The U is back, both on the field and in the rankings as the No. 1 team in the land. After a chaotic Week 7 that saw the likes of Georgia and Notre Dame go down, Miami is back as the No. 1 team in the country.
It’s been quite some time since the Canes were last the top-ranked team in the country. In fact, the last time was 24 years ago, during the 2002 season. That year, the Canes were the defending national champions from the 2001 season.
Miami was loaded with talent and started the season as the preseason No. 1 team in the nation, ahead of Oklahoma, Florida State, Texas and Tennessee. Miami was ranked No. 1 for most of the season.
Let’s take a look at how stacked Miami’s roster was the last time it was ranked No. 1.
MORE: Sporting News 2026 Midseason All-America college football team
A look back at Miami’s stacked 2002 team
Miami was led by second-year head coach Larry Coker, who led the Canes to a national title his very first season in Coral Gables in 2001.
The Canes held on to its preseason No. 1 ranking for all but one week, dropping to No. 2 after Week 10. It came as a result of Miami’s sluggish 42-17 win over a 1-8 Rutgers, that the Canes trailed in the fourth quarter.
Still, Miami remained undefeated the rest of the season, and capped off the season with ranked wins over Pitt and Virginia Tech.
Offensively, the unit was led by quarterback Ken Dorsey, who threw for 3,369 yards with 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His leading receiver was Andre Johnson, who had 1,092 yards and nine touchdowns. Willis McGahee had 1,753 yards with 28 touchdowns on the ground.
The Canes secondary, led by Sean Taylor, had 12 interceptions on the season, Taylor getting four of those.
The Canes made it to the Fiesta Bowl in the BCS National Title game against Ohio State. The game went into overtime, with the Buckeyes winning 31-24 helped by a controversial pass interference call.
Here’s a look at each NFL draft selection that was on that team. There were a whopping 26 players on the team—more than a quarter of the entire roster—that went to the league.
| YEAR | ROUND | PLAYER | POS. | TEAM |
| 2003 | 1 | Andre Johnson | WR | Houston Texans |
| 2003 | 1 | Jerome McDougle | DE | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 2003 | 1 | Willis McGahee | RB | Buffalo Bills |
| 2003 | 1 | William Joseph | DT | New York Giants |
| 2003 | 3 | Andrew Williams | DE | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2003 | 4 | Jamaal Green | DE | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 2003 | 5 | Matt Walters | DT | New York Jets |
| 2003 | 7 | Ken Dorsey | QB | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2004 | 1 | Sean Taylor | S | Washington Redskins |
| 2004 | 1 | Kellen Winslow II | TE | Cleveland Browns |
| 2004 | 1 | Jonathan Vilma | LB | New York Jets |
| 2004 | 1 | D.J. Williams | LB | Denver Broncos |
| 2004 | 1 | Vernon Carey | T | Miami Dolphins |
| 2004 | 1 | Vince Wilfork | DT | New England Patriots |
| 2004 | 7 | Darrell McClover | LB | New York Jets |
| 2004 | 7 | Al Marshall | CB | Chicago Bears |
| 2004 | 7 | Carlos Joseph | OT | San Diego Chargers |
| 2005 | 1 | Antrel Rolle | CB | Arizona Cardinals |
| 2005 | 2 | Roscoe Parrish | WR | Buffalo Bills |
| 2005 | 6 | Chris Myers | G | Denver Broncos |
| 2006 | 1 | Kelly Jennings | CB | Seattle Seahawks |
| 2006 | 2 | Roger McIntosh | LB | Washington Redskins |
| 2006 | 3 | Eric Winston | T | Houston Texans |
| 2006 | 4 | Leon Williams | LB | Cleveland Browns |
| 2006 | 4 | Orien Harris | DT | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2006 | 5 | Marcus Maxey | S | Kansas City Chiefs |
Johnson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024, as a seven-time Pro Bowler with the Houston Texans. Across his 14 seasons in the NFL, he accounted for 1,062 receptions for 14,185 yards and 70 touchdowns.
Several of the guys won a Super Bowl in their NFL careers, with multiple Pro Bowls. Wilfork brought two Super Bowl championships to New England with Bill Belichick and made five Pro Bowls. Rolle won a Super Bowl with the Giants and was a three-time Pro Bowler. Vilma won a Super Bowl with New Orleans in 2010.
McGahee was in the NFL for 10 seasons and rushed for 8,474 yards across his career with the Ravens, Bills, Broncos and Browns.
Fast forward to 2026, and it’s unlikely that this Canes team will produce as much NFL talent. But there are several big NFL draft names to keep an eye on for 2027 and beyond. The biggest include star quarterback Darian Mensah, running backs Javian Mallory and Mark Fletcher and receiver Malachi Toney.
On defense, linebacker Mahomed Toure leads the way with 30 total tackles so far.
As for Miami’s chances at staying atop the rankings, the Canes are likely safe for the next few weeks, playing Pitt at home before a road trip to UNC on Oct. 31. The Canes then get arguably their biggest test, against No. 4 Notre Dame in South Bend on Nov. 7.
Even if Miami doesn’t hold on to the No. 1 ranking the rest of the season, it’s fun to see the Canes back in the top spot after so many years.
MORE: College football at midseason: How long is one second, plus the year of the dumb penalty
