It can be easy for Florida State fans to overlook Kendyll Pope. Although he earned a national championship ring, he redshirted during the Seminoles’ title season of 1999, and played the rest of his career largely overshadowed by Darnett Dockett. But defenses that forgot about Pope did so at their own peril.
Pope wasted little time in putting the nation on notice after continuing the tradition of Columbia High School defenders to head to Tallahassee from Lake City, Florida— like Brian Allen and Reinard Wilson. He helped lead the ’Noles to the national title game following the 2000 season as a redshirt freshman, earning first-team Freshman All-American nods from both Football News and The Sporting News.