Power Ranking the Top 25 Fastest College Football Players for 2016
Since this is an Olympic summer, the elite track athletes of the United States will get their biggest times to shine. This will be a season of speed, and that reaches into the world of college football, too.
A pair of Pac-12 football players went through the qualification process of making the United States' Olympic track team, and one of those speedsters still has a shot at making it to Rio.
With the Olympics set to run from Aug. 5-21 and an entire season of NCAA track times now officially in the books, let's revisit January's power rankings of the top 25 fastest college football players for the 2016 season. While a lot of fans and analysts like to compare 40 times to determine the fastest of the fast, 40s are unreliable due to different timing methods and track conditions.
In these rankings, I used the fully automatic time system used in official track and field records from sites such as Track & Field Results Reporting System, Track & Field News and DyeStat. In this countdown, I listed recent top track times for many of college football's fastest players.
The 100-meter dash was the most common measuring stick, although more great indoor times in the 60-meter dash and overall times in hurdles made the cut in this update (more recent times held more weight than old high school ones).
As Chris Huston of Heisman Pundit wrote in his similar columns from 2005 to 2014, there's no difference between "football speed" and "track speed." Speed is speed, and some players just do a better job of harnessing that speed on the football field than others. Some readers will disagree, and that's fine. But track times are the best way to objectively rank the fastest without a lot of opinion or guesswork.
Now, let's take a look at this summer's updated list of the 25 fastest players who will play in 2016, ranging from speedy incoming freshmen to experienced veterans of the gridiron and the track. If you notice a missed time or an inadvertently left-off player, let me know in the comments section below.
Honorable Mention
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This honorable mention list features 25 more players who are considered by many as some of the fastest in the entire country. However, they didn't have the recent track times to warrant a spot on the big list.
Some of these athletes could be faster than some of the players on this list. But there's no way to objectively determine that, as the eyeball test and unreliable 40 times aren't great ways to separate speed.
Shout out some more speed demons in the comments below.
- Baylor RB Johnny Jefferson
- Florida WR Antonio Callaway
- Florida State RB Dalvin Cook
- Georgia RB Nick Chubb
- Georgia WR Isaiah McKenzie
- Georgia Southern RB Matt Breida
- Kentucky RB Stanley "Boom" Williams
- LSU RB Leonard Fournette
- Michigan WR Jehu Chesson
- Minnesota CB Jalen Myrick
- Mississippi State DB Brandon Bryant
- Nebraska DB Nate Gerry
- North Carolina WR Ryan Switzer
- Ohio State RB Dontre Wilson
- Ohio State DB Denzel Ward
- Oklahoma RB Alex Ross
- Oklahoma State WR James Washington
- Oregon RB Taj Griffin
- Oregon DB Charles Nelson
- Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey
- TCU WR KaVontae Turpin
- Tennessee DB Cameron Sutton
- Texas A&M WR Speedy Noil
- Texas Tech RB Justin Stockton
- Washington WR John Ross III
25. Tennessee DB Evan Berry
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Top time: 10.57 in 100-meter dash (high school, 2013)
While his track numbers from high school aren't at the level of the rest of this countdown, Tennessee return man Evan Berry deserves a spot for how well he uses his incredible speed.
Berry led the nation in kick return average last season, taking them back at a 38.29-yards-per-touch clip and scoring three touchdowns. On defense, he had a 100-yard pick-six to cap a rout of Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.
The Tennessee special teams speed demon comes from a family of athletic stars—his older brother is star NFL safety Eric Berry—and he had a strong track career during his high school days in Georgia. The Volunteers have recruited a lot of speed to Knoxville under Butch Jones, and Berry is the one that sticks out the most for his prowess as a return man.
24. Michigan LB Jabrill Peppers
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Top time: 10.51 in 100-meter dash (high school, 2013)
Jabrill Peppers is the biggest member of this countdown, and he's the only one whose standard position is running back, wide receiver or defensive back—although he can, and has, played all three. Peppers, a three-way player last season, is now a hybrid linebacker for head coach Jim Harbaugh.
In high school, Peppers won New Jersey state championships in track for both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash. His career-best time was a 10.51, which still puts him as one of the best sprinters in college football. Simply put, Peppers is a freak athlete at 6'1" and 208 pounds.
Peppers' speed at the linebacker position will be a huge boost to new defensive coordinator Don Brown's 4-3 defense, as he will be able to drop back into coverage and blitz backfields with excellent efficiency. And when he gets his hands on the football in special teams or offense, he has the potential to turn it into six points.
23. Baylor WR KD Cannon
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Top time: 10.58 in 100-meter dash (2015)
Baylor's offense is built on blinding speed, which makes KD Cannon is the perfect fit at wide receiver for the Bears. Cannon will be relied on to become the new No. 1 for the Bears after the departure of Corey Coleman, and he's flashed some great big-play skills during his time in Waco, Texas.
Cannon was a member of Baylor's track team during the 2015 outdoor season, when he ran a 10.58 in the 100-meter dash at the Big 12 Championships. He also was a runner-up in the 4x100-meter relay for the Bears, and he is listed with posted unofficial times in the sub-10.4 range for the 100 from his high school days.
A ton of question marks surround Baylor right now, but Cannon is a sure thing when it comes to speed at the wide receiver position. He should get a lot more targets and receptions from quarterback Seth Russell this fall.
22. Stanford WR Isaiah Brandt-Sims
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Top time: 6.81 in 60-meter dash
Isaiah Brandt-Sims didn't have as strong of an individual outdoor season in 2016 as he had as a true freshman at Stanford in 2015. Brandt-Sims' season-best time in the 100-meter dash was two-tenths of a second behind the pace he set last year.
However, his indoor 60 time earned him a spot on this countdown. He ran a 6.81 in that event, putting him inside the top 25 for all NCAA football players for 2016. Brandt-Sims was also part of the Cardinal's 4x400 relay team that won the Pac-12 Outdoor Championship in May.
After failing to record a single catch for the Cardinal last season, Brandt-Sims will have a better chance to get into the rotation as a sophomore in 2016. He has all the physical tools to be the next highlight-reel speedster out of the Pac-12.
21. Ohio State RB/WR Curtis Samuel
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Top time: 6.44 in 55-meter dash (high school, 2013)
Like the case was in the last power rankings in January, Curtis Samuel is a curious case. He was an indoor sprinter during his high school career at Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, and his ridiculous 6.44 time in the 55-meter dash in 2013 was one of the fastest in the country for any junior track star.
Samuel could be a major playmaker in Ohio State's offense after the loss of so many established backs and receivers from last year's squad. He had six touchdowns as a freshman in 2014, when the Buckeyes won the national title, but his touches dropped off in 2015 with Ezekiel Elliott carrying the rock 289 times.
According to Brian Bennett of ESPN.com, head coach Urban Meyer said Ohio State plans to get Samuel "on the field for 40 or 50 plays" this season. He can play running back, receiver or Meyer's versatile H-back position, giving him a wide range of opportunities to turn on the jets.
20. Oregon RB Tony Brooks-James
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Top time: 6.79 in 60-meter dash
One of several elite track athletes who suits up for the Oregon football team, Tony Brooks-James' times slipped some during this past track season. He had a rough 10.92-second time in his only 100-meter sprint of 2016, but his 6.79 in the 60 was still one of the best among FBS players.
With fellow speedsters and former power-ranking members Kirk Merritt and Thomas Tyner no longer on the team, Brooks-James should receive even more big-play responsibility in Oregon's offense this fall. He averaged nine yards per touch last season for the Ducks and had his first career 100-yard game in a win over Cal.
"Oregon did not graduate any running backs last year, and did not bring in a running back last recruiting cycle, so the situation at running back looks very similar to last season for Oregon," Cameron Rogers of 247Sports wrote. "Brooks-James will get a share of the carries after star Royce Freeman and will try to provide lightning speed off the bench."
19. USC RB Dominic Davis
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Top time: 6.78 in 60-meter dash
Dominic Davis hit the track in both the indoor and outdoor seasons for USC this year, and he made quite an impression. The young Trojans running back had a highly ranked time among FBS players in the indoor 60-meter sprint, and he also ran on a 4x100 relay team that took home first place in a pair of meets.
Davis got a few chances to show off his speed as a freshman last season for his hometown Trojans. He had 14 carries for 69 yards, seven catches for 102 yards and a single kickoff return in a reserve role. While he's behind a pair of running backs on USC's 2016 depth chart, he received some work as a return man and a slot receiver this spring.
"I've been all over," Davis said in April, per Ryan Abraham of Scout. "Whatever they call me to do, I'll be available. I just give it my all."
18. Ohio State WR James Clark
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Top time: 6.76 in 60-meter dash
Wide receiver James Clark is arguably the fastest player currently at the speed factory known as Ohio State, and he has the numbers to back up that claim.
Clark hit the track for the first time this past indoor season for Ohio State, posting a strong 6.76 seconds in the 60. That time was the 10th-best among all NCAA football players, and he did it while splitting time between the football and track teams. He unofficially broke the 10.5-second mark in the 100-meter dash while in high school as well.
Clark also had a great spring on the football field for the Buckeyes, standing out to head coach Urban Meyer in early April for his work on deep balls, per Dave Biddle of 247Sports. Although he hasn't recorded a single catch yet in his collegiate career, the fleet-footed Clark should make an impact in the wideout rotation for the Buckeyes in 2016.
17. UCLA WR Kenneth Walker III
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Top time: 10.56 in 100-meter dash
Kenneth Walker III had one of the better 100-meter times among FBS football players this past track season, when he posted a 10.56 for UCLA. He did that after turning heads at wide receiver for the Bruins, as he emerged as a more consistent passing threat for star quarterback Josh Rosen.
"He could be one of the surprises in the country this year," UCLA head coach Jim Mora said, per Lindsay Thiry of the Los Angeles Times. "I know that's a really, really big statement to make. I just got a gut feeling about the kid. ... His problem has never been speed. We've all seen at times that he doesn't catch the ball as consistently as you'd like, but the last few weeks, he just has."
Walker only had nine receptions last season for UCLA, but he averaged almost 26 yards per grab. He's a tremendous big-play threat who could be a real bright spot for a retooled UCLA offense this fall if he continues to make strides with his catching.
16. TCU WR Deante Gray
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Top time: 10.44 in 100-meter dash (high school, 2012)
TCU is getting back a real burner on its offense this season with the return of Deante Gray, the speedy wide receiver who missed all of the 2015 campaign with a knee injury and subsequent surgery. In 2014, he was a breakout player for what was a new-look TCU offense, recording 36 receptions for 582 yards and eight scores.
During his high school days in Houston, Gray was a top-notch sprinter. He posted a career-best 10.44 in the 100 as a senior at the Texas 6A state track meet. As a freshman in 2012, Gray showed off that speed by averaging 22.43 yards per punt return and taking one back for a touchdown in his debut against Grambling.
"[Gray was] another key piece TCU was missing last season," Max Olson of ESPN.com wrote. "Gray was a terrific big-play threat during the Big 12 title run in 2014. ... A knee injury cost him the entire 2015 season, but Gray got a medical redshirt and should impress again this fall."
15. Ole Miss DB Kailo Moore
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Top time: 10.43 in 100-meter dash (2014)
Ole Miss defensive back Kailo Moore hasn't had a strong track season since 2014, but what he did that year makes him a highly valued member of this countdown.
In 2014, Moore ran the 100 in 10.43 seconds for the Rebels and also had a fantastic time of 21.14 seconds in the 200-meter dash. Moore won state titles in his home of Mississippi as a high schooler in both the 100- and 200-meter sprints. His times lagged behind in 2015, and he didn't run for Ole Miss in the most recent track season.
Moore was a rotational piece at defensive back for Ole Miss in the 2015 season, which ended with the "Land Sharks" shutting down Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl. He'll have a chance to play an even bigger role as a senior for Ole Miss, where he has one last shot to showcase his elite speed.
14. Cal WR Demetris Robertson
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Top time: 10.51* in 100-meter dash (high school)
The last major star of the class of 2016 to sign for a school, California wide receiver Demetris Robertson will join up with the rest of the speedsters in Berkeley for the upcoming campaign. Robertson, a 5-star prospect and a native of Georgia, stunned the recruiting world when he announced he would go West to join Cal in May.
Robertson's 2016 track times aren't listed on DyeStat, but he reportedly ran a 10.51 in the 100 to repeat as a state champion, according to Nathan Deen of the Savannah Morning News. In 2015, he had an unofficial time of 10.46 seconds in the same event.
Robertson, who was the nation's No. 1 receiver, will immediately bring an injection of speed and incredible athleticism into a Golden Bears offense that must rebuild after the departure of No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Jared Goff. Cal knows how to use speed in its spread offense, and Robertson should be a key figure from the opening snap of the season.
13. NC State RB/WR Nyheim Hines
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Top time: 10.54 in 100-meter dash
A freshman standout for NC State last season, Nyheim Hines carried over his success at football onto the track, where he posted some of the best times in the 60- and 100-meter sprints among college football players.
Hines ran a 10.42 100-meter sprint at the 2016 ACC Championships, but it was wind-aided. His best official time on TFRRS is a strong 10.54, which still places him firmly inside the top 10 among Division I football players in that event. During indoor season, he finished fourth among FBS players in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.74.
Now entering his sophomore season, Hines is a multifaceted danger man for the Wolfpack. He was fourth on the team in rushing, fifth in receiving and first in kick returning with an average of 26.29 yards and a 100-yard touchdown against eventual ACC champion Clemson. The sky is the limit for this NC State speed demon.
12. Texas WR John Burt
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Top time: 13.91 in 110-meter hurdles
The first of two quick hurdlers to occupy back-to-back spots on this countdown, Texas wide receiver John Burt made quite an impression on the football field and the track for the Longhorns in the last several months.
On the football field, Burt started every single game for Texas as a true freshman, and he led all Longhorns receivers in both receiving yards (457) and yards per reception (16.32). After a solid debut, Burt's production is expected to rise in a big way in Texas' new run-pass option offense.
On the track, Burt was one of just two freshmen to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 110-meter hurdles. His season-best time was a 13.91, which was tied for third among all NCAA football players in the classic hurdles event. Burt's speed made him a coveted recruit out of Florida, and Texas will want to use all of it in what it hopes will be a sophomore surge in 2016.
11. Alabama DB Tony Brown
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Top time: 13.71 in 110-meter hurdles
One of two speedy defensive backs who made the cut for this countdown, Tony Brown tacked a strong sophomore season in track onto an impressive 2015 debut for the Crimson Tide.
Brown improved his time in the 110-meter hurdles by two-tenths of a second, giving him the second-best time in the event for any college football player. He was nearly four-tenths of a second better than Texas wide receiver John Burt, and he earned All-American honors for his achievements.
In football, though, Brown's future is unclear. After recording 16 tackles and a forced fumble in the regular season, Brown was sent home prior to Alabama's CFP semifinal win over Michigan State and did not play in the national title game. According to an April report from Aaron Suttles of TideSports.com, Brown was facing an indefinite NCAA suspension in football.
10. USC RB Ronald Jones II
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Top time: 10.37* in 100-meter dash (high school, 2015)
Before he broke out for USC last season as an excellent running back, Ronald Jones II burned up the track for his high school in McKinney, Texas. According to USC, his best time in the 100 is a blazing 10.37 seconds. While no wind information exists for Jones' time on DyeStat, he's still worth a high spot in this countdown after being inadvertently left off in January.
"The thing about Ronald, it's so funny that he doesn't even know, like, that he's this good," USC running back Justin Davis said last year, per David Wharton of the Los Angeles Times. "Once he gets his head right and everything, he's going to be a future All-American."
Jones took full advantage of his excellent speed on the field for USC, averaging an impressive 6.45 yards per carry for the Trojans and leading them in both total rushing yards and touchdowns. He could be the latest superstar out of USC by season's end.
9. Alabama DB Marlon Humphrey
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Top time: 13.38 in 110-meter hurdles (high school, 2013)
Alabama defensive back Marlon Humphrey is a tough figure to place on a list like this. His best collegiate track time was a 55.56 in the 400-meter hurdles, and he didn't run for Alabama in the 2016 track season. But going back to Humphrey's track times in high school show he is an incredible speedster.
In 2013, Humphrey posted an official, wind-legal time of 13.38 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles. That time is only seven hundredths of a second slower that the time of the NCAA's hurdles champion, who appears later in these rankings. It's an older time, sure, but it proves Humphrey has jaw-dropping speed.
Humphrey, who ran on Alabama's 4x400-meter relay team that qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2015, is coming off an incredible redshirt freshman season for head coach Nick Saban. He started 14 of 15 games at cornerback and recovered the now-famous onside kick that helped give the Crimson Tide the national championship over Clemson.
8. Arkansas State WR Cameron Echols-Luper
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Top time: 20.39 in 200-meter dash (2015)
Former TCU return specialist Cameron Echols-Luper didn't sprint for his new school, Arkansas State, this past track season. But his time of 20.39 seconds in the 200—the best among all college football players and 13th-best in Division I track in 2015—still stands as an incredible accomplishment of speed.
Echols-Luper didn't play in the 2015 football season after deciding to transfer from TCU to Arkansas State, where he reportedly was headed to be a quarterback, according to NBC5′s Newy Scruggs (via the Dallas Morning News). However, Echols-Luper is listed as a wide receiver at Arkansas State, which will look to tap into the speed that made him a dangerous return man for the Horned Frogs.
"The redshirt junior sat out last season after transferring from TCU," Thayer Evans of Sports Illustrated, who coached Echols-Luper in Arkansas State's spring game, wrote. "He was electrifying carrying, catching, throwing, returning and even punting the ball [in the spring game]."
7. Florida State WR Kermit Whitfield
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Top time: 10.28 in 100-meter dash (high school, 2013)
Kermit Whitfield is a flying frog-named star for the Florida State Seminoles. When he arrived at Florida State in 2013, he already had a reputation for elite speed, running a blistering 10.28 seconds in the 100. He's only posted one track time since then, a bad 7.21 in the 60-meter dash at the 2015 ACC Indoor Championships.
Whitfield has had one of the most productive college careers of any speedster on this top 10. As a freshman, he led the nation in average yards per kick return and flipped momentum of the BCS National Championship Game against Auburn with a 100-yard touchdown.
He stepped his game up as an overall wide receiver in 2015, grabbing 57 passes for 798 yards and six touchdowns—finishing second on Florida State behind Travis Rudolph in the latter two categories. When he gets loose, all bets are off for this Seminole speedster.
6. Cal RB Khalfani Muhammad
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Top time: 10.5 in 100-meter dash
Cal running back Khalfani Muhammad saw his 100-meter time fall from 10.44 seconds in 2015 to 10.5 seconds in 2016, but he still has premier wheels among college football players.
Muhammad has been a track star at Cal for several seasons now, finishing among the best times for FBS football players for three straight years. His time of 20.8 seconds in the 200-meter dash this spring was third-best among all college football players who hit the track. In high school, he ran the 100 in 10.35 seconds.
The Cal running back was tops on the Golden Bears last season with 586 yards on only 87 carries, scoring his only touchdown of the season on a 74-yard sprint to the end zone in a victory over Texas. In a conference filled with world-class speed, Muhammad is a front-runner in every sense of the word.
5. Arizona WR Tyrell Johnson
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Top time: 10.41 in 100-meter dash (2015)
Arizona wide receiver Tyrell Johnson topped the last edition of these power rankings for running his 10.41 in the 100 meters during the 2015 outdoor track season for the Wildcats. Johnson didn't hit the track this year, and several players passed him with better times, but he still deserves a top-five spot here.
Johnson's excellent time at last spring's Pac-12 Championships was the best wind-legal mark for FBS football players in 2015, and his time of 6.66 in the 60 was also among the best nationally. Ever since he first set foot on campus in Tucson, Arizona, he's been identified as one of the Pac-12's fastest.
The Arizona receiver missed the first five games of the 2015 season but still led the team in kickoff returns with 16 returns for 408 yards. He could be a potential game-changer in head coach Rich Rodriguez's fast-paced attack this fall as the Wildcats look to bounce back from a lackluster 7-6 campaign.
4. USC DB Adoree' Jackson
23 of 26
Top time: 10.38 in 100-meter dash
Adoree' Jackson had a busy spring away from the football field for USC. The Trojan defensive back looked to qualify for the Olympics in the long jump, and he posted some fantastic sprinting times along the way.
Jackson's best wind-legal 100-meter time this past season, according to TFRRS, was a career-best 10.38 seconds. That time ranks second-best among FBS football players who run track. He also ran a 21.08 in the 200, which was the third-best for this category of speedy football players, and a top-10 spot in the 60 during indoor track season.
The USC star was a three-way player for the Trojans last season, finishing as the No. 2 receiver and the top return man. However, this season, expect Jackson to focus primarily on his natural position of cornerback. He'll still get opportunities to impact the game on offense, but he'll concentrate on improving USC's pass defense.
3. Texas WR Devin Duvernay
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Top time: 10.27 in 100-meter dash (high school, 2015)
New Texas wide receiver Devin Duvernay hasn't played a single down of college football yet, but he's already one of the fastest in the entire sport.
Duvernay, who recently signed with Texas after an error from Baylor on his national letter of intent allowed him to leave freely, ran a wind-legal 10.27 in the 100 at the 2015 Texas 6A state track meet. According to Dyestat.com (h/t RunnerSpace.com), that time was the best in the United States among juniors and second-best overall for 2015.
That ridiculous amount of straight-line speed is going make Duvernay, who was the nation's No. 36 overall recruit and No. 4 receiver in the class of 2016, a dream addition to Texas' new-look offense. The first time Duvernay gets the ball in open space for the Longhorns, look out.
2. LSU DB Donte Jackson
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Top time: 6.63 in 60-meter dash
While the No. 1 player on this countdown led FBS football players in several track categories, he finished behind LSU defensive back Donte Jackson for the top spot in indoor sprinting's premier event.
According to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, Jackson's time of 6.63 seconds in the 60 at the SEC Indoor Championships in February was the best among all college football players this season. Jackson's time was also 10th-best in the entire country for Division I track stars. It was the latest in a long line of track excellence for Jackson, who ran an unofficial 10.3 in the 100 as a high schooler.
Jackson recorded 26 tackles, one interception and eight kickoff returns for 164 yards as a freshman for the Tigers last season. He's expected to compete for a key role in new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda's secondary in 2016 after missing spring practices and outdoor track season with academic issues. The lightning-fast Jackson is back in action for LSU, which would love to find more ways to get the ball in his hands this fall.
1. Oregon WR Devon Allen
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Top time: 13.32 in 110-meter hurdles
Devon Allen isn't just the fastest player in college football—he's one of the fastest college athletes in the entire country. After missing the 2015 track season with a knee injury he suffered at the Rose Bowl, Allen returned to reclaim his NCAA title in 110-meter hurdles, running a season-best time of 13.32 seconds.
Allen just isn't a speedster in the hurdles, either. His career-best time of 10.36 seconds in the 100-meter dash was the best non-wind-aided time among Division I football players who run track, according to the USTFCCCA. In the 200, the USTFCCCA lists him as No. 1 among all NCAA football players with a time of 20.62 seconds.
This week, Allen will compete at the Olympic trials in Oregon, looking for a shot at representing the United States in Rio next month. According to Daniel Uthman of USA Today, Oregon knows that getting to the Olympics is the "No. 1 goal" for the receiver, who had a quiet nine catches for 94 yards last season in his return from injury.
Stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings are courtesy of 247Sports.
Justin Ferguson is a National College Football Analyst at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
