Fansided

Whatever happened to these 30 forgotten college football superstars?

By Dante Pryor

Peter Warrick #9 of the Florida State Seminoles: (Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport)
Peter Warrick #9 of the Florida State Seminoles: (Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport) /
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1 Jan 2001: Roy Williams #38 of the Oklahoma Sooners jumps to catch the ball as teammate J.T. Thatcher #15. Robert Morgan #87 of the Florida State Seminoles is next to him during the Orange Bowl Game at the Pro Players Stadium in Miami, Florida. The Sooners defeated the Seminoles 13-2.Mandatory Credit: Eliot J. Schechter /Allsport
1 Jan 2001: Roy Williams #38 of the Oklahoma Sooners jumps to catch the ball as teammate J.T. Thatcher #15. Robert Morgan #87 of the Florida State Seminoles is next to him during the Orange Bowl Game at the Pro Players Stadium in Miami, Florida. The Sooners defeated the Seminoles 13-2.Mandatory Credit: Eliot J. Schechter /Allsport /

28. Roy Williams, defensive back, Oklahoma

Roy Williams gets forgotten because safeties don’t play the way he played the game anymore. There is little need for a thumping in the box safety with so many teams spreading the field with three and four wide receivers. Though Williams was solid in coverage, it was not the strength of his game.

Williams was a solid pro during his nine-year NFL career. During his NFL career, most of it with the Dallas Cowboys, Williams was a five-time Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro in 2003. Williams would runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2002.

A herniated disc and forearm injuries cut Williams’ professional career short.

Before the California native was drafted eighth by the Dallas Cowboys, Williams was an All-American at the Oklahoma University. In 2000, Williams was a starter on the Sooners’ BCS Championship team.

In that game, Williams set the single-game record for tackles by a defensive back with 12. That performance would be a harbinger of things to come. As a junior, Williams would win the Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defensive player and the Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back.

Williams named the Big 12 Player of the Year and a consensus All-American.

That same season, Williams would make one of the most iconic plays in Oklahoma history. Timing the snap perfectly, Williams lept from the blindside, jarring the ball loose, and linebacker Teddy Lehman scooped the ball, preserving the 14-3 win against rival Texas.

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