shields (Nebraska)
RG2: Alex Barrett (Alabama)
RG3: David DeCastro (Stanford)
 
RT1: Kory Stringer (Ohio State)
RT2: Jon Jansen (Michigan)
RT3: Chris Samuels (Alabama)
 
Special Teams:
K1: Kris Brown (Nebraska)
K2: Sebastian Janikowski (Florida State)
 
P1: Shane Lechler (Texas Tech)
P2: Brad Wing (LSU)

KR1: Desmond Howard (Michigan)

PR1: Desmond Howard (Michigan)

Defense:
DE1: Grant Wistrom (Nebraska)
DE2: JeVon Kearse (Florida)
DE3: Julius Peppers (North Carolina)
DE4: JeDeveon Clowney (South Carolina)
DE5: J.J. Watt (Wisconsin)
DE6: Chris Long (Virginia)
DE7: David Pollack (Georgia)
DE8: Terrell Suggs (Arizona State)
DE9: Lamar Woodley (Michigan)
DE10: Jon Abraham (South Carolina)
 
DT1: Warren Sapp (Miami FL)
DT2: Corey Simon (Florida State)
DT3: Aaron Donald (Pittsburgh)
DT4: Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska)
DT5: Vince Wilfork (Miami FL)
 
LB1: LaVar Arrington (Penn State)
LB2: Derrick Brooks (Florida State)
LB3: Peter Boulware (Florida State)
LB4: Boss Bailey (Georgia)
LB5: Jessie Armstead (Miami FL)
LB6: Michael Barrow (Miami FL)
LB7: Ray Lewis (Miami FL)
LB8: Lawrence Timmons (Florida State)
LB9: Ian Gold (Michigan)
LB10: Al Wilson (Tennessee)
LB11: Jonathan Vilma (Miami FL)
LB12: Derrick Johnson (Texas)
LB13: James Laurinaitis (Ohio State)
LB14: Von Miller (Texas A&M)
 
CB1: Charles Woodson (Michigan)
CB2: Champ Bailey (Georgia)
CB3: Patrick Peterson (LSU)
CB4: Antonio Cromartie (Florida State)
CB5: DeAngelo Hall (Virginia Tech)
CB6: Quentin Jammer (Texas)
CB7: Malcom Jenkins (Ohio State)
CB8: Antoine Winfield (Ohio State)
CB9: Morris Claiborne (LSU)
 
FS1: Ed Reed (Miami FL)
FS2: Sean Taylor (Miami FL)
FS3: Earl Thomas (Texas)
 
SS1: Troy Polamalu (USC)
SS2: Roy Williams (Oklahoma)
SS3: LaRon Landry (LSU)

Brad Freeman's All-Time Legends College Football Team

So, with this August being the start of the 150th anniversary of the start of college football, here’s my all-time team of college football players before my lifetime (or at least those I don’t remember watching play college ball, but instead remember more in the pros because I was too young).
 
In college football there are 85 players on the team under scholarship. Then every year, somebody graduates, transfers, or there’s walk-on’s. Walk-on’s are guys that show up for an open tryout as a student-athlete in the spring and summer, and if they are really good that player gets a full scholarship to pay for all his academic expenses like the other players who are on full scholarships, and recruited by the coaching staff straight out of high school.

College has no preseason, so they start the very last week of August and finish the season with the national championship game between the 2 best big state schools around New Year’s.
 
Note: I’m a much more defense oriented person.

Also, it is important to mention that from 1869 to 1919 college football was the only type of football in existence. Professional football did not start until 1920. The NFL itself did not begin until 1933. And furthermore, every university made its players play both offense and defense. So, each player would play a position on both sides of the ball, much like modern-day high school does. A player playing only one side of the ball did not take hold until 1965, and continued through to the present day.

Lastly, the reason there are a lot more Quarterbacks and Running Backs on my legends list then Wide Receivers and Tight Ends is because from 1869 to 1959 football in general was much more of a running oriented sport on offense, whereas, starting in 1960 and continuing to the present, football became much more of a passing oriented sport on offense. And therefore, the defenses changed accordingly to defend the evolving offenses.

Offense:
QB1: Sammy Baugh (TCU)
QB2: Harry Stuhldreher (Notre Dame)
QB3: Arnold Tucker (Army)
QB4: John Lujack (Notre Dame)
QB5: Paul Hornung (Notre Dame)
QB6: Roger Staubach (Navy)
QB7: Bob Griese (Purdue)
QB8: Davey O'Brien (TCU)

 
RB1: Jim Thorpe (Carlisle)
RB2: Jim Brown (Syracuse)
RB3: Harold “Red” Grange (Illinois)
RB4: Don "Midnight" Miller (Notre Dame)
RB5: “Sleepy” Jim Crowley (Notre Dame)
RB6: Elmer Layden (Notre Dame)
RB7: Doc Blanchard (Army)
RB8: Glenn Davis (Army)
RB9: Archie Griffin (Ohio State)
RB10: Gale Sayers (Kansas)
RB11: Ernie Davis (Syracuse)
RB12: Doak Walker (SMU)
 
WR1: Don Hutson (Alabama)
WR2: Fred Biletnikoff (Florida State)
WR3: Johnny Rodgers (Nebraska)
WR4: Ozzie Newsome (Alabama)
WR5: Anthony Carter (Michigan)
WR6: Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State)
 
TE1: Leon Hart (Notre Dame)
TE2: Mike Ditka (Pitt)
TE3: John Mackey (Syracuse)
TE4: Kellen Winslow, Sr. (Missouri)
 
LT1: Anthony Munoz (USC)
LT2: Bill Fralic (Pitt)
 
LG1: Jim Parker (Ohio State)
LG2: John Hannah (Alabama)
 
OC1: Chuck Bednarik (Penn)
OC2: Dave Rimington (Nebraska)
 
RG1: Ralph Heikkinen (Michigan)
RG2: Bob Brown (Nebraska)
 
RT1: Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski (Minnesota)
RT2: Ron Yary (USC)
 

Special Teams:
K1: George Gipp (Notre Dame)
K2: Chuck Nelson (Washington)
 
P1: George Gipp (Notre Dame)
P2: Jim Arnold (Vanderbilt)
 
KR1: Johnny Rodgers (Nebraska)
KR2: Gale Sayers (Kansas)

PR1: Gale Sayers (Kansas)
 
Defense:
DE1: Hugh Green (Pitt)
DE2: Reggie White (Tennessee)
DE3: Bubba Smith (Michigan State)
DE4: Bruce Smith (Virginia Tech)
DE5: Alan Page (Notre Dame)
DE6: Ted Hendricks (Miami FL)
DE7: Billy Ray Smith Jr. (Arkansas)
DE8: David “Deacon" Jones (South Carolina State/Mississippi Valley State)
 
DT1: Lee Roy Selmon (Oklahoma)
DT2: Randy White (Maryland)
DT3: Joe Greene (North Texas)
DT4: Merlin Olsen (Utah State)
DT5: Alex Karras (Iowa)
DT6: Rich Glover (Nebraska)
DT7: Mike Reid (Penn State)
 
LB1: Dick Butkus (Illinois)
LB2: Lawrence Taylor (North Carolina)
LB3: Tommy Nobis (Texas)
LB4: Jack Ham (Penn State)
LB5: Derrick Thomas (Alabama)
LB6: Cornelius Bennett (Alabama)
LB7: Lee Roy Jordan (Alabama)
LB8: Jerry Robinson (UCLA)
LB9: Junior Seau (USC)
LB10: Mike Singletary (Baylor)
LB11: Woodrow Lowe (Alabama)
LB12: Chris Spielman (Ohio State)
 
CB1: Deion Sanders (Florida State)
CB2: Rod Woodson (Purdue)
CB3: Darrell Green (Texas A&M)
CB4: Michael Haynes (Arizona State)
CB5: Dennis Thurman (USC)
CB6: Dave Brown (Michigan)
CB7: Bill Armstrong (Wake Forest)
 
S1: Jack Tatum (Ohio State)
S2: Ronnie Lott (USC)
S3: Kenny Easley (UCLA)
S4: George Webster (Michigan State)
S5: Brad Van Pelt (Michigan State)
S6: Chet Moeller (Navy)
S7: Johnnie Johnson (Texas)
S8: Thomas Everett (Baylor)