Three Former Penn State Football Players Make ESPN’s Best Players Of All Time By Jersey Number
Three former Penn State football standouts made ESPN’s Best college football players of all time by jersey number list, the media corporation announced on Friday.
Ranking the best college football players of all time by jersey number
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) July 2, 2026https://t.co/kcc1h0xVS4
No. 11 LaVar Arrington – Linebacker
LaVar Arrington was the first Nittany Lion to make ESPN’s list. The linebacker has one of the best college football trophy cases of any player. He won the Butkus Award, Bednarik Award, Lambert Trophy, was a two-time first-team All-American, Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Arrington wore the iconic No. 11 for Penn State and gave fans an iconic season in 1999 with 173 tackles, 19 sacks and three interceptions. He finished No. 9 in the Heisman voting that season, the second highest of any Penn State defender.
The linebacker went on to have a succesful NFL career, playing for seven season with the Washington (2000–2005) and the New York Giants (2006).
No. 26 Saquon Barkley – Running back
One of the move electric players in college football history, Saquon Barkely was the second Penn State player on the list.
During his three seasons in Happy Valley, Barkely won the Paul Hornung Award, was named a consensus All-American, and a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
Barkley set nine school records while with Penn State, including career rushing touchdowns (43), career total touchdowns (53) and career all-purpose yards (5,538) and became the only player in Penn State history to gain 3,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in a career.
No. 86 Courtney Brown – Defensive End
The Penn State player with the highest number on the list is defensive end Courtney Brown.
Brown was named a First-team All-American and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year while playing for the Nittany Lions. He recorded 33 sacks and 70 tackles for loss in his four year college career and was drafted No. 1 in the 2000 NFL draft for his efforts.
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