College Football: Ranking the best players names of all time

15. Joey Magnifico, Memphis

Joey Magnifico could catch touchdown passes on Saturdays and do children’s birthday parties on Sundays. Magnifico pulled in the most receiving yards by a tight end in Memphis history with over 1,000 by the time he graduated in 2019 and was a part of several good teams for them.

14. Jake Butt, Michigan

There isn’t really much to say other than his last name was Butt, and he was a tight end. He has spent the last few years playing for the Denver Broncos, butt let’s not focus on the rear end of his career. Jake played for Michigan from 2013-16 where he worked his way from the bottom to become a first-team All-American and Mackey Award winner. Absolutely nothing funny behind that. That’s right. No ifs, ands, or butts about it.

13. Pat Angerer, Iowa

There is an enduring appeal to the name Angerer that is akin to something you might find on the back of a jersey in the first edition of the XFL in the early 2000s. This guy must be really angry! Angerer anchored the middle of the defense for Iowa as a linebacker and was named to the first-team all-America by the FWAA and All-Big Ten team in 2009.

12. Sonny Sixkiller, Washington

Sonny Sixkiller is a member of the Cherokee Nation which helps to explain the origins of his last name, but it remains unique among those who have played the game. He was the starting quarterback for Washington in the early Seventies and had a six-shooter in the form of an arm. He threw for over 5,000 yards in three seasons and led the Huskies to back-to-back 8-3 seasons in 1971-72. Naturally, he would wear No. 6 for them. Sixkiller also made an appearance in the original The Longest Yard in 1974.

11. Wave Ryder, Navy

When your name is included in a clue in the Jeopardy category “Great College Football Names,” you know you’ve made it. Wave Ryder was named by his parents in honor of his Hawaiian heritage, but perhaps it was destiny that he ended up at the Naval Academy to play football from 2010-13. He has admitted that he has needed to carry two forms of ID because people sometimes think his driver’s license is fake. He has a younger brother named Blaze who also played at Navy.