Greatest Group of Five Football Players of All Time

Despite what you may have heard, college football exists outside of the Power Five Conferences.

The Group of Five — the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West, and Sun Belt — have very good and sometimes great teams that most of the country never pays attention to. 

One of the biggest points of contention in college football, for time immemorial, has been the exclusion of almost half of the members of the Football Bowl Subdivision — formerly Division I-A — when it comes to elite bowl games and the national championship. It’s never been fair, it’s never made sense, and it’s never given the Group of Five teams the credit they deserve. 

Here’s a look at the greatest player of all time from every single Group of Five team for current Group of Five schools only — 64 players from 64 teams across the history of college football. 

Current schools: Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Rice, Southern Methodist, South Florida, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, Alabama-Birmingham, Texas-San Antonio

Born: Aug. 7, 1997 (Wilmington, North Carolina)

High school: Eugene Ashley High School (Wilmington, North Carolina)

Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 242 pounds

Career highlights: Two-time All-Conference USA (2018, 2019), AP All-American (2019)

Bottom line: Alex Highsmith was an absolute menace for opposing offenses during his time at Charlotte. He racked up 18.5 tackles for loss as a junior then capped his career with 15 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss as a senior in 2019 on the way to being named an All-American. Highsmith was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round and led the NFL with five forced fumbles in 2022, paving the way for a four-year, $68 million contract extension. 

Born: Sept. 27, 1969 (Blackstone, Virginia)

High school: Nottoway County High School (Crewe, Virginia)

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 245 pounds

Career highlights: AP All-American (1991), Freshman All-American (1988), Butkus Award finalist (1991), three-time Super Bowl champion (1993, 1994, 1996), Pro Bowl (1994), PFWA All-Rookie Team (1992)

Bottom line: Few players in college football history have had a knack for getting to the ball like ECU linebacker Robert Jones, who finished his career with a staggering 478 tackles. As a senior in 1991, Jones led ECU to the best season in school history as they went 12-1, won the Peach Bowl, and finished the season ranked No. 9 in the final AP poll.

Jones became the first ECU player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft and won three Super Bowls in his first three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, made the Pro Bowl in 1994 and played 10 seasons for four different teams. 

Born: April 23, 1998 (Macon, Georgia)

High School: John Milledge Academy (Milledgeville, Georgia)

Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 230 pounds

Career highlights: John Mackey Award (2019), AP All-American (2019), three-time All-Conference USA (2017-19), NFL All-Rookie Team (2020)

Bottom line: Florida Atlantic’s Harrison Bryant became the first player outside the Power Five to win the John Mackey Award in 2019 after he racked up 1,004 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 65 receptions. Bryant has been with the Cleveland Browns since they drafted him in 2020, making the All-Rookie Team that same year.