Analyst Includes Two Alabama Greats Among Top 25 College Football Players Since 2000

Two Crimson Tide legends were named the best of the best on Monday morning, but three Alabama Heisman Trophy winners missed the cut.

Jan 11, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) scores a touchdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In all sports communities today, millions of fans constantly debate and rank the best that their favorite league has to offer.

For example, following the retirement of seven-time National Champion (six with Alabama) head coach Nick Saban, BamaCentral ranked the 250 best Crimson Tide players since he arrived and departed from Tuscaloosa, Ala.

On Monday morning, ESPN's Bill Connelly ranked the top 25 college football players of the 21st century and two Alabama legends made the extremely elite cut: wide receiver DeVonta Smith landed at the No. 19 spot and outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. was placed at No. 22.

There's no doubt that not only Alabama's 2020 season, but also all of college football that year belonged to Crimson Tide wide receiver DeVonta Smith. The 2020 Heisman Trophy winner also took home the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, AP Player of the Year, Fred Biletnikoff Award and Paul Hornung Award that season.

Before being named a Unanimous All-American and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2020, Smith led the nation that season in receptions (117), receiving touchdowns (23) and receiving yards (1,856). The yards and receiving touchdown marks set Alabama single-season records, the catches were second.

Smith's stellar 2019 season landed him a spot on the All-SEC Second Team and was named a Second Team All-American. His efforts throughout his entire four-year Crimson Tide career helped him become the SEC's all-time receiving yards (3,965) and receiving touchdowns (46) leader while also eclipsing the Alabama career record for receptions (235).

Similar to Smith, it's safe to say that the defensive side of college football belonged to Crimson Tide outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr in 2021 and 2022. Anderson was named a Unanimous All-American, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the Bronko Nagurski Award winner in each of those seasons. He added the Chuck Bednarik Award, Lombardi/Rotary Award and Lott Impact Trophy in 2022.

In three years, "The Terminator" ranked second on the Alabama career sacks (34.5) and tackles for loss (62) leaderboards, trailing only Derrick Thomas on each. That said, he led the nation in each of these stats in 2021 and finished first in the SEC in both of them in 2022.

Not many former Alabama standouts can say they started as a freshman and made an immediate impact at Alabama. Anderson did just that as he started in 13 games for the 2020 national champions. He was named the 2020 Shaun Alexander-FWAA Freshman of the Year as he recorded 52 tackles, including 10.5 for loss, and seven sacks.

Here's Connelly's full list of the top 25 college football players of the 21st century:

1. DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
2. QB Baker Mayfield, Texas Tech/Oklahoma
3. QB Cam Newton, Florida/Auburn
4. QB Vince Young, Texas
5. S Ed Reed, Miami
6. QB Tim Tebow, Florida
7. RB Reggie Bush, USC
8. OT Bryant McKinnie, Miami
9. QB Joe Burrow, Ohio State/LSU
10. WR Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh
11. DE Terrell Suggs, Arizona State
12. OT Joe Thomas, Wisconsin
13. LB Khalil Mack, Buffalo
14. DT Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh
15. DE David Pollack, Georgia
16. QB Deshaun Watson, Clemson
17. S Roy Williams, Oklahoma
18. QB Kyler Murray, Texas A&M/Oklahoma
19. WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama
20. QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville
21. WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
22. LB Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
23. S Tyrann Mathieu, LSU
24. DE Julius Peppers, North Carolina
25. RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin

First 10 out (alphabetical):

• WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
• DE Dwight Freeney, Syracuse
• OT Robert Gallery, Iowa
• QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor
• WR Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech
• LB Derrick Johnson, Texas
• LB Luke Kuechly, Boston College
• QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
• QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon
• RB Christian McCaffrey, Stanford

While it's difficult to narrow down 35 of college football's best players of the 21st century, it's a bit surprising that Alabama Heisman Trophy winners Derrick Henry, Mark Ingram and Bryce Young weren't even named honorable mentions.