By Matt Hayes

updated 12:33 a.m. ET Aug. 27, 2004

As Matt Leinart begins his junior season at USC, we could be witnessing the rise of the most high-profile player in the history of college football. It's rare when a player becomes a celebrity and is a focal point for the sport outside of his campus, but Leinart already is on the way. With two seasons remaining at USC and one national title in his pocket, there is plenty -- national championships, Heisman Trophies -- within reach. If things break his way, Leinart has a chance join this list of the top five players whose talent and status transcended the game:

1. RB Herschel Walker, Georgia
Walker was the most feared, awe-inspiring player in the history of the game. He was big and fast and never lifted a weight in his life. Walker's sculpted body, he swore, was the product of pushups and situps. He averaged 1,753 rushing yards per season in three years, and he should've won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman.

2. RB Archie Griffin, Ohio State
He was the first true star of the modern era. Two things about the only two-time Heisman winner often are forgotten: Griffin was 5-8, 175, and he averaged 6.13 yards per carry over his career. He had a 31-game streak of 100-yard rushing games and led the Buckeyes to four Rose Bowls.

3. QB Doug Flutie, Boston College
It wasn't so much the numbers as it was how he galvanized the college football world as the little guy who could. He'll be remembered for the Miracle in Miami throw, but his legacy is as the game's original underdog.

4. CB Deion Sanders, Florida State
He was the first true shutdown corner and a breathtaking kick returner. More important, Sanders was the first player to actively market an image as an amateur. Prime Time was better than you, told you so and then backed it up.

5. QB Peyton Manning, Tennessee
His name captured our imagination, his game grabbed our attention. One of the best pure passers ever, Manning somehow was jobbed out of the Heisman in 1997 -- but he has a life-size wax figure in Knoxville anyway. In 2015, there will be more than a few high school quarterbacks in Tennessee named Peyton.

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