Ed Reed 1998-2001
Reed entered Miami three years after Lewis’ departure. No player better epitomized the resurgence of Miami football better than Ed Reed.
Like some of the players that came before him, Reed was brash and aggressive. He was also one of the best safeties in the history of college football. In his last two seasons of college football Reed intercepted 17 passes and returned four for touchdowns.
Reed was a consensus first team All-American after the 2000 and 2001 seasons. The 2000 team fell a few percentage points shy of being able to play for the National Championship.
The 2001 Hurricanes came back with a vengeance becoming one of the most dominant teams in the history of college football. On a team with 38 players who would play in the NFL Reed was the leader of the defense.
Reed holds the Miami football record with 21 career interceptions and with 339 return yards. He was selected 24th overall in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Ravens. He joined Lewis on an already great Ravens defense.
Reed started all 16 games as a rookie. He recorded 85 tackles, five interceptions, one fumble recovery and one sack during the 2002 season.
Reed wound up starting 169 out of 174 games during his NFL Career. He would seem to be a sure Hall of Famer.
Reed was named to the 2002 NFL All-Rookie team, was the 2004 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a five-time first team All-Pro and was named to the NFL All-Decade team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Pro-Football Reference. He was also a part of the Ravens 2012 Super Bowl Championship team.