College Football: Can Someone Say Overrated? 10 Most Overhyped Players
Expert College Football analysts are very good at gushing about players who really aren't that great. Normally, these experts give undying love to players in one of two situations. The first is a player that was heavily hyped coming out of high school and is on a team that is well known and also heavily hyped. The second is a player that had a breakout season as an unknown the year before. Sometimes they get this right. More often, however, they don't.
To be fair, some players' slow starts just can't be predicted.
Almost four weeks into the season, some of those heavily hyped players are beginning to stick out like a sore thumb. Here I've quickly compiled a list of some players who have been very disappointing so far in 2010, and some players who are overhyped. I've attempted to rank these players on the amount of hype they've received, and the subsequent disappointment they have had. Some of you will agree, and probably more of, you will not. But that's what college football is about, right? Let the vicious comments come! Here we go.
10. Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas
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Ryan Mallett leads the nation in pass yards with 1,081, and also has a solid 70 percent completion rate with 9 touchdowns compared to just 2 interceptions. So, why am I a "hater"?
Mallett has had a very limited amount of competition this year, and his stats have been padded generously. He had 380 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 31-24 win over Georgia, but many of those passes were to wide open receivers who had a lot of green in front of them. It really helps when you've got an awesome receiving corps going up against a leaky secondary.
Ryan Mallett may end up being a very good NFL quarterback. He certainly has the size and the physical tools, and seems to be a good pocket passer. But after that win over Georgia, Mallett was anointed a leading Heisman candidate. Well, the Heisman is supposed to go to the best player in America, and I don't know about you, but Ryan Mallett is definitely not the best player in America.
I believe he will be exposed this weekend against Alabama, who have a very young secondary, but a very powerful pass rush. Arkansas is not Alabama tough, and neither is Ryan Mallett. 'Bama will rock Mallett's world, and the same ESPN analysts who were calling Mallett a Heisman leader will be questioning whether Mallett is overrated.
9. Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio State
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What? Seriously? How is Terrelle Pryor overrated? He's 51 of 81 for 715 yards, 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions along with 165 yards and 2 touchdowns rushing!
Yeah, yeah. I know he's pretty good. But the way most analysts talk about him, he's the second coming of Vince Young. Sorry, but Pryor is nothing more than a poor man's Vince Young at this point, and he definitely should not be a front runner for Heisman.
Pryor came into Ohio State a 5 star prospect, the No. 1 ranked high school player in the nation. He was also famous for taking his decision right down to the wire, picking Ohio State over Michigan in the eleventh hour. Well, folks, in my opinion, Michigan has found themselves a better quarterback. Denard Robinson carries his team to victory, while Pryor lets his team carry him. Pryor still looks like he's growing up, like a young, immature kid who has an enormous amount of physical talent but hasn't yet been able to put it together on the field. Pryor can still get there, but his time is running short. He needs to make huge strides throughout this season. If he doesn't, he doesn't deserve to be a Heisman candidate.
8. Jerrod Johnson, QB, Texas A&M
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Jerrod Johnson has been overrated since last season. He had a good season statistically, but his production was padded by his offense, and his completion percentage was just 59.6%.
This year, Johnson has been predictably disappointing, completing just 58.7 percent of his passes for 865 yards, 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, including an absolutely horrific day against Florida International (who?), completing just 11 of his 31 attempts and throwing 4 picks in a 27-20 squeaker.
Jerrod Johnson was being lauded as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation this preseason, but it's becoming apparent that he isn't even the best quarterback in the Big 12. I would go so far as to say he is maybe just the fourth or fifth best quarterback in the Big 12. I think Blaine Gabbert, Landry Jones, and even Brandon Weeden and Taylor Martinez are better quarterbacks than Johnson. We'll see how he does as the season goes, but I don't have high expectations for him.
*I give Nebraska State Paper writer Sam McKewon credit for forseeing a disappointing season by Johnson, who he rated behind Blaine Gabbert in the preseason. If you are a Nebraska fan, check out McKewon's website, HuskerLocker.com. It's full of fantastic information about Nebraska football and other sports.
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7. Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
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Adrian Clayborn came into this season touted as possibly the best defensive lineman in the country, drawing comparisons to Nebraska legend (yes, folks, he's already a legend) Ndamukong Suh. Some even gave Clayborn the best chance at being a defensive player in the running for the Heisman, as Suh was.
So far this year, Clayborn has been somewhat ineffective. He all but disappeared in Iowa's loss to Arizona, and 'Zona QB Nick Foles had a banner day. Whether Clayborn's ineffectiveness is because of double teams, distractions, or whatever, the fact is, Clayborn has not yet proven to be worthy of the comparison to Suh. Suh was still dominant no matter what a team did to stop him. Clayborn has shown he can be schemed against.
Clayborn needs to step it up if he wants to regain his status as the best defensive lineman in the country.
6. Jake Locker, QB, Washington
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I'm sure many of you were expecting Locker to be No. 1 on this list, and are wondering why I have him at just 6th. Well, before the game against Nebraska, Locker was still regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. It really surprised me that so many people came down so hard on him after being overwhelmed by the best secondary in the nation, a secondary that has developed a reputation for giving quarterbacks fits.
Locker was a horrid 4 of 20 for 71 yards, a touchdown and 2 interceptions against Nebraska, who would have held him to about 3 of 20 for 25 yards and 2 interceptions had they not had a mental fart on Locker's 45 yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse. Locker did not look good at all, but who does against Nebraska's secondary?
Still, Locker was expected to keep Washington close in that game and even predicted by some to lead the Huskies to an upset. Instead, Locker and the Huskies got routed 56-21. Locker was thought to be good enough to be the top pick in the 2011 draft, but after that Husker game, he didn't look the part. He will have to rebound in a major way to regain his high status.
5. Jeremiah Masoli, QB, Mississippi
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Before yet another run-in with the law, Jeremiah Masoli was being touted as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation for the Oregon Ducks, and was supposed to lead a high powered attack that was supposed to win the Pac-10.
Oops.
Masoli couldn't keep himself out of trouble, and he got kicked off the Ducks' football team by coach Chip Kelly. Masoli was then given a second chance and enrolled at Ole' Miss. He was still supposed to do very well, as long as he kept his crap in order. Then, everything fell apart when Masoli's team got beat by FCS team Jacksonville State, beginning what would be a banner season for FCS teams (yes, it's already a banner season, and we still have 9 weeks to go). Masoli has looked like anything but a starting quarterback, and Ole' Miss has sank to the depths of not just the SEC, with a loss to Vanderbilt, but all the way to the depths of Division 1 football.
Masoli is a talented individual, but he hasn't been productive on the field this year and he has a terrible track record off the field. You could liken him to former Husker running back Lawrence Phillips, a guy who simply could not keep out of trouble—except that Phillips actually made a big impact on the field.
4. Case Keenum, QB, Houston
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Case Keenum was a statisical earthquake in 2009, racking up an astonishing 5,671 yards and 44 touchdowns in Houston's high powered attack. Many people had him on top of preseason Heisman heaps, saying he could conceivably pass for an unearthly 6,000 passing yards in 2010.
His stats so far? 636 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.
That includes 2 picks in a 31-13 loss to pathetic UCLA before going out with an injury. If he maintains that production average in 2010, he will put up a paltry 2,544 yards. Not exactly the season he had in mind. Keenum may pick it up once the season progresses, but he will have to have a ton of 500-600 yard passing games if he even dreams about getting to 6000 yards. Trust me, he won't. In fact, I'm not even sure Keenum will reach 4,000 yards this year. And by the way, similar to Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell, don't expect Keenum to even get drafted.
3. Jacory Harris, QB, Miami
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In 2009, Jacory Harris had a great year, passing for 3,352 yards, 24 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, all while leading his team to a 9 win season. Analysts began hyping Harris up, even giving putting him on Heisman watch in the preseason.
Alas, Harris has not been able to fix his interception woes.
After the Pitt game, Harris is off to a paltry start for a Heisman contender, throwing as many picks as touchdowns (6). in a 36-24 loss to Ohio State, Harris was harrassed by Chimdi Chekwa and the Buckeye defense, throwing 4 interceptions. Against Pitt in a 31-3 beatdown, Harris threw for a nice 248 yards and 2 touchdowns, but was also picked off twice. The only game he hasn't thrown for multiple picks this season is against Florida A&M.
Harris is a fairly explosive quarterback through the air, but his gunslinging style gets him in trouble as often as it creates big plays. Miami's strong defense has held Harris up this season. Again, Harris is not a guy that carries his team, and he is definitely not Heisman caliber. Let me put it this way—were Miami to play Nebraska, you can bet the Hurricanes would not win the game through the air. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Huskers pick Harris off five times (which they did to another pro prospect, Idaho's Nathan Enderle) if they played.
2. Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh
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After rushing for an incredible 1,700 yards as a mere freshman in 2009, Dion Lewis was a Heisman frontrunner coming into the 2010 season. Frankly, he looked like the next Tony Dorsett.
But so far this season, Lewis has been extremely disappointing, rushing for approximately 3 yards per carry through the first 3 games. Against Miami, he actually improved his ypc average, which was 2.9, by rushing 12 times for 41 yards and a 3.4 ypc average. This was not what Pitt fans were hoping for. Lewis is still young and may very well rebound, but teams seem to be scheming heavily against him this year and he just can't find any running room. He will have to find away to produce despite defenses keying on him if he wants to have a chance at the NFL someday. Pitt's back-up RB, Ray Graham, has looked like the more explosive of the two this year.
1. Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech
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Here is the most disappointing player in the nation so far in 2010.
In 2009, Williams burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman, taking advantage of Darren Evans' torn ACL and rushing for over 1,600 yards and a nation-leading 21 touchdowns. With Evans back, he and Williams were supposed to form perhaps the strongest rushing duo in the nation.
Then came Boise State.
Williams had 3 total touchdowns in a 33-30 loss to the Broncos and has 3 rushing touchdowns through 3 games this season, but Virginia Tech's early season collapse has coincided with a lack of production from Williams. he had just 40 yards on 20 carries against Boise State, 20 carries for 91 yards and no touchdowns in a shocking loss to FCS member James Madison, and just 6 carries for 8 yards and a touchdown in a big win over East Carolina, a game in which he was overshadowed by Evans and David Wilson after suffering a minor injury. 46 carries for 139 yards and a 3 yard average is extremely disappointing production for a back of Williams' caliber.
I still think Williams will rebound, but that's also what I thought after the Boise State game. He better step it up or risk getting lost in Virginia Tech's talented rotation.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
