College football reached new heights in the 2000s with legendary games and players that defined a generation.
The decade delivered iconic matchups that fans still talk about today. The 2003 Fiesta Bowl pitted undefeated Miami against Ohio State for the national title. Three years later, USC and Texas met in the Rose Bowl in another 1-versus-2 showdown.
Florida and Alabama faced off in back-to-back SEC championship games as the nation’s top two teams in 2008 and 2009.
Those teams featured players who became legends. Many earned spots on our All-America team for the 2000-09 decade. The offense includes two players each from Florida and Miami – programs that combined for three national titles during this span.
Tim Tebow takes the quarterback spot after winning the 2007 Heisman Trophy.
The defense features Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh, one of the most intimidating players of the era. Two more Hurricanes made the defensive unit, including safety Ed Reed.
SN140 ALL AMERICA TEAMS: 2020s | 2010s | 1990s | 1980s | 1970s | 1960s
SN 140 2000s All-America Team (2000-09)
Offense
QB: Tim Tebow, Florida
RB: LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU
RB: Darren McFadden, Arkansas
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Pitt
WR: Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
TE: Kellen Winslow II, Miami
T: Bryant McKinnie, Miami
G: Dan Mozes, West Virginia
C: Maurkice Pouncey, Florida
G: Steve Hutchinson, Michigan
T: Joe Thomas, Wisconsin
AP: Reggie Bush, USC
K: Mike Nugent, Ohio State
Star Power
Tebow ranked No. 2 on our CFB 150 all-time greatest players list in 2019. A panel of 53 voters made that selection.
Tomlinson rushed for 4,008 yards and 40 touchdowns during a two-year stretch from 1999-2000. Bush tallied 2,890 all-purpose yards in USC’s highlight-reel 2004 season.
Fitzgerald caught 92 passes for 1,672 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2003.
Crabtree set records with 134 catches for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2007.
Best Position Group
Quarterbacks. The 2000s represented a golden age for signal-callers who led championship-caliber teams for multiple seasons.
Tebow helped Florida win two national titles and posted a 26-4 record as a starter. USC’s Matt Leinart went 37-2 while Texas’ Vince Young finished 30-2. Neither quarterback earned Unanimous All-American honors despite their success.
Ohio State’s Troy Smith won the 2006 Heisman Trophy with a 25-3 record.
Texas’ Colt McCoy (45-8) and Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford (21-5) also deserved consideration. Boise State’s Kellen Moore compiled a 50-3 record from 2008-11.
Toughest Debate
Adrian Peterson vs. Darren McFadden. Both running backs scored 41 rushing touchdowns during their careers. Peterson made a huge impact for the Sooners.
But McFadden gets the nod after finishing second in Heisman Trophy voting in consecutive seasons from 2006-07. He averaged more yards per carry and accumulated more all-purpose yards as Arkansas’ do-it-all back.
McFadden delivered one of the decade’s signature performances against No. 1 LSU on Nov. 23, 2007. He rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns, then threw a 34-yard touchdown pass in a 50-48 triple-overtime thriller.
Defense
DL: Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
DL: Terrell Suggs, Arizona State
DL: Julius Peppers, North Carolina
DL: Glenn Dorsey, LSU
LB: Dan Morgan, Miami
LB: Derrick Johnson, Texas
LB: A.J. Hawk, Ohio State
CB: Derrick Strait, Oklahoma
CB: Terence Newman, Kansas State
S: Ed Reed, Miami
S: Eric Berry, Tennessee
P: Daniel Sepulveda, Baylor
Star Power
Suh finished fourth in 2007 Heisman Trophy voting after sweeping the Outland Trophy, Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award. Tebow won Sporting News Player of the Year that same season.
Peppers recorded 15 sacks in 2000. Suggs topped that with 24 sacks in 2002.
Reed anchored Miami’s 2000 national championship team. Berry stands as the only two-time Unanimous All-American on the defensive unit.
Best Position Group
Linebacker. The selection process required tough decisions at every spot.
Morgan and Hawk anchored national championship defenses. Johnson helped set up Texas for their title run one year later with 458 tackles from 2001-04.
Several outstanding players missed the cut. Oklahoma’s Teddy Lehman, Penn State’s Paul Posluszny, Ohio State’s James Laurinaitis and USC’s Rey Maualuga all received consideration.
Florida’s Brandon Spikes and Alabama linebackers DeMeco Ryans and Rolando McClain also deserved discussion.
Toughest Debate
Safety. Reed and Berry might seem like obvious choices, but other candidates pushed them hard.
Oklahoma’s Roy Williams swept the Nagurski Trophy and Thorpe Award in 2001. He delivered one of the most memorable individual efforts in Red River Rivalry history.
Miami’s Sean Taylor and Texas’ Michael Huff also earned consideration.
Was Williams’ performance better than Reed’s famous play against Boston College? Reed took the ball from his own teammate for a defensive touchdown.
Fun Fact
Tomlinson became the first running back to rush for more than 400 yards in a single game against UTEP on Nov. 20, 1999.
He finished with 406 yards and six touchdowns. Tomlinson ran for 287 yards in the second half alone.
That performance ranks fourth all-time behind Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine (427), Buffalo’s Jarret Patterson (409) and Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon (408).
