Tom Brady Doesn't Make the Cut on This Super Bowl Ranking

— -- Super Bowls and Tom Brady are pretty much synonymous. So it stands to reason that the Super Bowl LI spotlight is shining the brightest on Brady, who's trying to become the first quarterback in history to win a fifth Super Bowl title and further cement his legacy as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.

But if you were to rank the players in this Super Bowl based purely on their college careers, Brady wouldn't even crack the top 10. After all, he threw a grand total of 20 passes during his first three years on campus at Michigan, including a redshirt year, before starting his final two seasons and being drafted in the sixth round by the New England Patriots.

At the time Brady won the Michigan starting job as a fourth-year junior in 1998, touted freshman quarterback Drew Henson was actually the fan favorite. In retrospect, it's probably safe to say that Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr made the right call. Brady went on to throw 30 touchdown passes his last two seasons with Michigan (along with 16 interceptions) and got hot the second half of his senior season, but that wasn't good enough to land in our top 10.

Again, this ranking is based purely on how a player performed as a collegian and impacted his college program. More weight was given to those players who strung together several productive seasons as opposed to having one big season.

1. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Alabama (2008-10)

Simply, Jones was a program-changer for coach Nick Saban, and in a lot of ways, he was a transcendent recruiting catch for Saban in that star-studded 2008 signing class.

Jones ranks third in Alabama history with 2,653 receiving yards (in three seasons). He finished his career in 2010 as the school record holder in single-season receptions (78), receiving yards (1,133) and yards in a single game (221), records that were later broken by Amari Cooper.

Jones became the first true freshman receiver to start the season opener at Alabama and was a fixture in the Crimson Tide's starting lineup over the next three seasons. An AP second-team All-America selection as a junior, Jones played through a broken left hand that season. He broke it in a game against South Carolina, had a plate and screws surgically implanted that next week and was back in the lineup without missing a game.

2. Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

Boston College (2004-07)

Ryan had a monster senior season at BC and led the Eagles to the 2007 ACC championship game after engineering a comeback win on the road at Clemson in late November, one of three road wins that season over a top-15 team.

As a senior, Ryan passed for 4,507 yards, 31 touchdowns and 19 interceptions and won both the Manning Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. along with being named the ACC Player of the Year.

He finished his four-year career with 9,313 passing yards and accounted for 67 touchdowns. Ryan, whose five 400-yard passing performances broke Doug Flutie's school record, recently had his No. 12 jersey retired by the school.

3. Vic Beasley Jr., OLB, Atlanta Falcons

Clemson (2011-14)

One of the game's most explosive finishers off the edge during his time at Clemson, Beasley finished his career as the Tigers' all-time sack leader with 33 and fourth all time in tackles for loss with 52.5.

He was a consensus All-American in his junior and senior seasons. As a senior in 2014, he recorded nine sacks and was a finalist for the Bednarik, Lombardi and Hendricks awards and named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

As a junior in 2013, Beasley racked up 13 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss. In his last two seasons, he had 40 tackles for loss.

4. Dont'a Hightower, LB, New England Patriots

Alabama (2008-11)

If not for a devastating knee injury as a sophomore, Hightower's college career would have been even more impressive. Even so, he was a key component on a pair of defenses that were the backbone of national championship teams at Alabama in 2009 and 2011.

Hightower was a Freshman All-American in 2008 as a true freshman and finished fourth on the team with 64 tackles. He was a unanimous All-American in 2011 and a finalist for the Bednarik, Lombardi and Butkus awards. He started 42 of the 44 games in which he played at Alabama and was versatile enough to play inside linebacker on one play and then line up outside and rush the passer on the next play.

5. Dwight Freeney, DE, Atlanta Falcons

Syracuse (1998-2001)

Before he was chasing down quarterbacks at the NFL level, Freeney was making a name for himself at Syracuse as one of college football's most feared pass-rushers. He collected 34 career sacks, second most in school history, along with 50.5 tackles for loss and 14 forced fumbles.

As a senior in 2001, he was named Co-Big East Defensive Player of the Year after leading the nation with a school-record 17.5 sacks, and he also set a school record with 11 forced fumbles. Freeney was a unanimous first-team All-America that year.

6. Justin Hardy, WR, Atlanta Falcons

East Carolina (2011-14)

Until this past season, no player in FBS history had caught more passes than Hardy, whose career record of 387 receptions was broken by former teammate Zay Jones.

Hardy is the only player in East Carolina history to post three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. After starting his career as a walk-on, he finished it with 4,541 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns. He won the Burlsworth Trophy as a senior in 2014 as the nation's most outstanding player.

7. Kyle Van Noy, LB, New England Patriots

BYU (2010-13)

It's difficult not to think about offense when you think of BYU, but Van Noy ranks as one of the most productive defenders in BYU history. A hard-hitting linebacker, Van Noy finished his career with 62 tackles for loss, including 26 sacks, and also had seven interceptions. He was a third-team All-America selection during his final two seasons and had at least 15 tackles for loss in each of his last three seasons.

8. Patrick Chung, S, New England Patriots

Oregon (2005-08)

Chung finished his career as Oregon's fourth-leading tackler all time and first among non-linebackers with 384 tackles. He had nine career interceptions, and he collected 117 tackles as a junior in earning second-team All-America honors. The 117 tackles were the most for an Oregon defensive back in 13 seasons.

A four-year starter, Chung made 51 consecutive starts and was also a two-time special-teams player of the year for the Ducks.

9. Grady Jarrett, DT, Atlanta Falcons

Clemson (2011-14)

Jarrett was easily one of the more underrated players in college football over the past decade. He was the enforcer in the middle of some dominant Clemson defensive lines and helped open up things for other players, such as Beasley, to tee off on opposing quarterbacks.

The quintessential leader, Jarrett finished his career with 28.5 tackles for loss and 37 quarterback pressures in 37 career starts. His coaches will tell you that he was the heartbeat of those Clemson defenses.

10. Michael Floyd, WR, New England Patriots

Notre Dame (2008-11)

The most prolific pass-catcher in Notre Dame's storied history, Floyd set school records with 271 catches for 3,686 yards and 37 touchdowns. He finished his career with five school records, including 17 100-yard performances.

Floyd earned second-team All-America honors as a senior in 2011, when he set a school record with 100 receptions.