9 Best Texas A&M Football Players

If college football betting was around in the early 2010s, the Texas A&M Aggies would’ve been a hot commodity. 

Today, the Aggies aren’t held in as high regard, but during Johnny Manziel’s days, if college football live betting had been around, there would’ve been even more eyeballs on what the 2012 team accomplished.

While that’s more recent, there have been decades upon decades of success within the program, and below, I’ll list the top nine players in Aggies history. 

9 Best Texas A&M Football Players

1. Johnny Manziel

The best quarterback and player the Aggies have ever seen is Manziel, and it’s not particularly close. 

He started two seasons (2012 and 2013) after redshirting in 2011. Playing just two seasons, he still ranks third all time in passing yards (7,820), holds five of the top 10 records for single-game passing yards, is third in passing touchdowns (63), had the fourth-most rushing yards in a single season in program history with 1,410 in 2012. He also holds the single-season record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 21 in 2012.

In his freshman season with the team, Manziel won the Heisman Trophy and was the first freshman to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000. 

That year, he completed 68% of his passes for 3,706 yards, 26 touchdowns, and nine picks and rushed 201 times for 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns. 

Johnny Manziel was so ELECTRIC at Texas A&M 🏈🔥
pic.twitter.com/t6NYisj0Of

— Football Reels 📽 (@TheFBReels) March 12, 2024

2. John David Crow

Second on my list of the best Aggies of all time is John David Crow, a tight end/halfback who played during the late 1950s and was the first Heisman Trophy winner in school history. 

He was also a member of the legendary team under Bear Bryant, who beat the University of Texas at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for the first time. 

He only played seven games due to injury as a senior but still rushed for 562 yards on 129 carries and six touchdowns. He also threw five touchdowns and caught two more. On defence, he had five interceptions. Again, that was all in seven games. 

Crow was a unanimous All-American in 1957 and is in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

3. Dat Nguyen

A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Nguyen is the Aggies all-time leading tackler with 517. In 1997, he had two games with 20 tackles, one coming against UCLA in the Cotton Bowl. 

Additionally, he was a unanimous All-American and won the Chuck Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award, and Jack Lambert Trophy. He was also the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and is in the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame. 

4. Von Miller

The first player from the 21st century on my list is Miller. He played for the Aggies from 2007 to 2010. Today, he’s fifth in the program’s history in sacks (33) and had 17 in a single season. 

Throughout college, he won the Butkus Award and Jack Lambert Trophy. He was a consensus All-American, a first-team All-American, and a two-time first-team All-Big 12 member. 

5. Mike Evans

Evans entered the program at the same time as Manziel and was his No. 1 option in 2012 and 2013. 

Evans played 26 games in two seasons and caught 151 passes for 2,499 yards and 17 touchdowns. 

Those figures rank sixth in receiving yards, eighth in receptions, and eighth in receiving touchdowns. Regarding single-season records, Evans’ 1,394 in 2013 is the most in program history. He also holds the top two spots in single-game receiving numbers with 287 against Auburn and 279 against Alabama. Those both came in 2013. 

Evans was a consensus All-American in 2013. 

6. Myles Garrett

Across three seasons with the Aggies, Garrett ranks sixth all-time in sacks with 32.5 and is second in single-game sacks with 4.5 in 2016 against UTSA. 

His best season came in 2015 when he had 19.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, one interception, and five forced fumbles. 

While at Texas A&M, Garrett won the Bill Willis Trophy, was a unanimous All-American, and also received a first-team All-American nod. 

7. Ray Childress

A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Childress played for the Aggies in the 1980s and ranks fifth all-time in tackles (360), ninth in sacks (25), and third in single-season sacks with 15 in 1983.

Childress was a two-time first-team All-American, a two-time first-team All-SWC, and is in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. 

8. Kevin Smith

The first and only defensive back on my list is Smith. 

He had 20 interceptions over four seasons with the Aggies, which is the most all-time. The next closest is Lester Hayes with 14. In 1989, Smith had nine interceptions. 

Smith was a consensus All-American in 1991 and is in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

9. Luke Joeckel

Joeckel was the left tackle for Manziel during his Heisman run. That season, he won the Outland Trophy and Jacobs Blocking Trophy, was a unanimous All-American, and was first-team All-SEC.