USC-Texas: The 50 Best NFL Careers to Come out of the Legendary 2006 Rose Bowl

The BCS National Championship Game that capped the 2005 college football season had it all. Two undefeated teams daring each other to blink. Two blue-blood programs vying for supremacy in the world-famous Rose Bowl. The top three finishers in that year’s Heisman voting, each just months away from making the jump to the pros. As Texas and USC meet again for the first time 11 years later, Longhorns 41, Trojans 38 still holds a special place in the legend of the sport. Predictably, those two teams produced a ridiculous amount of NFL talent. In total, 62 players on those rosters—35 from USC, 27 from Texas—appeared in at least one NFL regular season game, while seven coaches went on to ply their craft in the professional ranks. Fourteen players went on to be selected in the first round, and 38 were picked in the third round or earlier. Here, in no particular order, are the 50 players and coaches who enjoyed the most notable NFL careers after that unforgettable game. — by Daniel Rapaport

SI Staff | Sep 15, 2017

USC-Texas: The 50 Best NFL Careers to Come out of the Legendary 2006 Rose Bowl /

USC-Texas: The 50 Best NFL Careers to Come out of the Legendary 2006 Rose Bowl

Vince Young, QB, Texas

Against USC, Young produced what might be the greatest big-game performance in college football history: 30 for 40 for 267 yards through the air and 19 rushes for 200 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, without a single turnover. Young leapfrogged Leinart and was selected third overall by the Titans in 2006, then was named to the Pro Bowl and won Rookie of the Year that season. He would make another Pro Bowl in 2009 and finished his career with 8,964 passing yards, 46 touchdowns and 51 interceptions to go along with 1,459 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

Reggie Bush, RB, USC

The NCAA took away his Heisman Trophy from the 2005 season, but no one will ever forget USC-era Reggie Bush. He was the most exciting player in college football by far that year, a do-everything back capable of turning any mundane play into an all-time highlight. The second overall pick in the 2006 draft, Bush enjoyed a solid career that frustrated many who expected him to sustain his electric talents at the next level, posting career numbers of 5,490 rushing yards, 3,598 receiving yards and 48 total touchdowns.

Matt Leinart, QB, USC

Leinart likely would have been the No. 1 pick had he left school after USC pounded Oklahoma to win the national championship in 2005, but he decided to stay for his senior year. He finished third in the Heisman voting but fell to the tenth overall pick, where he was selected by the Cardinals. Leinart struggled with injuries throughout his seven-year NFL career, the vast majority of which he spent as a backup.

Brian Orakpo, LB, Texas

A unanimous All-America in 2008, Orakpo was selected by the Redskins with the 13th pick in 2009 and had 11 sacks in his rookie season, earning him a Pro Bowl nod. Orakpo has made the Pro Bowl in all but one season in which he played more than seven games. Last season, he had 10.5 sacks as defensive captain for the Titans.

LenDale White, RB, USC

The “Thunder” portion of USC’s “Thunder and Lightning” two-pronged running back attack—Bush was “Lightning”—White rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns in the Rose Bowl. That type of production prompted the Titans to take White in the second round in 2006, and he rushed for a combined 1,883 yards and 22 touchdowns in the ’07 and ’08 seasons. But White struggled to keep his weight down, was out of the NFL after 2009 and recently revealed his struggles with painkillers and suicidal thoughts in the aftermath of his football career.

Ahmard Hall, FB, Texas

The fullback spent six pro seasons with the Titans, serving primarily as a blocker and a special teams player. He only had 24 rushing attempts over his career, totaling 80 yards and two touchdowns, and last appeared in a regular season game in 2011.

Jordan Shipley, WR, Texas

Shipley was a redshirt freshman when Texas won the national title, but he was a consensus All-America in 2009. That led the Bengals to draft the wide receiver in the third round in ‘10. Shipley enjoyed a solid rookie season, posting 52 catches for 600 yards and three touchdowns, but he would struggle with injuries and play only eight more games after his rookie campaign. In total, Shipley finished his career with 79 receptions, 858 yards and four touchdowns.

Quan Cosby, WR, Texas

In 2009, as a 27-year-old rookie, Cosby led the NFL in kick return yards with 474. Cosby would stick around the league for three more years as a return specialist.

Tarell Brown, CB, Texas

Brown played primarily on special teams during his first four years as a pro before starting every game at cornerback for the 49ers in the 2011 and ‘12 seasons. After seven years in San Francisco, Brown started 14 games for Oakland and wrapped his career with an injury-shortened season with the Patriots in ‘15, retiring with 310 tackles, 11 interceptions and a touchdown.

Jamaal Charles, RB, Texas

Charles was a freshman when Texas played USC, contributing five carries for 34 yards. He became a focal point of the offense after Young’s departure and was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2008 draft. In Kansas City, Charles developed into one of the NFL’s best players, earning four Pro Bowl selections and two First-team All-Pros. Back-to-back knee injuries ended his seasons in 2015 and 2016, and Charles is now with the Denver Broncos.

Roy Miller, DT, Texas

A first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2008, Miller was selected in the third round of the 2009 draft by the Buccaneers. The nose tackle has stuck around the league—after four years in Tampa Bay and four more in Jacksonville, he signed with the Chiefs before this season.

Dwayne Jarrett, WR, USC

Jarrett led USC with 10 receptions, 121 yards and a score in the Rose Bowl. He could be considered one of the bigger busts from this Trojans team: A two-time consensus All-American, he went pro after his junior season but dropped to the second round because of an underwhelming 40-yard dash. Jarrett had two DUI arrests as a pro, leading to his release. He finished a disappointing NFL career with 35 receptions for 428 yards and a single touchdown.

Lyle Sendlein, C, Texas

 Sendlein signed with the Cardinals shortly after the 2007 draft, then won the starting job before his second season and started 122 out of a possible 128 games over the next eight seasons.

Tim Crowder, DE, Texas

After a four-sack rookie season, Crowder failed to establish himself in Denver and was cut after his second year. He’d play three more years and start 13 games for the Buccaneers, and finished his career as a 26-year-old with 10.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Limas Sweed, WR, Texas

Texas’ second-leading pass-catcher in that magical season, Sweed was initially projected to be one of the first receivers taken in the 2008 draft before his stock fell due to a wrist injury. He was a bust at the NFL level, struggling to establish himself in Pittsburgh before suffering a career-ending Achilles tear. For his career, Sweed managed just seven catches for 69 yards and did not score a touchdown.

David Thomas, TE, Texas

Thomas was Texas’ leading receiver for the 2005 season and led the Longhorns in the Rose Bowl with 10 receptions for 88 yards. Thomas spent three seasons as a block-first tight end in New England, then signed with the Saints in ‘09 and caught 35 passes that year as the Saints won the Super Bowl. He finished his career with 102 receptions, 938 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

Aaron Ross, CB, Texas

Ross’s fumble on a first-quarter punt return set up USC’s first score of the night. He won the Thorpe Award as college football’s top defensive back in 2006 and went on to start in both of the Giants’ Super Bowl victories over the Patriots.

Pete Carroll, head coach, USC

Carroll went 97-19 in nine seasons at USC and brought two national titles to Los Angeles. Shortly before NCAA sanctions were levied on the program, Carroll bolted to the NFL to coach the Seahawks, whom he guided to a Super Bowl XLVIII victory and has led to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons in charge.

Justin Blalock, G, Texas

Blalock was named the Big 12’s top offensive lineman in 2006, then started 125 games for the Falcons before he was released in February ’15 and retired before the following season.

Henry Melton, RB, Texas

At 250-plus pounds, Melton never quite looked the part of a running back, though he did rush for 625 yards and 16 touchdowns in two seasons at Texas. Melton switched to defensive end before the 2007 season and went on to make the Pro Bowl in ’12, totaling 22.5 sacks and four forced fumbles over his six-year career.

Michael Griffin, S, Texas

Griffin’s end-zone interception of Leinart proved pivotal, leading to the Longhorns’ first touchdown of the game. He was the second safety taken in the 2007 draft and quickly established himself as a starter, missing only three games in nine seasons in Tennessee.

Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

McCoy, who redshirted during the 2005 season and was injured in Texas’s next national title game appearance in 2010, was drafted by the Browns the third round in 2010. His career as a backup began in ’12 when Cleveland opted to start Brandon Weeden, and after a stint with the 49ers McCoy has settled in as Kirk Cousins’s backup in Washington.

Ken Norton Jr., linebackers coach, USC

Norton followed Carroll to the Seahawks, where he served as the linebackers coach for five seasons. In 2015, he became the defensive coordinator for the Raiders, a position he holds currently.

Cedric Griffin, CB, Texas

Texas’ top corner in 2005, Griffin spent his first five NFL seasons with Minnesota. In the 2010 NFC Championship game against the Saints, he tore the ACL in his left knee, then tore the ACL in his other knee three games into the next season. He had eight interceptions and forced 16 fumbles over his seven-year career.

Brian Robison, DE, Texas

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After serving primarily as a backup in his first five seasons with the Vikings, Robison won a starting job in 2011 and started an incredible 95 out of 96 games through from ‘11 to ‘16. He signed an extension with the Vikings before this season that will keep him in Minnesota through ‘18.

Michael Huff, S, Texas

Huff was the anchor of Texas’ defense in that national championship season before going seventh overall to the Raiders in the 2006 draft. Huff appeared in 108 out of a possible 112 games in six seasons in Oakland, making 11 interceptions along the way.

Steve Sarkisian, assistant head coach and QB coach, USC

Sarkisian left USC to become Washington’s head coach in 2009, then returned to replace Kiffin. Sarkisian went 9–4 in his first season at USC, but things got ugly the next year—after a 3–2 start, reports that Sarkisian had missed meetings, showed up to practice intoxicated and even coached while drunk led to his firing. He entered a treatment facility to combat his drinking problem, reemerged at Alabama and then took over for the departed Kiffin calling plays for Alabama in last year’s CFP title game. Sarkisian took the Falcons’ offensive coordinator job in the offseason.

Lane Kiffin, offensive coordinator, USC

Kiffin parlayed his role building a historically explosive offense to a rocky tenure with the Raiders as the youngest head coach in NFL history, then returned to the college ranks to coach Tennessee, where he spent one season before accepting his dream job: head coach at USC. After three seasons as the offensive coordinator at Alabama, Kiffin became the head coach at Florida Atlantic this winter.

Kevin Thomas, CB, USC

Thomas, the cornerback whom Vince Young beat to the pylon for the game-winning touchdown, was a third-round pick by the Colts in 2010 but missed his rookie season due to a knee injury. He played one season in the NFL.

Winston Justice, OT, USC

A second-round selection by the Eagles in 2006, Justice allowed six sacks to Giants star Osi Umenyiora in his first NFL game, prompting Eagles teammate Hugh Douglas to rip him: “If they don’t bit when they’re a puppy, they won’t bit when they’re a grown dog. To me, he’s not even a football player.” Justice rebounded to play well enough to earn a four-year contract extension in 2009.

Dominique Byrd, TE, USC

Byrd went in the third round of the 2006 draft but never broke through. He spent time with the Rams, Cardinals, Seahawks and Redskins, totaling six receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown for his career.

Patrick Turner, WR, USC

Turner had an ideal frame for an outside receiver—which explains why he went in the third round despite mediocre numbers at USC—but lacked the explosiveness necessary to create space in the NFL. Turner managed only 10 catches for 122 yards and one touchdown over four seasons.

Fili Moala, DE, USC

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Moala, a second-round pick in 2009, appeared in 64 games with the Colts but managed only 3.5 sacks and did not force a fumble. He did not appear in an NFL regular-season game after his rookie deal with Indianapolis expired.

Chilo Rachal, G, USC

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Rachal had ideal size for an NFL guard. A second-round pick in 2008, he was a starter for three years with the 49ers and opened the ‘12 season with the Bears before an injury ended his NFL career.

Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC

Ellis was a unanimous All-America in 2007, then was taken seventh overall by the Saints in 2008. Primarily a lane-clogger, Ellis was a solid starter for five years with New Orleans, managing 12.5 sacks and 173 tackles. He signed a one-year deal with the Bears in 2013, but he did not report to training camp and retired shortly after his 28th birthday.

Lawrence Jackson, DE, USC

Jackson was selected by the Seahawks with the 28th pick in 2008 and became a solid contributor to the Seahawks’ pre-Legion of Boom defense. When all was said and done, Jackson posted 141 tackles, 19.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in five seasons.

Keith Rivers, LB, USC

Rivers’ NFL career was plagued by injuries from the start. Hines Ward delivered a crack block that broke his jaw and forced him to miss the final nine games of his rookie season, but he would go on to play 55 more games. He never made good on the potential the Bengals saw when they spent the No. 9 pick on him.

Sam Baker, OT, USC

Baker was a three-time first-team All-America at USC, but he struggled to stay healthy during his NFL career, starting 61 games across seven seasons in Atlanta. A torn patella tendon in 2014 ended his career.

Deuce Lutui , G, USC

This mammoth guard from Tonga was a consensus All-America in 2005 and started 80 games in the NFL, mostly at right guard for the Cardinals.

Frank Okam, DT, Texas

Okam was the only player on either team to record a sack in the national championship game. The defensive tackle was selected in the fifth round of the 2008 draft by the Texans and played parts of six seasons, though he never appeared in more than nine games in one year.

Fred Davis, TE, USC

Davis won the Mackey Award as college football’s top tight end in 2007 and was selected in the second round of the ‘08 draft by the Redskins. Davis spent six years in Washington, posting 2,043 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns for a more than respectable career.

Steve Smith, WR, USC

While Smith was limited to three catches for 29 yards against Texas, he turned in an All-America season in 2006 and was a second-round pick by the Giants in ’07. Often overshadowed by longtime Panthers standout Steve Smith, he caught five passes for 50 yards in Super Bowl XLII and posted 1220 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in ‘09.

Frostee Rucker, DE, USC

Rucker’s NFL stats won’t blow you away, but he’s found away to hang around the league for twelve years as a third-round pick. Rucker signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals in March.

Rey Maualuga, LB, USC

A second-round pick by the Bengals in 2009, Maualuga appeared in 114 games in eight seasons for Cincinnati, tallying 585 career tackles and six forced fumbles before the team cut him in March. He opened the 2017 season on the Dolphins.

Ryan Kalil, C, USC

Kalil was selected in the second round by the Panthers in 2007 and became a full-time starter in his second year. Since then, he has started 121 games at center and earned five Pro Bowl selections. He was named first-team All-Pro in ‘13 and ‘15 and was ranked the 79th best player in the NFL by his peers in ‘16.

Brian Cushing, LB, USC

Cushing was the No. 15 pick in the 2009 draft and immediately became the Texans’ starting middle linebacker. In his rookie season, Cushing tied for the league lead in tackles with Ray Lewis and was named a Pro Bowl starter, and he’s been a mainstay in the Texans defense since then—though he was just suspended 10 games for running afoul of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, his second such violation.

Mark Sanchez, QB, USC

Mark-Sanchez-USC-TX-Andy Lyons.jpg — Andy Lyons/Getty Images

A freshman during the 2005 season, Sanchez was the third QB on USC’s depth chart, behind Leinart and John David Booty. He redshirted that season, but did enough during the 2008 season to be selected fifth overall by the Jets. He started his career as an adept game manager, guiding the Jets to back-to-back appearances in the AFC Championship Game, but his tendency to turn the ball over turned him from a starter to a backup, and he may well have played his last down in the NFL.

Terrell Thomas, CB, USC

The Giants picked the speedy cornerback with the final pick of the second round in 2008. Thomas had a solid start to his pro career, starting 31 of 32 possible games and making 10 interceptions across the 2009 and ‘10 seasons. But then the injury bug struck, and Thomas would not appear again in an NFL game until ‘13.

Clay Matthews, LB, USC

Matthews completed the rare transformation from walk-on to first-round pick. The Packers selected him with the 26th pick in the 2009 draft, and Matthews wasted no time validating that selection, earning Pro Bowl nods in five of his first six seasons. He remains one of the NFL’s premier edge rushers, and he has the best hair in the league.

Dallas Sartz, LB, USC

Sartz was a captain for USC in his junior and senior seasons before he was selected by the Redskins in the fifth round in 2007. Despite that strong leadership pedigree, Sartz never appeared in an NFL regular-season game.

Published Sep 15, 2017

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