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Former college football stars from the 2002 season.
Flashback time. Let’s rewind to the 2002 college football season. NIL is distant thought. The transfer portal has yet to open. The playoff system we know and love today is still more than a decade out from inception. We’re just about five years into the BCS era.
Many of the stars that took the field have been forgotten. Even some of the most accomplished fail to withstand the test of time. We’re here to refresh your memories with a hodgepodge of random college football players that were once the face of the game.
Let’s recap the 2002 campaign. It was one that would end in dramatic fashion. Miami entered as the defending champion and preseason No. 1.
Oklahoma, Florida State, Texas, and Tennessee rounded out the Top 5. Fast forward to season’s end, and the Hurricanes had an opportunity to defend their title against a surging Buckeyes team with an unknown star in Maurice Clarett.
Miami appeared to win a second straight national championship with an overtime stop. A controversial pass interference call provided Ohio State new life. They’d later score and win in double overtime.
That championship game was littered with notable names, including future pros like Sean Taylor, Chris Gamble, Willis McGahee, Andre Johnson, and AJ Hawk. Those players have not been forgotten.
A few others from the season, however, have slipped through the cracks of memory. Their careers are now in the rearview, though they once shined on the gridiron.
19 Random College Football Players From 2002.
This list will consist of top performers from major and mid-major schools alike. I did this solely on random selection. There is no rhyme or reason.
Some went onto have successful pro careers. Others fizzled out. Each, however, owns a special spot in their fanbase’s heart.
Below are 19 players listed in alphabetical order accompanied by 2002 stats, team achievement, and career development.
Brad Banks – Iowa
Banks spent two seasons with Iowa after a transfer. The 2002 campaign was undoubtedly his best. The quarterback led the Hawkeyes to 11 wins and a Top 10 finish. He led the Big 10 in touchdown passes, efficiency, and yards per completion.
Banks’ biggest game came in an overtime win against Penn State in Happy Valley where he threw four touchdowns. He also led Iowa to a convincing victory over Michigan.
The passer finished second in the Heisman voting behind Carson Palmer. Despite success, he’d go undrafted and spend the majority of his time in the CFL and AFL.
Kyle Boller – California
Boller spent four seasons at Cal where he developed into an offensive threat in the PAC-10. After leading the league in interceptions as a freshman, he showed progression each year to follow. That culminated with a monster 2002 season.
The gunslinger ranked sixth in the NCAA with 28 touchdown passes. He posted career-highs in every major category. The Bears weren’t great, going 7-5 on the year, but Boller did lead wins over then-Top 25 teams Michigan State, Washington, and Arizona State.
He was later drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft and played eight pro seasons. Unfortunately, he never quite lived up to the hype.
Avon Cobourne – West Virginia
Cobourne was an absolute weapon out of the backfield for the Mountaineers between 1999-2002. He remains the program’s all-time leading rusher.
His senior year in Morgantown was his most accomplished. He racked up 1,710 yards to rank sixth in the NCAA. He also added 17 rushing scores.
West Virginia won nine games in the ’02 regular season capped by upset wins over Virginia Tech and Pitt. Cobourne recorded 100-yard performances in 10 of the team’s 13 contests.
At 5-8 and 200 pounds, he’d go undrafted in the NFL. His lone season came in ’03 with the Lions.
Jerricho Cotchery – NC State
Cotchery was a stud in back-to-back seasons for the Wolfpack. His breakout came in 2002 when he led the ACC in receiving. He was also the team’s leading return man, fielding 20 punts and taking one kickoff to the house.
His production would help NC State win 11 games during his junior year. He’d follow it up with an even better senior season before going onto a 12-year NFL career.
Cotchery ranks ninth all-time in ACC receiving and twice led the league in the category. His final pro season came in 2015 where he retired with the nearby Carolina Panthers.
Josh Cribbs – Kent State
Cribbs was a big play machine both in college and the NFL. The quarterback turned wide receiver made a name for himself under center at Kent State.
Cribbs was a dual threat that led the nation in yards per carry during the 2002 campaign. The Golden Flashes were not a good team that season, going just 3-9, but they’d improve under his guidance, winning 10 games across his final two years.
Cribbs remains the only player in college football history to lead his team in rushing and passing four consecutive years. He’s also one of just eight players to record 1,000 yards in both categories in multiple seasons.
Cribbs transitioned to wideout after moving onto the NFL. He is regarded as one of the best return men in the league’s history, ranking second all-time with eight scores on kickoffs.
Brock Forsey – Boise State
Forsey starred at Boise State for four seasons between 1999-2002. He earned conference player of the year honors in his final campaign.
The running back led the nation in touchdowns from scrimmage with 32, to go along with 1,611 rushing yards. He is still the school’s all-time leader in all-purpose yardage.
Forsey was selected in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He’d play his last season in 2004 with the Dolphins.
Quentin Griffin – Oklahoma
Griffin was a superstar in Norman for four seasons, earning him a spot at sixth in the school’s all-time rushing standings. He did much more than carry the football, though.
The tailback was a dangerous threat out of the backfield, too. Over his career, he racked up 1,217 receiving yards. He posted career highs in every offensive category in 2002.
That year, Griffin led the Big 12 with 1,884 rushing yards. It helped the Sooners win 12 games. He’d later be drafted in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos where he spent two seasons.
DeJuan Groce – Nebraska
Groce was a stud for the Cornhuskers both as a defender and a return man. A big play threat, the cornerback could flip momentum in an instant. He burst onto the scene in 2001 to help the team reach the national title game.
He then racked up a team-high four interceptions in 2002 to go along with a nation-leading four punt return touchdowns.
Groce was selected in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Rams. He’d play four pro seasons in the league.
DeAngelo Hall – Virginia Tech
Sticking in the defensive backfield, Hall embodied all that is “Beamer Ball” at Virginia Tech. The cornerback made immediate impacts as a freshman. He followed it up with a monster 2002 campaign.
That year, Hall intercepted four passes while leading the Big East in punt return touchdowns. It helped the Hokies win 10 games. The next year was more of the same. He even spent a little time on offense.
Hall was picked in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Falcons and played 14 seasons. Having a knack for finding the football, he is the league’s all-time leader in fumble return yardage. He scored 10 non-offensive touchdowns as a pro.
Taurean Henderson – Texas Tech
Henderson was the definition of a Swiss army knife in Texas Tech’s air raid offenses of the early 2000s. As a freshman in 2002, he flashed his big play potential right out of the gate.
The running back caught 98 passes for 633 yards. He also ran for 793 yards while finding the endzone a total of 13 times.
His production helped the Red Raiders win nine games, including upsets over Texas A&M and Texas. Henderson would follow his debut up with three more impressive seasons, capped by a senior year in which he led the Big 12 in rushing touchdowns and receptions.
Henderson remains the school’s all-time leader in both rushing touchdowns and catches. Unfortunately, his success didn’t translate to the NFL after going undrafted.
Jim Leonhard – Wisconsin
Leonhard was a freshman walk-on at the University of Wisconsin in 2001. By 2002, he was an All-American.
That year, the defensive back led the nation with 11 interceptions while setting a school record for punt return yardage. As a result, he was named a first-team All-American. He’d repeat the feat in 2003, again leading the Big Ten in picks, before moving onto the NFL after his senior year in 2004.
While undrafted, he carved out a 10-year NFL career and picked off 14 passes as a pro. Leonhard remains tied atop Wisconsin’s all-time interception standings.
Justin Miller – Clemson
Miller was an absolute thorn in the sides of both offensive play callers and special teams coordinators. The defensive back didn’t take long to make his presence known.
As a sophomore in 2002, he led the nation in kick return average while taking one back for a score. He also picked off an ACC-leading eight passes.
He’d follow it up with two more strong seasons with the Tigers before being selected in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Jets.
Miller played six years in the league and returned five kicks for scores.
Cody Pickett – Washington
In 2002, Cody Pickett was coming off of a sophomore year in which he led the PAC-10 in interceptions thrown. He’d flipped the script in a major way as a junior.
The signal caller threw for 4,458 yards and 28 scores, both of which were Top 10 marks in the NCAA. While the Huskies would go just 7-6, he did cap his season with an upset of rival Washington State which all but ended the Cougars’ national title hopes.
Pickett would record another 3,000-yard season as a senior in 2003 before being selected in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played two seasons with the 49ers.
Artose Pinner – Kentucky
Pinner was the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2002 after leading the league in rushing and touchdowns scored. His production helped the Wildcats knock off the likes of Louisville and Arkansas.
The year could’ve been much bigger with one-score losses to Florida and LSU, but it remains one for the record books for the former Kentucky tailback.
Pinner entered the ’02 campaign having totaled less than 700 career rushing yards. He doubled that output as a senior before being picked in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft.
Pinner would play five seasons as a pro, finding the endzone eight times.
Charles Rogers – Michigan State
Rogers was known commodity entering the 2002 season after a breakout 2001 campaign. With Michigan State, he racked up 12 receiving touchdowns as a sophomore. He was even more productive as a junior.
The wideout hauled in 68 catches for a Big 10 leading 1,351 yards to earn All-America honors. He also led the league in touchdowns receptions for a second straight year.
Rogers then left for the NFL where he was picked second overall by the Lions in 2003. He played just three seasons as a pro.
JR Tolver – San Diego State
Tolver was a relatively productive player for the Aztecs throughout his first three college campaigns. He became a national sensation as a senior in 2002.
The wideout led the country in receiving with 1,785 yards while hauling in 13 of his 18 career touchdowns. His receiving output nearly doubled that of his first three years.
Tolver was selected in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He was unable to replicate that success as a pro, though he remains the school’s all-time leader in receiving and catches.
Bobby Walker – Kansas State
Walker played two seasons at Kansas State, and 2002 was by far his best. The defensive back entered the year with one interception to his name. He’d leave the school with seven under his belt.
Having a nose for the endzone, he returned three of his six takeaways as a senior for touchdowns to lead a stingy Wildcat defense that allowed the fewest points in the nation.
Kansas State finished with a Top 10 ranking after a near-spotless regular season. The team went 11-2 with losses to Texas and Colorado coming by a combined seven points.
Despite all-conference recognition, he was not selected in the NFL Draft.
Roy Williams – Texas
Williams was a stud on a Texas football team that finished the year 11-2 and ranked inside the Top 10 nationally. The wideout racked up 1,142 yards as a junior in 2002. He also scored 12 of the Longhorns’ 26 touchdowns through the air.
Williams was a big play threat that ranks 25th in Big 12 history in yards per catch (since 1996). He led the conference in the statistic as a freshman and ranked fourth in his monster ’02 campaign.
The pass catcher would follow up his junior year with another 1,000-yard season before becoming a first round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. He played eight pro seasons and scored 44 times.
Rashaun Woods – Oklahoma State
Woods led the NCAA in receiving touchdowns as a junior in 2002. He also finished second in yards and fourth in catches.
His record setting production helped the Cowboys win eight games, knocking off the likes of Nebraska, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma. That final result ended the Sooners’ national championship dreams.
Woods earned All-America honors in the ’02 campaign. He followed it up with a 1,367-yard season as a senior where he again led the Big 12 in touchdown catches.
Woods ranks ninth all-time in the NCAA and first in Oklahoma State history with 42 career receiving scores. He’d be selected in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft but played just one season.