- Reggie Bush won the Heisman Trophy in 2005.
- Darren McFadden was a two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up.
- Jameis Winston led Florida State to a national championship and an undefeated season after throwing 40 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman, culminating in a Heisman Trophy win.
The No. 5 in college football has produced some of the greatest players the sport has ever seen, who impacted college football lines every week they were on the field.
Many went on to win awards, including the Heisman Trophy.
Today, Heisman Trophy football odds are available at the BetMGM online sportsbook.
Below, I’ve attempted to rank the top 10 players ever to don the No. 5 jersey.
This was an arduous task, ranking this many legends.
10 Best College Football Players to Wear No. 5, Ranked
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Position | Playing Years |
| 1 | Reggie Bush | USC Trojans | RB | 2003-2005 |
| 2 | Darren McFadden | Arkansas Razorbacks | RB | 2005-2007 |
| 3 | Jameis Winston | Florida State Seminoles | QB | 2013-2014 |
| 4 | LaDainian Tomlinson | TCU Horned Frogs | RB | 1997-2000 |
| 5 | Pat White | West Virginia Mountaineers | QB | 2005-2008 |
| 6 | Christian McCaffrey | Stanford Cardinal | RB | 2014-2016 |
| 7 | Michael Crabtree | Texas Tech Red Raiders | WR | 2006-2008 |
| 8 | Manti Te'o | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | LB | 2009-2012 |
| 9 | Tavon Austin | West Virginia Mountaineers | WR/KR | 2009-2012 |
| 10 | Kerry Collins | Penn State Nittany Lions | QB | 1991-1994 |
Best Players to Wear No. 5 in College Football All-Time
1. Reggie Bush
Bush was sensational while with USC from 2003 to 2005. He eventually became the No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.
His 2005 season cemented his legacy as the best player to ever wear No. 5 in college football.
That season, he ran 200 times for 1,740 yards (8.7 yards per carry) and 16 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 37 passes for 478 yards and two touchdowns.
Not only that, but he also had a punt return touchdown.
In all, across three seasons, he had 433 carries for 3,169 yards, 25 rushing touchdowns, 95 receptions, 1,301 receiving yards, and 13 receiving touchdowns. He returned over 100 combined kicks and punts and had four total touchdowns.
He was part of the 2004 championship team, was a two-time Associated Press national champion, won the Heisman Trophy Walter Camp Award, was the AP College Football Player of the Year, Sporting News Player of the Year, the Chic Harley Award (college football player of the year) twice, the Doak Walker Award (best running back), and the Jim Brown Trophy (best running back).
He was a two-time consensus All-American, a two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year, and a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 selection.
The school retired his No. 5, and he’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
2. Darren McFadden
While he never won the Heisman Trophy, McFadden was a two-time finalist with Arkansas from 2005 to 2007.
He won the Walter Camp Award (player of the year), the Doak Walker Award (twice), and the Jim Brown Trophy (twice).
McFadden was also a unanimous All-American, a consensus All-American, a two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Year, a three-time first-team All-SEC, and the SEC Freshman of the Year.
He ran 785 times for 4,590 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and 41 touchdowns. He also caught 46 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns.
He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft and is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
3. Jameis Winston
Winston was with Florida State from 2012 to 2014, but redshirted in 2012 as he was behind senior E.J. Manuel.
Thus, Winston played just two seasons at Florida State but was massively impactful to the program.
In two seasons, he completed 562 of 851 passes (66.0%) for 7,964 yards, 65 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions.
As a redshirt freshman, he had 40 touchdowns and 10 picks.
He led the Seminoles to a BCS national title in 2013.
That same year, he won the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award, Manning Award (top quarterback), Davey O’Brien, was the AP College Football Player of the Year, SN College Player of the Year, consensus All-American, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Offensive Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, and first-team All-ACC.
He led Florida State to an undefeated season.
In 2014, he was named the ACC Athlete of the Year and earned first-team All-ACC honours.
4. LaDainian Tomlinson
While Tomlinson is known for his NFL career and as a fantasy football darling, he achieved all of that and more while at TCU from 1997 to 2000.
As a Horned Frog, Tomlinson won the Doak Walker Award and Jim Brown Trophy. He was a unanimous All-American, second-team All-American, two-time WAC Offensive Player of the Year, two-time first-team All-WAC, and the team retired his No. 5.
He finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2000.
Over his four seasons, he ran 907 times for 5,263 yards and 54 touchdowns.
As a senior, he had 369 carries for 2,158 yards and 22 touchdowns.
He finished with 144 carries or fewer in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Tomlinson is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
5. Pat White
White was a true enigma during his time at West Virginia from 2005 to 2008. He was a dual threat and then some.
Over four seasons, he completed 507 of 783 passes (64.8%) for 6,049 yards, 56 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions.
He ran 684 times as a runner for 4,480 yards and 47 touchdowns.
He has back-to-back 1,200-plus yard seasons in 2006 and 2007. He also had at least 14 rushing touchdowns in each of those seasons.
He finished in the top seven in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2007 (sixth) and 2008 (seventh).
He was also a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (top upperclassmen quarterback).
White was the two-time Big East Offensive Player of the Year and a three-time first-team All-Big East.
White brought West Virginia to the Sugar Bowl, Gator Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Meineke Car Care Bowl and won them all.
6. Christian McCaffrey
While McCaffrey didn’t wear No. 5 until his sophomore season, he became a dominant college football force while wearing it in 2015 and 2016.
As a freshman, he had 42 carries for 300 yards.
From there, he had 590 carries for 3,622 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Over his career at Stanford, he also caught 99 passes for 1,206 yards and 10 touchdowns as a receiver.
McCaffrey was also excellent as a return man, including one kick and one punt return for a touchdown.
He won the Paul Hornung Award, Jet Award, and Chic Harley Award and was the AP College Football Player of the Year.
Additionally, he was a consensus All-American, Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, and a time-time first-team All-Pac-12 recipient.
He also holds the NCAA record for most all-purpose yards in a single season with 3,864 (2015).
7. Michael Crabtree
Another player who logged just two college football seasons, Crabtree, was unstoppable while at Texas Tech.
He caught 231 passes for 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Again, he played two seasons.
As a redshirt freshman, he caught 134 passes for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Each season, he won the Biletnikoff Award (top receiver) and the Paul Warfield Trophy (top receiver), was a unanimous All-American, and was first-team All-Big 12.
In 2007, he was the Big 12 co-Offensive Freshman of the Year.
Crabtree also holds eight NCAA records, including most passes caught by a freshman, most yards gained by a freshman, most 100-yard games as a freshman (11), and more.
He was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft and is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
8. Manti Te’o
Te’o was a remarkable linebacker with Notre Dame from 2009 to 2012.
In 2011, he was a second-team All-American.
Then, in 2012, he had a season for the ages.
In addition to being a unanimous All-American, he won the following awards:
- Maxwell Award (college football player of the year)
- Walter Camp Award (college football player of the year)
- Lott Trophy (given to a defensive player who excels in personal character and athleticism)
- Chuck Bednarik Award (top defensive player)
- Bronko Nagurski Trophy (top defensive player)
- Butkus Award (best linebacker)
- Lombardi Award (best lineman)
In 2012, he had 113 combined tackles, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and seven interceptions.
He finished his career with 437 combined tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, and those seven interceptions.
Not only that, but he finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, losing to Johnny Manziel.
9. Tavon Austin
While Austin was excellent as a receiver over his last two seasons at West Virginia, he was also a sensational return man and a ball carrier.
Point blank: The plan was to get the ball in Austin’s hands and let him go to work.
As a receiver, he caught 288 passes for 3,413 yards and 29 touchdowns.
As a runner, he had 110 carries for 1,033 yards and six touchdowns.
As a kicker returner, he had 2,407 yards and four touchdowns.
As a punt returner, he had 433 yards and a score.
Yeah, he was special.
He won the Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player) and the Jet Award (top specialist).
Austin was also a two-time first-team All-American, the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, the Big East Special Teams Player of the Year, a first-team All-Big 12 selection, a first-team All-Big East honoree, and a second-team All-Big East selection.
10. Kerry Collins
A signal-caller at Penn State from 1991 to 1994, Collins didn’t really have the reins handed to him until 1993.
As a senior, he completed 176 of 264 passes (66.7%) for 2,679 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven picks.
His completion percentage, passing yards, and passing touchdowns led the Big Ten that season.
Additionally, he won the Maxwell Award, the Davey O’Brien Award, and the Sammy Baugh Trophy, and was named Quarterback of the Year. He was also a consensus All-American, Big Ten MVP, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and first-team All-Big Ten.
In 1994, he also finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
He’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
