Up and Coming College Football Prospects

When a young man attends college to play football he has high hopes of fame and fortune, but very few attain either. While the fortune part might never, or take years to achieve, the fame part is starting to come to realization for a few of these young men. Here is a listing of some of the young stars of the 2008 college football season that have came out of nowhere to burst into national prominence.

(JR) RB Donald Brown, Connecticut (5’ 10” 208 lbs): Brown went from the second string running back in the preseason to leading the nation in rushing with an impressive 165 rushing yards per game average. In his college debut as a redshirt freshman he rushed for 118 yards. Fast forward to October 4th 2008 against North Carolina, he rushed for 161 yards and went over 1,000 yards for the season. As of 8 games he has rushed 235 times for 1,324 yards and 14 touchdowns. The future looks bright for Mr. Brown.

(JR) RB Shonn Greene, Iowa (5’ 11” 225 lbs): Greene has NFL size and ability and is being mentioned as the best running back in the nation and a front runner for the Heisman Trophy; pretty good for a kid that didn’t play last year due to academic issues. Greene has been utterly spectacular this year, he has rushed for at least 100 yards in all 8 games and seems to be getting stronger every game. Last week against Wisconsin he rushed for 217 yards and 4 touchdowns. He is currently ranked #3 in the nation with an 144 yards per game average. He currently has an impressive 6.52 yards per carry average and has accumulated 177 carries for 1,154 yards and 10 TD.

(FR) RB Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State (5’ 6” 180 lbs): I don’t normally write about freshman, especially running backs that are only 5’ 6” tall, by the time they are seniors they might fall off the radar. Many young players can’t build on their early success due to injuries or lack of discipline, but even if Rodgers doesn’t emerge into an NFL Draft Prospect in a couple years, he did have his day in the sun as a freshman. When Oregon State pulled off the miracle upset against undefeated USC this year, those watching were thinking, “Who is this little Jacquizz Rodgers kid?” Rodgers was phenomenal in this game rushing for 194 yards and 2 touchdowns. Rodgers is small, but has incredible power and leg drive and doesn’t go down upon initial contact. He has been a workhorse this year and has rushed for over 100 yards in 4 out of his 7 games that he has played in, for the season he has rushed for 829 yards and 9 touchdowns.

(SR) QB David Johnson, Tulsa (6’ 3” 217 lbs): He is not young, but he has emerged. Did you know he is the highest rated quarterback in college football? In a year with extremely poor play at the quarterback position, we won’t see a single senior get drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. A big guy with a big arm, Johnson is emerging as one of the better seniors, like I said, he is the highest rated QB in the nation with a 212.8 QB rating and has thrown for an amazing 2,397 yards and 31 touchdowns with an impressive 69% completion percentage.

(Soph) WR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State (6’ 2” 210 lbs): Somebody forgot to tell Bryant he was just a sophomore, he plays fearless and wasn’t intimidated at all on national TV against Texas. Bryant is a fantastic prospect for the 2010 or 2011 NFL Draft. Bryant is a dual purpose threat and is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. He has scored 2 touchdowns returning punts this year, and receiving he has recorded 51 receptions for 883 yards and 11 TDs.
(JR) WR Eric Decker, Minnesota (6’ 3” 218 lbs): Decker is a good looking, young possession receiver. He might not have blazing speed, but will catch everything thrown his way. He is currently ranked #3 in the nation with 66 receptions for 883 yards and 5 TD. He has an impressive 104 receiving yards per game average.

(Soph) LB Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina (6’ 2” 230 lbs): Sturdivant is a talented young linebacker that is having a fantastic season and has been a tackling machine. After eight games he has recorded 49 solo tackles (69 total tackles) and 2 sacks. He has also recorded two interceptions, one which he returned for 57 yards and the other he returned 32 yards for a touchdown against Notre Dame.

(Soph) LB Rennie Curran, Georgia (5’ 11” 220 lbs): Yes Curran is small for a linebacker, but this guy is strong as an ox with huge arms and strong hands, he also has great instincts and can run. For the season Curran has recorded 42 solo tackles (69 total). He was the defensive player of the week after the LSU win when he recorded 11 total tackles, with 5 being solo.

(Soph) DE Aaron Maybin, Penn State (6’ 4” 240 lbs): Probably an outside linebacker at the next level, but he beat out Maurice Evans this year, that in itself is saying a lot as Evans was first team All-Big Ten last year and finished with 12.5 sacks. Maybin is having an equally impressive season, he is extremely quick around the outside, and good luck blocking this kid when he gets a good jump on the ball. Maybin is currently ranked 4th in the nation with 11 sacks and an additional 15tackles for loss (TFL). Maybin has recorded five sacks in his last four games.

(JR) DE Jerry Hughes, TCU (6’ 2” 248 lbs): Hughes is another End that will probably have to play linebacker to make it in the NFL, but he is having a superlative season, he is strong, very quick and seems to be getting better and better. Hughes is currently ranked #3 in the nation with 12 sacks and an additional 15 tackles for loss (TFL). He has recorded an amazing 9 sacks in his last 4 games.

(Soph) DE Paul Kruger, Utah (6’ 5” 255 lbs): Kruger has prototype size and if he keeps improving could emerge as an elite future NFL Draft Prospect. Kruger is a true End, but gets after the passer like the smaller hybrid types. So far this season he has recorded 5.5 sacks and 13.5 TFLs. He started out hot, but has tailed off a little as of late; let’s see if he can sustain his early success.