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.

Current Heisman Picture

Here is CFB Kings current Heisman picture.

1. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn - Newton sits alone atop our charts. The QB of the undefeated Auburn Tigers has been a 1-man wrecking crew of late. He has a ridiculous 27 total TDs already this season and he has rushed for 1,077 yards (including 603 in the past 3 games).

2. Lamichael James, RB, Oregon - In 6 games, James has piled up 971 yards and 11 TDs on the ground while also notching 121 yards receiving along with a TD. His biggest test so far will be this weekend against USC.

3. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan - Robinson has fallen out of favor with a lot of voters because of Michigan’s losses, but let’s keep in mind, this is an individual award, not team award. Robinson currently has accounted for an insane 1,319 passing yards, 1,096 rushing yards, and 18 TDs.

4. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma St. - The sensational sophomore is torching the Big 12. He has 62 receptions and 1,112 yards to go along with 14 TDs. In his worst output game of the season, he still managed 127 yards.

5. Robert Griffin, QB, Baylor - We knew Griffin would be good, but not this good. The Junior QB has led Baylor to Bowl Eligibility for the first time in 16 years. His 2,373 yards and 159 Passer rating are both tops in the Big 12.

6. Matt Barkley, QB, USC - Barkley is catching fire at the right time for the Trojans, having thrown for 742 yards and 8 TDs in the last 2 games. On the season he has 1,869 yards and 20 TDs.

Still have a Chance:
John Clay, RB, Wisconsin
Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio St.
Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State