Greatest college football player born in each state
California obviously produces tons of talent, but players born elsewhere can still migrate to the Golden State and make a big impact. One of them was LenDale White, who signed with the USC Trojans out of Littleton, Colorado, and starred for the Trojans during one of the most successful periods in the program’s history.
As a freshman in 2003, White gained 754 rushing yards and scored 13 touchdowns on the ground, and was on the receiving end of one TD pass while helping USC win a share of the national championship (the Trojans were voted No. 1 by the Associated Press, although LSU won the BCS title).
Playing the thunder to eventual Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush’s lightning, the 235-pound White rumbled to 1,103 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior and added two more TD grabs for the Trojans, who won the BCS National Championship in dominant fashion.
White’s best season came in 2005 when he led the nation with 24 rushing touchdowns and 26 total TDs, and piled up a career-best 1,302 rushing yards. With a loss to Texas in the Rose Bowl, USC fell just short of a third consecutive national championship, which gave the Trojans a 37-2 record in White’s three seasons with the program. He left for the NFL, and was selected in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.
Other Notable College Football Players Born in Colorado:
- Andre Carter, DE, Cal
- Vincent Jackson, WR, Northern Colorado
- Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Boston College
- Aaron Smith, DE, Northern Colorado
- Brian Walker, S, Washington State
- Andre Woolfolk, DB, Oklahoma
Next: Connecticut