College football players you should know:

[Palehosefan]

I just wanted to tell the board about some players they should know for the future of college, and that you will be hearing alot of on Sundays in the future. I'm gonna do it on the ACC, and anyone can add one's for Big Ten, or add more to the ACC, I don't care.

 

Virginia's LB's, the best in the nation as a group. Kai Parham, Ahmad Brooks, Daryl Blackstock, and Jermaine Dias. All will be playing on Sundays and Ahmad Brooks will be a superstar on the next level. 6'4 250 pounds and returns kicks for UVA with a 4.5 40 . Hits like a ton of bricks to boot.

 

FSU's LB's and RB's, Rich get richer. Lorenzo Booker to start, he's a cat-quick runningback that has plenty of speed, was the top recruit in the country 2 years ago. Almost impossible to tackle 1 on 1. Leon Washington, 5'9 200 pound burner that will be playing on Sundays. Not to mention Jamal Edwards, a freshmen RB with good size and very good speed.

 

Then there's Antonio Cromartie, 6'3 corner with insane numbers coming out of JC I believe, something like 6'3 210 pounds running a 4.29 40. Ernie Sims is a 235 pound linebacker running a 4.45 40, not to mention he was the top recruit in the nation a year ago. Pat Watkins is a superb safety prospect with 6'4 size and 4.5 speed.

 

NCSU, DE Mario Williams is likely the next Julius Peppers, 6'7 260 pound DE with 4.5 speed. Demarrio Pressley was the top DT prospect in the nation last year and clogs the holes as good as any at 6'4 300 pounds.

 

UNC, DT/DE Khalief Mitchell, 6'7 300 pounds and runs a 4.65 40. Here's the amazing part, he also runs a 4.2 shuttle time. Thats a similar time to most cornerbacks and safeties. Also RB Ronnie McGill ran for nearly 700 yards as a freshman last year in limited playing time including 240 yards against WF. 5-11 220 pounds and runs a 4.5 with bruising power. Ran for 133 yards a 3 TD's today.

 

Don't know enough about Miami or VT at the moment to comment on them.

[WhiteSoxFan1]

1 name

 

CHRIS LEAK!! Florida Gators

[Spiff]

1 name

 

CHRIS LEAK!! Florida Gators

Everyone knows Chris Leak and he's way overhyped.

[ZoomSlowik]

I'll do a Big Ten one, I think I know them pretty well:

 

Illinois- They have two runningbacks with a ton of talent. E.B. Halsey is one of them and Pierre Thomas is the other. Both are sophmores that are a little on the small side(185 and 190), but have good speed, and Halsey is a pretty good receiver. Brock Bolen is another interesting player, a true freshman that is playing fullback. Obviously he has more appeal as a tailback, but he is a pretty good big back. Martin O'Donnell is a lineman that might have a future, although right now he is young and unproven. A few of their receivers have talent but none of them have done enough to merit mention as of yet. Matt Sinclair is the only intriguing defensive player right now, I'm not so sure about his speed for the next level but he is a productive player.

 

Indiana- I honestly have nothing to say here.

 

Iowa- Their offense is replacing a lot of guys, but their defense has some talent. Matt Roth is a potential difference maker at the next level. He may not be the most athletically gifted but he has good size, is tough, and is full of energy. Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway are both solid linebackers that will make a ton of noise this year, both have pro potential.

 

Michigan- Obviously they have a bunch. Their top 3 receivers all have huge potential. Braylon Edwards probably would have been a 1st round pick last year, and Jason Avant and Steve Breston are both very talented. David Baas is one of the best guards in the country(could be a high pick). Chad Henne started at QB today. He has a ton of talent and has a good chance of being a very high pick in a few years. They have numerous very good athletes on defense. LaMarr Woodley is only a sophmore, but looks like a future pro end. Pierre Woods is a big(6'5" 250) athletic outside linebacker with huge potential. Lawrence Reid also is solid, but he could be a little small for the pros and does not match Woods' potential. He's plenty good for college though. They also feature a very good secondary. Marlin Jackson is a gifted corner that should be a mid 1st rounder at the lastest, and Markus Curry will probably be drafted somewhere also. Ernest Shazor looks awesome at strong safety, and could turn out to be a stud pro. They have numerous other very talented young players in the secondary that could step up at some point.

 

Michigan State- I don't see a whole lot of standouts here.

 

Minnesota- They have two extremely gifted runningbacks in Marion Barber and Laurence Maroney. Both could be playing on Sundays. Jared Ellerson is a solid receiver(not sure about pro potential). On defense, Darell Reid has some talent, he has moved between tackle and end.

 

Northwestern- I know these guys very well, so forgive me if I seem a little biased. They have two very good tackles on offense in Trai Essex and Zack Strief. Both are over 320 and have major pro potential. Trevor Rees is also pretty good at center, he has two year to build his stock before he is eligible for the draft. Loren Howard is a stud at defensive end. He's 6'4" 280 and is very strong. Unfortunately, there is a good chance that he will miss the entire season. With a good season he almost certainly would have been a first day pick if he went pro after this season. A guy I like a lot is Barry Coefield. He hasn't gotten a ton of playing time, but he seems pretty quick, even at 305 pounds. Look for him to establish himself at some point this year. Tim McGarigle is a ball hawking linebacker that just always seems to be making the hit. I'm not sure about pro potential. I think speed might be an issue, but I haven't seen a 40 time so who knows. Marvin Ward might be a draft sleeper or solid FA pickup. He has very good speed and has been a solid cover guy, plus he seems to be able to hit in run support. Dominique Price is a guy I really like but haven't heard much about. He's a saftey that is a monster hitter in run support and can create turnovers. My guess is his pass coverage is an issue, especially after the performance of the safeties against TCU(altough I think that was Heinz and Henderson more than him).

 

Ohio State- They lost a bunch of guys and I personally think this looks like a 7-4 year, but it's OSU so of course they have pro caliber talent. A.J. Hawk is the big one, he is one of the top linebackers in the country. Anthony Schlegel and Mike D'Andrea also have the potential to be difference makers at linebacker. Dustin Fox is getting a lot of hype at corner, but I don't really buy it. Ted Ginn is an incredible recruit that could make an immediate impact at this position, he is a very good cover corner. Donte Whitner is a really fast safety that could really emerge. Justin Zwick has an awful lot of talent but has not had a chance yet. He could become a top level QB after he gets some game experience. Santonio Holmes is a physically gifted receiver that probably would have done more in his career if Krenzel was a more efficient passer. He is very dangerous.

 

Penn State- Zak Mills and Michael Robinson are the two headed monster at QB. Mills is supposed to be the more efficient passer but did not perform well last year, while Michael Robinson is a dangerous runner with a somewhat suspect arm. Austin Scott is a stud freshman recruit and could make an impact early. Derek Wake continues the tradition at Linebacker U, the guy is just a stud.

 

Purdue- They have some firepower on offense but a suspect D. Kyle Orton is one of the better returning QB's in the country and should put up huge numbers. Taylor Stubblefield has been a solid WR for several years now. Antwaun Rogers is a very good corner.

 

Wisconsin- They have some holes, but they also have some really good players. Anthony Davis is back at runningback. He had some nagging injuries last year but was awesome the previous two years. Donovan Raiola could be their next pro lineman. Anttaj Hawthorne is a great defensive tackle that has major pro potential. Jim Loenhard is a great ballhawk at safety, but his height will hurt his pro future a bit. Scott Starks is a good corner, but may not quite be at a pro caliber.

[Palehosefan]

Didn't Anthony Morelli end up at PSU? I think he was committed to Pittsburgh for a while and then changed at the last second for PSU. He's gonna be a stud for JoePa if he's still around.

 

Some scouts and analysts are saying that Ted Ginn is the best cornerback prospect since Deion Sanders. Thats a pretty nice statement.

 

I also didn't mention Jason Brown, UNC's center. He's a senior and is the strongest player in UNC history. He squats 709 pounds, power cleans 413 pounds, and benches 470 pounds. He's 6'3 310 pounds and should be a better center then UNC's Jeff Saturday of the Colts.

 

BTW, thanks for the comments on the Big Ten, I learned alot.

[ZoomSlowik]

Yeah, Morrelli is at PSU, but he is not likely to get a lot of playing time with those two guys already there. Thanks for the comment on my list, I might do some others if I have more time. I follow CFB pretty closely and read a lot of stuff, so I could probably come up with a Big 12 or SEC list. I don't really want to waste my effort on the Big East, and you could probably just look at USC's roster and find most of the future pro talent from the PAC 10(not counting Aaron Rodgers(CAL) of course).

[ZoomSlowik]

I thought I'd add some guys to the ACC list-

 

FSU- Those guys you mentioned are very talented, thought I'd add a couple. Craphonso Thorpe had a very good year at receiver, but injured his knee late in the year. If he comes back 100%, he could be an interesting draft prospect, he's 6'2" and had very good speed before the injury. They've got a very strong line, led by two probable high picks in tackle Alex Barron and guard Ray Willis. The Bears could use both of them. Eric Moore also looks tough at DE.

 

Miami- They're always loaded with pro level talent, and this year is no different. They have 3 gifted RB's in Frank Gore, Tyrone Moss, and Bobby Washington. Gore is an explosive Jr in the Willis McGahee mold that has had major injury problems. If he is 100%, he will be a major playmaker. Tyrone Moss(So.) is in a similar mold, although doesn't seem to be quite as explosive. Washington is a fast freshman that was one of the better recruits in the country. Ryan Moore is an interesting WR, he had a pretty good year last year, but has not yet played up to his talent level. Berlin is the QB for now(lots of talent, not much production), but Kyle Wright(RS Fr.) is the future, I believe he was a top 5 QB recruit 2 years ago. At line, Eric Winston is a monstrous tackle prospect. A converted TE, he has bulked up to a little over 300 and is very agile. He could be a top 5 pick. On defense, Orien Harris is a budding DT that should show his stuff now that Wilfolk has moved on. Another potential top pick is Antrell Rolle at corner. It looks like he has the potential to be a lockdown cover guy at the next level.

 

Virginia- you covered their key players pretty well(god that is a good core of linebackers), I just wanted to mention Elton Brown. He is a very big, talented offensive guard. Chris Canty also is pretty good at DE, but he has to show that is is definitely over his past injury to be a solid pro pick(it was 2 years ago, but you know how the pros are).

 

Clemson- The key guy is Charlie Whitehurst, he's a tall pocket passer that is coming off a pretty solid year. Airese Currie started the season strong at WR, and has ridiculous speed. Leroy Hill is a major playmaker at linebacker. Their entire secondary is pretty good, corners Justin Miller and Tye Hill, both have pretty good speed and cover ability. Safeties Jamaal Fudge and Travis Pugh both also have some ability.

 

Maryland- A guy that stands out to me is Josh Allen, he really seems to have some big play ability. Shawne Merriman and D'Qwell Jackson are both pretty good at LB also.

 

Virginia Tech- The Hokies really gave USC a scare, but looking at their roster it seems that it was more of potential issues for USC than Va Tech doing well. Bryan Randall at QB is decent but not spectacular. He can run or pass, but everyone was considerably more excited about Marcus Vick before he was suspended. I'd be shocked if George Bell doesn't win the starting job at some point, he is a very fast freshman runningback. Jim Davis looked impressive at end, he apparently missed last season with an injury. The big buzz on D is freshmen Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall. Both were very good recruits that should play early. Mikal Baaqee also appears solid. Eric Green also looked good at corner.

 

NC State- I have to mention T.A. McClendon. I know it is pretty obvious, but he is a top RB when he is healthy. Andre Maddox is also pretty good at safety.

 

Georgia Tech- P.J. Daniels is coming off a solid year at RB last year(almost 1500 yards, 10 TD, 5 yard average), and Reggie Ball has talent at QB(still needs to improve). James Butler can make plays at safety.

 

Wake- They played pretty well against Clemson, but the only reason I can see for that is Chris Barclay, he had a really good game and looks like a stud.

[Palehosefan]

More good comments, and I have some about those players also.

 

Vince Hall, Charlie Whitehurst, George Bell, and Tyrone Moss all had UNC as their 2nd choice. That was tough to lose out on all of them. Whitehurst was actually a UNC commitment for a while. George is going to have to show that he has full speed back after a terrible injury his senior year(torn ACL I believe).

 

I also think Bobby Washington got denied admissions at Miami and is now enrolled at NC State. The same week Barron Edwards transferred from LSU to UNC. They both likely have a bright future.

 

WF is no fun to play, they cram the ball down your throat and Chris Barclay is perfect for that role. He runs the option very well and usually will end up with around 200 yards rushing on the day.

[ZoomSlowik]

One guy I forgot is Willie WIlliams at Miami. I'm sure a lot of people have heard of him because of the press it got due to his 11 arrests before enrolling. However, if he can get on the field he should make a major impact at the linebacker spot for Miami.

[danman31]

Zoom, you failed to mention Luis Castillo who is projected as a possible 1st rounder next year.

[ZoomSlowik]

Zoom, you failed to mention Luis Castillo who is projected as a possible 1st rounder next year.

I'm not so sure his stock is that good, Kiper only had Howard on his top prospects lists, and he's usually right about draft position. I like him, but I'm not sold on his future pro potential, especially if his elbow eventually keeps him out(I just noticed it during the game, I have no idea how bad it is).

[danman31]

I'm not so sure his stock is that good, Kiper only had Howard on his top prospects lists, and he's usually right about draft position. I like him, but I'm not sold on his future pro potential, especially if his elbow eventually keeps him out(I just noticed it during the game, I have no idea how bad it is).

I have read multiple publications saying that with a good season he is a 1st rounder. The Trib and I believe some sports website.