B/R 5th Down: Old School Urban Meyer Photo, FSU Offered 300-Pound 14-Year-Old

Ben KerchevalJun 15, 2015

Editor's Note: The 5th Down captures the top social college football stories of the week. Because the long, grueling offseason is underway, we'll focus on things that make us laugh, think or maybe cry, but mostly laugh.

1) Old School Urban Meyer Had a Killer Mustache

Here's a photo of Ohio State coach Urban Meyer circa 1987 when he was an assistant coach for the Buckeyes. It's probably the best photo you'll see today. Or this week.

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Let's all recognize that Meyer used to have a strong mustache game. (Sup, ladies?) Because 5th Down is a fan of facial hair—looking right at you, Paul Rhoads—we're putting in a formal request that Meyer re-grow his 'stache. Similar to a playoff beard, Meyer can't shave it until the Buckeyes lose a game.

That could be a while.

2) What Are They Feeding Eighth-Graders These Days?

Over the weekend, eighth-grader Tru Thompson received a scholarship offer from Florida State. The days of being surprised by someone receiving an offer at such a young age are over. Rivals.com, after all, has set up profiles for middle schoolers.

But here's the thing about Thompson, a defensive tackle prospect: He's already 6'0" and weighs in at about 300 pounds. Just re-read that sentence again. Now, one more time.

I don't know what schools are putting in their french bread pizzas, but it's doing something. Thompson's still a kid, but at that size, that's a big man. What's more, Thompson drew raves for his strength and athleticism, according to Michael Langston of Warchant.com:

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Tru Thompson from Griffin (Ga) stands 6-foot tall and weighs in at 300-pounds. But considering he wears size 18 shoes you can bet that he'll grow a few inches, and probably add a few more pounds, by the time he enrolls in college in 2019.
Considering his youth, Thompson is still in the early learning stages of his position. However, his amazing athleticism and strength caught everyone's attention at the camp. Turning in a 40-time of 5.1 seconds on Thursday also impressed onlookers.
"

Everybody hits their growth spurt at different times, but there's no way Thompson is done growing. That's almost unthinkable.

3) Speaking of FSU, Here's Derwin James Jumping Over a Person

Florida State freshman safety Derwin James has been the talk of Tallahassee since enrolling early this year. Hyped from the beginning, James justified the chatter by recording a pick-six against leading quarterback Sean Maguire just a few snaps into the spring game.

Now, he's staying busy during the summer months of the offseason by jumping over people because that's totally normal and something anyone can just do.

It doesn't matter so much that the person was crouching ever so slightly. James had, what, several inches of clearance there? Has anyone tested his DNA to make sure he's not, you know, a terminator or something?

The whole backflip-pass-catch thing is so last week. The box jump may as well be the Macarena. It's all about leaping over standing human beings now. Your move, Internet.

4) Your Awesome College Football Troll of the Week

Former Ohio State offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley had some fun recently at Oregon's expense while in Eugene. Check out the photo below. It's top-notch as far as trolling goes.

Ohio State, of course, beat Oregon in the College Football Playoff in January. What really sets this apart is that Bentley included the Oregon "O" in the "O-H-I-O" formation. It was a nice touch.

5) Mark Dantonio Served as the Grand Marshal for a Sprint Cup Race

The Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway took place Sunday, and Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio served as the grand marshal for the event. As part of his duties, Dantonio got to shout: "Drivers, start your engines!"

Look, we know Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh—with or without a shirt—has been all the talk lately. But only one coach had the silky smooth voice worthy of starting up dozens upon dozens of modified engines made of pure horsepower and muscle.

That's not nothing.

6) Here's Bret Bielema Calling the Hogs, Because that Never Gets Old

Arkansas' baseball team made it to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Since Hogs head coach Bret Bielema is pretty big into school spirit, he traveled up to Omaha to help cheer on the team. Along the way, he led a sizable group of Razorback fans in calling the hogs:

Watching Bielema do this will never not be fun.

7) LaQuan McGowan Throws out First Pitch at Rangers Game

Baylor tight end LaQuan McGowan, all 400 pounds of him, is a personal favorite here at 5th Down. Why? Because there's nothing we love more than watching large men achieve great things.

McGowan, who has some folklore going for him ever since he caught a touchdown pass in the Cotton Bowl in January, recently threw out a first pitch for a Texas Rangers baseball game:

Not bad. Pretty good form and all that. Really, though, the peak McGowan moment would have been if he had hit an inside-the-park home run. That would require him to actually, you know, play professional baseball—we understand the technicality there. Still, that's about as close to a LARGE MAN TOUCHDOWN equivalent in baseball as you're going to get.

8) You Want More College Football Cakes? You Got More College Football Cakes

June is officially wedding season, which means you're going to see a lot of college football-inspired baked goods. Remember, these are couples who likely don't believe in fall weddings.

The three cakes below all have some great craftsmanship, but the Toomer's Corner one is especially well done. You also can't go wrong with the Clemson cake, which has a ton of detail.

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Grooms cake from our wedding. #wareagle #toomerscorner by hart_baron http://t.co/ukhip1X9KQ pic.twitter.com/xiJciQrYEf
— Pics from NewOrleans (@instaNewOrleans) June 9, 2015"