Washaun Ealey: Top Running Back in The SEC?

I know what you were thinking after you read the title. You may have laughed, you may have immediately yelled, "Hello!? What about Mark Ingram, the guy who won the Heisman trophy, SEC offensive player of the year and BCS National Championship Offensive MVP honors!?"

I thought that too, but I looked into it, and you might be surprised at what you read.

Mark Ingram is a junior running back for the University of Alabama. He was rated the 17th best athlete coming out of high school, the 6th best player from Michigan, and the 189th best prospect in 2008.

Washaun Ealey is a sophomore running back for the University of Georgia. He was rated the 11th best running back coming out of high school, the 7th best player from Georgia, and the 113th best prospect in 2009.

Ingram and Ealey were both great running backs in high school, the only difference between them being that Ingram also played cornerback.

They are almost identical in size, with Ingram listed as 5-10 and 215 pounds and Ealey standing at 5-11 and 215 pounds. Both are listed as recording 4.4 forty yard dash times, and both are considered physical runners.

Mark Ingram rushed 148 times his freshman season for 728 yards, which is an average of 5.1 yards per carry. He scored an Alabama freshman record and team leading 12 rushing touchdowns as well. He was named to the All-SEC freshman team and became the starter the next season when Glen Coffee left for the NFL.

Washaun Ealey was just as impressive his freshman year. He rushed 125 times for 717 yards, an average of 5.7 yards per carry. He scored only three touchdowns, which isn't as impressive as the 12 that Ingram scored, but Georgia has been known to show their fullbacks some love near the goal line and let them tote the rock in for a score. He was named SEC freshman of the week once last season. 

Similar numbers here, except for the fact that Washaun Ealey accumulated his numbers while playing in only nine games last season, and in those nine games split carries with both Caleb King and Richard Samuel (Ealey was third string at the beginning of the season). 

If you were to take Ealey's average numbers from those nine games he played in and add them in the place of the four games he did not play in, he would have rushed for 1035 yards, using those averages. He could have done worse, or he could have done better. 

Do not get me wrong, last year Mark Ingram was by far the best running back in the conference; however, take both players freshman numbers (aside from the touchdowns) and they are almost identical. 

If you take this into account, it is not unreasonable to believe that Washaun Ealey could also have the same sophomore numbers as Mark Ingram did. 

The huge factor that helps Ealey in this equation is that he will be running behind what many sports writers believe is the best offensive line in the country, if all starting five stay healthy. He is also going to be taking hand-offs from a red-shirt freshman quarterback in Aaron Murray, so it is safe to say that the coaching staff will dial up more running plays than passing plays.

However, Ealey will not be the lone running back. 

Although Ealey was announced as the starter out of spring camp by Coach Mark Richt, he will be splitting time almost equally with Caleb King. If both backs can stay healthy, and the offensive line stays healthy and lives up to their potential, it is very likely that both running backs will eclipse the 1000 yard mark this season. 

Will Washaun Ealey produce the same numbers as a sophomore that Mark Ingram had on his way to taking home the Heisman Trophy? Probably not, but it could be a lot closer than you might think.

If Ealey carries the ball the same amount of times this season as Ingram did last season (271), and has the same amount of yards per carry as he, (not Ingram), had last season, he would rush for 1,545 yards, which is a little over 100 yards less than Ingram. But remember, Ealey only gets 50 percent of the carries.

My own prediction of Ealey's splits will be around the neighborhood of 215 attempts for 1,300 yards, an average of 6 yards per carry and he will score 10 touchdowns.

So, will Washaun Ealey have the same type of sophomore season as Mark Ingram did?

I don't think so, but hey, it could happen.

Love the article, hate the article, let me know. Go Dawgs.