College Football's Top 20 "Home Run Hitters" for 2012

You know those guys you watch with bated breath?

The ones who have the speed to house it every time they touch the ball?

This list is about those guys.

The big-time, big-play stars that will blow by defenses routinely, and who give defensive coordinators nightmares.

The top 20 are listed here, along with a group that just missed the cut. If you don't watch the highlights of these guys working their magic, then you have no one to blame but yourself.

Next Up

Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU

Greg Reid, CB, LSU

Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin

Andre DeBose, WR, Florida

Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma

Marqise Lee, WR, USC

James Franklin, QB, Missouri

Le'Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State

Cameron Marshall, RB, Arizona State

20. Onterio McCalebb, RB, Auburn

With the departure of Michael Dyer, you can expect McCalebb to pick up some of the carries Dyer left in his wake. While McCalebb's size limits the possibilities of his role as an every-down back, his speed and shiftiness make him a threat to score every time he gets his hands on the pigskin.

At 5'10," 170 pounds, he is not a threat to run many people over, but when he is in the same vicinity as a defender, you better believe the tackler is getting left behind.

As if the ability to boost the rushing game with his blazing speed isn't enough, McCalebb is also a threat in the return game. Double whammy.

19. James White, RB, Wisconsin

White is the "other guy."

You all heard about Montee Ball and the incredible season he had for the Badgers last year. However, in 2010, White had a better year than Ball, as a true freshman.

White is incredibly quick and a threat to take it to the house whenever he breaks through the offensive line.

While his numbers were down in 2011, expect him to have another year similar to 2010, especially when he figures out that some of his technique was off last season.

This guy is easily one of the best big-play threats, not only in the Big Ten, but in the nation.

18. Keith Price, QB, Washington

If you are looking for a mobile quarterback with the chance to put up similar numbers to RG3's 2011 campaign, look no further.

While Price does not have the same number of weapons available, he is absolutely as talented as Griffin.

In eight of his thirteen games last season, Price threw for at least three touchdowns. In the Alamo Bowl, we saw what he can do with his legs when healthy.

Price had a great 2011 through the air and demonstrated flashes of brilliance on the ground, even while dealing with a nagging knee injury.

At full strength in 2012, not only will he be effective through the air, but his mobility will be such that when he gets outside the tackles, opposing defenses are going to regret it.

17. Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma

Stills has a huge opportunity in 2012.

Last season, he played second fiddle to Ryan Broyles. This season, with Broyles in the NFL and four other receivers suspended indefinitely, he will have the opportunity to prove he is a reliable receiver.

Stills had a solid 2011 season, averaging 13.9 yards per catch and snagging a total of eight touchdowns.

That said, big plays such as this one against FSU left us wanting more, and Stills has the big play talent to give it to us this season.

16. Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina

Bernard burst onto the scene with a big year last season, averaging over five yards per carry on 239 attempts and scoring 13 times on the ground.

He won't be one of the best kept secrets in football for very long in 2012.

Coupled with quarterback Bryn Renner in the Tarheels' backfield, Bernard has the potential to rush for over 1,500 yards this season.

He's a speedy guy and very hard to tackle in the open field.

Just ask Miami.

15. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia

Clemson is still trying to tackle this guy, who showed us a little bit of what he is capable of in the Mountaineers' 70-33 whooping of the Tigers in last season's Orange Bowl.

He had a little bit of a hard time finding the end zone in the regular season, scoring only four times.

However, he exploded in the Orange Bowl for four touchdowns.

With Geno Smith at the helm of this offense and Dana Holgorsen guiding it, Austin is in for a huge season in 2012.

14. Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama

'Bama's run of great running backs over the past half decade does not end just because Trent Richardson is gone.

The next man up is Eddie Lacy. Expect Lacy to get the bulk of the carries this fall and make the most of it.

He finished last season with a ridiculous 7.1 yards per carry average on 95 carries. His speed and elusiveness make him very difficult to tackle and will help him finish among the top rushers in the SEC in 2012.

But it's not just his moves in the open field that will help him reach the top. Lacy's ability to run up the gut and shed tacklers makes him special.

13. Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina

Before Lattimore went down with a season ending knee injury, he was on pace to reach the 1,600 yard plateau and score 20 touchdowns in 2011.

Then this happened.

In 2012, he will vie for a spot atop the SEC running backs, and he has the speed and athletic ability to wind up on top.

12. Da'Rick Rogers, WR, Tennessee

Rogers often gets lost in the shuffle of great players because he plays for a less-than-great team, but he is not a man that should be overlooked.

In this video, Rogers gets the better of Tyrann Mathieu. Of course, those were the only three catches he had in the game.

Even so, the man finished 2011 with 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns, much of his production coming while starting quarterback Tyler Bray was on the bench.

With Bray back at full strength, Rogers turns into one of the scariest weapons in the SEC.

11. Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon

The first of two Ducks on this list, Barner has incredible speed and the vision to make cuts at the right time.

If he gets the edge—and he often does— defenses look plain silly.

With starting quarterback Darron Thomas and star LaMichael James gone, expect Barner and backfield mate De'Anthony Thomas to thrive and produce plenty of highlight-reel material such as this this.

10. Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson

Sure, Ellington benefits from having Tajh Boyd throwing the ball and Sammy Watkins making plays all over the field, but let's not detract from him because he plays among stars.

He can hold his own.

Ellington came on strong at the end of the season, rush for over 110 yards against two of the best defenses the Tigers faced all season.

He finished the season averaging over five yards per carry and has the speed to make that number jump this season.

If I'm an opposing defensive coordinator, this guy scares scares me.

Here's a look at what he did against Virginia Tech last season.

9. Henry Josey, RB, Missouri

Henry Josey is electric.

In the first five games of 2011, he averaged only 11 carries per game.

That number jumped up to 18 in his last five games, and he missed the last three games of the season with injury.

Even so, he finished the season with 1,168 yards and nine touchdowns to go along with a whopping 8.1 yards per carry.

It will be interesting to see if he can follow up that performance with a better one against the stout defenses of the SEC.

8. Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia

Stedman Bailey can just flat play.

He finished 2011 with an average of 17.8 yards per catch. With Tavon Austin opposite him and Geno Smith operating the offense, the sky is the limit for Bailey's numbers in 2012.

He's a speedy guy, who gained over 100 yards receiving and had eight catches against a stingy LSU defense.

He also had eight catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns against a stingy Louisville defense.

Don't forget about this guy amidst all the hype of Robert Woods and Sammy Watkins.

Bailey is a legit threat to score whenever he gets his hands on the ball.

7. Robert Woods, WR, USC

Woods is an athletic receiver that is a threat to score from anywhere on the field.

He runs great routes, makes all the right plays and has the speed to outrun the secondary.

While a misguided few would argue that fellow receiver Marqise Lee is just as good, Woods draws coverage like crazy, yet still produces in a big way.

With Matt Barkley again throwing him the ball, he will be one of the top big-play threats in the college football this year.

6. Keenan Allen, WR, Cal

Yeah, that's right, Allen is this high.

The man is incredibly underrated and overlooked. At 6'3," you would expect him to run more like a giraffe than a gazelle, but his fluidity and speed are ridiculous.

Against good teams, he seems to step up his game. He torched USC, Oregon and Washington in consecutive games with 16.9 yards per catch over those three games. He caught a third of his 98 receptions in those contests.

His ability to stretch the field and make the "circus catch" set him apart. Every time he touches the ball, opposing fans hold their breath until he is tackled.

He's the most underrated receiver in the country, and here is the video to prove it.

5. Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State

You can look at Randle's future in 2012 one of two ways.

Either the departure of Justin Blackmon and Brandon Weeden will hurt him, or it will be the best thing that could have happened to him.

I think the latter. With their two stars gone, the offensive coaches will likely involve Randle a ton more in the offense, simply by default.

And he doesn't need much impetus to be a great back.

He averaged 5.8 yards per carry last season, while scoring 24 touchdowns on the ground.

4. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan

Malign his quarterback abilities all you will, but Denard Robinson is one scary dude in the open field.

At times, he shows flashes of brilliance in the passing game, but he is at his best when he's running with the ball in his hands.

Yes, he has been over-hyped and yes, he came up a little short last season, but you have to believe that his opponents watch film such as this and wonder how one man could possess so much talent.

At times, it's just not even fair.

3. Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson

Other than his brush with the law earlier this year, there is not much to dislike about this kid. When it comes to talent, Watkins was given his fair share and then an extra amount just to make the rest of us envy him.

He's 6'1," 180 pounds of explosive talent.

Last season, as a true freshman, he burst onto the scene with 82 receptions for over 1,200 yards and finished the year with 12 touchdowns. That's an average of 14.9 yards per catch.

With quarterback Tajh Boyd returning, Watkins' freakish athletic ability will serve him well, yet again.

2. Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State

There are other receivers that are bigger and have better hands.

However, you would be hard pressed to find one as fast or with the explosive ability that Wilson brings to the table.

At 6'4," he has the advantage in just about every jump ball, and he brings it down with startling regularity, as evidenced by his 16.9 yards per catch average last season.

If NFL scouts are looking for a big receiver with good hands, the ability to make guys miss in the open field and speed to burn—here's the guy.

1. De'Anthony Thomas, RB, Oregon

Anybody who has watched this guy for even one play could tell you he would be near the top of this list.

His speed is incredible, as he usually pulls away from every defender that gets close to him. He averaged an absolutely ridiculous 10.8 yards per carry last season, and while he only carried the ball 55 times, that's still an insane number.

Not only is he dangerous rushing the ball, he actually scored more times receiving (nine) than he did running (seven).

Oregon seems to constantly enjoy a wealth of incredibly fast athletes.

Thomas, however, takes it to another level.