[citation needed] He was USA Today’s Player-of-the-Year in Maryland after recording 208 tackles (136 solo), 16 sacks and eight interceptions as a senior.
He was also regarded as one of the country's top 60 basketball prospects,[citation needed] and led the Poets to four straight state titles—averaged 20.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game as a senior.
The defensive leader and captain took the Seminoles to another National Championship (2001 Orange Bowl), even though his team ultimately lost 13–2 to the Oklahoma Sooners.
In his junior year in 1999, Polley had an outstanding season when he led Florida State with 109 tackles (67 solos) and also had six stops for loss.
Polley went on to have a 6-year NFL career, amassing 304 tackles with 224 solo stops, and retired in 2007 after a shoulder injury sidelined him for most of the season.