At Florida State: All-American candidate who returns for his third season of starting duties...will be making a come back from offseason reconstructive knee surgery...injury occurred in Florida State's national championship Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech...rehabilitation is ahead of schedule and he should be ready to play early in the 2000 season...led the Seminoles with 109 tackles a year ago and earned first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorshas excellent vision and anticipation...has a knack for being around the ball...great speed gives him the ability to cover backs out of the backfield...blocked two punts last year including a pivotal one in the national title game that was recovered by Jeff Chaney for a touchdown against Virginia Tech. Junior Year (1999): Had an outstanding junior season when he led Florida State with 109 tackles...67 tackles were solos...also had six stops for loss...earned first team All-ACC accolades...had three tackles, including a stop for loss, in the first half of the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee...named ACC Defensive Lineman/Linebacker of the Week after recording eight tackles and recovering a fumble against Wake Forest...had a career-high 16 tackles in the win over Maryland...made 11 stops, including two for loss in the season-ending victory at Florida...had four other 10-plus tackle games - Georgia Tech (12), NC State (10), Miami (12) and Clemson (10)...broke up five passes, caused three fumbles and recovered two...also had three sacks...blocked punts against Florida and Virginia Tech. Sophomore Year (1998): Started 12 of 13 games at both outside linebacking posts...missed the Wake Forest game with a shoulder injury...ranked fifth on the team with 59 total tackles (37 solo)...had two tackles for loss against UNC and five on the season...intercepted his first career pass at Miami...earned Tomahawk Player of the Game honors against Texas A&M and Miami...recovered a fumble against Texas A&M that set up a Sebastian Janikowski field goal...recorded a team-high 10 tackles vs. UNC...tallied five knock 'em backs on the year...broke up passes against Miami and Clemson...garnered Victor's Club honors against Texas A&M, Duke, Maryland, Miami, Clemson and Florida... Redshirt Freshman Year (1997): Totaled 21 tackles with 13 solo stops in first year of action...played in all 12 games and had at least one tackle in eight games...named ACC Rookie of the Week against Duke as he recorded a season-high six tackles and had a sack along with a blocked punt that resulted in a Derrick Gibson touchdown...totaled five tackles in 47-0 win over Miami...named the defense's top newcomer following spring drills...spent some time at tight end before making the permanent move to linebacker... Freshman Year (1996): Redshirted along with most of his class. High School: Hailed as one of the top prep athletes in the nation during his senior year at Dunbar High, which is regarded as one of the top producers of basketball talent in the country...USA Today’s Player-of-the-Year in Maryland after recording 208 tackles (136 solo), 16 sacks and eight interceptions as a senior...also caught 34 passes for 567 yards and three TDs...considered the state’s top college football prospect...led his team to back-to-back state championships as a junior and senior ...named Baltimore area Defensive Player-of-the-Year after both his junior and senior campaigns ...also regarded as one of the country’s top 60 basketball prospects...led the Poets to four straight state titles...averaged 20.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game as a senior...chose the Seminoles over Southern Cal, Syracuse, Maryland and Florida ... Personal: Turned in a 40-yard dash time of 4.52 during spring testing...attended the same high school as former FSU basketball star Sam Cassell...one of the tallest linebackers in school history...born January 11, 1978...a social science major.
Polley's Career Statistics
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