Independence Bowl Announces Players 21 through 25 on 50th Anniversary All-Time Team

Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (Independence Bowl All-Time Team player No. 23) makes a tackle in the 2023 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. He was named the 2023 Defensive Player of the Game (Photo: Independence Bowl archives).

SHREVEPORT, La. (July 23, 2026) – The Independence Bowl’s reveal of its 50th Anniversary All-Time team is entering the top half of the list, as players 25 through 21 were announced on July 23.

The final group of five before the list begins its release of individual players for the top 20 includes two star wide receivers from Nick Saban’s 1995 Michigan State team, two College Football Hall of Famers and one of the most recent members of the All-Time Team. Players 25 through 21 include:

No. 25 – Muhsin Muhammad (WR – Michigan State, 1995)

Muhammad was one of three great wideouts to play in the 1995 Independence Bowl – alongside teammate Derrick Mason and LSU’s Eddie Kennison. Muhammad lit up LSU’s defense to the tune of nine catches for 171 yards and one touchdown (TD). The 1995 season was the best of his career in East Lansing, as he hauled in 50 catches for 867 yards for the Nick Saban-led Spartans. Muhammad was selected in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft after that breakout season, and he established himself as a star for the Carolina Panthers. He was named to two Pro Bowls (1999 and 2004) and earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2004. He was the NFL’s receptions leader in 2000, grabbing 102 passes for 1,183 yards. The premier season of his career was 2004, when he led the NFL in receiving yards (1,405) and 16 receiving TDs (16). Muhammad was also a force in the Panthers’ run to the Super Bowl in 2003. He had 352 yards receiving in four playoff games, including the longest TD reception in Super Bowl history against the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Muhammad was inducted into the Carolina Panthers Hall of Honor in 2003.

No. 24 – Tim Krumrie (NG – Wisconsin, 1982)

Krumrie is one of the early members and one of the many College Football Hall of Famers to make this list. He played in the Independence Bowl – before defensive statistics were recorded – and was named the 1982 Defensive Player of the Game, as he led a Wisconsin defense that held Kansas State to 192 total yards and just three points. From the day he stepped on campus in Madison, Krumrie was a star at nose tackle for the Badgers – leading Wisconsin in tackles all four seasons he played. He was a three-time All-Big Ten selection, a 1981 consensus All-American and 1982 first-team All-American. Krumrie still holds the Wisconsin record for solo tackles in a career (276). A 10th-round selection in the 1983 NFL Draft, Krumrie’s success did not stop after college. Racking up over 1,000 tackles in 12 seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals, he made two Pro Bowl appearances in 1987 and 1988, and he was named first-team All-Pro in 1988 and second-team All-Pro in 1987. Krumrie is a member of the Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor.

No. 23 – Jacob Rodriguez (LB – Texas Tech, 2023)

Rodriguez is one of the most decorated linebackers to play in the Independence Bowl, despite being one of the youngest players on the All-Time Team. After beginning his college career at Virginia in 2021 as a quarterback, Rodriguez transferred to Texas Tech in 2022 and switched to linebacker. The 2023 Independence Bowl was one of the launching points of his career. Against future Heisman Trophy-winner Fernando Mendoza and California, Rodriguez stuffed the stat sheet – recording eight total tackles, one forced fumble (FF), one interception and one pass breakup (PBU) on his way to being named 2023 Defensive Player of the Game. The next season, 2024, he continued his ascension to greatness, as he was named first-team All-Big 12, and it all came together in 2025 with one of the best seasons by a college linebacker in recent memory. Leading one of the best defenses in college football, Rodriguez compiled 63 solo tackles (leading the Big 12), 128 combined tackles, four interceptions, 11 tackles-for-loss, six PBU, two fumble recoveries and seven FF – leading the FBS in FF. He subsequently won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, and he was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, a unanimous All-American and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Rodriguez was drafted in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.

No. 22 – Garrison Hearst (RB – Georgia, 1991)

Hearst, the Independence Bowl’s newest member of the College Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2026, carried the ball nine times for 21 yards in the 1991 Independence Bowl against Arkansas. He also added two catches for 24 yards in the Bulldogs’ 24-15 victory over the Razorbacks. He rushed for 968 yards that 1991 season, earning second-team All-SEC honors, before becoming the best running back in college football the following season. Racking up an SEC-leading 1,547 rushing yards and an FBS-leading 19 TDs, Hearst won the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in the nation, and he was also named a unanimous All-American, first-team All-SEC and SEC Player of the Year. He also finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting that season. Drafted with the third-overall pick in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft, Hearst topped 1,000 yards rushing four times throughout his pro football career. His best season was in 1998 as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, when he compiled 1,570 rushing yards and 535 receiving yards – earning his first Pro Bowl nod and first-team All-Pro. After missing two full seasons in 1999 and 2000, Hearst returned in 2001 and had the second-best season of his career. On his way to being named to his second Pro Bowl team and earning the 2001 Comeback Player of the Year Award, Hearst rushed for 1,206 yards and collected 41 passes for 347 yards receiving.

No. 21 – Derrick Mason (WR – Michigan State, 1995)

The second Michigan State wide receiver in this group, Mason, alongside teammate Muhammad, went toe-to-toe with LSU’s Kennison in 1995. Mason hauled in six passes for 74 yards, but the most memorable moments of that game came in the second quarter. After Kennison returned a kickoff for a TD to tie the game at 14 at the 14:30 mark of the second frame, Mason returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a TD to put the Spartans back on top. In two seasons under Saban in 1995 and 1996, Mason compiled 1,652 yards receiving. He also set the Michigan State school record for kickoff return yards (2,384). He was named second-team All-Big Ten in 1996. A fourth-round pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, Mason would establish himself as one of the NFL’s constants over the next 15 seasons. Spending most of his career with the Tennessee Oilers/Titans and Baltimore Ravens, he earned two Pro Bowl appearances (2000 and 2003) and was named first-team All-Pro in 2000 after leading the NFL in punt return yards that season. Mason is the only player in NFL history to record over 10,000 yards receiving and 5,000 return yards. 

The next player on the 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, No. 20, will be announced on Monday, July 27. Players No. 20 through No. 1 will be announced individually every Monday, with No. 1 being announced on Monday, December 7.

Previously Announced Members of the All-Time Team

The first 25 players on the Independence Bowl’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, as previously announced, include:

• No. 26 – Ja’Mar Toombs (RB – Texas A&M, 2000)
• No. 27 – Otis Wilson (LB – Louisville, 1977)
• No. 28 – A.J. Green (WR – Georgia, 2009)
• No. 29 – Rocky Calmus (LB – Oklahoma, 1999)
• No. 30 – Flozell Adams (OT – Michigan State, 1995)
• No. 31 – Willie Blade (DT – Mississippi State, 2000)
• No. 32 – Scott Thomas (S – Air Force, 1983 & 1984)
• No. 33 – Chad Hennings (DT – Air Force, 1984)
• No. 34 – Dameyune Craig (QB – Auburn, 1996)
• No. 35 – Geno Atkins (DT – Georgia, 2009)
• No. 36 – Rondell Mealey (RB – LSU, 1997)
• No. 37 – Rolando McClain (LB – Alabama, 2007)
• No. 38 – Weldon Brown (CB – Louisiana Tech, 2008)
• No. 39 – Andre Smith (OT – Alabama, 2006 & 2007)
• No. 40 – Tiki Barber (RB – Virginia, 1994)
• No. 41 – Puka Nacua (WR – BYU, 2021)
• No. 42 – Gary Kubiak (QB – Texas A&M, 1981)
• No. 43 – Seneca Wallace (QB – Iowa State, 2001)
• No. 44 – Todd McClure (C – LSU, 1995 & 1997)
• No. 45 – Gary Anderson (K – Syracuse, 1979)
• No. 46 – Booger McFarland (LB – LSU, 1995 & 1997)
• No. 47 – Tremaine Edmunds (LB – Virginia Tech, 2015)
• No. 48 – Bill Musgrave (QB – Oregon, 1989)
• No. 49 – Larry Anderson (DB – Louisiana Tech, 1977)
• No. 50 – Lorenza Baker (LB – Louisiana Tech, 1990)

Selection & Ranking Criteria and Committee

The list of the top 50 all-time players was compiled by an experienced and diverse committee that included local media members and Independence Bowl representatives. Players were nominated and evaluated based on the following criteria:

• 40 percent weight based on their Independence Bowl performance(s)
• 30 percent based on their college career and accolades
• 30 percent based on their pro career and accomplishments

To read more about the nomination and selection process, release schedule and selection and ranking committee, visit RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com/news.

ABOUT THE RADIANCE TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENCE BOWL™

Established in 1976, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl™ is college football’s 11th most historic bowl game, with the 50th anniversary game set for Tuesday, December 22, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. CST on ESPN. Radiance Technologies is the bowl’s title sponsor through at least the 2027 Bowl Season. 

The Independence Bowl Foundation is a prominent presence in the Shreveport-Bossier City area throughout the year, hosting events to enhance the economic impact and growth of our community. The Mission of the Independence Bowl is to attract and provide quality, nationally recognized football competition oriented to the Ark-La-Tex region. For more information, visit RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com or follow the bowl on Facebook, X and Instagram at @IndyBowl.