The 25 Most Disappointing College Football Players of the 2011 Season

The 2011 college football season came in with great expectations. Many fans, coaches and players had high hopes and dreams before it all started.

After the season began, it was clear that some played above those expectations while others performed at sub-par levels. This list chronicles the brutal and frustrating journey of some of those players whose seasons were marred by disappointment.

Here are 25 most disappointing college football players of 2011.  

No.25 Denard Robinson

Yes, he threw for 2.056 yards, and yes he threw for 18 touchdowns. But he still didn't live up to expectations.

Last season Robinson had 2,570 yards passing and that familiar total of 18 touchdowns. But, in the only two losses for the Wolverines this year, Denard was less than stellar. Against rival Michigan state he went nine for 14 with 123 yards. He had one touchdown, but he matched it with an interception.

Against Iowa he went 17 for 37, 194 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. In those two losses he completed just 41 percent of his passes and had a combined 94.2 quarterback rating.

If he has better games in both those losses, who knows where the Wolverines might be?

No.24 Marcus Lattimore

There are a few guys on this list that make it by no fault of their own. The injuries they suffered ended their season and the expectations of the loyal fans.

While it may not be Marcus Lattimore's fault that he got hurt, it doesn't make it less disappointing for college football fans everywhere. He was on his way to an incredible season. He had already ran for 818 yards in seven games and was on pace to beat his previous year's totals.

Who knows how the Arkansas game would have went if Lattimore was healthy?

It was very disappointing to see him leave the way he did. However, he is only a sophomore, so look for him next season.

No.23 Greg Childs

Greg Childs is another senior who failed to live up to expectations. In his junior year he caught 46 passes and gained 659 yards.

He also had six touchdowns in 2010, and many thought he would only improve those totals. But they were so wrong.

He finished the regular season with just 16 grabs, 192 yards and no touchdowns.

No.22 Vince Browne

This was not the senior year Vince Browne or Northwestern wanted for their outstanding defensive star.

He struggled with injuries all year, and his totals suffered because of it. In 2010, he had 58 tackles and seven sacks. In 2011, that was reduced to 35 tackles and three sacks.

Still, expect Browne to go as high as the fourth round come NFL draft time. He is an excellent player—even if 2011 was a very disappointing season.

No.21 D.J. Woods

The 2011 season was a let down for D.J. Woods.

In 2010, Woods caught 57 passes for just under 900 yards and eight touchdowns. This season his yardage was half of that with only two TDs.

What makes it even more disappointing is that this was his senior year.

No.20 Dan Goodale

It really isn't fair to put Goodale on this list, but if you are a Boise State fan you know how disappointing it was to see him go wide right.

This of course, was the second year in a row that BSU went wide right only to miss another BCS game and perhaps a shot at the title.

After last season's debacle in Reno, you would have thought the Broncos would have had a kicker who was ready for the pressure.  They didn't, and Goodale wasn't. Still, if you watch the video closely you can see that the laces are not facing the right way, so the holder has some responsibility as well.

Let's hope Goodale can bounce back, after all, he is only a freshman.

No.19 Josh Gordon

What might have been?

Josh Gordon was an excellent receiver for the Baylor Bears. In 2010 Gordon caught 42 passes for 714 yards. However, before the season started Mr. Gordon was suspended for violating team rules.

He then transferred to Utah where he had to sit out the season because of transfer rules. Still, one has to wonder what would have happened had he stayed at Baylor and didn't break those rules.

I wonder how it felt to watch R.G.III all season from the bench in Utah.

No.18 Jermaine Kearse

Jermaine Kearse had a great 2010 season, and that was following a good 2009 campaign.

Then in 2011, something happened.

Kearse went from over 1,000 yards receiving and 63 catches down to 42 grabs and barely 500 yards. His touchdowns also suffered from a dozen in 2010 to just six this season. Most Washington fans thought that Jermaine would shine this year, but as it were, he ended up a bit dull.

Some might say he was under a Kearse. Whatever the case, he certainly played under his potential.

No.17 James White

Last year White ran for 1,052 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Badgers. He also averaged 6.7 yards per carry, which is very impressive.

What is not impressive was his follow-up season this year. White gained just 683 yards and six touchdowns on the year.

Some running backs would be satisfied with that, but White can't be. He knows he is much better than that.

Of course, one of the biggest reasons his season is so disappointing is because of his teammate Montee Ball.  But, Ball was there last year and White out-gained him in 2010.

Ball had an incredible season, but White has to be disappointed.

No.16 Jared Crick

The guy averaged 70 tackles over the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He was on every watch list and NFL scouts were licking their chops.

Then, an injury struck and his season was over. It is always a disappointment when an excellent player is out for the season, and Crick is no exception.

Nebraska fans are probably pondering what might have been.

Let's hope Crick can bounce back and go strong into his rookie NFL season.

No.15 Kyle Padron

Kyle Padron threw for 3,828 yards on 508 completions and 31 touchdowns. But, that was last season. You know the old saying; "What have you done for me lately?"

Padron was benched very early in the season and never earned the starting spot back.

Let's hope he gets that spark back next year and competes to get his job back. It is hard to believe a quarterback with that talent and those numbers in 2010 isn't starting somewhere.

No.14 Dayne Crist

Crist had a good 2010 season: In that year, he completed 294 passes for 2,033 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Most thought coming into 2011 he would be the guy at Notre Dame. However, he quickly lost his starting job in 2011 and never got it back.

Tommy Rees took over, and now Crist will leave for Kansas, according to the Chicago Tribune.

No.13 Tauren Poole

In 2010 Tauren ran for over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 171 yards and one more TD.

He was impressive, and most Tennessee fans couldn't wait to see what he would do this season.

Tauren ended up with 693 yards rushing and only five touchdowns this year. He went from 5.1 yards per carry down to 3.7.

It is not the way Tennessee or Poole wanted his senior season to go.

No.12 Dillon Baxter

Baxter was a highly ranked recruit coming in to USC. So many had huge expectations for him as the Trojans premier running back—but that never materialized.

With only nine carries for 29 yards, and no touchdowns on the season, Baxter was more than a disappointment. Then, in October of this year, he announced he would be leaving USC (via NBC Sports).

His career at USC was bad enough to be good enough to make No.12 on this list.

No.11 Ryan Broyles

To no fault of his own, Ryan Broyles makes the list at No.11. A horrible injury put him out for the year, and he has been missed.

Oklahoma fans were extremely disappointed when Broyles went down, and with good reason. The Sooners went on to lose two of their last three games without him. The loss of Broyles was probably harder to take for Oklahoma fans than the Texas Tech loss. The other thing that makes it so bad is that he is a senior.

Let's hope he recovers well and has a stellar career in the NFL.

No.10 Edwin Baker

The 2010 season was a breakout year for Baker. He rushed for 1,201 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Coming into this season, hopes were riding high. In 2011, Baker only had one game over 100 yards.

His totals on the year are less than impressive.

He ran for 655 yards on 164 carries, and that's only a four yards per carry. He also only had five touchdowns on the season.

It was a very lackluster year for Baker, and Michigan State fans hope that he can show up come bowl time.

No. 9 Danny O'Brien

To say Maryland had a disappointing season would be putting it mildly. Along with that terrible season came some not-so-good quarterback play.

Last year, Danny O'Brien threw for over 2,400 yards and 22 touchdowns. This year, he dropped to just over 1,600 yards and seven TDs.

Of course, some of that can be contributed to the fact that he missed three games because of injury.

It was a very bad year for the Turtle and the quarterback.

No. 8 Rob Bolden

With all the other trouble Penn State has had this year, Bolden's disappointment seems minor. However, it has certainly been disappointing watching his downward spiral.

Last year, Bolden showed some promise. He threw for 1,360 yards and five touchdowns. This season, many expected good things from Mr. Bolden. Those good things didn't happen.

He lost any chance of the starting job to Matthew McGloin, and now it is reported that he has some "legal issues" of his own, according to NBC Sports.

The issue appears to be small—involving the theft of a bottle of Gatorade—but it is certainly not what Penn State needs right now.

No. 7 Ryan Katz

Katz threw for 2,401 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2010. He came into the 2011 season with the hopes of every Oregon State fan.

That all ended against Sacramento State. Yes, Sacramento State. He was benched in that game, and would not be the Beavers quarterback ever again.

Then, in late November, head coach Mike Riley announced that Katz would be leaving the team (via Oregon Live).

It was a disappointing end to a disappointing season.

No. 6 Brandon Bolden

Last year Bolden had nearly 1,400 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns and he looked incredible.

This year—not so much.

Missing two games because of injuries, Bolden still played in a total of ten games. He only broke the 100-yard rushing total one time all season.

On the season, Bolden only rushed for 472 yards and four touchdowns.

You know this isn't the way he wanted to finish his senior season.

No. 5 Vontaze Burfict

Vontaze Burfict is a perfect example of not living up to one's potential.

This guy was touted as one of the greatest linebackers in college football coming into the 2011 season. People around him were saying he was more focused and more mature, but he wasn't.

If anything, he took a step backward.

The last game of the regular season saw Burfict losing his temper and being called for not one, but two personal foul penalties against Cal. Then—in the bowl game against Boise State—he got another personal foul, and didn't see a lot of action. He was a non-factor in that game, and it pretty much summed up his season.

Now going forward, Vontaze will no doubt be drafted in the NFL because of his size and athletic ability. However, if he doesn't change his attitude, it could be a short stay in the Sunday league.

No. 4 Alshon Jeffery

Talk about a letdown.

Alshon Jeffery had an incredible 2010 season. Last year he caught 88 passes for 1,517 yards and nine touchdowns.

He was hailed as one of the elite wide receivers in college football. That is, until this year. How did he follow up such an impressive season? Producing by less than half of what he did in 2010.

The 2011 season brought high expectations and even higher hopes, but what it materialized into was 614 yards and 45 receptions.

A truly disappointing season and worthy of the No. 4 spot on this countdown.

No. 3 Garrett Gilbert

Garrett Gilbert made quite an impression when he played in the National Championship game back in January of 2010. If you remember, he was the backup to then quarterback Colt McCoy, and he did a good job in relief.

He was highly recruited out of high school, and many thought he was going to be the heir to McCoy for the Longhorns. Gilbert started the season against Rice and had a good game. He threw for 239 yards and one touchdown. The Longhorns won that game 34-9.

Then, in the follow up against BYU, Gilbert was pulled in the second quarter. He would not start again.

Garret would then request a release from scholarship so he could transfer to another school, and Texas granted him that request.

No. 2 Cliff Harris

Cliff Harris was an incredible cornerback and punt returner. "Was" is the key word.

After a great 2010 season where Harris had 30 tackles and six interceptions, the Ducks had high-flying hopes for him.

Not only that, but in 2010 Harris amassed 546 return yards and four touchdowns. So, many were excited to see what he would do next.

Well—after some run-ins with law enforcement because of excessive speed off the field, alleged drug possession and some attitude issues—Cliff Harris was suspended and then ultimately dismissed from the team (via ESPN)

A huge disappointment for Oregon fans, Cliff Harris makes the top two.

No. 1 Stephen Garcia

Between his 2009 and 2010 seasons, Stephen Garcia threw for over 5,800 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Coming in to 2011, folks in South Carolina had great expectations for Mr. Garcia.

He started off the year with several sub-par games, attitude problems and then rule-breaking. Garcia was dismissed from the Gamecocks as a result of positive alcohol and marijuana tests (via ESPN).

To say he was a disappointment is and understatement.

How many young men dream of playing college football? How many young men wished they had the talent and ability of a Stephen Garcia? How many wish they could have their college education paid for while doing something they love?

It makes me sick to think that someone like Garcia didn't realize how fortunate he was. It is truly disappointing to see someone flush their talent and opportunity right down the toilet.

Garcia is certainly worthy of this No. 1 ranking.