​In Alabama, football is king.So it should be no surprise that a list comprising the 10 greatest college athletes in the history of the state — as difficult as this exercise turned out to be — would include a vast majority of entrants who played on the gridiron: eight out of 10, to be precise.The most pressing question for a list of this kind, especially in this state, is how those players are divided among the school’s two largest universities and bitter rivals: Alabama and Auburn. While the Crimson Tide does have a slight edge over the Tigers, 5-4, it is the latter program that produced this list’s only non-football players.PROGRAM RANKINGS: Top 25 | Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12PATH TO PLAYOFF: Sign up for our college football newsletterWith that, here’s a look at the top 10 greatest college athletes to ever play in the state of Alabama, part of the USA TODAY Sports USA 250 initiative:Bo Jackson, AuburnBefore his “Bo Knows” campaign, Bo Jackson was a multi-sport legend at Auburn. He was most lauded as a consensus All-American running back in 1983 and unanimous All-American in 1985, the same season he won the Heisman Trophy.Jackson also dabbled in track and field, getting timed at 10.4 seconds in the 100-meter dash (at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds). Of course, his preferred sport was baseball, where he played centerfield and batted .401 the same season he won the Heisman.His college career was infamously cut short due to what was deemed an illegal visit with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jackson, furious at what he believed was sabotage by Tampa Bay, warned the Bucs not to draft him; they did so anyway, taking him No. 1 in the 1986 NFL Draft. He responded by simply playing baseball with the Kansas City Royals. He was that good.DeVonta Smith, AlabamaEven with his slight frame, DeVonta Smith stands out among Alabama’s circle of elite receivers.Smith capped his freshman season with a walk-off, 41-yard touchdown reception vs. Georgia in the 2018 College Football Playoff championship game, a moment forever known in college football as “2nd-and-26.” He only got better from there, culminating with a senior season in which he was the best player on the best offense in the country (one that produced three of the top five players in Heisman voting).He produced one of the most dominant seasons by a receiver ever in 2020, leading the country in receptions (117), receiving yards (1,856) and touchdowns (23), becoming only the fourth receiver to win a Heisman. He bookended his four-year career with two CFP championships, including the last of Nick Saban’s legendary career.Cam Newton, AuburnHow good was Cam Newton in 2010? The Heisman winner and future No. 1 draft pick dragged the Tigers to an undefeated BCS championship, despite them having no other offensive skill players drafted to the NFL.Newton’s 6-foot-5, 245-pound frame, athletic prowess and accuracy produced one of the most dominant individual seasons ever, as he became the first player in SEC history to throw