It’s the summer, which means sports news outlets around the country are trying to keep readers engaged until the 2026 college football season begins.
To that end, earlier this month, ESPN released a big project in which it determined the best player to ever wear each jersey number (0-99) in college football history.
It also identified three runners-up for each number, meaning 400 players in all were noted.
In the final tally, three players with Utah ties “won” their respective numbers, while another three were among the runners-up.
Here’s a look at those six players.
Winners
Ty Detmer: No. 14, BYU, Quarterback
“BYU’s tradition of elite QBs was well established before Detmer arrived, but he took things to a new level,” wrote David Hale. “In the 1989 Holiday Bowl against Penn State, he set a bowl record with 594 yards, setting the stage for what would come the following year.
“In 1990, Detmer won the Heisman Trophy by obliterating the record for passing yards in a season, averaging 432 yards per game and upending top-ranked Miami by throwing for 406 yards and three touchdowns. He finished second nationally in passing touchdowns for three straight years (1989-1991) and led the nation in passing yards in 1990 and 1991. When his career at BYU ended, Detmer held the NCAA records for pass attempts, completions, passing yards, touchdowns and passer rating.”
It was also noted that Detmer was a two-time consensus All-American, two-time WAC Offensive Player of the Year, Davey O’Brien Award winner, Maxwell Award winner and College Football Hall of Fame honoree.
The runners-up at No. 14 were Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde, Tennessee defensive back Eric Berry and Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford.
Merlin Olsen: No. 71, Utah State, defensive tackle
“Utah State named its football field in Olsen’s honor, as he was the first Utah State player to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft and left his legacy on the program,” wrote Heather Dinich.
“At 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, Olsen was a bruising, hard-hitting defensive tackle. During his senior season, Olsen led an Aggies defense that allowed a national-best 50.8 rushing yards per game. That year, the Aggies finished No. 10 in the AP and UPI postseason polls for the only time in school history.”
It was also noted that Olsen won the Outland Trophy and was a two-time All-American, two-time all-conference, Hula Bowl MVP and was named to the Utah Sports Hall of Fame, the USU All-Century Football Team and the College Football Hall of Fame.
The runners-up at No. 71 were USC offensive lineman Tony Boselli, Nebraska guard Dean Steinkuhler and USC guard Brad Budde.
Haloti Ngata: No. 96, Highland High School (Oregon), defensive tackle
“We debated No. 96 extensively before going with Ngata, a Hall of Fame defensive tackle who had 151 tackles as a Duck, including 24.5 tackles for loss,” wrote Adam Rittenberg. “After earning second-team All-Pac-10 honors in 2004, Ngata became the first defensive lineman in 18 seasons to be named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year.
“He finished his career with 10 sacks and three forced fumbles, and was ferocious on special teams with seven blocked kicks. The 6-foot-5, 338-pound Ngata led Pac-10 interior defensive linemen with 61 tackles in 2005, and was a finalist for both the Outland and Nagurski trophies. Named to the Pac-10’s All-Century Team, he entered Oregon’s athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.”
It was also noted that Ngata won the Morris Trophy (Pac-10 top interior lineman) and was a first-team All-America, Pac-10 All-Century Team and College Football Hall of Fame honoree.
The runners-up at No. 96 were Miami defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, Missouri defensive end Justin Smith and Miami defensive end Danny Stubbs.
Runners-up
Robbie Bosco: No. 6, BYU, quarterback
Texas Tech/Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield was the winner at No. 6, with Bosco being a runner-up alongside Notre Dame running back Jerome Bettis and Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith.
Jordan Gross: No. 69, Utah, offensive lineman
Minnesota guard Tom Brown was the winner at No. 69, with Gross being a runner-up alongside Texas Tech defensive lineman Gabe Rivera and Hardin-Simmons center Clyde “Bulldog” Turner.
Gordon Hudson: No. 95, BYU, tight end
Michigan State defensive end Bubba Smith was the winner at No. 95, with Hudson being a runner-up alongside Texas A&M defensive tackle Sam Adams and Florida State defensive end Bjorn Werner.
*One last note: Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was a runner up at No. 11. Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington was the winner, with USC quarterback Matt Leinart and Florida quarterback Steve Spurrier being runners-up alongside Moore.