Texas Football: Ranking 5 best Longhorns since 2000

Nearly every player on this list at least carried a certain level of prominence both with the Texas football program and in the NFL. Shipley didn’t find a whole lot of success after being selected in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. But he at least contributed a little bit.

A former Texas running back that contributed a lot at the next level for the Bengals and Green Bay Packers is a 2004 Doak Walker Award winner Cedric Benson. The 2004 Doak Walker Award had a pretty clear favorite after amassing nearly 1,900 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.

The career for Benson in general saw him rack up more than 5,500 rushing yards and 64 touchdowns. And he really didn’t have a down year during his four seasons on the Forty Acres. The worst season for Benson was his true freshman campaign where he racked up 1,053 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

The rushing leaderboards from the 2000’s nationally and in the Big 12 are chocked full of the numbers that Benson posted. He ranks among the 10 best running backs in the history of college football in career rushing yards and he’s the best in the Big 12. He also ranks in the top 10 in the NCAA in general and in the top spot in the Big 12 in career rushing touchdowns.