Penn State Football: Top 10 Players of the 2000's

#5 Larry Johnson (Running Back, 1999-2002): The top five is here. The best of the best from the 2000's. It was tough to think of all the players that deserve to be on this list and coming up with a top five was even tougher. Coming in at number five is a State College product, Larry Johnson, son of defensive line coach Larry Johnson Sr. Under Joe Paterno, young players didn't see the field much but Johnson was special player and got his touches, mainly on special teams. In his senior year of 2002, the hometown Johnson would have a season to remember. He wasn't your average college running back; listed at 6'2" 222lbs, LJ as they called him had the ability to run up the middle and take the contact and keep going. He was also able to bounce it to the outside and outrun the defense. In the second game of the season in front of a Beaver Stadium record 110,753 people, the Nittany Lions handed the seventh ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers a 40-7 loss. In the win, Johnson carried the ball 19 times for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. Over the course of the next ten games he go on to eclipse 2,000 yards on the ground. His highest single-game total came in a win on the road against Indiana in which he would set a school record 327 yards and 4 touchdowns. Including that game, Johnson would have four games over 200 yards rushing along with 20 rushing touchdowns.

At the end of season the senior was recognized as one of the best players in the country. If not the best. The Heisman Finalist would take home some major awards including the Maxwell Award (Nation's Most Outstanding Player), the Doak Walker Award (Nation's Top Running Back), and was named the Walter Camp Player of the Year. The night after receiving those awards he would watch as South California quarterback Carson Palmer would take home the Heisman Trophy and Johnson finished 3rd in the voting behind Palmer and Iowa quarterback Brad Banks. 

The argument can be made that Johnson should have won the award after having the season he did and how impressive he made it look. Unfortunately for him, his team only managed nine victories that season which would hurt his chances. Nonetheless, the State College native had one of the best seasons in Penn State football history and will go down as one of the greatest offensive players in program history. 
Career Achievements:
-Unanimous All-American (2002)
-First-team All-Big Ten (2002)
-Doak Walker Award (2002)
-Jim Brown Award (2002)
-Maxwell Award (2002)
-Walter Camp Award (2002)
-27th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft by Kansas City