Greatest college football player born in each state
The great state of Idaho has made a big impact on the college football landscape over the last two decades because of the rise of the Boise State program, which has finished ranked among the nation’s top 25 teams by the Associated Press ten times since 2002, including top ten finishes in 2006, 2009, 2009, 2010, and 2011. The Broncos have certainly relied on in-state talent as part of their rise, but many of the best Idahoans to play college football chose to play elsewhere.
A native of Boise, Jake Plummer left the state in 1993 (three years before Boise State rose to the NCAA Division 1-A level) to play for the Arizona State Sun Devils. Plummer appeared in nine games as a freshman, in which he threw for 1,650 yards and nine touchdowns and seven interceptions, and followed with slightly better production as a sophomore (2,179 passing yards, 15 TD, 9 INT) and a junior (2,222 passing yards, 17 TD, 9 INT), before becoming a household name as a senior in 1996.
After directing Arizona State to records of 6-5, 3-8 and 6-5 in his first three seasons, Plummer and the Sun Devils took the college football world by storm in ’96 when they upset No. 1-ranked, two-time defending national champion Nebraska 19-0. Arizona State rolled to an 11-1 record, with a 20-17 loss to Ohio State being the only blemish on a Pac-10 Championship season that nearly resulted in a national title.
Plummer finished third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy following a season in which he threw for 2,575 yards and 23 TDs with nine interceptions, and added three rushing touchdowns and even a TD grab.
Other Notable College Football Players Born in Idaho:
- Jordan Gross, OL, Utah
- Rich Moran, OL, San Diego State
- Rob Morris, LB, BYU
- Jerramy Stevens, TE, Washington
- Larry Wilson, DB, Utah
Next: Illinois