When Kenneth Walker III took home the Super Bowl 60 MVP, he didn’t just cement his place in NFL history-he also gave Michigan State a brand-new bragging right. For the first time ever, the Spartans have an MVP on football’s biggest stage. And that’s the beauty of the Super Bowl MVP list: it’s a sprawling map of college football, from powerhouse programs to schools most fans don’t associate with NFL stardom.
If you take a step back and look at the full list of Super Bowl MVPs, one thing becomes clear-elite talent can come from anywhere. Yes, the usual suspects like Alabama, Michigan, and USC show up often.
But so do names from Morehead State, Delaware, and even East Texas State. The NFL’s scouting net is wide, and the Super Bowl MVPs are living proof that development, opportunity, and big-game performance matter just as much-if not more-than recruiting stars.
Let’s start at the top. Bart Starr and Joe Namath, both Alabama legends, claimed MVP honors in the first few Super Bowls, helping set the tone for what the award would come to represent: clutch performances when the lights are brightest. Len Dawson (Purdue), Chuck Howley (West Virginia), and Roger Staubach (Navy) followed, each carving out their own Super Bowl legacy.
The list keeps going, and it keeps surprising. Jake Scott (Georgia), a safety, took home MVP in Super Bowl 7.
Larry Csonka (Syracuse), Franco Harris (Penn State), and Lynn Swann (USC) all dominated as skill-position players in the 1970s. And then you’ve got Fred Biletnikoff (Florida State) and the dynamic defensive duo of Randy White (Maryland) and Harvey Martin (East Texas State) sharing the award in Super Bowl 12.
Quarterbacks, as you’d expect, dominate the list-Joe Montana (Notre Dame) won it three times, Tom Brady (Michigan) a record five. But the diversity of schools is striking. Phil Simms (Morehead State), Doug Williams (Grambling State), and Joe Flacco (Delaware) each had their moment, showing that you don’t need to come from a blueblood program to shine on the sport’s biggest night.
Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) lit up Super Bowl 23, reminding everyone that greatness can emerge from the smallest programs. Desmond Howard (Michigan) did it as a return man, and Julian Edelman (Kent State) won his MVP with grit, route-running, and a knack for making the impossible look routine.
The defensive side of the ball isn’t left out either. Richard Dent (Tennessee State), Ray Lewis (Miami), Von Miller (Texas A&M), and Malcolm Smith (USC) all turned in dominant performances that helped seal championships.
And then there are the recent stars: Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech) has already stacked multiple MVPs, proving that his college pedigree doesn’t need to match traditional powerhouses for him to be historically great. Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma) and Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington) have both shown that the Super Bowl stage welcomes all who are ready.
Now, Kenneth Walker III adds his name to that legacy. A running back from Michigan State, he broke through in a league that’s increasingly quarterback-driven and reminded everyone that the ground game still has its place in the spotlight.
Here’s the full list of Super Bowl MVPs and where they played their college ball-a timeline of talent that stretches across decades and divisions:
Super Bowl MVPs and Their Colleges
- I/II - Bart Starr (QB, Alabama)
- III - Joe Namath (QB, Alabama)
- IV - Len Dawson (QB, Purdue)
- V - Chuck Howley (LB, West Virginia)
- VI - Roger Staubach* (QB, Navy)
- VII - Jake Scott (S, Georgia)
- VIII - Larry Csonka (FB, Syracuse)
- IX - Franco Harris (RB, Penn State)
- X - Lynn Swann (WR, USC)
- XI - Fred Biletnikoff (WR, Florida State)
- XII - Randy White (DL, Maryland) & Harvey Martin (DL, East Texas State)
- XIII/XIV - Terry Bradshaw (QB, Louisiana Tech)
- XV - Jim Plunkett* (QB, Stanford)
- XVI/XIX/XXIV - Joe Montana (QB, Notre Dame)
- XVII - John Riggins (RB, Kansas)
- XVIII - Marcus Allen* (RB, USC)
- XX - Richard Dent (DE, Tennessee State)
- XXI - Phil Simms (QB, Morehead State)
- XXII - Doug Williams (QB, Grambling State)
- XXIII - Jerry Rice (WR, Mississippi Valley State)
- XXV - Ottis Anderson (RB, Miami)
- XXVI - Mark Rypien (QB, Washington State)
- XXVII - Troy Aikman (QB, UCLA)
- XXVIII - Emmitt Smith (RB, Florida)
- XXIX - Steve Young (QB, BYU)
- XXX - Larry Brown (CB, TCU)
- XXXI - Desmond Howard* (KR, Michigan)
- XXXII - Terrell Davis (RB, Georgia)
- XXXIII - John Elway (QB, Stanford)
- XXXIV - Kurt Warner (QB, Northern Iowa)
- XXXV - Ray Lewis (LB, Miami)
- XXXVI/XXXVIII/XLIX/LI/LIII - Tom Brady (QB, Michigan)
- XXXVII - Dexter Jackson (S, Florida State)
- XXXIX - Deion Branch (WR, Louisville)
- XL - Hines Ward (WR, Georgia)
- XLI - Peyton Manning (QB, Tennessee)
- XLII/XLVI - Eli Manning (QB, Ole Miss)
- XLIII - Santonio Holmes (WR, Ohio State)
- XLIV - Drew Brees (QB, Purdue)
- XLV - Aaron Rodgers (QB, California)
- XLVII - Joe Flacco (QB, Delaware)
- XLVIII - Malcolm Smith (LB, USC)
- 50 - Von Miller (LB, Texas A&M)
- LII - Nick Foles (QB, Arizona)
- LIII - Julian Edelman (WR, Kent State)
- LIV/LVII/LVIII - Patrick Mahomes (QB, Texas Tech)
- LVI - Cooper Kupp (WR, Eastern Washington)
- LIX - Jalen Hurts (QB, Oklahoma)
- LX - Kenneth Walker III (RB, Michigan State)
(* denotes Heisman Trophy winner)
From the legends to the long shots, the Super Bowl MVP list is more than a roll call of great performances-it’s a celebration of the journey. Whether it’s a quarterback from Notre Dame or a wide receiver from Eastern Washington, what matters most is what they do when the lights are brightest.
Kenneth Walker III just added his chapter. Who’s next?