Ranking the Top 25 Alabama Football Players of All Time

The Alabama football machine claims an astounding 18 national championships, and while those early pre-Bear Bryant titles remain debatable because of the ranking systems in place then, one thing nobody can debate is that the Crimson Tide program has been washed in glory for a good century or so.

Sprinkled in among all those rings are a cool 30 SEC crowns, the last of which came in 2023 when the Tide stunned 2-time defending national champion Georgia to slow down the Bulldogs’ budding dynasty and squeeze their way into yet another College Football Playoff. And before it began its dominance of the newly created SEC in 1933, Bama won 4 league titles between 1924-30 as a member of the old Southern Conference.

All that hardware has been born out of hard work — and a seemingly endless roll call of elite talent through the decades hasn’t hurt, either. All-SEC teams, All-America teams and NFL rosters have been chock-full of Alabama’s best for a long time, and you could create a list of the best Tide players of all-time that would go a few hundred deep — or more. That would be easy to do.

After all, the Tide have 23 former players already in the College Football Hall of Fame and, according to AL.com, there are another 99 players who are or will be eligible to appear on the ballot. Finding a consensus Top 25 is an impossible task, but that’s what we’ll attempt to do. So here is a list of the Top 25 players in program history, from the grand old days of Bear to the history-making Nick Saban Era that just ended. We’ll go in reverse order, from No. 25 to the very best, so let the celebration of Alabama excellence and the constructive arguments begin:

Top 25 Alabama Players of All Time

No. 25: David Palmer, wide receiver (1991-93)

Could this list have survived on its own without including the dazzling talent who wore No. 2 and was nicknamed “The Deuce”? Well, yes. But not squeezing in the all-everything Palmer would’ve been a shame and a discredit to what he did for those early 1990s Crimson Tide teams, including the 1992 squad that stunned Miami in the national title game and ended that Hurricanes dynasty. Palmer was a wide receiver by name — the Birmingham native was the Tide’s first single-season 1,000-yard receiver in 1993, won the Paul Warfield Trophy as the nation’s best wideout and finished 3rd in the Heisman Trophy voting. But he earned consensus All-American recognition that year in the all-purpose/return specialist slot, an honor that makes him eligible for College Football Hall of Fame inclusion, and Palmer would often take direct snaps from center and create from there.

The Deuce got loose often, in each of his multiple roles.

No. 24: Antonio Langham, cornerback (1990-93)

The accolades and numbers alone say Langham belongs somewhere on this list. Langham was a 2-time first-team All-SEC selection. During the 1993 season, he was named a consensus first-team All-American and captured the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back. But Langham’s place on this list was cemented because of one moment, one play, which is arguably the biggest play in Alabama football history. Late in the inaugural SEC Championship Game in 1992 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Bama was tied with Florida at 21, when Langham intercepted a Shane Matthews pass and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown to lift the Tide to a 28-21 victory and a spot in the national championship game.

Alabama won that national title over favored Miami, but it might not have even been there if not for Langham’s heroics. He made SEC history and college football history, as that SEC title game was the first postseason conference championship game in Division I history. And by the way, the Town Creek, Alabama, native still holds the Crimson Tide all-time record with 19 career interceptions.

In 2024, Langham became the 23rd — and most recent — Alabama player selected into the College Football Hall of Fame.

No. 23: Chris Samuels, offensive tackle (1996-99)

Samuels has to be on this list because he was one of the best offensive linemen to put on an Alabama uniform. The Mobile native was insanely good and incredibly dependable, starting 42 consecutive games from early in his freshman season in 1996 right through to his final regular-season game as a senior without giving up a sack. Samuels didn’t even allow a quarterback pressure as a senior in 1999. He was named All-SEC first team and a unanimous All-American in that final impeccable season in T-Town, and not surprisingly won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top interior lineman and the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the SEC’s most outstanding blocker.

Samuels’ excellence helped make Shaun Alexander one of Bama’s best all-time running backs, as their years in Tuscaloosa paralleled each other. Samuels isn’t in the College Football Hall of Fame yet, but he’s on the ballot in 2025.

No. 22: Harry Gilmer, quarterback/halfback/defensive back (1944-47)

Gilmer seemingly did it all for the Crimson Tide during the mid-1940s, and that unique versatility combined with his ability to find the end zone at all costs earned him a spot on this list.

And in the College Football Hall of Fame.

In 1945, the Birmingham native led the nation in touchdown passes with 13 (remember, these were different times) and his 1,457 total yards ranked second in the country. He was named SEC Player of the Year in 1945 and was a consensus first-team All-American. Gilmer led Alabama to a perfect 10-0 season, capped by a 34-14 victory over USC in the Rose Bowl, as Gilmer threw for 1 touchdown and ran for 116 yards, showing off his dual-threat ability.

Gilmer finished his career with 26 TD passes and 24 TD runs, averaged 28.7 yards on kickoff returns, 13.5 yards on punt returns, had a 36.4-yard average on punts (yes, he punted, too) and was 5th in the Heisman voting in 1945 and 1947.

No. 21: Cornelius Bennett, linebacker (1983-86)

Yet another Birmingham product is next on our list, but this man only played 1 position and did it with a bone-crushing fierceness that still reverberates today in T-Town. Bennett was a 3-time first-team All-SEC selection and a 3-time All-American, and his tour de force in the mid-1980s culminated with a season for the ages in 1986, when Bennett was the SEC Player of the Year, a unanimous All-American and the Lombardi Award winner. He finished 7th in the Heisman voting that season. During his legendary 4-year run, Bennett piled up 287 tackles and 21.5 sacks, and even added 3 fumble recoveries.

Bennett’s raw ferociousness on the field was so iconic that it was captured in a painting by artist Daniel Moore that’s titled “The Sack,” depicting Bennett’s leveling of Notre Dame quarterback Steve Beuerlein during that special ’86 season.

Bennett was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

No. 20: Dwight Stephenson, center (1977-79)

The All-American anchor of Alabama’s offensive lines of the late 1970s qualifies for this list on the simple fact that Bear Bryant once called Stephenson the best player he ever coached, regardless of the position. Those are giant words from the most giant figure imaginable. Stephenson was the backbone of Bama’s national championship teams in 1978 and ’79. He was named a second-team All-American in both seasons and was first-team All-SEC in 1977, ’78 and ’79. Stephenson personified Alabama football excellence.

Stephenson isn’t eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame, but he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

No. 19: Julio Jones, wide receiver (2008-2010)

Jones was an explosive tornado out of Foley, Alabama, who took flight in Tuscaloosa just as the Crimson Tide were figuring out how to win big under Nick Saban. In fact, Jones was recruit who kickstarted Saban’s Decade of Dominance. In 2008, Jones became the first Bama true freshman wideout to start in a season opener, and he never stopped turning heads that fall, catching 58 passes for 924 yards and 4 touchdowns. Jones was named SEC Freshman of the Year, then overcame a slow start to the 2009 season, hauling in 43 passes for 596 yards and another 4 TDs to help Bama capture its first national title of the Saban Era — and first since 1992. Jones capped his 3-year career with a monster 2010 season, piling up 78 catches for 1,133 yards and 7 TDs. He was named first-team All-SEC and second-team All-American. It’s a travesty, but because Jones was never a first-team All-American, he isn’t eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame.

Jones finished his dazzling career ranked second in receptions (179) and yards (2,653) in program history, and fourth in TD catches with 15.

No. 18: Ozzie Newsome, tight end (1974-77)

The native of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, stayed home and became the best tight end in Crimson Tide history, according to the immortal words of Bear Bryant. Newsome was a 2-time first-team All-SEC selection in 1976 and ’77, and a consensus All-American in ’77. Eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame, Newsome was inducted in 1994.

He was nicknamed “The Wizard of Oz,” and his performance over 4 seasons was indeed pure wizardry, as Newsome totaled 102 catches for 2,070 yards and 16 touchdowns. Newsome’s 20.3 average yards per catch stood as an SEC record for more than 2 decades. He even returned punts for the Tide and was named the Alabama Player of the Decade for the 1970s, even though he wasn’t a part of the back-to-back national title teams in 1978 and ’79.

No. 17: Minkah Fitzpatrick, safety (2015-17)

The ball hawking safety did it all in his 3 seasons in T-Town. He was the backbone of the Tide defense, and he helped Bama capture national championships in 2015 and ’17. He was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2016 and ’17. He was a consensus All-American in 2016, a masterclass season during which Fitzpatrick tied the Alabama record for most interceptions in a game (3) and broke the school record for career interceptions returned for a touchdown (4). The following fall, Fitzpatrick somehow took his game to another level, being named a unanimous All-American while taking home the Jim Thorpe and Chuck Bednarik awards.

Appropriately, Fitzpatrick went out as the champion and winner he was, helping the Tide outlast Georgia in overtime in the 2017 national title game.

No. 16: Woodrow Lowe, linebacker (1972-75)

A decade before Cornelius Bennett, there was Lowe. Like Bennett, Lowe was a linebacker with no limit. And like Bennett, Lowe was a 3-time All-American, pulling the hat trick in 1973, ’74 and ’75. The product of Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama, also was a national champion, helping the Tide share a title in 1973 while being a central figure on 4 SEC title teams. Lowe played big even though he was only 6-feet, 227 pounds, and during that special 1973 season he set the Bama record for most tackles in a year with 134. Lowe is 3rd on the Tide’s all-time tackles list with 315.

Like Bennett, Lowe also is in the College Football Hall of Fame after being inducted in 2009.

No. 15: Joe Namath, quarterback (1962-64)

This one is less about pure stats and more about what a young man brought to a program in the early 1960s, as Bear Bryant was trying to build something special in Tuscaloosa. Before Namath became “Broadway Joe” with the New York Jets, he was making the ultimate impression on Bryant, who called Namath the greatest athlete he ever coached. Namath only threw for 2,713 yards and 25 touchdowns in his Tide career, and he threw 19 interceptions. But he was crafty, rushing for 655 yards, and he won games. Namath went 29-4 during his 3-year run in Tuscaloosa, and he capped his career by leading Bama to the 1964 national championship.

No. 14: Mark Ingram, running back (2008-10)

Ingram is one of the most significant players in Alabama history. Despite decades of individual excellence, the Tide had somehow never had a Heisman Trophy winner — until Ingram captured the 2009 Heisman in the closest vote in the history of the award after rushing for 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns. Ingram began Bama’s belated run of Heisman winners, and he also helped launch the Nick Saban Era dynasty by leading the Crimson Tide to the national championship with a virtuoso performance in the 2009 title game vs. Texas that included 116 yards and 2 touchdowns. While his other 2 seasons in T-Town (728 yards, 12 TDs in 2008; 875 yards, 13 TDs in 2010) weren’t as impressive, his history-making, All-American season in 2009 was enough to get him on this list and into the top 15.

Ingram is on the 2025 ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame.

No. 13: Jonathan Allen, defensive end (2013-16)

Before Alabama’s recent run of Heisman-caliber quarterbacks, defense dominated Nick Saban’s championship teams.

Terrence Cody was a 2-time All-American, for instance, and anchored the 2009 championship team’s interior. He is one of dozens who have a legitimate case to make this all-time team.

Cody helped set the Saban standard, and it wasn’t long before Allen was pushing the bar even higher. Allen left T-Town with a national championship (2015) and came within 1 play of going back-to-back in 2016. Allen recorded a sack in that game, too, giving him 28.5 career sacks, more than any other full-time defensive lineman in program history. He remains third all-time in career sacks, behind only leader Derrick Thomas and Will Anderson.

An All-American during his senior season, Allen will be eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame once his NFL career ends.

No. 12: Amari Cooper, wide receiver (2012-14)

Cooper’s 2014 season alone was enough to put him squarely on this list. He made defenses look silly that fall, catching an SEC-record 124 passes for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns. Cooper left for the NFL Draft after his off-the-charts junior season as Alabama’s all-time leader in catches (228), receiving yards (3,463) and receiving touchdowns (31). He was third in the Heisman voting in 2014, when he was named a unanimous All-American and captured the Biletnikoff and Warfield awards. Cooper’s freshman season can’t be ignored, either. All he did was catch 59 passes for exactly 1,000 yards and 11 TDs, and Cooper was instrumental in helping Bama win its third national title in 4 years.

No. 11: Will Anderson Jr., linebacker (2020-22)

Anderson was so insanely good that he came right in as a freshman during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, started at outside linebacker, made second-team All-SEC and recorded 7 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in helping possibly the greatest Bama team of all-time capture a national title. It was a hard act to follow, but Anderson did just fine. He was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and ’22, a unanimous All-American in both seasons, and took home enough individual hardware to fill many mantles. Anderson was fifth in the 2021 Heisman Trophy voting — as a sophomore and despite being a defensive player. That’s how truly special he was.

As soon as his NFL career ends, Anderson no doubt will join the Tide’s growing list of College Football Hall of Famers.

No. 10: Shaun Alexander, running back (1996-99)

Alexander left Tuscaloosa in the late 1990s as the Crimson Tide’s all-time leading rusher. He made a memorable early impression, running for 291 yards and 4 TDs against LSU as a freshman in 1996, and his legs seemingly never stopped moving. By the time he was done in 1999, Alexander had stockpiled 3,565 yards rushing and 41 touchdowns, to go with 62 catches, 798 yards receiving and 8 more scores. Alexander became a real threat out of the backfield, catching 25 passes in each of his junior and senior seasons. He also added a kickoff return for a touchdown, giving him 50 scores for his career — second-most in program history. Alexander averaged an eye-popping 7.6 yards per rush as a freshman, and he rolled up 1,383 yards rushing and 19 TDs as a senior, when he finished seventh in the 1999 Heisman Trophy voting.

Alexander was on the 2022 ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame.

No. 9: AJ McCarron, quarterback (2009-14)

McCarron’s indelible mark on Alabama football can’t be ignored. He belongs on this list. Yes, the defenses on the teams he played on were great. But McCarron also won 2 national championships as a starter in 2011 and ’12 because he was great, too. The Mobile native was a winner. And he was the perfect quarterback at the perfect time as the Nick Saban dynasty was revving up. McCarron was a 3rd-team All-American in 2012, when he threw for 2,933 yards, 30 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. As a senior in 2013, McCarron won the Maxwell and Johnny Unitas awards, and was a first-team All-American. McCarron threw for a program-record 9,019 yards in his legendary career, with 77 touchdown passes and just 15 interceptions. He was surgical.

No. 8: Jalen Hurts, quarterback (2016-18)

Hurts had his best statistical season at Oklahoma in 2019, but he dazzled enough in crimson and white before transferring to earn a spot on this prestigious list. More than the numbers, Hurts changed the way Alabama played — and forced defenses to prepare for a Bama quarterback in ways that previous game-managers didn’t.

Hurts was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year in 2016, throwing for 2,780 yards and 23 touchdowns while rushing for 954 yards and another 13 TDs. He scored the go-ahead touchdown in the 2016 national title game against Clemson, only to watch the Tigers drive for the game-winner in the final seconds. That’s how close he came to leading the Tide to a national title as a true freshman. Hurts got that national championship the following season, when he threw for 2,081 yards, 17 TDs and had only 1 interception, while rushing for 855 yards and 8 scores. Yes, Hurts was ineffective in the national title game and had to be replaced by Tua Tagovailoa.

And, yes, he was the backup to Tagovailoa in 2018 before transferring to Oklahoma. But he replaced Tagovailoa in the SEC Championship and rallied the Tide to the title, securing his lofty place in the Alabama football annals.

No. 7: DeVonta Smith, wide receiver (2017-20)

Smith fit just about everything into the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He was beyond sensational, capped by a record-setting performance (12 catches, 215 total yards, 3 touchdowns) in the Tide’s national championship blowout victory over Ohio State. Smith led the nation with 117 catches, 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns, and he got the ultimate reward, becoming the first receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Desmond Howard in 1991. Smith finished his career with an astounding 235 catches, 3,965 yards receiving and 46 touchdowns. He set at least 7 school receiving records, too. The “Slim Reaper,” as he was nicknamed for his small frame and athletic ability, was Bama’s perfect answer as the program and college game as a whole were becoming more offensive-minded.

No. 6: Barrett Jones, offensive guard (2009-12)

While Bama’s litany of skill position weapons were naturally getting the headlines as the Saban Era took flight, Jones might’ve been the single biggest key to everything, because championships are won and dynasties are born in the trenches. Jones started at right guard in all 14 games of Bama’s 2009 national title season — as a freshman. The Tide were just getting started, and so was Jones. He was an All-American the next three seasons, helping Alabama win 2 more national championships in 2011 and ’12. In 2011, because of team needs, Jones switched from guard to left tackle and didn’t miss a beat. The following season, again because the team needed it, Jones switched from tackle to center, where he backboned yet another national title run.

Jones flourished wherever he played on the offensive line during his incredible college career and won just about every offensive line award there was to win.

He is eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame.

No. 5: John Hannah, offensive tackle/guard (1970-72)

“Hog” Hannah was born in Georgia, but he starred at Albertville High School in Alabama before becoming a rock on the offensive line for Bear Bryant in the early 1970s. Hannah was a 2-time All-American in 1971 and ’72, helping the Crimson Tide capture SEC titles in both seasons. He was an obvious choice to be on the Alabama All-Century Team and also was named to Bama’s 1970s All-Decade Team. Hannah earned the ultimate praise from Bryant, who said that Hannah was the greatest offensive lineman he ever coached.

Hannah was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

No. 4: Bryce Young, quarterback (2020-22)

Young had to sit behind Mac Jones and watch in 2020 as Jones set the college football world on fire, then won a national title. The following fall, Young got to work. His time as The Man in T-Town was brief, but in 2021 and ’22 he dominated the SEC and college football, accomplishing everything except a national title. In 2021, Young became the first Bama quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy in his first year as the starter, and he won just about every other trophy, too, passing for a program-record 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions. All that was missing that season was a national title, as Young and the Tide fell to Georgia in the championship game. It was almost impossible to match his all-world 2021 season, especially after injuring his shoulder in 2022, but Young still managed 3,328 passing yards, with 32 TD passes and only 5 interceptions.

He finished with 8,356 yards, second all-time behind McCarron. His 80 career touchdown passes also are second in program history, trailing only Tua Tagovailoa (87).

His collegiate career was predictably cut short with the NFL calling, and Young was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

No. 3: Tua Tagovailoa, quarterback (2017-19)

Tagovailoa introduced himself to a rabid — and frantic — fan base in the greatest way imaginable, replacing an ineffective Jalen Hurts in the second half of the 2017 season national title game and rescuing the Tide from a 13-0 halftime deficit against Georgia. The freshman Tagovailoa showed the poise of a 5th-year senior, tossing a game-winning touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith in overtime. That play “Second-and-26” is arguably the most iconic in Alabama football history. That moment was hard to top, but Tagovailoa had plenty of others during his dazzling Tide career. He was an All-American in 2018, winning the Maxwell Award after passing for 3,966 yards, 43 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions.

Tagovailoa’s final season at Bama was cut short by a plethora of injuries, but he still managed to throw for 2,840 yards, 33 TDs and only 3 interceptions in just 9 games.

He set the program record with 87 career touchdown passes.

No. 2: Derrick Henry, running back (2013-15)

If you argue that Henry should be No. 1 on this list, well, your argument would be valid. Henry ranks second on the all-time Crimson Tide rushing list with 3,591 yards, with an SEC-record 2,219 of those coming during his legendary 2015 season that ended with 28 rushing touchdowns, a Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell, Doak Walker and Walter Camp awards and a national championship. Henry shattered Herschel Walker’s hallowed single-season SEC rushing record that season. He predictably bolted for the NFL after that wrecking ball of a junior season, and the rest of the SEC breathed a sigh of relief.

No. 1: Derrick Thomas, linebacker (1985-88)

He died way too young at age 33, but Thomas’ spirit lives on in the hearts and minds of Alabama football fans, especially the ones who were fortunate enough to watch him terrorize quarterbacks in the mid-to-late 1980s. In so many ways, Thomas embodied the physical, in-your-face style of a Crimson Tide defensive player. It feels like he was born to wear crimson and white, and Thomas did it with a controlled abandon that makes him the perfect choice to top this elite list. In 4 breathless seasons, Thomas set Bama records with 52 sacks and 68 tackles for loss. Thomas’ iconic 1988 season featured an absurd program-record 27 sacks, as he captured the Butkus Award and was named a unanimous All-American. Thomas’ 18 sacks in 1987 are still the second-most in a season by a Tide player, and his 5 sacks against Texas A&M in ’88 are still the single-game record.

Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014, Thomas remains the best of Alabama’s best.