His 27.6 yards per kickoff and 13.6 yards per punt-return averages were solid but not eye-popping. Miami kick returner Jakeem Grant, in his fourth NFL season, had a 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Week 11, his second career kick-return touchdown of at least . Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Hester took the opening kickoff from his own 10-yard line and darted through the first wave of would-be tacklers with a fantastic juke step, and he was offHester made it 90 yards before anyone on the Colts touched him, but by then he was already in the endzone. He is a graduate of Indiana University. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included.Read more about our data coverage. Attaboy, Leach. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. And that really wasn't even his best year as a kick-returner. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. He made everybody miss twice against Michigan. The Kick Six (also known as Kick Bama Kick) was the final play of the 78th Iron Bowl college football game played on November 30, 2013 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama.The game featured the No. His 65-yard catch-and-run score against Kansas State, 82-yard punt return touchdown against Texas Tech, and 80-yard jet sweep touchdown in 2022 are plenty of evidence that he could rewrite the . Ten players have done that in NFL history. Who holds it: Derrick Thomas, Alabama, 1988 2,850 rushing yards is more than anyone's ever gained at any level of college or pro football. I think it would start the game in similar field position. As a junior in '86, Brown averaged 27.9 yards per kickoff return, including two touchdowns and 37.5 yards per punt return. He ran for 92 yards on the second touchdown. Why its untouchable: Insley, the NCAAs all-time receiving yards leader, managed just 574 yards as a freshman in 1996 before exploding for 4,431 yards and 30 touchdowns over his final three seasons. Consider what we've seen from the most electrifying kick-returners to mark the college football landscape over the past quarter-century. In order for this record to be topped, it would take a pair of quarterbacks likely future NFL starters to average roughly 700 passing yards apiece. Ismail dashed for 88 yards on that kickoff. He tossed six touchdown passes in the second quarter of a blowout win over Louisiana Tech in 1991. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. With just the kicker to beat, Washington pulled a fantastic stutter step to put him to the ground and ran his way into the endzone. Why its untouchable: Coached by the legendary Bud Wilkinson, the Sooners won two national championships during their record-setting stretch in the mid 1950s. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Though I understand the safety concerns, it would be a shame to tear down a stage on which some of college football's most talented players have put in work. Imagine if the fantasy football owners who covet Jones-Drew so much now could have had him in college, where in addition to his rushing and receiving exploits,he was also a record-setting kick-returner. Josh Cribbs (3/2009), Sports Reference Baseball Football(college) Basketball(college) Hockey Ftbol Blog Stathead Questions or Comments? Find out more. Boasting the speed and fluidity you'd expect from an All-American sprinter, Rossum owns the FBS career record with nine total return touchdownsthree on punts, three on kickoffs, three on interceptionsand ranks second in Notre Dame history with a 22.9 punt-return average. Both of Ismails kickoffs returned for touchdowns were in the second half, the first coming on the second-half kickoff. Mitchell was a full-time quarterback at Louisiana-Lafayette. CLICK HERE. If any quarterback is going to approach this record in the future, hell be another Mike Leach understudy. Stats: 2,854 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, 1,473 rushing yards, 20 rushing touchdowns, 42 receiving yards, receiving touchdown Newton got his one SEC chance after his troubled time. Williams returned two kicks for touchdowns in his one season at Alabama, when he averaged 35.2 yards on 10 kick returns. Division III Mount Union's Nate Kmic had 2,790 in 15 games in 2008, compared to Sanders' 12. It was a challenging discussion, but in the end, the Titans 2005 class grabbed this position despite some of the antics of their first-round pick, Adam "Pacman" Jones. That will never be topped. Hall started running backwards and crossed to the other side of the field, outrunning the entire Broncos unit before heading into the endzone untouched. 5th down. ), is safe in our opinion. 1 spot on this list? The raw video game-like numbers nearly 20,000 yards passing and 155 touchdowns jump off the page. Talk about making an impact in your NFL debut. Schiano, like anybody who cares about football, cares about the welfare of the players. All rights reserved. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. It was reported that Georgia Tech coach John Heisman didnt let up after Cumberland Gap had beaten the Yellow Jackets in baseball, 22-0, earlier that year. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. College football bold predictions with B/R's Adam Kramer, FBS records and milestones that could be broken and reached this season, 5 predictions for the 2021 college football season, College football's longest active road winning streaks, Georgia wins the 2023 CFP National Championship, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Roos and Stewart were bookend tackles throughout their career, and it's not often a team finds a pair of starting offensive tackles in the same draft. Hester set the NFL record for most return touchdowns (combining kickoffs and punts) with 20 over the course of his career, and one of his best came in Super Bowl XLIwhich was played in. With the game still tied between these two top-10 teams, Cam Newton did what he did best in 2010, take over a game with a game changing play. Playing on Sunday Night Football in front of a national television audience, the ridiculously fast return manhe posted a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combinetook the ball and ran straight up the middle of the field into what looked like a barrage of Packers players. Twelve players, including 2014 Biletnikoff winner Amari Cooper from Alabama, have surpassed the lofty 1,700-mark in a single season since 2008, but that often means NFL dollars will soon come calling once the three-year removed from high school rule has passed. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. Or write about sports? Interview quotes are usually edited for length and clarity. "The goal when we originally drafted him, we didnt know really how much we were going to get out of him but it was good to have him get some kind of game experience to kind of feel the speed of the game," Holmes said. After a final lateralmaking for eight laterals in totalall the way across to the opposite side field, the Hurricanes took the ball up the sideline and found wide open space, scoring the game-winning touchdown. Even as the length of the college football season has increased to 15 games for the teams that advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship, in order for Sanders' record to be broken, it would still require a player who plays for a national finalist to rush for at least 300 yards in one out of every three games in a single season. I got kick return, too, I would have housed that one.' Kickoff Return Touchdowns Single Season Leaders and Records An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included. Interpreted as: most kickoff return touchdowns by a playerin one regular-seasongame this season Find out more. Do you have a blog? Career Leaders. Both records have since been broken. The return went for 109 yards, setting a record for the longest play in NFL history. There have been 43 kickoffs returned for a touchdown since Patterson was drafted in 2013. Ismails first touchdown return against Michigan was the first kickoff returned for a touchdown against the Wolverines since 1957 over 30 years before Rockets epic launch. Jackson is a pending free agent, while Raymond is coming off the best season of his career. Who holds it: Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, 1996-99 Simpson, Charles White and Anthony Davis wouldn't have imagined. That season, he averaged 19.8 yards per kickoff return and scored three TDs on punt returns. CRYSTAL BALL: 5 predictions for the 2021 college football season, Record: 36 attemptsRecord-holder: Dominique Davis, East CarolinaSeason: 2011. Raghib "Rocket" Ismail Holds Record for Most Games With Two Kickoff Returns for Touchdowns Before there was Devin Hester, there was Dante Hall. + Indicates Hall of Famer, season age in parentheses, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 2:32PM. As a senior, he won the Mosi Tatupu Award as the nation's top special teams player. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. Travis Williams (4/1967), 3. Here's a look at the 2005 draft class and its impact on the team. Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. Heisman Trophy Winners: D. Henry, B. Sanders, . The truth is, Florida didnt have a second-team quarterback to relieve Reaves of his obvious tragic afternoon on the Plains and let the future first-round pick heave it 66 times during the game. Brown probably wouldn't have become the first receiver to win the Heisman (1987) without his contributions on special teams. Perkins wasn't ridiculously fast, but he mastered the art of being elusive in tight spaces. Or write about sports? "I dont totally know the answer to it, only because he is just kind of coming back," Fipp said when asked if he's open to using Williams as a kick returner in 2023. Hester danced his way around defenders like a true artistcutting side to side, running backwards, spinning out of tacklesbefore breaking free and taking the ball into the endzone. That's why Dominique Davis' record for consecutive completions in a season is unbreakable, even as passing efficiency in college football has improved over the course of the last decade. But wiping out the kickoff? Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Find out more. Washington took the kick from one yard inside the endzone and proceeded to juke his way past the front line of the Chargers special teams unit. Jameson also has to hold his part and make sure that hes doing everything that he needs to do. Offenses rarely get six possessions in a quarter, much less time to throw it to the end zone six different times. Watch on. Those gargantuan numbers would only be approached within a pass-happy offense with literally two or fewer reliable targets. Jameis Winston led Florida State to 29 consecutive victories during his tenure, an impressive streak snapped in violent fashion by Oregon in last years first College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl. Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. Contact Dave Birkett atdbirkett@freepress.com. Javier owns the SEC career record with seven punt-return touchdowns, averaging 14.0 yards per punt return and 24.1 yards per kickoff return. The Minnesota Vikings receiver was literally as far back into the endzone as he could be on an NFL field when he received this kickoff against the Green Bay Packers. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? The Irish victory at Michigan in front of over 105,000 fans made Norte Dame the first school to defeat Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler in three straight seasons. Read more about our data coverage. Notre Dame beat Michigan 24-19 on that day in a battle of the nations top two ranked teams. Not only is it remarkable that Burleson didn't reach the end zone that day, but in his previous game, he didn't catch a single pass, and in the game after he set this record, he had a pedestrian four catches for 23 yards. 1 on that list? These opinions are mine and mine alone. The following is a list of the NFL career kickoff return leaders ranked by kickoff return touchdowns. For a quarterback to break East Carolina's Dominique Davis' record of 36 consecutive passes completed, he would have to double Mertz's streak of 17 completions in a row, then complete three additional passes for good measure. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. UTEP has been on the wrong end of several FBS records former Houston quarterback Case Keenum holds the record for the most career passing yards gained against one opponent (1,882 yards against UTEP) and former TCU running back LaDainian Tomlinson has the record for career rushing yards against one opponent (788 yards against UTEP) but the Miners are also in the FBS record book for positive reasons, too. Most games scoring two or more touchdowns, season. 2022 The Game Before the Money All Rights Reserved. Do you have a sports website? Who holds it: No. Why its untouchable: The NCAA didnt start collecting sacks as an official FBS statistic until 2000, but were putting Thomas insane number of 27 quarterback faceplants with the Crimson Tide in 1988 inside the Top 10. Punts are a much, much less physical play.". Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Like, he wants to do everything. All NFL TeamsNFL All NFL TeamsNFL It took about two years of post-Rocket recovery before I realized kick return TDs are actually a rare football gift. That same power, speed and aggressive running style that has made him a superstar every-down back in the NFL made him a lethal returner for UCLA. You can't knock Schiano for wanting to make the game safer. "White Lightning" was another dual-sport football/track star who finished his Iowa career ('94-97) as the Big Ten's all-time leader in punt-return yardage and touchdowns. Catch up on DI women's conference tourneys, There are a handful of FBS records and milestones that could be broken and reached this season, respectively. Racked up 1,522 kickoff return yards, 559 punt return yards and four kick-return touchdowns in three seasons. Return to Top; Players. "Obviously, it would be great to see him back there (as a returner) if thats what his role provides," Fipp said. Fipp said it sometimes makes more sense to use a complmentary player in a return role so they can devote more energy to the craft, and he cited former NFL receiver DeSean Jackson, who he coached with the Philadelphia Eagles, as an example. Record: Four gamesRecord-holder: Barry Sanders, Oklahoma StateSeason: 1988. Do you have a sports website? In the famous UCLA game, on his first punt return, he made about four or five moves in a five-yard area before finding daylight. Jacoby Jones has had a few standout returns in his career, and this one against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII might be his most impressive. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Again, that's with Kmic playing in 3 more games. 12 overall pick in 2023. That dipped last season with 13 returns for 270 yards and 20.8 yards. After the game, Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz told reporters he simply told Ismail to run to middle. Schiano referenced a statistic that more than 15 percent of the catastrophic injuries suffered on the football field happen on kickoffs, even though there are only a handful of kickoffs per game. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said Williams is on par with Cleveland Browns receiver Jakeem Grant as the fastest player he's ever coached. Ismail could dance away from contact when he had to, and he had the strength to break tackles, but his style was more like Eric Dickerson. He finished his college career ('03-05)averaging 25.5 yards per kickoff return and 15.6 per punt return, with six return touchdowns. Join our linker program. And before Hester made his name in the biggest game by returning the opening kickoff for a TD in Super Bowl XLI, he showed similarly great timing in college. Sanders, the 1988 Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, also holds the career record for most games with at least 300 rushing yards. Not only did Sanders win the Heisman in the 1988 season with his all-time great junior campaign 2,628 rushing yards, 7.6 yards per carry, 37 rushing touchdowns, one punt return touchdown and one kick return touchdown but his brother, Byron, also turned in a 1,000-yard season with Northwestern the fall of '88. 46. As a senior, Keenum was spectacular, throwing 48 touchdowns passes to just five interceptions a ratio of nearly 10:1. Who holds it: Connor Halliday, Washington State, 2014 Lions' brass has a plan. No one will forget the Heisman pose after the 93-yard punt return TD against Ohio State, but they also shouldn't forget the body of work that led to Howard's defining moment. Roby was a miss for the Titans, but he was ultimately the only member of his class to play a prominent role on a team and win a Super Bowl. But even if he'd been stopped for 10- and 12-yard gains every time, surely he'd find some way to remain memorable. Like, 'Damn, I dont think I got that in me right now,' as opposed to the guy whos coming off the bench and like, 'Dude, I just want to play right now. Green Bay Packers wideout Randall Cobb was anxious to get his pro career startedso anxious that he brought out a kickoff after receiving it eight yards deep in the end zone. Hester set the NFL record for most return touchdowns (combining kickoffs and punts) with 20 over the course of his career, and one of his best came in Super Bowl XLIwhich was played in Miami, where Hester went to collegeagainst the Indianapolis Colts. The return marked the longest punt return touchdown in NFL history. 1977 1976 1947 NFL Punt Returns for Touchdown Single Game Leaders All-Time Punt Returns for Touchdown Leaders Players must meet the minimum requirements to show up on this leaderboard. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. MORE FROM THE COMBINE:Brad Holmes: 'I don't think the cupboard's bare on defense'. Hester had himself quite the day against the St. Louis Rams back in 2006, returning two kicks for touchdowns in the game. Join our linker program. Record: Six passesRecord-holder: Brooks Dawson, UTEPSeason: 1967. We present them here for purely educational purposes. That's not happening. Or write about sports? Do you have a blog? Who holds it: Houston offense led by QB Andre Ware in 1990 Single game leaders only reflect years for which we have complete boxscore data (1950 onward), all playoff games, and all 100 yard rushing/receiving or 300 yard passing games from 1940-1959. Looking for a great NFL history book? Adams slipped through a couple tackles and appeared to be at a dead end againbut with blazing speed he darted up the sideline and got a key block, sending him straight towards the end zone with nearly the entire Tennessee team chasing him, but all coming up short. Spiller racked up 2,052 yards and seven touchdowns (an FBS record) on kickoff returns and added 569 yards and a score on punt returns for good measure. Keenum was granted a medical hardship in 2010 after tearing a knee ligament, but his five touchdowns over three games prior to injury count. Elite running backs rarely play four seasons in todays game where the shelf life for ballcarriers has diminished and players arent often asked to carry it 30 times-plus every Saturday to save tread. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. In fact, he only scored two touchdowns in 2001, despite finishing the season with 53 receptions and 737 receiving yards. While his special teams coach may have been upset, Cobb rewarded him with a dazzling play, using his 4.46-second 40-yard dash time to blaze by the New Orleans Saints defense. Why its untouchable: Kevin Sumlins facilitator of the Air Raid during his time in college, Keenum was fearless from the pocket channeled visions of high-powered Cougars offenses of old, slinging it around like record-setting quarterbacks Andre Ware and David Klingler before him. Burleson's effort against San Jose State ranks tied for eighth all-time in single-game receiving yards and yet, he never made it to the end zone. He is a former college linebacker, a longtime coach and a parent. Recruited to play defensive back and run track, Ginn made an immediate impact with the ball, leading the nation in punt return average (25.6) as a freshman and scoring four touchdowns. Rocket Ismails record of most games with two kickoff returns for touchdowns set in 1989 still stands today. Why its untouchable: Youve got to feel for Reaves, the Gators errant passer who tossed nine completions to the opposing defense at Auburn in 1969. The Hurricanes star did some impressive work in the NFL, but his best return ever might be from his days at The U. Hesters return against Duke was like a work of artif there were a museum honoring returns in football, this one might be considered the Mona Lisa of punt returns. In 2019, Wright finished with 10 returns for 380 yards, 38 yards per return and two touchdowns. Good luck figuring out exactly what happened in November 2001 and why. In 1997 he totaled a Super Bowl-record 90 punt return yards and 154 kickoff return yards with one . 5. Kickoff Return Touchdowns Single Season Leaders and Records | College Football at Sports-Reference.com , Google Podcasts, or YouTube. In 1988, "Prime Time" led the nation in punt-return average and left FSU as the school's all-time leader in punt return yards. Find out more. During the 2013 campaign at Washington State, Halliday also set a new NCAA record with 89 passing attempts at Oregon. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? A kickoff return for a touchdown is one of the most exciting plays in football. He still showed game-breaking ability at times last season but had two punt return touchdowns wiped out due to penalties while averaging 8.8 yards on 13 attempts with a long of 19. New Mock Thinks It Possible: CJ Stroud falls to Titans at No.6 overall in a trade-up scenario. Hester blew through an open lane to go basically untouched into the endzonehigh-stepping his way in all the way from the 20-yard line. As a senior in 1997, Rossum finished fourth nationally in kickoff-return average; as a junior he led the country in punt-return average. The option to go for it would replace the onside kickoff. As a freshman in just his second game for the Hurricanes, against rival Florida, Hester took the opening kickoff 98 yards to the house. It shouldn't include Jalen Ramsey. I want to be the punt returner, too. Gordons incredible 408-yard performance through three quarters, no less against Nebraska was short-lived. Four games. "But Ive said this all along a million times is it just depends on their role on offense and defense to what their role is going to be on special teams. Most games scoring a touchdown, career. Rushing for 1,500 yards in a season is a terrific accomplishment for a player one likely to earn the player all-conference, if not All-America, honors. Why its untouchable: Could it be more obvious? Do you have a sports website? But scan through the FBS record book and you'll find other records in the highest level of college football that are likely so untouchable either due to rule changes and the evolution of the game, or due to a flash of brilliance (or the opposite of brilliance) that we think they'll stand in the history books forever. From there it was a track meetand no one could catch Jones. Record: 1,383 passing yardsRecord-holder: Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech (819 yards) and Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (564 yards)Season: 2016. So why is "Rocket" holding down the No. Devin Hester (Miami) 11 of 15 Jamie. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Hundreds waited in line for Jamaal Williams to sign autographs at DC Sports on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. In this post, we talk about kickoff returns for touchdowns. The day before Halloween 2004, from the press box at Washington State's Martin Stadium, I watched him run into a crowd on a punt return on a wet field, then with one cut, leave a trail of flailing arms and jockstraps on his way to the end zone. Active players are listed in bold. Watch Newton go 49 yards against the LSU defense. A compilation of every kick return touchdown of the 2021 college football season. Record: 326 yardsRecord-holder: Nate Burleson, NevadaSeason: 2001. It's an impressive genetic and familial accomplishment to have siblings that play at the FBS level, but for them to play the same position in the same season, as starters, and both rush for more than 1,000 yards requires countless stars to align.