College football’s history goes back more than 150 years, but in just the last 20 or so, we’ve seen quite a bit of special talent come through the sport.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly recently undertook the difficult task of trimming that list of stars down to just the 25 best since the year 2000, and unsurprisingly, LSU had a couple of representatives on the list.
As expected, [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] comes in as a member of the top 10, ranking No. 9. A two-year starter for the Tigers after transferring from Ohio State, he had one of the best quarterback seasons in college football history as he won the Heisman and a national title in 2019.
Key accomplishments: 2019 Heisman Trophy, 2019 Davey O’Brien Award, 2019 Walter Camp Award, 2019 Maxwell Award, 2019 AP national player of the year, 2019 unanimous All-American, 2019 SEC offensive player of the year, 2019 first-team all-SEC, 2019 national champion; 8,852 career passing yards and 78 TDs, 820 rushing yards and 13 TDs.
You can find plenty of people who think 2019 LSU was the greatest team of the century, maybe of all time. I’m not here to relitigate that argument, but I’ll say this much: LSU was definitely one of the coolest teams ever, and the guy behind center had a lot to do with that. After finding a different level late in 2018, his first season as LSU starter, Burrow started 2019 in fifth gear and stayed there all year. He completed an otherworldly 76% of his passes at more than 14 yards per completion, he threw for at least 320 yards 13 times, and he produced the most incredible two-game CFP performance you’ll ever see: 60-for-88 passing for 956 yards, 12 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Joining Burrow on the list is [autotag]Tyrann Mathieu[/autotag] at No. 23. A do-it-all defensive back for the Tigers, Mathieu was a ball hawk in the defensive backfield and even made his presence known on special teams in the return game. In the process, he came about as close to winning the Heisman as a defensive player as anyone has in the last couple of decades.
Mathieu finished fifth in the Heisman voting in 2011, scoring four touchdowns (two via punt return, two via fumble return), making 7.5 TFLs and forcing six fumbles. Only seven players have forced more fumbles in the 2000s, and they all played more than two seasons. He is one of the most relentless players this sport has seen.
Only time will tell if any players from LSU’s 2024 roster, potentially offensive tackle [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag], can crack lists like these in the future.
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