College Football's Five Most Overrated Players Entering the 2010 Season

Just last year I highlighted five players who I thought going into the 2009 season were the most overhyped guys in the country.

My list consisted of Sam Bradford, Daryll Clark, Joe McKnight, Jevan Snead, and Jahvid Best.

Not bad considering all were on a plethora of preseason All-American lists and not one of them even sniffed that type of mention.

So who steps into 2010 on my most overrated list?

Buckle in and enjoy the list or hate the list.

5.  Jacory Harris, QB: Miami,FL  

He was hyped up big time last year.  He has a tremendous amount of talent, but how much talent does Miami need before it really becomes good again?

But hey, he threw for 24 TDs last year, right?  Wait a minute, he also had 17 INTs.  That is pedestrian by NFL standards against NFL defenses.  Much less games to pad stats against Florida A&M, Wake Forest, and Duke.

His throwing motion is just too slow.  His decision making isn't up to par, and he doesn't let his athletic ability at the position be a strength.  He should be much more mobile in his ability to change angles in the pocket, much less get out of the pocket and make people respect his pure athleticism. 

The day that Jacory is more pocket savvy and heady about time in the pocket the better he can be.  The day that Jacory is better at making quick decisions and rifling the ball to second and third receivers will be a first.  I'm also not a big fan of his inability to step up into the pocket and throw stripes with pressure in his face.

Ultimately, his tender frame and inability to take true shots while sacrificing himself to the play at hand will be his ultimate doom.  The day he steps into a throw with a 300 pound DT putting a hit on him will be his first.  Plain and simple, he just isn't tough enough to play the position at a really high level.

4.  DeMarco Murray, RB: Oklahoma  

Toughness?  How many injuries can a single guy have in college and yet be mentioned as being great?

Sure, he is explosive in the open field, but when was the last time he gained that extra yard for the Sooners that required toughness?  This light-footed speedster from OU may give up a lot of carries for tougher and nastier RBs in the OU stable when all is said and done.

OU is going to look towards losing its "finesse" approach to football this year.  Look for Murray to be the biggest non-benefactor of that approach.       

A preseason All-Big 12 RB may well not even be the starter for the Sooners by the end of the season.  Chris Brown did all the dirty work over the last two to three years.  Look for Jermie Calhoun to really give DeMarco a push this season in which OU may be looking for a much tougher and better battering ram than Murray.

3.  Josh Nesbitt, QB: Georgia Tech

No complaints about how tough this guy is.  Problem is he lost his plugger in Jonathan Dwyer. 

Dwyer was the heart and soul of the Georgia Tech offense the past two years and teams had to respect the straight up dive out of the triple option spread that Paul Johnson has employed at Georgia Tech.

With Dwyer gone, it simply doesn't have a guy who can come close to filling his shoes. 

That puts a ton more pressure on Nesbitt to make the solidest of decisions each and every snap the Jackets take on offense.

While it seemed easy for them at times in the last two years, without Dwyer as the first option, it compounds things to the point that getting outside becomes tougher and tougher each and every down. 

I really do like Nesbitt, but 2010 will soon become a tough year for the Jackets to overcome without Dwyer.   

In the end, Nesbitt just isn't that fleet-footed QB from a triple-option past that puts fear into defenses.  Look for Tech to be somewhat easily defended in the ACC this year.

2.  Christian Ponder, QB: Florida State

Really?  Again?  How many times have we heard that he will be great this year does one kid have?

Obviously Christian is entering his fourth of high, and very high, expectations from Seminoles fans and others across the nation.

Can he finally take the pressure and live up to the hype? 

Not to dash Seminole faithful hearts, but this just isn't looking like a fairy tale ending.  Honestly, I wish it was.

Christian simply doesn't have that "it" factor about him.  By the time kids are midseason in their junior years they either have it or they don't.   Christian simply doesn't have it. 

Hard to argue with a kid that had a near 69 percent completion percentage last year, but when all is said and done it simply comes down to wins and losses. 

FSU was 7-6 last year including a bowl game win over West Virginia to cap off Bobby Bowden's coaching career.  That's nice.  When does Christian step up and be a leader amongst men?

Much less command complete and total control of a team he has supposedly guided for the past three years?

Maybe 7-6 is as good as he can do as the leader?

1.  Cameron Newton, QB: Auburn  

I've heard of great JUCO transfers in the past and such, but the glorification of Auburn fans anointing Cam Newton as the new next stud in the SEC has gotten to be, well, beyond ridiculous.

Yes, Cameron is an incredible talent.  Florida didn't recruit and land his talents because he was a bum.

But...he has never taken a snap in a FBS game in his entire career. 

Yet somehow he is better than Tim Tebow, and will lead Auburn to an SEC title and maybe even a National Title?

I have no stats to post about this guy other than he has none. 

Good luck with that, Auburn.  Good luck in believing that a fourth place team in the SEC West will suddenly compete for the SEC Title while the defending champs are in your division.   

And good luck with putting such high expectations on this kid's head that if he doesn't achieve greatness he'll be a failure.

Thanks for making my No. 1 spot very, very easy.