Rating the state's RB's

[Guest Vanilla Rice]

COLLEGE INSIDER: MIKE HUGUENIN

FSU running backs top-notch

By Mike Huguenin

Sentinel Staff Writer

July 10, 2005

We're about a month away from the opening of fall football camp, and with the season approaching, we'll once again trot out our position-by-position rankings at the state schools.

We'll rank the positions at each of the state's seven Division I-A schools, look at that position in the leagues in which the state teams play and give a national overview.

One thing to keep in mind: This ranking incorporates talent level and how comfortable coaches should be entering the season with these guys.

Today we look at running backs. Next week, it'll be wide receivers, followed in order by offensive line, defensive line, linebackers and secondary. Finally, we'll rank the quarterbacks at each of the 119 Division I-A schools.

Around the state

1. Florida State. Talented tailbacks Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker will share time. Washington is an exciting talent who deserves 20 carries a game, but it will be hard to get him that many with Booker in the mix. Given FSU's unsettled quarterback situation, you have to think coaches won't mind relying on the running game. Then again, there are some concerns about the offensive line, so these guys might not be as productive as they should be.

2. Miami. There's a big drop between No. 1 and No. 2 on this list. Projected starter Tyrone Moss, a junior, hasn't lived up to his advance billing. Injuries and too much weight have been a problem, but the talent is there. There also is talent -- untested, though -- behind him, with Charlie Jones, Derron Thomas and Andrew Johnson. Thomas had a big spring and has excellent speed. This is another program with questions at quarterback, and you'd think coaches would like to be able to lean on the running backs, at least early in the season.

3. Florida. Before spring practice, Coach Urban Meyer said his team's success might hinge on the production of his tailbacks. While each of the three in the hunt had solid springs, none emerged as the clear-cut starter. Thus, look for a tailback-by-committee approach with Markus Manson, Skyler Thornton and De- Shawn Wynn. Carries should be available: Meyer's Utah teams ran the ball on 61.2 percent of the plays while he was coach.

4. USF. Andre Hall is coming off a 1,357-yard, 11-touchdown season for a team that couldn't throw the ball. Hall, who was ninth in the nation in rushing, should be the focal point of the offense again. Depth is a huge concern, and you have to wonder whether Hall will get worn down.

5. UCF. The Golden Knights were 107th in the nation in rushing offense last season, when Alex Haynes was the go-to guy. The bad stats can be attributed a great deal to a young line. The line should be better, but Haynes is gone. Dontavius Wilcox, a junior from Rockledge, should get first crack at the starting job. Sophomore Curtis Francis and junior college transfer Jason Peters also will be vying for playing time.

Also

BEST IN THE NATION: USC. LenDale White and Reggie Bush are a devastating one-two punch. White is a load (6 feet 2/235 pounds) who has good speed. He can run over and around you. Bush might be the most electrifying player in the college game. He is a burner who can score from anywhere and at any time. He also is a top-notch receiver who can line up on the outside and simply run past cornerbacks. Third-teamer Desmond Reed is another burner with a lot of potential.

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE: FSU. Washington would lead the ACC in rushing if he didn't have to share time with Booker.

BIG EAST: Louisville. The Cards had two tailbacks taken in the 2005 draft, but they're still loaded. The departures of Eric Shelton and Lionel Gates mean more carries for 250-pound freak-of-nature Michael Bush, who also is talented enough to start at wide receiver or safety. Backup Kolby Smith, from Tallahassee Rickards, is solid.

CONFERENCE USA: Houston. The Cougars have a nice duo in seniors Anthony Evans and Jackie Battle. They combined for almost 1,600 yards in 2003, but injuries and a bad line hampered their performances last season. Ryan Gilbert, another senior, also will get some carries.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE: Louisiana State. Justin Vincent was all the rage after a superb freshman season in 2003. But he enters this season as the third-teamer after a bad 2004. Alley Broussard will be the starter, and he's a big guy who can fly. Joesph Addai is a tough inside runner and also a good receiving threat. There's also mighty-mite Shyrone Carey. New Coach Les Miles didn't mind riding his tailbacks hard at Oklahoma State, and that shouldn't change.

SUN BELT: North Texas. The Mean Green are in the historic position of having the nation's leading rusher in each of the past two seasons on the same roster. Patrick Cobbs led the nation in 2003 but missed last season with an injury, so then-freshman Jamario Thomas stepped in and proceeded to finish No. 1. Thomas looks to be the guy this season.

BEST GROUP OF BACKS IN OTHER LEAGUES: Michigan in the Big Ten; Oklahoma in the Big 12; Northern Illinois in the Mid-American; TCU in the Mountain West; USC in the Pac-10; and Fresno State in the Western Athletic.

BEST LEAGUE OVERALL: The ACC. Washington and Booker at FSU. P.J. Daniels at Georgia Tech. Chris Barclay at Wake Forest. Mike Imoh at Virginia Tech. Wali Lundy at Virginia. Nice groups at UM and Boston College. Some talented folks who should emerge at Maryland and NC State. That's a lot of good runners.

Grid bits

Florida backup tight end Dane Guthrie, a redshirt freshman from Miami, is leaving school and apparently transferring to Arizona State. That begs two questions: 1. Guthrie wouldn't have started but would have played a good bit this season for the Gators. Indeed, the previous coaching staff raved about his pass-catching ability, and the new staff liked his athleticism and size. 2. Since Guthrie already has redshirted, he essentially is giving up a year by transferring to a Division I-A school. If he goes to Arizona State, he must sit out this season and will have three years' eligibility remaining. He also is transferring to a school with one of the nation's top two or three tight ends. The Sun Devils' starter is sophomore Zach Miller. Guthrie is the second UF player from Miami to leave. Defensive end Tranell Morant bolted following spring practice after he had fallen on the depth chart.

Sept. 10 promises to be fun. At noon, Notre Dame-Michigan is on ABC. South Carolina-Georgia will be on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. Texas-Ohio State is at 8 p.m. on ABC. And Arizona State-LSU starts at 8:45 p.m. on ESPN.

You won't have to wait as long as expected for the first game of the season. It'll be a Division II game matching Benedict and Morehouse on Thursday, Aug. 25, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU. Will we be desperate enough for football at that time that we'll watch a Division II game? Hmmm.

Officials at Georgia State, in Atlanta, said they will look into adding a Division I-AA program. The school officially joined the Colonial Athletic Association (from the Atlantic Sun) on July 1, and the CAA will start sponsoring football in 2007. League member Old Dominion announced last month it will add football in 2009.

A Final Thought: Will this Alabama/NCAA/coaches court case ever go away?

Mike Huguenin can be reached at mhuguenin@orlandosentinel.com.

[BullDoug]

Why do you even consider Hall getting worn down?  He showed zero signs last season.  I don't recall him missing any games to hamstring, shoulder, groin or calf pulls.

[Bullpride08]

I see FSU on top, but I think it's a bit unfair to put UF, and Miami ahead of USF.  They're basing most of that rank on high school recruiting accolades and potential versus actual college production.  No one can argue that Andre Hall's the third best returning rusher in the nation from last year with the #1 ypc average in the nation, and again #3 in the nation in all-purpose yards.  

Yet how does Miami go ahead with a disappointing Moss, and a bunch of kids that had great high school careers but none have done a thing in college.  Ditto for UF.  Hell Hall ran for almost 1900 his senior year at DC, and that's some tough football in southern pinellas county.

Oh well.

[MavTechKNIGHT2]

This guy is very much "Big Three" in these articles.

I think Hall is probably the best back in the state this year.  The only thing that may hurt is the lack of "proven" depth.  Maybe that is why he ranked you guys 4th.

He rarely mentions USF or UCF in his College aritcles anyways.

[BullWriter]

When I was roving the sidelines last year, I saw many an instance where Andre was on the sideline, getting work done on him.  Let's not forget the games where he basically disappeared for the entire 2nd half... I believe Army was one.

Leavitt didn't just sideline his best runner for the hell of it.  The wear and tear DID get to him... hopefully the training staff has addressed it, but I don't think it was a matter of conditioning.  He got banged a lot.  I don't think the article is terribly far off in terms of accuracy, but Hall is a mule and will tough it out.

[Bullpride08]

This guy is very much "Big Three" in these articles.

I think Hall is probably the best back in the state this year.  The only thing that may hurt is the lack of "proven" depth.  Maybe that is why he ranked you guys 4th.

He rarely mentions USF or UCF in his College aritcles anyways.

I guess it's unproven depth, but i guess we both get use to this oversight or ignorance from some reporters.   UM, and UF have very little proven depth behind their starters as well.  If this reporter knew anything about potential and talent then he would know that most felt Ricky Ponton coming out of HS had as much potential as anybody.  

It's like an unwritten rule when the Sentinel does their annual position ranking that the order of the first three matters, but the list must always conclude with USF and UCF- in varying order of course.

[Bullpride08]

When I was roving the sidelines last year, I saw many an instance where Andre was on the sideline, getting work done on him.  Let's not forget the games where he basically disappeared for the entire 2nd half... I believe Army was one.

Leavitt didn't just sideline his best runner for the hell of it.  The wear and tear DID get to him... hopefully the training staff has addressed it, but I don't think it was a matter of conditioning.  He got banged a lot.  I don't think the article is terribly far off in terms of accuracy, but Hall is a mule and will tough it out.

Everyone gets worn down when you have that many carries.  Also, it didn't help that he was working feverishly all summer to graduate last year, and this year he's been able to concentrate on football.

Here's how I see it.

Andre Hall > Thorton, Moss, and Wynn.  Clearly, he's a cut above.

The question falls on back-up material.

USF has Ponton and Simpson....they obviously don't come in with the rankings that the UF, and Miami unproven backs have, however Ponton brought a ton of hardware and many felt he was one of the most talented backs in the state as a senior.  For his size that boy can fly.

[CyberBull]

Notice the article never tried to answer who was the best back in the state.

Based on production you have to objectively say that it would be hard to top Hall, especially when he was THE offense last year and they still couldn't stop him.

Here is another question: who is the best junior or senior pro prospect in the State?

[Guest Vanilla Rice]

Sure Hall is a good RB.  But what you folks are forgetting on this chat site is a thing called depth.  I think the reporter was right on the money.  FSU outside of USC probably has the best RB tandem in the nation.  MAny of you think too much inside the box being gung ho Bull fans which is GREAT, but you also must think objectively.  YEah, Ponton is a good RB, but is pretty much unproven because Hall gets all the carries.  Outside of Ponton there isn't much depth meaning there is ZERO experience.  Miami plays a ground controlled run game.  That is the focus of their offense.  People make such a big deal of the Miami QB's thinking that it is the QB that controls that offense, but it is not.  it's the strength of their awesome athletic o-line and the stable of RB's that they always seem to get.  

[Guest Vanilla Rice]

Sorry to go against my own team CyberBull, but Washington from FSU is probably the best back in the state.  Again, most of you think too much inside the box (meaning the USF box).  Start thinking more objectively and when you do so then you become more of a knowledgable football expert.