Only Jeff Hartings Until Penn State Football

This spot in the countdown is reserved for Jeff Hartings.  Yes, he was an All-American.  Yes, he'll be in the college football hall of fame someday.  Neither of those accolades tells half the story.

He was so quick, with such great hands, and understood leverage - I sat in the stands in 1995 and watched him play, rather than following the football, which usually ended up in the hands of Bobby Engram, Freddie Scott, or Curt Enis that year.  Why watch Bobby Engram or Curt Enis or Mike Archie, when you could watch Jeff Hartings?

Most of his linemates were fellow NFL draft picks - and still Hartings jumped out at you.  He made it all look so easy. And he'd kick the ever loving snot out of his mark until the last, most faint echo of the whistle disappeared from the stadium - sidelines or end lines be damned.  What an awesomely nasty dude.