Greatest college football player born in each state
Several great players were born in West (by God) Virginia, and the state is home to Nick Saban, who is arguably the best college football coach of this generation. However, there is no question that the greatest college football player born in West Virginia is Randy Moss.
Moss’ college career got off to a rocky start. He signed with Notre Dame, but was denied enrollment due to an off-field incident in high school, and landed at Florida State where he was forced to sit out a year because he was considered a transfer. Moss was eventually dismissed from Florida State, and made his way back to his home state and signed with Marshall.
The Thundering Herd was in its final season as a member of NCAA Division 1-A, which made Moss immediately eligible, and he dominated. The 6-foot-4 Rand native tied Jerry Rice’s NCAA record with 28 touchdown catches, and gained 1,709 receiving yards on 78 receptions while helping Marshall win the national championship.
Moss was even better as a sophomore, and exploded onto the national scene with a consensus All-American season in 1997. He caught 96 passes for a nation-leading 1,820 yards and 26 touchdowns and won the Biletnikoff Award and was also named MAC Offensive Player of the Year. He finished fourth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.
Draft eligible because of the season he lost at Florida State, Moss declared for the NFL Draft and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round, and immediately set an NFL record for touchdown catches by a rookie (17), and later set the league record with 23 TDs. .
Other Notable College Football Players Born in West Virginia:
- Rich Braham, OL, West Virginia
- Marshall Goldberg, RB, Pitt
- Dennis Harrah, OL, Miami
- Curt Warner, RB, Penn State
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