When you think of Michigan Wolverines football, what comes to mind? Is it that they are the all-time winningest program in college football history? Is it their distinctive winged helmet? Their fight song? The record-breaking crowds inside The Loud House? Maybe it’s their epic rivalry with Ohio State or their legendary battles against Michigan State and Notre Dame.
Whatever it is, there’s no denying that Michigan is one of the true blue bloods of college football, with a history full of indelible coaches, Hall of Fame players, and plenty of champions.
It was hard to narrow down the list to 10 great players but we crunched the numbers and checked the history books to give you the 10 best Michigan Wolverines football players of all time.
10. Rick Leach, quarterback
Rick Leach might be more well-known as a professional baseball player but he was one heck of a football player for the Wolverines. Michigan’s starting quarterback for four seasons between 1975 and 1978, he still holds the NCAA record for highest percentage of passes for touchdowns (400-499 attempts). He was also named All-Big Ten as a quarterback three times and placed in the voting for the Heisman Trophy three times. His best year was his senior year in 1978 when threw for 1,283 yards and 17 touchdowns along with 12 rushing scores.
Leach was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1981 and ended up playing in the Major Leagues for nine years with four different teams, retiring in 1990. He was later inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
9. Braylon Edwards, wide receiver
Braylon Edwards was one of the best wide receivers in Wolverines history. He remains the only wide receiver in Big Ten history and just the third in Division I-A history to gain 1,000+ receiving yards in three consecutive years. In 2004, he caught 97 passes for 1,330 yards, both school single-season records, while also breaking career records with 252 receptions, 3,541 receiving yards, and 39 touchdowns. In 2004 he was named a unanimous All-American, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Big Ten MVP, and the Biletnikoff Award winner.
8. Jake Long, offensive lineman
Jake Long may be one of the most decorated offensive linemen in Wolverines history. By the time his Michigan career ended, he was named a two-time All-American, two-time All-Big Ten, and two-time Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year. He was also named to the Outland and Lombardi Award watch lists in 2006 and was a finalist for both in 2007. Drafted in the first round by the Miami Dolphins, he went to four Pro Bowls and was named First-team All-Pro in 2010 before calling it a career in 2016.
7. Brian Griese, quarertback
It might be surprising to see Brian Griese on this list but the fact that he led the Wolverines to their last national championship in 1997 made him worthy. Griese was 17-5 as the Wolverines starter, with his best season coming as a senior when he threw for 2,293 yards and 17 touchdowns. He capped that season by being named First-team All-Big Ten, leading UM to a Rose Bowl victory and being named Rose Bowl MVP. Michigan was named national champion by the AP that season. Perhaps as important as his national title was that he was 3-0 vs. Ohio State. Griese had an up-and-down 1o-year NFL career and eventually became a broadcaster with ESPN.
6. Anthony Carter, wide receiver
Anthony Carter was one of the most prolific wideouts in Michigan history despite playing at a time when the team focused on its running game. Carter is a three-time All-American, unanimous in both 1981 and 82, and Big Ten Player of the Year in 1982. His 45-yard TD catch and run against Indiana as time ran out is still considered one of the greatest plays in Michigan football history. The wideout was just the third Division-I FBS player to garner 1,000 yards on both kick returns and punt returns. He also still holds the NCAA career record for the highest average gain per play. Carter was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
5. Jim Harbaugh, quarterback
We all know that Jim Harbaugh is a great coach, but before that, he was a great Michigan quarterback. Harbuagh’s senior season was very memorable. Leading Michigan to an 11-2 record and Rose Bowl berth, he finished third in Heisman voting, was selected as a first-team quarterback to the All-Big Ten team, was selected second-team All-American, was named to the Big Ten All-Academic Team, and was named Big Ten Player of the Year. He ended his college career as the school’s all-time leader in passing yards (5,449) and also compiled 387 completions, a 62.4% completion percentage, and 31 touchdown passes. If he’s able to bring Michigan a championship as its head coach, he’ll have a pretty strong case to be the greatest Wolverine of all time.
4. Aidan Hutchinson, defensive end
Aidan Hutchinson played an enormous role in the revitalization of Michigan football under Jim Harbaugh. The defensive end became one of Harbaugh’s first All-Americans in 2021, when he was also a Heisman finalist, unanimous All-American, First-team All-Big Tem team player, won the Lombardi Award, and won the Lott Trophy. Hutchinson was a beast on that Michigan defensive line and terrorized Big Ten offenses, garnering 55 tackles and 15 sacks in his final season at the school.
3. Desmond Howard, wide receiver/kick returner
The younger generation may know Desmond Howard more for his work as a college football analyst on ESPN’s College GameDay, but before that, he was one of the best college football wide receivers and kick returners in the nation. In fact, before DeVonta Smith of Alabama won the Heisman, Howard was the last wide receiver to win the award. In 1991, he won the Heisman, Maxwell, and Walter Camp Awards while also being named a unanimous All-American and UPI Player of the Year. Howard’s famous Heisman pose after scoring a touchdown against rival Ohio State remains an iconic Michigan moment.
Howard would end his career at Michigan with 134 receptions for 2,146 yards, 249 rushing yards, 1,211 kickoff return yards, and 339 yards returning punts while also scoring 37 total touchdowns. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and Michigan has since retired his No. 21.
2. Charles Woodson, cornerback
You can argue that Charles Woodson should be No. 1 and it’d be hard to say you’re wrong. A star from his first season, he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 1995 and never looked back. After a First-team All-American season in 1996, Woodson took over the college football world in 1997, becoming the first and still only primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy. Other accolades from that season include the Walter Camp Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Jim Thorpe Award, Jack Tatum Trophy, and Big Ten Player of the Year. Along with helping Michigan win a share of the 1997 National Championship, Woodson finished his college career with 16 interceptions and 30 passes defended. He went on to have an All-Pro NFL career with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers, winning a Super Bowl in the 2010 season.
1. Tom Harmon, halfback/kicker
The Wolverines have produced some of the greatest college football players of all time and one of them has to be Tom Harmon.
After being named an All-American in 1938 and leading the nation in. scoring in 1939, he did both of those things in 1940 en route to winning the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award. In his three seasons at Michigan, he rushed for 399 carries and 2,151 yards, completed 101 passes for 1,396 yards and 16 passing touchdowns, and scored 33 total touchdowns and 237 total points. In his final college football game, a 40-0 win over Ohio State, Harmon rushed for three touchdowns, passed for two more, kicked four extra points, and intercepted three passes.
Harmon was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, and the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Fame. While his number was retired in 1940, it was eventually unretired and Devin Gardner was the first player to wear it since.
After serving in World War II as an Army pilot, he had a brief NFL career and later became a broadcasting icon in Southern California. His son, Mark, is best known for his acting in TV and movies, most notably St. Elsewhere and NCIS.
