Thinking back to when I watched the LSU Tigers win the National Championship. It was with great joy I got to see LSU cap off a 15-0 season with a 42-25 victory over Clemson. It was not long after that I realized many of those players would never don the LSU uniform again.
One player in particular is Heisman-winning quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow will, without a doubt, be remembered as one of the best LSU players ever, possibly the best. In just his second season on campus he became nothing short of a cult legend. Burrow mastered the quarterback position as he threw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns while completing 76.3% of his passes. He led the country in all three categories. He also ran for more for five more touchdowns.
Point being, as an LSU fan, I quickly realized I was going to miss that guy. (Pause)
I wish he could have stayed at LSU forever. However, he went first overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, so suffice it to say that it was not in his Burrow’s best interest to stay at LSU.
But we do have some players who were big names, some even icons, who never really carved their way out in the pros.
These are the guys I wish were in college forever.
(Nado note: this blog has been in my drafts for a while, but with the Johnny Manziel Netflix special coming out, I felt like now is a good time to release it.)
Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M (2011-2013)
Johnny Manziel redshirted his first season at Texas A&M, then burst onto the scene in 2012. That season he became one of the most exciting players in college football history on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy.
In Manziel’s redshirt freshman season, he produced eye-popping stats and unforgettable plays. Manziel produced 5,116 yards of total offense, throwing for 26 touchdowns and rushing for 21 more.
Manziel led Texas A&M to a 11-2 record that season capped off by a win over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. That season also featured a 31-24 win over #1 ranked Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium. He did so making spectacular plays like this:
I also miss Verne Lundquist.
Manziel’s fame reached a fever bitch as he became “Johnny Football” throughout the college football world.
His fame would come with a price, however.
The tweet above came between his redshirt freshman and redshirt sophomore seasons. Manziel was also suspended for the first half of Texas A&M’s opening game against Rice for accepting payments for autographs.
Manziel’s redshirt sophomore campaign saw him put up better passing numbers (4,114 yards, 37 TD), but he and his team dwindled down the stretch, finishing the regular season with an 8-4 record. That landed them in the Chick-Fil-a Bowl where they faced Duke. Texas A&M went down 21-3 in the first half, and that is when Manziel took over. Manziel threw for four touchdowns and ran for another in an epic 52-48 win. Of course, this game featured spectacular plays like the ones you will see in the highlights below.
That would be Manziel’s final collegiate game. He would go on to be picked 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns. His NFL career would end after only two seasons. In that span, Manziel would start only eight games, posting a 2-6 record. Manziel was released by the Browns in 2016 following a number of incidents.
Manziel has since had brief stints in the Canadian Football League and the now-defunct AAF. When the XFL re-launched, commissioner Oliver Luck said he did not believe Manziel is good enough to play in his league.
The lack of pro success makes me miss Manziel in college all that much more. The days of “Johnny Football” are over, but I wish they were not.
Pat White, West Virginia (2005-2008)
Odds are unless you are a West Virginia fan, you did not know much about Pat White until the 2006 Sugar Bowl. West Virginia came in as underdog facing Georgia, who was playing in nearby Atlanta due to Hurricane Katrina. Pat White and the Mountaineers quickly went up 21-0. West Virginia would hold on for a 38-35 victory. Running back Steve Slaton did most of the heavy lifting that day, rushing for 204 yards and 3 touchdowns, but White came away the star.
White was originally committed to play defensive back at LSU under then-coach Nick Saban, but changed plans when West Virginia offered him as a quarterback. Under Rich Rodriguez, White flourished as a dual threat quarterback. Throughout his career, he threw for 56 touchdowns and ran for 47.
White won Big East Offensive Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007. He is also the first starting quarterback to go 4-0 in bowl games.
Pat White got it done in a different way than most quarterbacks. While most were content to sling it around, White was toting the rock down the field. This was not your military academy triple-option, four yards and a cloud of dust either. If White had a glimpse of daylight, he was capable of going all the way.
Unfortunately, his college days pre-dated high definition television.
Tim Tebow, Florida (2006-2009)
Tim Tebow is an obvious choice here. Despite the crying and the cheesy speeches, Tebow was one of the best college football players ever. In 2007, he was the first ever sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. Tebow threw for 32 touchdowns and rushed for 23 in that season.
Tebow followed that up by leading Florida to a National Championship in 2008. Of course there was a home loss to Ole Miss along the way. The defeat led to this:
Tebow, of course, returned for his senior season. He again led the Gators to an SEC East title which gave Florida a berth in the SEC Championship and a matchup with Alabama. Tebow was Florida’s leading passer and leading rusher in that game, but it was not enough as they fell 32-13. He evidently took the loss quite hard.
Tebow dried his tears and played marvelously in the Sugar Bowl, which would be his final collegiate game. Tebow completed 31 of 35 passes for 482 yards, three of which went for touchdowns, against Cincinnati. He also added a rushing touchdown in the 51-24 trouncing.
I am sure Urban Meyer wishes Tebow could stay in college forever, too. It was after Tebow left that Meyer began experiencing “health problems”.
Grayson Allen, Duke (2014-2018)
There had to be a controversial figure on this list, and who better than Grayson Allen?
Before Zion Williamson arrived at Duke, it was very rare that Duke had a likable player. One of the latest was Allen. Allen had a reputation as a dirty player, and rightfully so as he had more than a handful of tripping incidents.
While Allen had a fair share of shenanigans, he was actually a really good college player. In his sophomore season, Allen had the fifth-most points scored in the country, with 779. That was a strong follow-up to his National Championship performance as a freshman. Allen came off the bench to help Duke defeat Wisconsin. It was Allen who delivered big shots for Duke, as he finished with 16 points in the contest.
While Allen never reached another National Championship in his career, he did make it to a Final Four as a senior. Unfortunately, he finished 3-for-13 shooting as Duke fell short against Kansas.
Nevertheless, Allen left Duke as an accomplished player. He won a National Championship and was a two-time All-ACC player. Allen was drafted 21st overall in 2018 NBA Draft and has carved out a decent NBA career, but his relevance will never be like what it was when he was at Duke.
OUTTA HERE!
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