Video: 85 minutes of Vince Young Texas highlights
This is the greatest college football player of all-time
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It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since Texas' national title-winning season of 2005. While they definitely get their due as one of the greatest teams of the modern era, I still feel like people are too quick to bring up 2001 Miami, 2019 LSU, 2004 USC, or whichever Nick Saban Alabama team you want to pick for the top spot without a second thought for Mack Brown's undefeated squad.
Sure, those other teams may have had more high-end weapons or future NFL stars in comparison, but that Texas team was still loaded with impact players on both sides. Overall, the Horns had four consensus All-Americans - one more than two-time defending national champion USC. One of those All-Americans, Rodrique Wright, led a defensive line that was as deep as any in the country:
The secondary was even nastier. Michael Huff was a consensus All-American, while Cedric Griffin, Michael Griffin, Aaron Ross, and Tarell Brown were all top-tier playmakers who helped Texas hold opponents to just 16.4 points per game.
Offensively, Texas was the most dangerous team in the country. Their 50.2 points per game led the nation thanks to a diverse set of weapons. Freshman Jamaal Charles averaged almost eight yards per touch with over 1,000 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns. Ramonce Taylor was breathtakingly unique and versatile, and Selvin Young was as steady a backup as you could ask for. Then you had Henry Melton - a 270-pound (at least) freshman who scored 10 TD as a goal-line bruiser before eventually switching to defensive line two years later. And that's all just in the backfield!
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The Horns didn't have the most dynamic group of wide receivers, but Billy Pittman, Limas Sweed, and Quan Cosby all starred in their roles. Tight end David Thomas was an elite security blanket, leading the team in catches (50), with 613 yards and five touchdowns. He was a killer on third downs, especially in the national title against USC. Pair all that with an offensive line full of bonafide ass-kickers, and you have the backbone of a team that can stand against any in the modern era before we even get to who the quarterback was.
It just so happens that the QB is one piece none of those other teams can match: The greatest college football player of all-time in Vince Young.
That's the conclusion I came to after spending the last month-and-a-half compiling clips from 36 of the 37 games Young played in burnt orange to make the ultimate VY highlight reel. (Damn you, 2003 Baylor!) Young came to Texas as a hyped, but raw quarterback, and left as a title-winning transcendent icon, who also played the role of bogeyman for fanbases like Michigan, Ohio State, and back-to-back defending national champion USC. There've been a number of dual-threat QBs in the past 20 years who've exceeded Young from a numbers perspective, but none of them match his impact, the fear he struck into opposing defenses, or what he did on the biggest stages of the sport. See for yourself with 85 minutes of the greatest college football player of all-time:
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