Best two way college football players comprise Jabrill Peppers, Myles Jack, Shaq Thompsons, Champ Bailey, Chris Gamble, and Owen Marecic.
Likewise, others on the list include:
- Jim Thorpe – Carlisle
- Bronko Nagurski – Minnesota
- Chuck Bednarik – Penn State
- Leon Hart – Notre Dam
- Dick Butkus – Illinios
Bednarik played as a Center, Linebacker, and Punter at Penn State. He was also a Staff sergeant in the US. Army Air Forces from 1942 to 1946.
At Penn State, Chuck was a three-time All-American. He was voted entry in the 1947 College Hall of Fame. Furthermore, he was placed third in Heisman trophy voting and achieved the Maxwell Award in 1948.
Butkus played college football at Illinois as a fearless defender. He contributed a couple of interceptions and 374 career tackles in his entire college career.
Moreover, he was also a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1969 and 1970, 8 times Pro Bowl from 1965 to 1972. He was awarded with George Halas Award in 1974.
Jabrill Peppers – Michigan
Jabrill Peppers played college football at Michigan from 2014 to 2016. He was recognized as Big Ten Thompson – Randle El Freshman of the Year in 2015.
Peppers made a combined snap of 986 in the 2015 season contributing 45 total tackles, 5.5 Tackles for losses, and 10 pass breakups in Defense. He returned 17 punts on the season for 194 yards with an average of 11.4 yards return on special teams.
He achieved 568 all-purpose yards in the 2015 season with an average of 47.3 yards per game. His performance ranked fifth on the team in that season.
College Career Highlights and Rewards
- Lott Trophy in 2016
- Paul Hornung Award in the same year
- Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year (2016)
- Big Ten Linebacker of the Year in the same year
- Big Ten Defense Player of the Year
- Unanimous All-American in 2015
- Second-team All-American in a similar year
- 2 times First-team All-Big Ten in 2015 and 2016
Peppers played for the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and New England Patriots in the NFL from 2017 to 2022. Peppers appeared in 17 games making 60 total tackles and a fumble recovery on special teams from from New England Patriots in 2022.
He achieved 377 Tackles, 4.5 Sacks, and 4 forced Fumbles in the NFL. He had 6 Fumble recovered, 25 Pass deflections, 4 interceptions, and 1 Interception in his entire career.
Myles Jack – UCLA
Myles Jack started his career as a Linebacker and played 13 games in 2013. He played 12 games as a Linebacker and 1 game as a running back.
The two way player was also a top Freshman player in Pac-12 playing both offense and defense. He was recognized as an All-Pac-12 Linebacker twice in 2015.
Jack contributed 387 rushing yards from 2013 to 2015 with 68 rush attempts. He made an average of 5.7 yards per attempt and 11 touchdowns in his college career.
Myles played with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Philadelphia Eagles from 2016 to 2023. He achieved 581 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 4 fumble recoveries in his NFL career.
He is two times Second-Team All-Pac-12 in 2013 and 2014. He was also recognized as Pac-12 Offensive and Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2013.
Shaq Thompson – Washington
Shaq Thompson is recognized as both the offensive and defensive star of Washington. He played as a hybrid safety and Linebacker for the Panthers in the NFL.
He started his college career in 2012 as a Safety, Slot corner, Linebacker, and Running back till 2014. He earned the Paul Hornung Award and was recognized as an All-American in that year.
In the 2013 Apple Cup, he earned an honorable mention All-Pac-12 and received the team’s Chuck Niemi Big Hit Award. Additionally, he scored on an 80-yard interception return and made four tackles in the 69-27 win against Oregon State.
The Carolina Panthers drafted him in the first round, 25th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. They signed him with $8.80 million for four years with $7.17 million guaranteed and $4.66 million as a signing bonus.
In his debut season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he was able to lead the team with a 20-9 victory. In 2015, he recorded a season-high 7 combined tackles with his first career sack getting a 27-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
Thompson’s NFL career statistics for 2022:
- He achieved 709 of Total Tackles
- 12.0 Sacks
- 4 Forced Fumbles
- 4 Fumble Recoveries
- 26 Pass deflections
- 3 Interceptions
- 1 Defensive Touchdown
He was awarded with First Team All-American in the same year followed by First Team All-Pac-12 in 2014. Thompson has played 1 game this season and 118 games over his career.
Champ Bailey – Georgia
Champ Bailey played as a Cornerback for the Georgia Bulldogs from 1996 to 1998. He had excelled in football as Offense, Defenses, and Special Teams.
He contributed 52 Tackles, three interceptions, seven deflected passes, and 47 catches for 744 yards with an average of 15.8.
Furthermore, he was able to make 84 rushing yards on 16 carries, 12 kickoff returns for 261 yards and four Punt returns for 49 yards in his final year at Georgia.
Bailey appeared in 33 games with 24 starts for Georgia. He recorded 147 total tackles, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, eight interceptions, and 27 passes defended during his entire college career.
The Bulldogs two-way athlete played for various franchises like Washington Commanders, Denver Broncos, and New Orleans Saints in the NFL from 1993 to 2014. He made 908 Tackles, 3.0 Sacks, 203 defended passes, and 52 Interceptions over his entire NFL career.
Moreover, he has the best career-high records which cover:
- He has the record for most passes defended which is 203
- Most Pro Bowl selection for Defensive back which is 12.
- He was the youngest player to intercept 3 passes in the game against the Arizona Cardinals 10-17-99.
Chris Gamble – Ohio State
Chris Gamble was the most versatile player who played for Ohio State as a Cornerback, Kick returner, and Wide Receiver. He started his career in 2002.
Gamble achieved 4 interceptions and a Touchdown for his 2002 season. He grossed First Team All-Big Ten honors and 3rd Team All-America honors for Cornerback in 2002.
He was picked by the Carolina Panthers in the first round (28th overall) in the 2004 NFL Draft. Gamble was selected as the fourth cornerback.
In 2008, he had three interceptions and was tied for third in the NFL with 19 passes defended. He made 508 tackles, 4 Fumbles, 27 interceptions, and 3 defensive touchdowns in his entire NFL career.
Owen Marecic – Stanford
Owen Mariecic played college football from 2007 to 2010 at Stanford University. He played as a fullback and linebacker in his college career.
During his collegiate career, he scored five touchdowns, four rushing and one receiving. As an LB, Owen also recorded 55 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and two interceptions.
Mariecic had his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2013. He made 8 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 31 receiving yards, and a rushing average of 2.0 in his career.
He was awarded with Paul Hornung Award and was appointed as First Team All-Pac-10 in 2010. He played 24 games over his entire career and last appeared in 2012.
Are There Two Way Players In NFL?
Yes, there are two-way players in NFL. Some of them include Lou Groza, Les Richter, Red Badgro, George Blanda, Red Grange, and Jimmy Conzelman.
Two-way players are rarely found in the NFL as the games are complex nowadays. Here are some of the players listed according to their unmatched talent and versatilities:
- Andore Jackson – Played as Offense and Defense from Tennesse Titans
- JJ Watt – Houston Texans
- Mike Vrabel – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Patrick Peterson – Arizona Cardinals
- Julian Edelman – New England Patriots
- Kordell Stewart – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Troy Brown – New England Patriots
- Randy Moss – Minnesota Vikings
Randy Moss played for the Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennesse Titans, and San Francisco 49ers. He had contributed 982 Receptions, 15,292 receiving yards, a 15.6 receiving Average, and 156 receiving touchdowns over his entire career.
Patrick Peterson had his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, and Pittsburgh Steelers. He started as a Wide receiver and ended on both offenses and defenses.
He achieved 681 total Tackles, and 2 Forced Fumbles in Week 18 of the 2022. Moreover, He had 12 Fumble recoveries, 11 Pass deflections, 34 interceptions, 1891 return yards, and 6 touchdowns in that season.