Do you miss Reggie Bush?
Okay, perhaps I should clarify that question.
Do you miss the collegiate version of Reggie Bush, prior to the alleged NCAA rule violations and butt-model arm candy? The ankle-breaking circus show tailback who often worked night shifts as a wide receiver?
The guy you loved, loved to hate, or loved to watch highlights of and wonder if you’d ever be lucky enough to see someone this talented play college football again in your lifetime?
If so, I’ve got you covered.
The next Reggie Bush is out there.
To find him, you first have to turn your attention away from the West coast and move it further East to the quaint little drinking town of Gainesville, FL.
And if you think I’m about to write Tim Tebow’s name, I assure you I’m not that delusional. Sure, the man can make some precise cuts with a scalpel, but he can’t slice up defenders like Reggie Bush.
He leaves that to Percy Harvin.
Harvin is the most athletic, most versatile, most complete, most talented, and mystifyingly, one of the most unknown players in the country.
Percy is the new Reggie. The only trouble is that American Sports Fan doesn’t know it—yet.
This kind of thing can happen to the best of them.
Homer Simpson had the same problem with Mr. Burns, who couldn’t remember his name no matter how many times he heard it. It pushed poor Homer to the edge, leaving him no choice but to spray paint his name all over the walls inside Burns’ office until he was dragged out by Security.
So before Percy turns to a life of illegal, but hopefully legible, graffiti, I think an introduction is in order.
Today's Must Reads
America, meet Percy Harvin. Percy, America.
Good. Now let’s make sure you’re up to speed.
When I wrote that Harvin was the next Reggie Bush, I meant that he is the next 6’0”, 200-pound WR/RB combo who commands an entire defensive game plan just to stop him.
A guy who was listed as the nation’s number one prep player in 2006 by Rivals.com (Bush was their number two ranked player coming out of high school in 2003).
A guy who, through two seasons, gained more yards from scrimmage on fewer touches than Bush did in his first two seasons.
Reggie got you 7.7 yards per touch. Percy got you 11.3, and did it against tougher defenses.
While he has a penchant for making gamebreaking, nearly impossible plays, his best asset may be his final burst at the point of contact, almost as if he can see the yellow first down line on the field.
During his sophomore season, Harvin broke 100 rushing yards twice, broke the century mark with receiving yards four times, and crossed both barriers in the same game against Vanderbilt.
Not bad for an undersized wideout.
And if there weren’t enough comparisons between Bush and Harvin already, they each watched their high profile quarterbacks accept the Heisman trophy while still having time to win it themselves.
Bush eventually won the award a year later, and you can bet Tim Tebow’s Heisman vote won’t be the only one cast for Percy this winter—assuming he remains healthy.
The main drawback to Harvin’s game has been his penchant for nagging injuries. His impressive 2007 stats don’t even include two blowout Gator victories while he was in the hospital with severe migraine headaches.
Seemingly always banged up, Harvin gave Gator fans heart trouble this spring when he pulled out of practice and had an operation to correct a persistent heel injury.
Fortunately for Orange and Blue faithful, his recovery is ahead of schedule and he should be fine when fall practice begins.
Though if he’s going to become a household name and an early NFL draft pick while engulfed in Tim Tebow’s shadow, he’s going to need 2008 to be his healthiest year.
Tebow’s supernatural legend is only going to grow each week. If it rains hard enough in the Swamp, he may even be forced to walk on water.
But when it comes down to stopping the Gators’ most dynamic player, it will be Percy Harvin’s name on every defensive coordinator’s blackboard in the South.
Percy Harvin’s name echoing out of stadium loudspeakers.
Percy Harvin’s name looping on Sportscenter highlights.
Percy Harvin’s name on various post-season award lists.
Percy Harvin’s name being called in the first round of next year’s NFL draft.
It’s time to start paying attention to the most exciting player in the country. It's time to remember his name.
The spray painting is on the wall.
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2 months ago
great article, and it sounds like this guy is gonna be really good.
2 months ago
Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, and Brandon James are going to put up so many points next season for the Gators.
2 months ago
Percy is a better WR and is faster than Reggie. I think Reggie is more elusive though. Percy sees the hole 8 yards in front of him and gets through just before it closes. Reggie would keep dancing until the hole presented itself. At least that is my memory of Reggie in college.
And Alan, the dude already is really good.
2 months ago
Good gracious that kid is fast. Does he have like 900 yards against Tennessee? It seemed like every other play was against the Vols in the YouTube clip.
Good stuff, Eric.
2 months ago
Nice read! I really dislike when players are compared to other players though (ie- Kobe is the next MJ).
Percy is his own man! He can catch and run extremely well. Bush could juke anyone out of his shoes, but also had a lot of runs for lost yardage due to his dancing around the backfield. The two are two different cats, both deserving of the accolades they have received or will have received.
from 2 months ago
True, Lisa, it can be tiresome to hear that B is the next A, but if its for good reason, I can live with it.
2 months ago
the heel surgery is supposed to fix what has been a nagging injury since high school. I can only imagine what a gamebreaker he'll be now that that's been dealt with.
oh, and i loved the simpsons reference.
2 months ago
Noel Devine!
2 months ago
is not as good as Percy!
And like James, I would also like to give propers on the Homer Simpson line...
2 months ago
percy has only a year left..(he wont come back) so he can't have a chance at making as much a impact as reggie.
but he sure is similar.
from 2 months ago
Each would have played three years and won at least one BCS National Championship. In order for Percy to leave a similar mark as Reggie, he's going to have to be in the Heisman talk for most of the season which will be tough to do with Tebow at QB and lots of great players on offense around him, not to mention other contenders like Wells, Maclin, Crabtree, Moreno, Stafford, etc.
The main point of this article was to point out that Harvin is relatively unknown (nationally) for a player with his kind of talent. Some kids like DeSean Jackson got tons of hype, but when you really pay attention to what they're doing, you find out its a few good games here and there with a lot of duds in between. We must have seen his punt return highlight against Tennessee a few hundred times last year, often from different angles, but it was still one play.
There are plenty of Harvin highlight videos on Youtube like the one I linked to, but you've got to keep in mind that those are pulling from only two years of film. Guys like Bush, Jackson, and Ted Ginn Jr. have films that pull from three.
Percy deserves the hype and will hopefully get it this year. If so, he can have a Bush-like impact and go early in the 1st round of the draft.
2 months ago
Percy Harvin is legit! He worked wonders in the Capital One Bowl last year against my beloved Wolverines. He's electric, watch out!
2 months ago
Big time Gator fan here. I have to respectfully disagree with Eric, regarding Mr. Harvin's potential as an early 1st round pick.
He is short (not 6'0 or 5'11, more like 5'10), and he is barely 190 pounds no matter what the media guide says( I think we all now how they like to exaggerate). There are very few productive NFL WR's with these measurables, let alone ones that get drafted in the top 10 of the 1st round. Last year for example, Donnie Avery had similar measurables (5'11-186), decent speed and went #33 to St. Louis. DeSean Jackson (6'0-178) and he went #49 to Philadelphia. 2007, Ted Ginn (5'11-178) and he made it #9 to Miami, the exception. I think most would agree he has been subpar at best. 2006, Santonio Holmes (5'11-189) went #25 to Pittsburgh.
I think that Mr. Harvin has exceptional talent but the fact that recently, these super elusive 6'0 and under WRs types, have yet to pan out will have an effect to his draft status. Of course this is all assuming that there are no complications from his heel surgery (real tough to keep that area clean and free from infection).
Get well soon, Percy.
2 months ago
I've got some pretty reliable sources that have him up at 200 or even more and several spring practice onlookers have commented about how much muscle he has put on. He certainly reported to UF in the 178 range, but has been great in the weight room since.
Of course height is a question mark, but Percy will have to make his mark in the NFL along the lines of someone like Steve Smith. He'll need every bit of muscle to absorb NFL contact.
Donnie Avery and DeSean Jackson are not good comparables to Percy, in my opinion.
2 months ago
Percy is around 5'10 190 which is small, with the recent disaster involving wide recievers n the 1st round.
he position is kind of blurred also so he will probably be a late 1st rounder.
2 months ago
have you ever seen the movie "Major League?" there's a scene near the end when rick vaughn is pitching to the big, bad yankee and his manager is yelling for him to throw his number one pitch, "forget the curve, ricky. give 'em the heater!"
in gainesville, percy harvin is our "heater." for the glory that is tim tebow, percy is our number one option. whenever a big play is needed, danny mullen is calling percy's number...which happens to be #1.
for the gators to have a magical season and topple top-10 foes Georgia and LSU, mullen's going to have to forget the curve--reverses, fake punts, trick plays--and give them a heavy dose of the gainesville fastball, our "ol' number one," the heater: percy harvin.
2 months ago
Cool, I live in Cali and have no "sources". I hope he is as big as reported but I hardly ever believe those things (ht/wt) until the Combine...that I can watch for myself on NFL Network. That's just me, because you know as well as I, that teams lie. (rhyming was totally unintentional)
I think DeSean Jackson is pretty comparable, though. He was a blazer in college just wasn't as consistent, I beleive. Plus, isn't Coach Tedford's offense more of a "pro-style" offense?
I only used Donne Avery because of measureables, excellent speed, same postion, and Avery was the first WR taken this year...never meant to put them in the same breathe/sentence other than that.
2 months ago
Heater....what a great nickname for Percy. I'm going to call him the "heater from now on.
Thanks Hank!
2 months ago
DeSean Jackson/Tony Ginn never went off tackle against SEC defenses, like Percy has done several times. Dude is much thicker than people give him credit for.
2 months ago
Tim, that's goes along with Tedford running a Pro-style offense, don't you think?
from 2 months ago
If DeSean Jackson could get you 8-9 yards every time he touched it, I'm sure Tedford would have given him the ball out of the backfield--isn't that what coaches do? I hate when people say Harvin played running back only out of necessity; the dude is a good running back as well.
Agree to disagree, perhaps...
2 months ago
Excellent commentary guys. Great to read posts that are objective/positive (too much nonsense on other boards), and willing to show some love where it is due. I think that Noel Devine is another guy that is just downright scary, yet unsung. I'm a die hard Gator, and I can assure you, as I was out at practices in the spring (before the surgery etc.) Percy is STACKED! Mickey Marotti, the Gator strength and conditioning coordinator, says he rivals Tebow as the pound for pound strongest guy, proportionate to his size, on the team. As several have mentioned he's a serious work out warrior, and he does NOT shy away from contact with some of the most menacing defensive front sevens in all of college football (Georgia/LSU/Tennessee/Michigan etc). I don't know about his pro potential, but I'm confident he may well be even better than Reggie before it's all said and done.
2 months ago
I think the player who could end up resembling Reggie the most is Chris Rainey. You guys will see plenty of his highlights this season. He makes the same kind of cuts as Reggie does.
Man, is it football season yet?
2 months ago
BTW, I forgot to congratulate Eric for a great article! It doesn't matter if I agree or not. Still a great read. Keep up the good work E.
2 months ago
Thanks for reading.
2 months ago
And thanks for wearing the Wizard outfit, Eric. IMO, it makes the article even better.
Where are all the Tennessee fans lately?
2 months ago
Some people can't handle the wizardry. They think it drops my credibility levels. I disagree. I think it shows that I support those crazy halloween stores that open up in early October every year in the nearby strip mall that nobody goes to. And that I'm not afraid to alter one of their pre-packaged outfits with a pair of scissors.
2 months ago
Percy Harvin is not just an amazing football player, he was an amazing basketball player, and a heck of a track runner... i've known percy since high school i know he is gonna make it big! i'm proud of u percy keep it up i'll be watching!!!
about 1 month ago
I'm kind of late commenting on this article, but I just had to give it a thumbs up. Good stuff.
My prediction(and yes, I'm a biased Florida fan) for Heisman: Harvin this year, Tebow again next year. If Moreno wants one he'll have to stick around for his senior season.
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