Most Interceptions in College Football History

Though college football offenses have changed over the years, the defensive side of the ball has remained the same in some pretty wonderful ways. That includes our awe of the players who have been some of the game’s greatest ball hawks. 

While the game itself is ruled almost completely through the air in our current era and records for passing and receiving seem to get set every year, the records for defensive players seem much harder to touch. Maybe that’s because it’s a much more objective and utilitarian way to gauge how well someone performs. Or maybe it’s just because it’s harder. 

Here’s a look at the players with the most interceptions in college football history. 

Born: October 8, 1963 (Columbia, South Carolina)

High School: Pemberton High School (Pemberton, New Jersey)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 187 pounds

Career highlights: Temple Hall of Fame (2005), NFL Ed Block Courage Award (1986)

Bottom line: Anthony Young left Temple with seven school records, which included career pass interceptions (20), punt returns (74), punt return yards (715) and punt return touchdowns (three). Young was a standout rookie for the Indianapolis Colts in 1985 but suffered a career-ending neck injury on a tackle. 

Born: January 2, 1959 (Alexandria, Louisiana)

High School: Tioga High School (Tioga, Louisiana)

Height/Weight: 6-foot, 197 pounds

Career highlights: Two-time All-SEC (1978, 1980)

Bottom line: Chris Williams still holds LSU’s career record for interceptions and is still tied for the single-season record with eight interceptions in 1978. Williams played three seasons in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and had his best season in 1983 with three interceptions and a fumble recovery. 

Born: April 7, 1970 (Orange, Texas)

High School: West Orange-Stark High School (Orange, Texas)

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 190 pounds

Career highlights: AP All-American (1991), three-time All-SWC (1989-91), three-time Super Bowl champion (1993, 1994 1996), NFL All-Pro (1991), Texas A&M Hall of Fame (1997)

Bottom line: Kevin Smith led West Orange-Stark High to back-to-back Texas high school state championships in 1986 and 1987 before becoming a star at Texas A&M, where he set career records for interceptions for both the Southwest Conference and A&M. Smith kept on winning in the pros, where he was a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys. 

Born: April 20, 1982 (Hillsboro, Oregon)

High School: Forest Grove High School (Forest Grove, Oregon)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 210 pounds

Career highlights: AP All-American (2004), Freshman All-American (2001), All-Pac-10 (2004)

Bottom line: Forest Grove High star Mitch Meeuwsen played on some of Oregon State’s best teams and finished his career with a school record of 20 interceptions as well as 217 tackles, 29 pass deflections and 10.5 tackles for loss. Meeuwsen went undrafted but still played two seasons in the NFL and one season in NFL Europe.