With the 2023 NFL regular season ending soon, two of ESPN's NFL Sunday Countdown studio analysts received significant news. It has been announced that 2018 NFL Hall of Fame inductee, 2000's NFL All Decade team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time team member, and arguably the most talented wide receiver to ever play in the NFL, Randy Moss, will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame 2024 class alongside coworker, former three time Pro-Bowl quarterback Alex Smith, per The Athletic.
Both players enjoyed substantially impactful collegiate careers before embarking on further success in the NFL. This comes as no surprise to those who were alive to watch Moss play at Marshall in the late 90's before he was selected in the 1998 Draft 21st overall by the Minnesota Vikings.
Randy Moss' college career
There might not have been a more awe-inspiring wide receiver at the collegiate level ever. In two seasons after redshirting his freshman year as a transfer from FSU by way of Notre Dame, he racked up an unreal 174 receptions for 3,529 receiving yards and 54 touchdowns whilst averaging 20.3 yards per catch in only 28 games.
He even scored a rushing touchdown, returned kicks, and when not dominating the gridiron, ran the 200 meter race in a blistering near conference record 21.15 seconds. He and quarterback Chad Pennington formed one of the most unstoppable duos at the collegiate level.
Often the term “generational prospect” is thrown around rather whimsically at any athlete with a modicum of hype but few encapsulated the phrase better than Randy Moss coming up. The on field output by Moss while at Marshall is stuff one could only achieve in a NCAA Football video game with the difficulty settings at the lowest level.
His amazing production was effectively recognized by the NCAA in his final season for the Thundering Herd in 1997. He won the Biletnikoff award for the best wide receiver in the nation, selected as an Unanimous All American, the MAC conference Offensive Player and Most Valuable Player, along with finishing 4th in one of the most iconic Heisman races in College Football History, via ESPN.
It's frankly shocking it took the College Football Hall of Fame this long to induct Moss but they couldn't have made a better selection. Before he was Mossing herculean grown men at the professional level, Moss was terrorizing future car dealership salesmen at the collegiate level. It's no greater joy as a sports fan than watching transcendent talents like Randy Moss.
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