All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. As a junior in '86, Brown averaged 27.9 yards per kickoff return, including two touchdowns and 37.5 yards per punt return. As a senior, Keenum was spectacular, throwing 48 touchdowns passes to just five interceptions a ratio of nearly 10:1. 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. Lions' brass has a plan. Kickoff Return Touchdowns Single Season Leaders and Records An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included. We present them here for purely educational purposes. 5. The touchdown also helped Hester set an NFL record for the most return touchdowns by a player in a single season. Washington also returned a punt 99 yards for a touchdown later in that game, setting a team record with two return scores in the same game. 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. 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. ), is safe in our opinion. 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. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. Ten players have done that in NFL history. As a receiver, Williams caught one pass for a 41-yard touchdown last season, had three drops on nine targets and had one carry for 40 yards. You want to see over 100,000 people afraid to move? 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. The University of Miami alum was in his first season of the NFL, and he made the Rams pay for kicking him the ball. Watching Spiller make defenders look like clowns while flying down the field in Clemson's orange unis, it was easy to recall images of Barry Sanders at Oklahoma State. A kickoff return for a touchdown is one of the most exciting plays in football. And that really wasn't even his best year as a kick-returner. We present them here for purely educational purposes. The Lane College alum ratcheted up his speed at the 15-yard line and bursted through a small seam in between the 49ers special teams front line. Record: 1,383 passing yardsRecord-holder: Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech (819 yards) and Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (564 yards)Season: 2016. "But yeah, were just gong to continue to do everything that we need to do to make sure that hes set up to succeed. In an interview with an Atlanta radio station last week, he again laid out his proposal: "Instead of having a kickoff, every place where you would have a kickoff now, you would put in place a 4th-and-15 situation. All NFL Teams. But we're putting these types of records off to the side, because they're unbreakable based on the size of the playing field and the rules of the game. Just look at Moore's freshman (36.2 receiving yards per game) and sophomore (70.8 yards per game) seasons to see that it took Moore time (and potentially a coaching change to offensive mind Lane Kiffin) for him to develop into a receiver who could average that many yards per game. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. I think it would start the game in similar field position. So well just see how it goes.". Down three points with just six seconds left in this ACC matchup against Duke, the Miami Hurricanes were in a desperate positionthey needed to find a way to score a touchdown after a late score by the Blue Devils. Who holds it: No. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Twenty-five players in college football history have run two kickoffs back for touchdowns in the same game. 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. 1990. Record: 140.9 yards per gameRecord-holder: Alex Van Dyke, NevadaSeasons: 1994-95. Duke fans and players were absolutely stunned, and while after the fact it was ruled that the play should have been blown dead about 12 timesthe result stood. Grant, who is six inches shorter than the 6-foot-1 Williams, has made his biggest impact in the NFL as a return man. On one September day in 2003, Perkins tortured the Bruins for 277 yards on seven punt returns, scoring touchdowns from65, 74 and 84 yards out. Add Roydell Williams for the time he was here, Scaife, and the first two seasons, of Hill, and this draft provided five starters and two dependable backups in Fuller and Loper from its eleven members. 12 overall pick in 2023. In fact, he only scored two touchdowns in 2001, despite finishing the season with 53 receptions and 737 receiving yards. He left Oklahoma as the school's career leader in punt return yards and tied Wes Welker and Ted Ginn Jr. for the FBS career record with eight total kick return touchdowns. 3 running back Justin Jackson as their top kick returner last season. Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. Twenty-five players in college football history have run two kickoffs back for touchdowns in the same game. That's not happening. For those that don't know, a kick return touchdown is when the kickoff retu. As a freshman in just his second game for the Hurricanes, against rival Florida, Hester took the opening kickoff 98 yards to the house. was better than Barry when it came to returning kicks. Whether it was a kickoff or punt return, these players knew how to electrify a stadiumand avoid tacklers at all costs. The longtime Chicago Bears return man forced teams to think hard about kicking him the ballhis electrifying speed and agility made him arguably the best kick returner of all time. Active players are listed in bold. 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. Missouri. 1 spot on this list? . Jackson is a pending free agent, while Raymond is coming off the best season of his career. 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. 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. If any quarterback is going to approach this record in the future, hell be another Mike Leach understudy. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. "Hes done it. Have we mentioned this guys pretty good at returning kicks? ruled that the play should have been blown dead. In the 2020 season, Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz completed his first 17 pass attempts in the Badgers' season-opener against Illinois as he finished 20-for-21 passing for 248 yards and five touchdowns. He was a man among boys off the edge in Tuscaloosa and later set an NFL record with seven sacks in a single game for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1990. It's also worth noting that numerous Nevada players from the 1990s and early 2000s hold FBS passing and receiving records, so Van Dyke's record might be a case of the right player in the right system in the right era, which is why it may never be topped. Why its untouchable: College footballs Heisman winner in 1999, Dayne topped 2,000 yards for the second time in his Big Ten career to finish with an incredible NCAA-record 7,125 yards on the ground on a record-breaking 1,220 carries. 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. Well, in this case, its probably a good idea that Jones didnt listen to that advice. Perkins wasn't ridiculously fast, but he mastered the art of being elusive in tight spaces. The guy loves playing. East Carolina's Bryson Worrell kicked off the first round of the DI baseball tournament with a bang, not once, but twice against Greenville Regional opponent Coppin State. After receiving the pooch kick at their own 25-yard line, Miami started lateraling the ball to keep it alive, eventually getting all the way back to their own 3-yard line before making their way upfield again. The best kick-returners have a knack for making big plays in big games. For his career, he scored six times on kick returns. 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. It'd be like turning a demolition crew on the Apollo Theater. Ill be a gunner. To start things off, Jones commited what many special teams coaches say is the biggest mistake for all return mendont take the ball out of the endzone if you catch it over five yards deep. Do you have a blog? Some records are meant to be broken. 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. 20 college football teams we aren't sold on in 2023, SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Mizzou shocks Tennessee, Alabama downs Auburn and more, SEC Basketball Power Rankings: Alabama stays unbeaten in SEC play, Tennessee outlasts Auburn and more, SEC Basketball Power Rankings: A new top team emerges, Alabama loses in blowout fashion, Mizzou lights it up again. The return went for 109 yards, setting a record for the longest play in NFL history. Who holds it: John Reaves, Florida, 1969 Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football, Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. New Mock Thinks It Possible: CJ Stroud falls to Titans at No.6 overall in a trade-up scenario. Consider what we've seen from the most electrifying kick-returners to mark the college football landscape over the past quarter-century. None of the members of this class will ever hear their names called in Canton, but as a group, and what they provided for the Titans, even though small in some cases, was a solid class top to bottom that played some excellent football and were part of some good, but not great Titans teams. NFL Single Season Leaders - Kickoff Return Touchdowns The following is a list of the NFL single season kickoff returnleaders ranked by kickoff return touchdowns. During the 2013 campaign at Washington State, Halliday also set a new NCAA record with 89 passing attempts at Oregon. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. His 27.6 yards per kickoff and 13.6 yards per punt-return averages were solid but not eye-popping. (Jones-Drew's 91-yard kickoff return TD in that same game was understandably overshadowed.). As a senior in 1997, Rossum finished fourth nationally in kickoff-return average; as a junior he led the country in punt-return average. One college player tops everybody in this category because he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns twice! From there it was a track meetand no one could catch Jones. ROAD WARRIORS: College football's longest active road winning streaks, Record: 3,690 rushing yardsRecord-holder: Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State and Byron Sanders, NorthwesternSeason: 1988. The Lions used backup receiver Kalif Raymond as their primary punt returner and No. He ran for 92 yards on the second touchdown. Adams took one step back after receiving the kick and seemingly had nowhere to go as he got close to the right sidelinethree Tennessee tacklers got right in his facebut instead of giving up, he changed direction and ran backwards (something coaches say never to do on punt returns). SEC Women's Basketball Tournament action suspended due to weather delay, Alabama basketball adds commitment from 4-star forward, 2 SEC players named to late-season watch list for Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Trophy, Bruce Pearl tosses headset during radio interview after Auburn-Alabama game, Overrated? Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 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. As good as Jones-Drew was, UCLA has never seen a return man as dangerous as Antonio Perkins. Record: 326 yardsRecord-holder: Nate Burleson, NevadaSeason: 2001. He finished his college career ('03-05)averaging 25.5 yards per kickoff return and 15.6 per punt return, with six return touchdowns. Or write about sports? Join our linker program. Houston quarterback David Klinglers single-game FBS passing record of 716 yards stood for nearly 25 years before Halliday, a lesser-known quarterback and Air Raid product, eclipsed the mark last season. That dipped last season with 13 returns for 270 yards and 20.8 yards. Why its untouchable: Klingler set several single-game and career passing records during his time at Houston (that were later broken), but this one could be his most notable. Or write about sports? Statistics are current through the 2022 NFL season and include stats accrued in NFL, AFL and APFA games. Racked up 1,522 kickoff return yards, 559 punt return yards and four kick-return touchdowns in three seasons. Gordons incredible 408-yard performance through three quarters, no less against Nebraska was short-lived. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. In 2010, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Looking for a great NFL history book? Before there was Devin Hester, there was Dante Hall. Brown probably wouldn't have become the first receiver to win the Heisman (1987) without his contributions on special teams. 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. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Contact Dave Birkett atdbirkett@freepress.com. Read more about our data coverage. For those that don't know, a kick return touchdown is when the kickoff retu. 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. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Daynes record is safe. 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. Oklahoma freshman Samaje Perine eclipsed the total the following week after the Kansas Jayhawks forgot how to tackle, carrying the pill 27 times for a new NCAA-record 427 yards. Hall started running backwards and crossed to the other side of the field, outrunning the entire Broncos unit before heading into the endzone untouched. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Why its untouchable: Could it be more obvious? Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. If you don't, then you punt the ball. 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. In 2019, Wright finished with 10 returns for 380 yards, 38 yards per return and two touchdowns. Watch on. "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. You can't knock Schiano for wanting to make the game safer. Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn content even if head coach jobs never materialize, Brad Holmes: 'I don't think the cupboard's bare on defense'. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. The Detroit Lions are reportedly considering using wide receiver Jameson Williams as a returner for the 2023 NFL season. He doesn't own any national kick return records, and apparently he only scored six return touchdowns in his college career. Like, he wants to do everything. Whether it's football, fashion or just breathing, it's tough to make any "Most Electrifying" list without including Deion. Patterson somehow broke through the throng of tacklers and then it became a track meetand he won. Build your own custom leaderboards with Stathead Football. 2022 The Game Before the Money All Rights Reserved. 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. Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp embraced the idea of incorporating Williams into a return role next season, when the team expects him fully healthy after missing most of last season while rehabbing from a torn ACL. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:41AM. 'Be a gunner? Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. There have been some amazing kick and punt returns in football over the years, here are the best of the best. (And the truth is that we could triple dip, quadruple dip, etc., with Sanders because he was that good and set that many records.) 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. Do you have a sports website? NFL Career Leaders - Kickoff Return Touchdowns. Ouch. Could Top QB Fall To The Titans? A kickoff return for a touchdown is one of the most exciting plays in football. Good luck figuring out exactly what happened in November 2001 and why. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Williams missed most of last season due to an ACL injury but is expected to be fully healthy by the start of the next season. 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. Return to Top; Players. Cooper wouldve had to post last seasons jaw-dropping numbers three consecutive seasons to pass Insley. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:41AM. Join our linker program. So why is "Rocket" holding down the No. Do you have a blog? NFL Career Leaders - Punt Return Touchdowns. Hester may not be the fastest person to ever play football, but I don't think I've seen anybody run faster on a football field. Insane. Their role on special teams is more influenced by offense and defense than it is on what he can do on teams.". Rossum played 12 years in the NFL, where he made the Pro Bowl as a return specialist and ranks second all-time in combined kick return yardage. Who holds it: Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, 1996-99 He'd find the seam, hit the seam and just out-sprint the coverage like they were wearing snow shoes. But to do so in just five games is potentially unsustainable, and that's why Sanders' record, amid a season in which he rushed for 2,628 yards in just 11 games (! 2,850 rushing yards is more than anyone's ever gained at any level of college or pro football. Williams returned two kicks for touchdowns in his one season at Alabama, when he averaged 35.2 yards on 10 kick returns. Find out more. As a sophomore, he led the nation in kickoff return yards with 442, while averaging 31.6 yards per return. Offenses rarely get six possessions in a quarter, much less time to throw it to the end zone six different times. Interpreted as: most kickoff return touchdowns by a playerin one regular-seasongame this season We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 4-ranked Auburn Tigers (10-1, 6-1 in the SEC). Over the past eight months, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano has become the public face of a movement to eliminate the kickoff from college football. Find out more. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 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. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. About Saturday Down South | Ethics and Editorial Standards | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Other Conferences: Big Ten | ACC | Pac-12. He is a former college linebacker, a longtime coach and a parent. I expected him to score every time he touched the ball. Punts are a much, much less physical play.". Schiano, like anybody who cares about football, cares about the welfare of the players. Do you have a sports website? Brian Mitchell, the three-time All-Pro who, interestingly enough, never once returned a punt or kickoff in college. 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. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? That year, he took the opening kickoff of the opening game back for a TD against Tulsa. He tossed six touchdown passes in the second quarter of a blowout win over Louisiana Tech in 1991. As a junior in 2005, Jones-Drew set the FBS single-season markby averaging 28.5 yards per punt return. 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. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. It takes speed to return kicks well, but it also takes field vision, anticipation, agility, and some video game-like juke moves. Talk about making an impact in your NFL debut. 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.
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