Who is your favorite Oklahoma football player of all-time and how well do you identify him with his jersey number?
It's a difficult enough task to separate out and identify the best player at every position in college football history. Imagine attempting to single out the best players in the college game by the number they wore on the back of their jersey.
Well, that's exactly what a panel of experts at ESPN boldly attempted in an incredibly deep research dive and somewhat subjective analysis to come up with the best college players all-time for every jersey number from 0 to 99.
Former Oklahoma stars were featured four times in ESPN's analysis, and a dozen other former Sooners finished as first runners-up in the listing of the top 100 numbers in college football history.
Baker Mayfield among former Sooners that are ESPN's choice as the greatest college players to wear their particular jersey number
The four OU players who were identified as the best college players to wear a particular jersey number were quarterback Baker Mayfield (No. 6), quarterback Caleb Williams (No. 13), halfback Tommy McDonald (No. 25) and defensive back Ricky Dixon (No. 29). These four Sooner standouts reflect four different decades of Oklahoma football history.
Mayfield, who ranks as the best player in Oklahoma football history in some recent surveys, played at OU from 2015 to 2017 after transfering from Texas Tech. He led the Sooners to two College Football Playoff appearances (2015 and '17) and ended his college career ranked second in FBS history in passing efficiency rating (175.4), third in passing yards per attempt (9.7), fourth in career touchdowns (131) and fifth in total offense (15,690).
Read more: Baker Mayfield still isn't getting the respect he's earned in NFL's Top 100 Players
Williams, of course, ended his playing career at USC, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 in his final season. But he was recruited by Lincoln Riley and began his collegiate career in 2021 at Oklahoma, where he set freshman records for passing yards (1,912) and touchdowns (21).
McDonald was a two-time All-American halfback at Oklahoma, playing on two national championship teams (1955 and '56) under the legendary Bud Wilkinson. The Sooners never lost a game while McDonald was there, going 31-0 in his three seasons. That was also during OU's record 47-game winning streak. He received the Maxwell Award in 1956 as the country's most outstanding college player.
Dixon was arguably the greatest safety in OU history. He played for Barry Switzer at Oklahoma from 1984 to 1987 and finished his college career with 170 total tackles and 17 interceptions, one shy of the school record. His nine interceptions in 1987 still stand as the program record for interceptions in a single season. The Sooners were a combined 42-5-1 in Dixon's four OU seasons, including a 1986 Orange Bowl win over No. 1 Penn State to win the Sooners' sixth national championship.
Ohio State led all teams overall with nine players and their jersey numbers represented among the top 100 players. USC was next with six, Miami and Notre Dame had five each, and Oklahoma, Nebraska, Minnesota and Pittsburgh were represented by four each.
A dozen other OU All-Americans were 1st runners-up under their jersey number
Twelve other former Oklahoma players just missed out being the flag bearer for their jersey number, being designated as the next man standing in the ESPN analysis and evaluation. This group represents six different decades of Sooner gridiron greatness.
No. 1 -- Kyler Murray, QB (2015-18)
No. 18 -- Jason White, QB (1999-2004)
No. 28 -- Adrian Peterson, RB (2004-06)
No. 30 -- Greg Pruitt, RB (1970-72)
No. 35 -- Billy Vessels, RB (1949-52)
No. 36 -- Steve Owens, RB ( 1967-69)
No. 38 -- Roy Williams, S (1998-2001)
No. 43 -- Rod Shoate, LB (1972-74)
No. 53 -- Jerry Tubbs, C (1954-56)
No. 85 -- Ryan Broyles, WR (2007-11)
No. 92 -- Tony Casillas -- DT (1981-85)
No. 93 -- Lee Roy Selmon, DE (1972-75)
For the curious minded, the 12 players the ESPN staff chose ahead of the above-listed Oklahoma players are:
No. 1 -- Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh (2002-03)
No. 18 -- Archie Manning, QB, Ole Miss (1968-70)
No. 28 -- Marshall Faulk, RB San Diego State (1991-93)
No. 30 -- Mike Rozier, RB, Nebraska (1981-83)
No. 35 -- Doc Blanchard, FB, Army (1944-46)
No. 36 -- Chris Spielman, LB, Ohio State (1984-87)
No. 38 -- George Rogers, RB, South Carolina (1977-80)
No. 43 -- Tony Polamalu, S, USC (1999-2002)
No. 53 -- Randy Gradishar, LB, Ohio State (1971-73)
No. 85 -- Jim Seymour, WR, Notre Dame (1966-68)
No. 92 -- Reggie White, DE, Tennessee (1980-83)
No. 93 -- Ndamukong, DT, Nebraska (2005-09)
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