Safety Ed Reed was the leader of the Miami Hurricanes team that finished second in the country in 2000 and won the 2001 National Championship. With any consideration of the best player in college football, Reed should be mentioned, especially when narrowing the field to only defense.
Few players were the leaders of a team that accomplished more than Miami did during the final two seasons Ed Reed played with the Hurricanes. A 34-29 loss at Washington in September 2000 prevented Miami from playing in three straight BCS Championship games. The 2000 Miami Hurricanes finished the season 11-1.