5 most exciting Michigan football players of the past 20 years

After hearing a debate about who the most exciting college football players of all time are, it got me thinking about who the most exciting players over the last 20 years from Michigan football have been.
Michigan State v Michigan
Michigan State v Michigan / Leon Halip/GettyImages
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I was listening to the Late Kick Podcast hosted by Josh Pate this morning and he was talking about a question posed to him by a fan. The question asked who the most exciting player he ever watched in college football was. This is an incredibly fun game to play with friends on a Friday night sitting on a deck drinking some cold ones that I would highly recommend.

However, it got me thinking about the most exciting Michigan football players over the last 20 years. There will undoubtedly be some controversy to a list of the most exciting Wolverines during that time but that's where the fun lies.

Let's get into it going in reverse order.

5. Mario Manningham

Mario Manningham was a key player in the Michigan football offense from his first snap as a freshman to the last snap in his Junior year. He compiled 137 catches for 2,310 yards and 27 touchdowns during his career at Michigan.

Manningham is responsible for one of the most memorable plays in Michigan football history when he caught the game winning touchdown vs Penn State as time expired in 2005. I can still hear it now... "TOUCHDOWN MANNINGHAM! MICHIGAN WINS!" His performance vs Notre Dame in 2006 is one of the most ridiculous stat lines of all time. He had 4 catches for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also caught the game winning touchdown vs Michigan State in 2007 late in the fourth quarter to seal the game against little brother.

Manningham ended his career with a stellar performance vs Florida in the Capital One Bowl. He rushed the ball 7 times for 53 yards and had 5 receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown. Manningham combined speed and talent with the ability to make big-time plays in big-time moments. Super Mario is one of the best receivers of all time at Michigan and he earns the #5 spot on this list.