In a tournament-style format that was “Determining college football’s best player since 2000.” Miami Hurricanes legendary safety Ed Reed is the 12th seed. Reed should be ranked higher based on the impact he had on the Miami defense during the first two seasons of a three-year run finishing ranked in the top two.
Ed Reed was the unquestioned best player on the 2001 Miami Hurricanes national championship team. The 2001 Hurricanes are considered by most experts the best team in the history of college football. No one had as much talent as the 2001 Miami football team. Reed had 44 tackles, 18 pass breakups and nine interceptions in 2001.
On the 2000 Miami team that finished the season ranked second nationally, Reed had 80 tackles, 23 pass breakups and eight interceptions. Reed had two interceptions returns for touchdowns in each of his last two collegiate seasons. The most memorable touchdown for Reed came in a critical 2001 win over Boston College.
Reed is the 12th ranked player out of the top 16 mentioned by 247 Sports. Former Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield, Texas A&M signal-caller Johnny Manziel and Penn State running back Sequon Barkley were ranked behind Reed. Only Barkley among those three did not win a Heisman Trophy.
"5. Adrian Peterson vs. 12. Ed ReedReed is the second and final defensive player in this bracket, and he certainly earned his way into the competition. As a defensive back at the University of Miami, Reed was a ball hawk. In 2000, Reed intercepted eight passes and scored two touchdowns off of those turnovers.The following year, the former Hurricane picked off nine passes and again returned two of them for touchdowns. Even with his 21 career interceptions, Reed couldn’t get past Peterson. The former Oklahoma running back finished second on the Heisman Trophy ballot in 2004 and ran all over Big 12 defenses.Winner: Adrian Peterson"
Peterson never won a Heisman Trophy and Oklahoma never earned the National Championship in the three seasons Peterson played for the Sooners. Football is the ultimate team sport, but few players have meant more to their teams in the history of college football than Reed. Reed was the soul of Miami football in the early 2000s.
Reed was named a second-team safety on the all-time college football team for the 150th anniversary of the sport in 2019 by ESPN. Peterson did not make the cut. This isn’t as much about Reed being better than Peterson, but 247 had them matched up if they were facing off on the field.
The 2001 Miami roster was loaded with 37 NFL Draft picks and 17 first-round picks. Taking Reed off the roster completely changes the defense. Sean Taylor was the backup to Reed, but a year away from starting in 2001. Reed is unquestionably one of the most valuable players to his team in college football history.