Smallest and Tallest Players in FBS College Football for 2015 Season
College football players come in all shapes and sizes, but some are bigger, or smaller, than others. Much bigger or smaller.
Offensive linemen are built to be big, but some manage to grow to such gargantuan sizes they break the mold for the position. Some are so humongous and yet so athletic that limiting them to just blocking and pulling isn't enough.
And on the smaller side, the tiniest players often have a distinct advantage over their bigger brethren because they can slip through tight spaces and sidestep troublesome tacklers.
As we move within a week of the start of the 2015 season, it's time to turn the spotlight on some of the game's most notable players who fall to one extreme side or the other of the big/small spectrum. Here's our look at college football's smallest and tallest players, highlighting how they and their teams hope to maximize their size (or lack thereof) this fall.
Brandon Holloway, RB, Mississippi State
1 of 12
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 5'8", 160 lbs
Mississippi State's offense hasn't been the most conventional over the last few years, what with Dak Prescott playing quarterback like a linebacker and last season's leading rusher, Josh Robinson, often referred to as a "bowling ball."
This season the Bulldogs might hand the ball off to a player who's so small he might end up getting called a pingpong ball.
While Ashton Shumpert is likely to be MSU's starter, Brandon Holloway will get his touches in the backfield as a change-of-pace back who will use his speed and shiftiness to fake out defenders. Last year he had 294 yards and one touchdown on 45 carries, though he only had two or more rushes in two of his final eight games.
"Expected to run third or fourth in the running back rotation doesn’t mean he’ll spend most of his time on the bench as MSU will bring him in often to give them a speedy running back to make plays," wrote Robbie Faulk of 247Sports.
LaQuan McGowan, TE, Baylor
2 of 12
Year: Senior
Height, weight: 6'7", 410 lbs
Baylor's offense is so complex it has a seemingly endless bag of tricks to choose from. We got to see one of the biggest ploys during the Cotton Bowl in January, when quarterback Bryce Petty targeted the enormous LaQuan McGowan on a pop pass that resulted in an 18-yard touchdown.
Prior to that play McGowan was just another big blocker, one who the Bears had used mostly on special teams and in goal-line situations; however, as the season went on, he began getting practice reps at tight end. After his big play in the bowl, McGowan was fully converted to tight end and spent the offseason showing off his ability to make one-handed grabs.
Baylor has some of the best receivers in the country with a pair of 1,000-yard wideouts in KD Cannon and Corey Coleman, but expect McGowan to get his chances.
William Likely, DB/KR, Maryland
3 of 12
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 5'7", 175 lbs
Size hasn't been an issue for William Likely during his college career, no matter what he's doing.
Despite routinely defending players who are several inches taller than him, last season the cornerback had six interceptions, tied for tops in the Big Ten, and brought back two of those for touchdowns. He also scored once apiece on a punt and kickoff return, amassing 876 all-purpose yards on just 41 plays.
Likely also had 83 tackles, fourth-most on the team, with 66 of those of the solo variety.
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Orlando Brown, OL, Oklahoma
4 of 12
Year: Redshirt freshman
Height, weight: 6'8", 342 lbs
Orlando Brown is fighting for a starting spot on Oklahoma's offensive line, possibly as the left tackle who would protect Baker Mayfield's blind side. It's one of the positions that his late father, Orlando "Zeus" Brown, played for 11 seasons in the NFL.
"Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops called Orlando Brown the 'all-star' of preseason camp," Justin Hite of Scout.com wrote. "Brown's potential was the talk of last year's camp. This season, it has all come together."
The Sooners' last five full-time starting left tackles have ended up in the NFL, including Tyrus Thompson, who was taken by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round in May.
Jakeem Grant, WR, Texas Tech
5 of 12
Year: Senior
Height, weight: 5'7", 168 lbs
Texas Tech's Air Raid passing offense puts a premium on sure-handed receivers who can move well after the catch, regardless of how big or small they are. This has enabled Jakeem Grant to thrive with the Red Raiders, as he led the team in receptions (67) and yards (938) in 2014 while hauling in seven touchdowns.
For his career, Grant has 164 catches, which ranks 16th on the school's all-time list, and with another year like his last he'll challenge for one of the top five spots that currently include NFL stars Wes Welker and Michael Crabtree. He needs 1,120 yards to top Crabtree's Tech career yardage record.
Grant also excels in the return game and averaged 22.4 yards per return last season.
Corey Clements, OL, Purdue
6 of 12
Year: Senior
Height, weight: 6'8", 420 lbs
Corey Clements packs more pounds than any other player in college football, and the junior college transfer from Mesa Community College in Arizona hopes to make the most of that size this season after playing a minimal role for Purdue in 2014.
Originally from Alabama, Clements helped Mesa rank second in the NJCAA in passing yards in 2013, according to his online bio. The Boilermakers ranked 103rd in FBS in passing offense last year at 187.4 yards per game.
"Clements is a massive blocker that, in a situational role, can be effective," SB Nation's Travis Miller wrote.
Desmon White, WR, TCU
7 of 12
Year: Sophomore
Height, weight: 5'7", 150 lbs
TCU's deep receiving corps made it so that Desmon White didn't get many opportunities to show off his speed and athleticism as a freshman last season, but he still ended up with 14 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown.
With the Horned Frogs heading into 2015 with some injury concerns at the position, though, look for the littlest guy in the group to see a much bigger role.
Leading receiver Josh Doctson and No. 3 target Deante' Gray have been limited with injuries in training camp, and both could miss the Sept. 3 opener at Minnesota, according to Brad Hardcastle of Scout.com. Additionally, backup receiver and top punt returner Cameron Echols-Luper transferred to Arkansas State earlier this month.
White had a catch in eight different games last season, including four (for 31 yards and a score) in a September win over SMU.
Mason Zandi, OL, South Carolina
8 of 12
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 6'9", 314 lbs
After three seasons of limited action, including a redshirt year in 2012, Mason Zandi is hoping all of the time he's put into developing as an offensive tackle will pay off this season. South Carolina has some holes to fill on the line, and a strong training camp could get Zandi into the starting lineup.
If Zandi were to get a start, though, it wouldn't be the first of his career. In 2013 he started at tight end against Vanderbilt but didn't record a catch, and since he's been solely a blocker in a reserve role.
Besides being one of the tallest players in college football, Zandi is also among the more prolific tweeters in the game.
Shane Williams-Rhodes, WR, Boise State
9 of 12
Year: Senior
Height, weight: 5'6", 173 lbs
Hopes are again high on the blue turf in Boise despite the Broncos having to replace their starting quarterback and an explosive running back. That's because nearly every other key contributor from last season's 12-2 team is back, including the player who had the most receptions on the team in 2014.
Shane Williams-Rhodes caught 68 passes last year as a junior, and while he averaged only 8.6 yards per reception, he scored seven times. He averaged nearly 12 yards per carry on rush plays and also tallied 153 punt return yards.
With 170 catches for his career, Williams-Rhodes sits fourth on the school's all-time list. With 75 this season he'll pass Matt Miller for No. 1 overall.
Zach Banner, OL, USC
10 of 12
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 6'9", 360 lbs
It was a slow start to Zach Banner's college career, with just two games played in his first two seasons. But since moving into USC's starting lineup last year, the right tackle position has been all his, and he's in no hurry to give it up.
Banner started all 13 games for the Trojans on the right side last year, and with him in the lineup they ranked 31st nationally in total offense at 457.5 yards per game. This season he'll be playing much lighter than in 2014, when he weighed in at 383 pounds.
He was in the low 300s when he arrived at USC, but a hip injury in 2013 that required surgery led to him packing on pounds. Since then he's worked to slim down but remain strong.
"If someone's faster than you and you're fatter than them, you’re not going to be able to keep up with them," Banner told Shotgun Spratling of Scout.com. "If you’re moving 25 pounds less, you’re moving way faster."
Ernest Calhoun, WR/KR, Kent State
11 of 12
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 5'6", 155 lbs
Kent State has won only six games in the past two seasons, so what Ernest Calhoun has accomplished with the Golden Flashes has gone mostly unnoticed. But the tiniest player in college football has made plenty of huge plays in his career, sitting with 1,710 all-purpose yards as a receiver and return man.
Last year Calhoun had a team-best 1,033 yards, more than 300 better than any other Kent State player. Most came as a kickoff returner, where he averaged 20.8 yards, as well as on 33 receptions for 319 yards and his only career touchdown.
Calhoun is following the same career track that another diminutive Kent State star, Dri Archer (5'8", 173 lbs), was on from 2009 to 2013. Archer finished his time with the Flashes with 2,821 all-purpose yards and 40 total touchdowns.
Dan Skipper, OL, Arkansas
12 of 12
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 6'10", 331 lbs
We've saved the tallest for last, as redwood-sized Dan Skipper tops the list as the college football player who will always end up in the back row of any photo thanks to his towering height. His 6'10" frame doesn't look that big when lined up alongside the rest of Arkansas' offensive linemen, though, as the Razorbacks' starting five averages 6'5.6" and 319 pounds.
Skipper isn't just a big body, though; he's also a skilled athlete who can play all over the line. As a true freshman in 2013 he started eight games at guard and also blocked three field goals on special teams. Last year Skipper moved to left tackle, where he started all 13 games and helped Arkansas average 218 rushing yards per game.
This year, he moves to right tackle.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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