USA250: 10 greatest college athletes from Virginia ranked

The Commonwealth of Virginia might be best known in college athletics for its major schools — Virginia and Virginia Tech.

However, the two Atlantic Coast Conference members don't have a monopoly on the best

players to have participated in the state.

That's because there are 14 other Division I institutions that have their own standouts worthy of consideration for our list of best athletes from Virginia colleges. Old Dominion had two selections, and there were other contenders from Liberty, James Madison and Richmond who narrowly missed out.

But our list can only include 10, so here's the best of the bunch:

10 greatest college athletes from Virginia

Bruce Smith, Virginia Tech

One of the dominant defensive linemen of his generation, Smith had 46 sacks in his career with the Hokies. The impressive total includes 22, which led the country in his junior season. As a senior, Smith was a consensus All-American and won the Outland Trophy before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 1985 NFL draft.

Ralph Sampson, Virginia

At 7-foot-4, Sampson was one of the dominant big men in men's basketball during the early 1980s. Across four seasons, Sampson scored 2,228 points and grabbed 1,511 rebounds while leading the Cavaliers to their first Final Four in 1981. He is only the fourth player to win three national player of the year awards, and was selected No. 1 in the 1983 NBA Draft.

Michael Vick, Virginia Tech

Vick redshirted his first season before becoming one of the most exciting players in the country in his two playing campaigns with the Hokies. The left-handed quarterback led Tech to an unbeaten regular season and appearance in the Bowl Championship Series title game in 1999 while finishing third in the Heisman Trophy race. As a redshirt sophomore the next season, the Hokies went 11-1 again as he finished sixth in Heisman voting before being selected No. 1 overall in the 2001 NFL draft.

Nancy Lieberman, Old Dominion

One of the great women basketball players in history, Lieberman had already won an Olympic silver medal with the United State in 1976 before starting her college career. She led the Monarchs to consecutive AIAW national championships in 1979 and 1980 and was a two-time winner of the Wade Trophy, given to the top player in the country. Her 961 assists still stand as the top mark in school history.

Dawn Staley, Virginia

Small in size, Staley produced one of the great careers in women's college basketball. She led the Cavaliers to three consecutive Final Four appearances and was the tournament's most outstanding player when Virginia lost to Tennessee in the 1991 title game. A two-time national player of the year, Staley finished her career as the school's all-time leading in points scored (2,135), the ACC's leader in assists (729) and the NCAA's all-time leader in steals (454).

PROGRAM RANKINGS: Top 25 | Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12

Claudio Reyna, Virginia

After a distinguished high school career in New Jersey, Reyna would be one of the great men's soccer players in college history, winning three national titles and earning first-team All-America honors in all three of his seasons with the Cavaliers. Reyna scored 21 goals and added 22 assists in his 65 games with Virginia. He captured the 1992 MAC Award and swept the 1993 MAC Award and Hermann Trophy, each given to the nation's top player.

Morgan Brian, Virginia

One of only six women's soccer players to win the Hermann Award twice, Brian compiled during her four-year career that spanned from 2011-14. She is the only player in school history to have 40 goals and 40 assists and led the Cavaliers to the national semifinals twice, including an appearance in the 2014 finals. Brian, who was playing for the national team while in college, would go on to earn 88 caps for the United States and be part of two World Cup-winning teams.

Gretchen Walsh, Virginia

One of the key members of the Virginia women's swimming dynasty, Walsh helped the Cavaliers win four of the school's current streak of six consecutive national titles. She was a national champion in 25 events with nine individual titles, including four consecutive victories in 100-meter freestyle. Walsh won the Honda Award as the top women's collegiate athlete in all sports during the 2024-25 academic year.

Justin Verlander, Old Dominion

No college baseball pitcher from the commonwealth accumulated more strikeouts than Verlander, who posted 427 in his 335 2/3 innings across three seasons with the Monarchs. A freshman All-American, he would go on to be a dominant force as a sophomore and junior, becoming a finalist for the Roger Clemons National pitcher of the Year award and eventually the No. 2 overall pick in the 2004 MLB draft.

Connor Shellenberger, Virginia

At a school with a rich men's lacrosse history, Shellenberger holds the school record for points (323) and the ACC record for assists (192). He earned first-team All-America honors in all four of his seasons while leading the Cavaliers to a national title and the tournament's outstanding player award as a freshman in 2021. Shellenberger is the all-time leader in men's lacrosse tournament points with 67.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA250: 10 greatest college athletes from Virginia ranked