To actually pinpoint a Top 10 list of Junipero Serra Football players, even without Tom Brady or Lynn Swann, would still be extremely difficult. So in order to narrow down the talent, these rankings consist of the past 20 years of Serra football history. The criteria is simple; you must have graduated from Junipero Serra High School of San Mateo. So obviously, current roster players do not apply. Also the list does not require you to be a division one player but it does help boost you up a couple spots.

Without further ado here is the top 10 players from 2000-2016:

Honorable Mention: Adonis Smith, Running Back, 2008-2010

Even typing this guy’s name as honorable mention has me banging my head against the wall. But that’s just a testament to how great Serra athletes are. With excellent hands and quickness, the then Adonis Smith (5’11, 185 lbs) was one of the better athletes to come to Serra. A transfer, he ranks seventh in total career yards with 2,107, a remarkable feat, seeing how he wasn’t a full-time starter until his senior year. He later went on to play football at Northwestern before transferring to UNLV.

10: Hamilton Anoa’i, Athlete, 2011-2013

A three-year start at 6’2 and 220 pounds, Hammy shined on both offensive and defensive sides of the ball, showing versatility by playing Wide Receiver, Linebacker, and Safety. During his Senior campaign, he terrorized opposing player by compiling 661 total yards, 10 touchdowns, 28 tackles, five tackles for loss and one interception. He earned WCAL Player of Year and is currently playing football for University of California, Berkley. The only reason he doesn’t rank higher is because of injuries during his career at Serra.

9: J.P Hurrell, Linebacker 2006-2008

Without question JP Hurrell was a straight savage. He wasn’t the biggest player on the field but he was an enforcer on a one of the greatest teams in Serra Padre history. Downhill, hard-nosed middle linebacker JP had 50 tackles, 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles as a senior, while adding 291 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 48 carries. He was selected as the Western Catholic Athletic League Linebacker of the Year as a senior, and also was the second-team All-CCS and first-team All-WCAL. Despite his size, his pure grit and athleticism earned him an offer from the University of California, Berkley.

8: David Bakhtiari Offensive Tackle 2007-2009

A little bit of a late bloomer, David was a two-year starter but didn’t really hit his stride until his senior year. At a gangly 6’4, 240 pounds as a senior, he held a USC recruit to zero sacks and around eight pancake blocks in one game. He earned honorable mention in the WCAL, All-Metro, and San Mateo. While his high school career is nothing spectacular, he earned himself a scholarship to the University of Colorado, blossoming to the starting left tackle for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

7: Jason Hardee Defensive 1997-2000 Defensive Tackle/Tight End

If this were a list of the best basketball players in Serra history you could make a legitimate argument for him being number one. Jason Hardee was an absolute physical specimen at Serra being known for being a punishing tight end and defensive tackle. He would later his ball at West Virginia where he led the team in sacks while also being and Honorable Mention All American.

6: Will Powers Defensive End/ Tight End 2002-2005

A 4-star recruit coming out of high school, the 6’4, 230 pound Will Powers is probably one of the most decorated athletes in Serra history. Receiving a plethora of scholarship offers and rewards, while anchoring down one of the best defenses in the Bay Area at the time. Playing both tight end and defensive end, Will came into the WCAL making an immediate splash by being named the Sophomore of the Year. Cody was an intellectual on the field and knew how to use his football savvy in correlation with his size. After a dominating senior campaign with 75 tackles and seven sacks he earned All American honors by SuperPrep and PrepStar, was the Far West Defensive Player of the Year by SuperPrep, named the San Jose Mercury-News Central Coast Section Player of the Year, was the first team All-West Catholic Athletic League choice and earned league co-MVP honors as a senior, first team Long Beach Press Telegram Best in the West selection and was the CCS Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Wendy's Heisman Scholar-Athlete nominee as a senior. Will went on to play football at Stanford.

5: Deleon Eskridge Running Back 2006-2008

If it wasn’t for an injury filled and suspension-plagued senior year Deleon would have been the number one player on this list. Another transfer, Deleon busted onto the scene during his junior year by rushing 1461 yards and 26 total touchdowns while averaging over 10 yards-per-carry. An absolute menace at 6’, 190 pounds, he was an excellent combination of speed and power while showing versatility by playing multiple positions on defense. Honestly, defenders were scared to tackle him - it was like letting a wild animal out on the field. The WCAL running back of the year went on to play of the Minnesota Gophers.

Before going further, know that the last four players could all be substituted as number one. All four players were nitpicked immensely in order to come to this conclusion.

4: Erich Wilson, running back 2009-2012

While he’s number four on the list he’d come in as number one if the list was called “Fastest Athletes in Serra History.” Clocking in a 4.38 40-yard dash, he was no one to take lightly. A smooth runner with exceptional vision, Wilson rushed for a single season record of 2106 yards and 36 touchdowns during his senior campaign where his team went 11-2. He also holds the most career touchdowns record and was named WCAL and San Mateo County Player of Year. He would later sign his letter of intent to play football at the University of Washington. So why isn’t he ranked higher? He was actually knocked for being a part of the greatest back fields in Junipero Serra history, in which the rushing total was collectively 4,556 yards and 67 touchdowns. His running mate during the 2011-2012 season is featured next.

3: Eric Redwood, Running Back, 2010-2013

The reason Eric gets the edge over Wilson is because he meant more to his team. While Erich Wilson benefitted from an extremely loaded offense and defense, Redwood did not have that luxury during his senior campaigned. The definition of literally putting the team on his back, he scored four touchdowns in four different games, collected 1984 yards of total offense, broke the single game rushing record against Palo Alto with 288 yards, and bell-cowed his team to 9-3 record. He also holds the most career rushing yards in Serra history with 3768. Just to put the number in perspective the closest player to him in that area is 500 yards away. Eric Redwood will go down as the greatest running back in Serra football history for his ability to carry an entire football team.

2: Tiuke Tuipolotu, Assassin, 2005-2008

The first thing that comes up on google when you type in this man’s name is “Tiuke’s Greatest Hits,” so you know he's insane. The highest defensive player on this list, Tiuke is spoken about like a legendary folk hero through the Padre community. An athlete whose leadership skills matched his athleticism, he racked up 1490 yards, 15 touchdowns, 125 tackles, nine pass breakups, four forced fumbles and two sacks just during his junior and senior season. An absolute terror on the field, I struggled not putting him as number one on the list. He would later go on to play safety at San Jose State.

1: Cody Jackson, Quarterback, 2006-2009

Kind of scary to think that half of the Top 10 played at once in 2007. Cody Jackson edges out the competition because he was an offensive machine. Starting as a sophomore for a power house team should already say enough to how much talent this guy has. In three years as a start he churned out 4297 yards and finished off with a 15-4 league record. Cody was slippery in the pocket, an insanely quick throwing release and was dangerous with his legs. He was named for countless rewards and is the face of one of the most dominating era’s in Serra football history.