5 Best Stanford Cardinal Football Players, Ranked

While NCAAF odds to win national championships change each season as players come and go, it’s undeniable that Stanford has had some legendary players come through their program, including Heisman Trophy winners, No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks, and more. 

Today, the Cardinal football odds are available at the BetMGM online sportsbook. 

See my list of the top five Cardinal players of all time. 

5 Best Stanford Cardinal Football Players, Ranked

Stanford Cardinal All-Time Greatest Football Players

1. Andrew Luck

Luck played for the Cardinal from 2008 to 2011. Over that time, he won the Maxwell Award (college football player of the year), Walter Camp Award (best college player), Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (top upperclassmen quarterback), was first-team All-American, second-team All-American, two-time Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, and two-time first-team All-Pac-12. 

He finished runner-up in the Heisman voting in 2010 and 2011. 

Luck threw for 9,430 yards (second in program history), 82 touchdowns (first), had 10,387 total yards (second), and 89 total touchdowns (second). 

In 2010, Luck led the Cardinal to 12 wins, a program record. 

Luck went on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. 

He’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

2. Christian McCaffrey

McCaffrey played for Stanford from 2014 to 2016. 

He won the Paul Hornung Award (most versatile college football player), Jet Award (top return specialist), Chic Harley Award (college football player of the year), was the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, consensus All-American, Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, and two-time first-team All-Pac-12. 

He holds the NCAA record for most all-purpose yards in a single season with 3,864. Of that total, 2,019 came via rushing yards. 

He ended his three-year career with 3,922 rushing yards (third) and 6,987 all-purpose yards (second). 

In the 2016 Rose Bowl against Iowa, he ran for 172 yards and had 109 receiving yards. This was the first time a player had 100-plus rushing and receiving yards in the Rose Bowl. 

3. Jim Plunkett

Another signal-caller, Plunkett, was with Stanford from 1968 to 1970. 

He’s the only player in program history to win the Heisman Trophy. 

Additionally, while at Stanford, he won the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Chic Harley Award, was the Sporting News Player of the Year, UPI Player of the Year, a consensus All-American, second-team All-American, two-time first-team All-Pac-8, second-team All-Pac-8, and his No. 16 was retired by the school. 

He threw for 7,809 yards (fifth), 53 touchdowns (fifth), 8,178 total yards (fifth), and 63 total touchdowns (fifth). 

Plunkett is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

4. Toby Gerhart

Gerhart, the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2009, played for Stanford from 2006 to 2009. 

He won the Doak Walker Award (top running back), Archie Griffin Award (most versatile player), and Jim Brown Award (top running back). 

Gerhart was also a unanimous All-American, Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Pac-10, and second-team All-Pac-10. 

He ran for 3,522 yards (fifth), 44 touchdowns (first), had 45 total touchdowns (ninth), and 3,917 all-purpose yards (10th).

He holds the single-season rushing touchdowns record with 28 in 2009. 

Gerhart is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

5. Ernie Nevers

Turning back the clock, Nevers, a fullback/running back, played for the Cardinal from 1923 to 1925. 

He was a consensus All-American, third-team All-American, two-time first-team All-PCC, and Stanford retired his No. 1. 

In the 1925 Rose Bowl, he averaged 42 yards on punts and ran 34 times for 114 yards. He was named the MVP for Stanford in the loss to Notre Dame.