FSU wants to be on the run
We're about four weeks away from the opening of fall football camp, and we admit it: We're like a little kid awaiting Christmas morning.
To help pass the time, we'll 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, projected production and how comfortable coaches should be entering the season with these guys.
Today, we look at running backs:
1. MIAMI: Javarris James, Edgerrin's cousin, was UM's leading rusher as a freshman and figures to run behind a much better line this season. True freshman Graig Cooper looked good in the spring and should be the main backup. Depth overall looks excellent. LEAGUE RANK: Fourth.
2. FLORIDA STATE: The tailback job belongs to Antone Smith now. Seminoles coaches seem unlikely to share the wealth, as they have in the past, and that's good for Smith, a breakaway threat who hasn't shown what he can do in his first two seasons. Depth is iffy, though. LEAGUE RANK: Fifth.
3. UCF: Junior Kevin Smith was banged-up and still almost reached the 1,000-yard mark last season. He has a legit shot at a first-team All-Conference USA slot. Depth looks OK, with sophomore Phillip Smith the likely No. 2 guy. LEAGUE RANK: Third.
4. FLORIDA: Hey, who needs a feature back? UF won the national title without one last season, and the Gators don't appear to have one this season. Junior Kestahn Moore (from the same Texas high school -- Arlington's Mansfield Summit -- as UCF's Phillip Smith) enters the season as the starting tailback. True freshman Chris Rainey will see some action, and QB Tim Tebow and the wide receivers again will be a big part of the rushing attack. LEAGUE RANK: Ninth.
5. USF: Last season, the Bulls relied far too much on QB Matt Grothe in the running game. That's where true freshman TB Mike Ford comes in. Ford originally signed with Alabama out of Sarasota High in 2005 but never qualified. He had his moments in the spring, and the Bulls need him to emerge as the feature back. LEAGUE RANK: Fifth.
6. FAU: Junior TB Charles Pierre (Lake Highland Prep) will be the starter for the Owls. Assuming FAU's returning quarterbacks improve from last season, Pierre could flirt with the 1,000-yard mark. Depth is questionable. LEAGUE RANK: Seventh.
7. FIU: The Golden Panthers rushed for 682 yards as a team last season -- 117th in the nation (of 119 teams). It could be another season of the same if FIU doesn't find a quarterback who can throw the ball. Julian Reams and A'mod Ned seem likely to share the tailback job again. LEAGUE RANK: Eighth.
BEST IN THE ACC: Clemson. In junior James Davis and sophomore C.J. Spiller (Lake Butler Union Co.), the Tigers have an incredible 1-2 punch at tailback. Each is equally at home running up the middle or taking it outside. There will be four new linemen, and there is no established quarterback, putting a ton of pressure on the duo.
BEST IN THE BIG EAST: West Virginia. Steve Slaton ran for 1,744 yards and 16 TDs last season. Just imagine the numbers he could put up if QB Pat White weren't such a good runner, too. If he keeps his head on straight, true freshman Noel Devine (North Fort Myers) should be the No. 2 guy behind Steve Slaton.
BEST IN CONFERENCE USA: Southern Miss. Damion Fletcher ran for 1,388 yards as a true freshman last season, and there is a talented group of backups, including Antwain Easterling, a true freshman from Miami Northwestern who was the Sentinel's No.1 prospect in the state last year.
BEST IN THE SEC: Arkansas. Darren McFadden heads into the season as one of the top five Heisman contenders. His backup, Felix Jones, could start for at least nine league teams. This is the second-best tailback duo in the country, behind Clemson's Davis-Spiller.
BEST IN THE SUN BELT: Arkansas State. The Indians' top two rushers are sophomores Reggie Arnold and Cedric Wilkerson; Arnold has a chance to lead the league in rushing if the Indians can develop a passing attack.
BEST GROUP OF BACKS IN THE OTHER LEAGUES: Michigan in the Big Ten, Texas A&M in the Big 12, Western Michigan in the Mid-American Conference, Wyoming in the Mountain West, USC in the Pac-10 and San Jose State in the Western Athletic Conference.
BEST OVERALL LEAGUE: It's close between the Big Ten and the Pac-10. We'll give the edge to the Big Ten, with Michigan's Mike Hart and Wisconsin's P.J. Hill the headliners. Those guys combined for 3,131 yards and 29 TDs last season. There also are solid backs at Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern and Purdue, and Ohio State sophomore Chris Wells has a huge upside -- like a 1,200-yard season upside.
BEST IN THE NATION: Clemson. Coach Tommy Bowden needs big seasons from Davis and Spiller if the Tigers are to contend for an ACC division title.
Campus Stroll
The price of success? Florida notified season-ticket holders this week that per-seat fees -- which must be paid in order to even buy season tickets -- would increase in 2008, then again in 2010. The per-seat fee will more than double in most sections by 2010.
Iowa State is going to wear throwback uniforms for its Sept.15 game against Iowa. The uniforms will honor the 1977 Peach Bowl team. (Hey, when you haven't won a conference title since 1912, we guess going to the Peach Bowl is a big deal -- even if you lost that Peach Bowl.)
Palm Bay LB Ramon Buchanon (6-0/195) has committed to Miami, but he still is planning visits to Florida, LSU, USC and Wake Forest. And UF and Florida State are in the final five for OL Tyler Love (6-7/295) of Mountain Brook (Ala.) High, one of the nation's top 10 or so at his position. Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma are the other finalists.
Tom O'Brien never was thought of as an elite recruiter at Boston College, and when North Carolina State hired him to replace Chuck Amato, the assumption was that NCSU's recruiting was going to slip a bit, especially with North Carolina having hired super recruiter Butch Davis. Well, O'Brien and his staff are off to a hot recruiting start. They received the commitment of the top player in North Carolina, WR/DB Brandon Barnes, and the top quarterback in Virginia and one of the top 20 in the country, Mike Glennon, whose brother, Sean, will head into fall practice as Virginia Tech's starting quarterback.
With Coastal Carolina hiring Cliff Ellis as its basketball coach Monday, the last coaching vacancy was filled. Fifty-three schools changed coaches (11 less than in 2006), including 10 in the BCS leagues.
The Final Thought: It's hard not to consider Avery Atkins and wonder what might've been.
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