Oldest College Football Players (2024 and All-Time)
October 23, 2024
The landscape of college football is evolving and so are its players. With updated transfer rules and the widespread influence of name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, players now have more incentives than ever to extend their college football careers. Add to these changes the lingering effects of the lost 2020 COVID season, and fans are seeing some players who have been around college footage for quite some time. While it used to be rare to see a sixth-year senior, in 2024, fans are seeing the first-ever ninth-year senior! These additional years of eligibility have led to college football athletes playing well into their late 20s – and even 30s. Read below for a list of the oldest college football players of 2024, as well as a list of the oldest college football players of all time.
Oldest College Football Players of 2024
(Note: these ages are as of the start of the 2024 college football season on Aug. 27)
1) Luke Larsen
- Age: 32
- School: East Carolina University
- Position: Punter
Believed to be the oldest NCAA Division I player in 2024, Larsen still has two years of eligibility remaining! Originally from Australia, Larsen is currently on his fifth season with the Pirates. He is enrolled in the ECU MBA program, is a three-time AAC All-Academic Team member, and ranks eighth on ECU鈥檚 all-time career punting average at 40.8 yards per punt.
2) Jordan Noyes
- Age: 32
- School: Colorado State
- Position: Kicker
Noyes hails from England and grew up playing football, soccer, rugby, and gymnastics. He started his college football career kicking for Utah before transferring to Colorado State as a graduate student in 2023. On Oct. 12, 2024, he kicked a 58-yard field goal (the longest of his career) against San Jose St. He鈥檚 also a perfect 14 for 14 in PATs. Off the field, Noyes is married with three kids.
Oldest College Football Players 2024 (Continued)
3) Hugh Robertson
- Age: 31
- School: Illinois
- Position: Punter
Robertson is another punter from Australia who is in his 30s. The third-oldest NCAA college football player has been a key part of Illinois鈥檚 special teams over the past few seasons. Robertson was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection in 2023 and is averaging a career-best 43 yards per punt in 2024. He graduated high school in 2011 and joined the Fighting Illini in 2020 after spending seven years working for the Victoria, Australia police force.
4) Mark Crawford
- Age: 30
- School: Minnesota
- Position: Punter
Crawford is another punter from – you guessed it! – Australia! Crawford worked as a sprinkler repairman before joining the Golden Gophers in 2020, and he鈥檚 been a four-year starter since joining the team. He was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2023 and he is averaging more than 43 yards per punt in 2024.
Oldest College Football Players 2024 (Continued)
5) Monte Harrison
- Age: 29
- School: Arkansas
- Position: Wide Receiver
Harrison is a former Major League Baseball player who earned a roster spot for the Razorbacks this season as a true 29-year-old freshman. Harrison was selected in the second round of the 2014 MLB draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He played 10 professional seasons, including two stints in the major leagues – one with the Miami Marlins (2020-21) and another with the Los Angeles Angels (2022). Harrison was even part of the blockbuster trade that sent future MVP Christian Yelich from Miami to Milwaukee.
6) Cam McCormick
- Age: 26
- School: Miami
- Position: Tight End
Due to medical redshirts, COVID, and extended eligibility rules, McCormick is the first-ever ninth-year senior. That feat makes McCormick the longest-tenured player in NCAA Division I history. Transferring from the University of Oregon, McCormick is a vital part of the Hurricanes鈥 vaulted offense, having already caught two touchdowns through the first half of the 2024 season. This year, Miami is hoping to recapture some of the spark that made the program so powerful in the 鈥90s, and McCormick figures to be a big part of that equation.
Oldest College Football Players 2024 (Continued)
7) Keenan Pili
- Age: 26
- School: Tennessee
- Position: Linebacker
Fittingly, Pili鈥檚 nickname on the Volunteers is Uncle Grandpa. He originally signed with BYU back in 2016, then completed his mission for the Church of Latter-day Saints before eventually transferring to Tennessee in 2023. After a season-ending injury last year, Pili returns for his super-senior year at the age of 26. Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Pili has totaled 30 tackles through the first six games of the Volunteers鈥 2024 season.
8) Cameron Rising
- Age: 25
- School: Utah
- Position: Quarterback
Rising won two Pac-12 Championships with Utah before suffering a serious knee injury that held him out of the 2023 season. Currently in his seventh year of college football, Rising actually has one more year of eligibility remaining. Playing for a proud Utah football program, Rising currently ranks fourth all-time with 65 total touchdowns and fifth all-time in career wins (20).
Oldest College Football Players 2024 (Continued)
9) Casey Thompson
- Age: 25
- School: Oklahoma
- Position: Quarterback
Thompson is currently in his seventh year of eligibility, having played at Texas, Nebraska, and Florida Atlantic before arriving at Oklahoma. At Oklahoma, Thomas is playing for the alma mater of his father Charles Thompson, who played quarterback for the Sooners in the late 鈥80s. Thompson is far from a journeyman, however, as he started 10 games for Texas in 2021, 10 for Nebraska in 2022, and was the starter at FAU until he tore his ACL in the third game of the season. So far in 2024, Thompson has not seen the field for the Sooners.
Oldest College Football Players of All Time
Sure, the 2024 players may seem old, but those guys are spring chickens compared to the veterans below. Check out the list to see the oldest college football players of all time, starting with a Marine helicopter pilot.
8) Matt Ganyard (2023)
- Age: 35
- School: Virginia
- Position: Kicker
Ganyard joined the Cavaliers in 2023 after a 10-year stint in the military. In his first year with the team, Ganyard handled all kickoff responsibilities and was named Rookie of the Year by UVA at the year-end awards banquet. He was also a nominee for the Armed Forces Merit Award.
7) Tim Frisby
- Age: 40
- School: South Carolina
- Position: Wide Receiver
Nicknamed 鈥淧ops鈥 by his teammates, Frisby tried out as a walk-on for the Gamecocks after serving as an Army Ranger in the Gulf War and Kosovo. He was, by all accounts, in phenomenal shape and even made it on the field in two games, including logging one reception for nine yards against Troy.
Oldest College Football Players of All-Time (Continued)
6) Tom Gore (2021)
- Age: 45
- School: Methodist University
- Position: Defensive lineman
Not much information exists on Tom Gore. In looking through photos of his playing days, however, he resembles a viking warrior dropped onto the serene fields of Eastern North Carolina. He played for the Methodist University Monarchs, a Division-III school located in Fayetteville, NC.
5) Ray Ruschel (2022)
- Age: 49
- School: North Dakota State College of Science
- Position: Defensive lineman
Ruschel was working at a sugar beets factory before deciding to enroll in North Dakota State College of Science. An Army veteran, Ruschel played in 10 games and logged six tackles during the 2022 season, helping the Wildcats go 9-2 that year.
Oldest College Football Players of All-Time (Continued)
4) Joe Thomas Sr. (2016)
- Age: 55
- School: South Carolina State
- Position: Running back
Thomas is the father of former NFL linebacker Joe Thomas – who played for nine seasons across five different teams. It was always Thomas Sr.鈥檚 dream to play college football and the 55-year-old walk-on made that dream come true on November 19, 2016 when he took a handoff and ran for a three-yard gain.
3) Mike Flynt (2007)
- Age: 59
- School: Sul Ross State,
- Position: Linebacker
After working as a strength coach at Nebraska, Oregon and Texas A&M, Flynt returned to the football field to be a defensive end for the Sul Ross Lobos. In his first game, Flynt played nine snaps and helped the Lobos defeat the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs 45-42 in three overtimes.
Oldest College Football Players of All-Time (Continued)
2) Tom Thompson (2009)
- Age: 61
- School: Austin College, 61 years old.
- Position: Kicker
While playing for the Austin College Kangaroos, Tom Thompson made his first and only kick attempt during the team鈥檚 final game of the 2009 season against Trinity University. Thompson, who was a graduate student at the time, made his college football debut nearly 50 years after he last played organized football as a high schooler in the early 鈥60s. Austin College, a Division III program located in Sherman, Texas, competes in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Oldest College Football Players of All-Time (Continued)
1) Alan Moore (2011)
- Age: 61
- School: Faulkner University
- Position: Kicker
The 61-year-old Vietnam veteran is considered the . Moore kicked for the Faulkner University Eagles – an NAIA program located in Montgomery, Alabama. Instead of new equipment, Moore wore a square-toed shoe and kicked the football from straight ahead – not the soccer style that nearly all kickers employ today. Moore made his first and only PAT attempt in the second quarter of the team鈥檚 season opener, helping the Eagles defeat Ave Maria University, 41-19.
Oldest College Football Players of All Time – Additional Resources
- 20 Highest Scoring College Football Games
- Highest Paid NFL Coaches 2024
- 25 Best College Football Teams of All Time
