With Jonathan Stewart forgoing his senior season to pursue his NFL dreams, many Oregon Duck fans worried about losing his productivity.
Stewart, the school’s second leading rusher (2,891 yards) all-time, averaged 5.6 yards per carry during his time with Oregon; that production was sure to be missed.
Enter Florida native LeGarrett Blount.
Blount (pronounced ‘blunt’) originally signed with Auburn before attending East Mississippi Community College. While at EMCC he rushed for rushed for 2,360 yards in two years. Rivals.com named him the top rated junior college running back.
Blount definitely has some adapting to do. He says the speed of junior college play was not much different than that of high school play. But after watching him during Oregon’s spring game I don’t think the speed of Division I is going to be a problem.
“He possesses a combination of speed and power that’s hard to come by,” coach Mike Bellotti said.
Before signing with Oregon LeGarrette Blount received offers from Florida State, Alabama, West Virginia and others. But in the end it was Oregon’s spread offense (he ran the spread in both high school and junior college), facilities, and, of course, the uniforms.
“I love them. I think they’re probably the best in the country,” he said of the uniforms. “I like the black best. The black and green.”
The Ducks have a nice rushing crew in Jeremiah Johnson (Sr.), Andre Crenshaw (Jr.), Malachi Lewis (So.), and Remene Alston Jr. (So.).
Johnson figures to be the speed, while Blount figures to be the power. Crenshaw will see plenty of action providing a nice relief for either running back. I also expect both Lewis and Alston Jr. to a little action during the season.
So while Jonathan Stewart was one of the best backs to come through Oregon, Duck fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing LeGarrette Blount and Company have things under control.
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