Former Gophers center Greg Eslinger made Athlon's recently released list of Top 50 college football players of the BCS era. He has some impressive company on a list that spanned from 1998 to 2013.
The rankings start with Vince Young, Tim Tebow, Ndamukong Suh, Adrian Peterson and Larry Fitzgerald.
Eslinger, from Bismarck, North Dakota, was a four-year starter for the Gophers and won the Outland Trophy as the nation's best interior lineman. He was a three-time first-team All-American.
He ranks 34th on this list, behind LaDanian Tomlinson (30th), Robert Griffin III (31st), Reggie Bush (32nd) and Drew Brees (33rd).
34. Greg Eslinger, C, Minnesota (2002-05)
Not many centers have an Outland Trophy on their mantle at home but Eslinger does. He was a freshman All-American in 2002, a third-team All-American as a sophomore, a first-teamer in '04 and earned consensus All-American honors as a senior. He won the Rimington Trophy as the nation's top center and earned Big Ten Lineman of the Year honors in '05. Minnesota never had a losing record during his four-year career.
