A Name To Get Familiar With

Last year, it was Marcus Lattimore. In 2009, it was Lamichael James. In 2008, it was Jaquizz Rodgers.

Every year, there is a name... a Freshman name... a RB... that is unknown in August, but by the end of the season, he is on the "short list" for the Heisman Trophy. Lattimore, James, and Rodgers were all young pups who had never carried the ball in a college game and all 3 ended up rushing for over 1,200 yards in their Freshman campaigns. Those campaigns were all accompanied by winning seasons for their programs.

Typically, the Running Back position is dominated by upper classmen, who have had time to learn the offense, gain weight, and adjust to the speed of the game at the college level, but these 3 young men broke the mold.

The next name that will likely be on this list is Isaiah Crowell. The freshman RB for the University of Georgia has been thrust into a situation where he is "the man". Incumbent Bulldog RBs Washaun Ealey & Caleb King are now former Bulldogs as both were suspended/expelled from the program this offseason. Crowell, the 5-11 215lbs #1 rated RB recruit, had 1,915 yards as a High School Junior and 1,725 yards as a Senior and is expected to start right away for Georgia.

A major difference between the situations, however, is that while Lattimore, James, and Rodgers had fairly easy first games as starters*... Crowell will have to face a Top 10 Boise State team in his first game, which will be no easy task. That game will be followed by a "Welcome to the SEC" contest against SEC East favorite South Carolina.

As we've seen in recent history, a superstar Freshman RB can really ignite a team to the next level. Keep Isaiah Crowell's name in mind as this season kicks off.


*Note: James' 1st game was against Boise St. also, but Lagarette Blount was the starter. Blount was suspended following that game for punching a Boise St player and James' 1st game as a starter was against Purdue the following week.