Crimson-colored oversights in ESPN’s Top 25 players of the 21st century

Putting together a list of the top 25 college football players of the century is not an easy undertaking, but ESPN’s Bill Connelly shouldered the burden and some of his choices are pretty interesting.

With so much college football talent over the last 25 years, this list is nearly impossible to make and likely draws gripes from every single prominent fan base. As an Alabama fan, I think the list was fairly reasonable with a handful of glaring oversights. 

First and foremost, Connelly’s top player of the 21st century was former Nebraska defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh. A lifelong advocate of the interior defensive line and a fan of Suh in his playing days, I don’t necessarily disagree with this choice but I was surprised by it. National championship and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks such as Vince Young, Tim Tebow, and Cam Newton tend to be cited more often when talking about generational players of the 21st century, but Connelly went with a defender whose teams lost four games or more in every season of his college career. 

Two Bama greats make the top-25...but should they be higher?

Former Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith (no. 19) and former Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. (no. 22) were the only Crimson Tide players to make the list. In my opinion, both players are ranked a little too low. 

Smith is the second receiver on the list behind Pitt’s Larry Fitzgerald despite having a better college resume than Fitzgerald from top to bottom. Smith’s career included two national championships and a Heisman Trophy, in addition to the 2020 Biletnikoff Award, while Fitzgerald won the 2003 Biletnikoff and was the Heisman runner-up.

Of course, Smith was on better teams and posted better career numbers due to playing all four years while Fitzgerald played just two. However, even when comparing both of their best seasons, Devonta Smith comes out on top. Smith had 25 more catches for nearly 200 more yards and scored three more total touchdowns in his Heisman campaign than Fitzgerald did in his best season. He did this against significantly better competition and an All-SEC schedule, leading Alabama to a national title in the process. 

While the two aren’t too far apart in terms of numbers and accolades, Smith’s 2nd & 26 touchdown catch to give Alabama the 2017 national championship should be enough to make him the top wide receiver of the century. College football is all about moments and, as a true freshman on the biggest stage, Smith came through in the clutch and made one of the most unforgettable plays in college football history. 

Let’s not forget that Devonta Smith came to Alabama at just 160 pounds while Fitzgerald looked like he was made in a lab at 6’3” and well over 200 pounds. Despite these physical advantages, Fitzgerald is only known for putting up gaudy stats at the college level. Meanwhile, Smitty put up even better numbers in his storybook-worthy college career. Fitzgerald was a phenomenal player, but I don’t see how Connelly justifies having him ahead of Devonta Smith on this list. 

Similarly, Will Anderson Jr. is suspiciously low on this list. While I can’t put Anderson ahead of dominant interior linemen like Suh and Aaron Donald, I believe he is at least the second-best edge defender of the 21st century.

Connelly has Anderson behind players like David Pollack and Khalil Mack, who were great in their own right but I believe should be ranked below the Terminator. All three players were extremely productive and had impressive longevity, all posting at least three seasons worth of dominant statistical production.

I would argue that Anderson was the most complete player of the three. Mack was not the pass rusher that Anderson was at the college level, while Pollack was not as good as Anderson against the run. 

Will Anderson’s 2021 season (102 tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks) was one of the most dominant of all time and was a better single season than either of his adversaries posted. I believe he should be higher on this list and should only fall behind Arizona State legend Terrell Suggs at his position. 

Were these Crimson Tide standouts snubbed?

Lastly, Bama greats Derrick Henry, Tua Tagovailoa, and Bryce Young were all left off this list. None were even listed in the honorable mention section, meaning they didn’t make Connelly’s top-35.

Though Henry was an unstoppable force in the 2015 season, it’s clear that running backs had an uphill climb to make this list. Only Reggie Bush and Jonathan Taylor made the top-25, while Christian McCaffrey was an honorable mention. I think it’s fair to have this trio at the top of the running back index, especially considering the all-purpose abilities of Bush and McCaffrey. 

Quarterback is tougher to gauge, but I think one or both of the former Bama quarterbacks should have been on the list and ahead of Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray, who was no. 18 and the final quarterback in the top-25. Murray put up video game numbers, but didn't every Big 12 quarterback of that era? Perhaps it's my SEC bias bleeding through, but the style of play in that league, the fact that Murray didn't regularly face elite defenses, and the fact that his teams never did anything of significance makes me question his lofty ranking.

Tua Tagovailoa was arguably the best pure passer that college football has ever seen, and Bryce Young's ingenuity carried a couple of flawed Bama teams much further than they would've gone otherwise. Connelly's list is loaded with dual-threat quarterbacks, and it seems like Tua and Bryce's styles and relative unwillingness to run were factors that kept them off the list. 

Other Alabama stars that I believe should've been more heavily considered include Jonathan Allen (who’s numbers rival other defensive linemen on the list) and Minkah Fitzpatrick (who scored five non-offensive touchdowns in his career and had comparable numbers to Tyrann Mathieu, who came in at no. 23 on the list).