Texas A&M football has had a knack for producing elite players in recent years. Although the Aggies haven't had the team success of some of their rivals, the abundance of talent they pull in keeps them in the mix. Some of these players have earned their place among the best college football players in recent memory. Today, we're going to honor some of the Aggies greats by ranking the top five Texas A&M football players of all time.
First, a quick disclaimer. We are only judging these players based on their time in college, not on their NFL escapades. We will still mention their pro careers, as several have become NFL stars, but they won't factor into the rankings.
Second, we have a couple of honorable mentions to hand out. The first of said honorable mentions is running back John David Crow (1955-57), a unanimous All-American and Texas A&M's first Heisman winner in 1957. The second is defensive tackle Sam Adams (1991-93), who racked up 20.5 sacks in his three-year career and was a consensus All-American in 1993.
With the honorable mentions out of the way, here are the five greatest Texas A&M football players of all time.
5. WR Mike Evans, 2012-13
Mike Evans may have only played two years with the Aggies, but that was more than enough time to cement himself as their greatest receiver ever. Despite his short college career, Evans is sixth in school history in receiving yards and seventh in both receptions and receiving touchdowns. If he played just one more season, he could have broken the records for all three stats.
In his freshman season in 2012, Evans burst onto the scene with 1,105 yards and five touchdowns. Then in 2013, he took his game to another level with 1,394 yards and 12 touchdowns, earning him consensus All-American honors. Both seasons rank in the top three in school history in terms of receiving yards.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers then selected Evans seventh overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. He has surpassed 1,000 yards in all nine NFL seasons, and is one of the best receivers in the league. Although his time in College Station was brief, Evans is nothing short of an Aggies legend.
4. LB Dat Nguyen, 1995-98
A 2017 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Dat Nguyen was all over the field as an Aggie. He racked up an absurd 517 tackles over his college career, averaging over 10 per game. He led the team in tackles in all four seasons and holds the school record by over 60 tackles.
Nguyen earned many accolades with Texas A&M football, including the Bednarik and Lombardi Awards in 1998. The Dallas Cowboys then selected him in the 1999 NFL Draft, making him the first Vietnamese-American to ever play in the league. Texas A&M has fielded some outstanding defenders over the year, and Nguyen is among the best of them all.
3. DE Myles Garrett, 2014-16
Myles Garrett was one of the most dominant pass rushers in recent college football history. Over his three-year career, Garrett racked up 47 tackles for loss and 31 sacks, which ranks seventh in school history. He was a two-time first-team All-American, even being a unanimous selection in 2016 despite posting his lowest sack total that season.
Garrett's stellar college career led to the Cleveland Browns selecting him first overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. So far, he is the only Aggie to ever go first overall, and he has lived up to the hype. Garrett instilled fear in opposing offenses as an Aggie, and continues to do so today as a Brown.
2. EDGE Von Miller, 2007-2010
The competition is very tough, but Von Miller reigns as the best Texas A&M football defender ever. Unlike Garrett and others, Miller took time to develop, as he had just 5.5 sacks in his first two seasons largely due to the scheme not fitting him. Once the Aggies adjusted their scheme, though, Miller became the most-feared pass rusher in the country.
As a junior in 2009, Miller exploded with 21.5 tackles for loss and 17 sacks. He then followed that up with 17.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in his senior season in 2010. Miller was a first-team All-American in both seasons and won the Butkus Award and Jack Lambert Trophy in 2010.
Miller then went second overall to the Denver Broncos in the 2011 NFL Draft, and became a franchise icon. He led Denver to a Super Bowl 50 title, then won Super Bowl 56 as a member of the Los Angeles Rams.
1. QB Johnny Manziel, 2012-13
A player must be really good to earn a nickname like “Johnny Football,” and Johnny Manziel was certainly really good. Like his favorite target Evans, Manziel is still an Aggies icon despite only playing two college seasons. In fact, Manziel was the most electric player in Texas A&M history.
Manziel exploded onto the scene as a freshman in 2012, throwing for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns, plus 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns rushing. He won the Heisman Trophy and Davey O'Brien Award, becoming the first freshman to win either. In 2013, Manziel improved as a passer with 4,114 yards and 37 touchdowns, but wasn't as effective as a runner with just 759 yards and nine touchdowns.
Manziel holds the school single-season record in passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, total yards and total touchdowns. Although his pro career went up in flames, Manziel took over the college football world for two years straight, making him the best Aggie of all time.
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