The 2026 college football season is approaching, and Sports Illustrated decided to release its top 50 best players of all-time list. Nebraska made the list three times, being represented by center Dave Rimington (43rd), quarterback Tommie Frazier (34th) and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (32nd).
Sports Illustrated’s college football staff ranked players based on lasting legacies, career statistics and accolades, debating between stars who dominated for four years and those who became transcendental legends for their single-season peaks.
Dave Rimington (No. 43)
With an award named after him, Rimington is the only two-time Outland Trophy winner, awarded to the nation’s best lineman on either side of the ball. The two-time First-Team All-American is also the only offensive lineman to win Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year, and he finished fifth for the Heisman.
One of just 13 Huskers to have his jersey retired. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997, while his No. 50 jersey was retired by Nebraska in 1982. A first-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1983, Rimington played five seasons with the Bengals and two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring in 1989.
Tommie Frazier (No. 34)
Sitting at 34th, the two-time national champion quarterback remains arguably the greatest quarterback in Nebraska history. A Heisman Trophy runner-up, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner, and 1995 consensus All-America quarterback, Frazier’s four years helped Nebraska reach its peak as the powerhouse football team in the country.
He became just the second quarterback to lead his team to back-to-back national titles and perfect seasons and helped Nebraska set an NCAA record by becoming the only school in Division I football to win 36 games in any three-year span. The Huskers compiled four straight Big Eight Conference Championships and three straight perfect regular seasons with Frazier. He posted an overall record of 33-3 and a 31-1 regular-season record.
Ndamukong Suh (No. 32)
Finishing highest on the list for the Huskers, Suh’s accolades and mark on Nebraska are unprecedented. In his senior season alone, he recorded 12 sacks, four in the Big 12 championship game, and won a slew of defensive accolades. He finished as a Heisman Trophy finalist and won AP Player of the Year and the Big 12 championship game MVP.
Along with 12 sacks in his senior year, Suh also recorded 24 tackles for loss, 26 quarterback hurries and three blocked kicks, and led Nebraska in tackles for a second straight year. Across 13 seasons in the NFL, he recorded 600 combined tackles and 71.5 sacks and was a five-time Pro Bowler and one Super Bowl.
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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: Rimington, Frazier and Suh make Sports Illustrated’s college top 50
