Two Stanford legends cemented their college football legacies as the Sporting News honored the dynamic running back and offensive lineman among its greatest performers of the decade.
Legends are made at Stanford. Throughout its history, Stanford football has churned out several notable stars that have gone on to have legendary NFL careers, ranging from quarterbacks John Elway and Andrew Luck to running back Christian McCaffrey, among others.
This week, a pair of Stanford legends earned a spot on the Sporting News 2010s All-Decade All-American Team and cemented their status as college football legends: McCaffrey and offensive lineman Joshua Garnett.
McCaffrey, one of the most iconic players to ever suit up for Stanford, was only on The Farm for three seasons between 2014 and 2016 but left a legacy that no Stanford back has matched since.
Seeing limited action as a true freshman in 2014, McCaffrey broke out as a sophomore and ran the ball 337 times for 2,019 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 645 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns, ending the year as the Heisman Trophy runner-up.
In his final year in 2016, McCaffrey ran the ball 253 times for over 1,600 yards and a career-high of 13 touchdowns.
Receiving several accolades throughout his college career, including two first-team All-Pac-12 selections, Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, unanimous All-American honors and College Football Player of the Year, McCaffrey left as one of the greatest Cardinal athletes in any sport.
A top prospect heading into the 2017 NFL Draft, McCaffrey was drafted 8th overall by the Carolina Panthers.
Garnett, a member of the program from 2012–15, was a rotational player his first two seasons but became the starting left guard in his junior season and was a key piece to a Stanford offensive line that finished ranked in the top half of the nation in 2014.
Garnett broke out as a senior, becoming one of the top offensive linemen in the nation en route to earning several end-of-season accolades such as first-team All-Pac-12 selection, the Morris Trophy, the Outland Trophy and unanimous All-American honors.
Drafted with the 28th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, Garnett played in 15 games as a rookie with 11 starts, but was unable to become an impact player for the 49ers during his three-season tenure.
Missing all of the 2017 campaign with a knee injury, Garnett only managed to play in seven games during the 2018 season, dealing with a toe and thumb injury throughout the year.
Released by the team ahead of the 2019 season, Garnett spent a season out of football before spending 2020 on the practice squads of both the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders (then known as the Washington Football Team) before retiring.
