What’s the best catch in college football history? It’s an impossible question to answer, but Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. made a case with his astonishing toe tap to beat Penn State on Saturday.

In the wake of Cooper’s heroics, The Athletic asked its college football staff to submit the best catches they’ve ever seen. Let us know your favorites in the comments.

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Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. vs. Penn State (2025)

There will be no apologies for my recency bias. Cooper’s catch Saturday inside Beaver Stadium is the best catch I’ve ever seen in college football. Full stop.

If you look up “best catches in college football history” on YouTube, those videos are filled with insane, acrobatic grabs from the past 30 or so years. But none of them came in a game this tight, with so much on the line, for a team barreling toward destiny. The first thought I had when I saw Cooper’s left foot stay inbounds was my quirky sports argument that the most clutch moment I’ve ever seen remains David Beckham’s last-second free kick to qualify England for the World Cup. It’s the circumstances that make moments so memorable.

Yes, Indiana likely would’ve qualified for the CFP had Cooper’s heel landed out of bounds and Indiana lost. But special moments in special seasons bloom when least expected, and Cooper smiled in the face of the impossible. — Christopher Kamrani

THE MOST INSANE TOE TAP YOU'LL SEE ALL SEASON Omar Cooper Jr. take a bow 👏@IndianaFootball pic.twitter.com/07MncUCK4d — FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 8, 2025

Alabama’s Tyrone Prothro vs. Southern Miss (2005)

Has anyone else on this list had a verb named after their catch? There’s getting Moss’d and there’s getting Prothro’d. The difference is a handful of defenders get Moss’d every week. This entire list should be named after Prothro.

I think I’ve seen only one defender get Prothro’d in the two