College Football 2011: 10 Teams With The Best Skill Position Players
While defense does win championships and the offensive line is crucial to any successful offense a team ultimately needs talented skill players to move the ball.
Last year's National Title game between Auburn and Oregon showcased a multitude of talented skill players and I will tell you about10 teams that have elite quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers. The players on these teams all know how to get the ball into the endzone and will be seen on SportsCenter making big plays next fall.
Of course let me know if you have any questions or comments (good or negative) about the article.
1. Oklahoma State
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Running Back Kendall Hunter’s 1,548 rushing yards are gone, but Cowboys Head Coach Mike Gundy still features some of the best skill players in the country.
Wide receiver Justin Blackmon is the crown jewel of the group and is arguably the most talented wide out in the nation. Blackmon amassed 1,782 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns last season and figures to put up similar numbers this year.
Quarterback Brandon Weeden returns under center for Oklahoma State and will try to trump the 34 touchdown passes that he threw last year. Look for Weeden to once again target Blackmon often in addition to wide receiver Josh Cooper.
In the backfield you can expect sophomore Joseph Randle to inherit the duties of Kendall Hunter. Randall rushed for 452 rushing yards last season and also had 427 receiving yards during his first season in Stillwater.
The beat should go on at Oklahoma State and expect these Cowboy skill players to be as explosive as ever as they follow in the footsteps of recent alums such as Hunter, Dez Bryant, Zach Robinson and Brandon Pettigrew.
2. Oregon
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“The Quack Attack” will be back in 2011 and this new skill player group could be even more talented than last year’s group of speedsters.
Darron Thomas is back at quarterback for Chip Kelly and will try to duplicate the 35 touchdowns and 3,000+ yards from scrimmage that he put together last season.
LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner return in the backfield bringing their homerun ability and breakaway speed with them once again.
Departing seniors Jeff Maehl and D.J. Davis will no longer be catching balls at Autzen Stadium and as a result tight end David Paulson could take on added responsibility this season.
The X-Factor for Oregon will be true freshman De’Anthony Thomas. Thomas was originally a USC commit coming out of high school before having a late change of heart and committing to the Ducks. De’Anthony is an Army-All American and is projected as a prospect that could immediately have an impact at Oregon.
De’Anthony’s arrival along with the decision by many of the established skill players to stay in college definitely puts Oregon in the top ten on this list.
3. Michigan
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If Brady Hoke doesn’t succeed in his first season in Ann Arbor it will not be because of a lack of skill players.
After some early speculation and rumors it has been announced that do it all quarterback Denard Robinson will return to Michigan. This news obviously made Hoke and athletic director Greg Brandon breathe a huge sigh of relief. Expect D-Rob to continue making spectacular plays with both his feet and his arm.
Robinson will be happy to know that all of the main players from his receiving core are returning which should make for a smooth transition into next season for Michigan.
Running back Vincent Smith played well last season for the Wolverines gaining 601 yards and scoring five rushing touchdowns. Expect Smith to once again be the driving force behind the ground game for Michigan.
Just like last season, Michigan projects to have an explosive offense highlighted by elite skill players. Now all the Wolverines have to do is get their defense figured out and they will really have something.
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4. Notre Dame
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Tight End Kyle Rudolph’s decision to forgo his remaining eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft hurt the Irish, but Brian Kelly will still have plenty of weapons to work with next season.
Tommy Rees played well in place of injured Dayne Crist last season, but I’m projecting that BK will ultimately choose Crist to be his week one starter. Dayne played well last year before getting injured and threw for 2,033 passing yards and 15 touchdowns with only seven interceptions.
Wide receivers Michael Floyd and Theo Riddick will be Crist’s two main receiving options and both players are more than serviceable.
Expect Cierre Wood to take on more of a central role in the backfield after splitting carries with the departed Armando Allen Jr. last season.
The most important piece of all will be Brian Kelly though. Kelly’s offenses operated at breakneck speed at Cincinnati and it looks as though he now has the talent to get things moving at a similar level in South Bend.
The forecast for Saturday’s in South Bend next fall should be heavy shotgun with some no huddle sprinkled in along with deep fade routes to Michael Floyd.
5. Ohio State (post Suspension)
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Quarterback Terrell Pryor, running back Dan “Boom” Herron” and wide receiver DeVier Posey will have to sit out the first five games of the 2010/2011 season for their infamous “tattoo trade”.
I’m not sure how well the Buckeyes offense will run without these players, but you can be assured that when they get back the trio will be causing nightmares for defensive coordinators.
Regardless of what your feelings are about Pryor’s passing mechanics there is no denying his pure athleticism and homerun ability.
Herron meanwhile has over 2,000 career rushing yards and Posey has over 1,500 career receiving yards. Together the three players combine to form a lethal offensive attack.
Posey can stretch the field or run the underneath routes while Herron is adept at catching the ball out of the backfield and rushing the football. Pryor meanwhile runs the show under center/from shotgun.
You can question a lot of things about these suspended Buckeyes, but you can’t question that they make up one of the top 10 skill position groups in the country.
6. Oklahoma
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Ryan Broyles decision to give NFL teams the cold shoulder and return to Norman was a major coup for Bob Stoops and the Sooners.
Broyles will once again be catching passes from quarterback Landry Jones who will essentially be starting his third straight season as Oklahoma’s quarterback in 2011. Jones threw for 4,718 passing yards last year and Ryan Broyle’s was the recipient of over 33% of those yards.
Running back DeMarco Murray finished his Sooners career in 2010 and will be playing on Sunday’s in 2011, but you know Bob Stoops has a backup plan for times like these. Roy Finch played serviceably his freshman year rushing for 398 yards and two touchdowns and you can expect the sophomore from Niceville, Florida to take on an even bigger role next season. Stoops also brings in freshman running back Brandon Williams who was ranked 35th in the ESPN U 150 for 2011.
The passing catching duo of Jones and Murray along with promising prospects such as Finch and Williams make Oklahoma’s skill position players a truly scary group to match up against.
7. South Carolina
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Marcus Lattimore came to South Carolina as one of the biggest recruits in program history and he didn’t disappoint fans with his play during his freshman year. Lattimore rushed for 1,197 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2010 and fans are already raising the bar to insanely high levels for 2011.
Along with Lattimore, Steve Spurrier returns 6'4 233 lb Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery caught 88 balls for nine touchdowns last season and has clearly established himself as the top wide out in this Gamecock offense.
Quarterback Stephen Garcia also returns for South Carolina, but it’s not yet certain that Garcia has established himself as starting QB for the Gamecocks. Sophomore quarterback Connor Shaw played sparingly in 2010 and could also get a look from Spurrier.
Regardless of who the starting quarterback is you can expect a lot from these South Carolina skill players. Marcus Lattimore, Alshon Jeffery and wide receiver Tori Gurley are all back and healthy which equals plenty of fireworks in Columbia.
8. Florida State
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Longtime triggerman Christian Ponder is gone for Jimbo Fisher and the Seminoles, but there is still plenty of reason for optimism.
E.J. Manual played under center down the stretch for Florida State and looked most impressive in the Seminole’s bowl victory against South Carolina. I expect Manual a former five star recruit out of high school to start next season for Florida State and to show why he was so highly thought of coming out of high school.
The speedy Bert Reed headlines a Florida State wide receiving core that should take a collective step forward in 2011. Along with Reed expect Manual to also seek out Willie Haulstead and Taiwan Easterling in the passing game.
Running back Chris Thompson took a huge step forward last season and should be the go to back for FSU this coming fall. Chris Thompson’s 6.4 yards per rushing attempt showed indications that he can effectively run the ball and could become a game breaker for the Seminoles.
A lot of Florida State’s offensive success will hinge on the play of quarterback E.J. Manual, but the skill players are certainly in place for FSU to torch defenses next season.
9. Michigan State
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Mark Dantonio’s Spartans don’t run the high octane offense that is usually associated with big time skill position players, but the Spartans list of returning quarterbacks, running backs and receivers is impressive.
Kirk Cousins returns at quarterback for Michigan State after throwing for 2,825 passing yards last season and having a two to one touchdown to interception ratio.
In the backfield running backs Edwin Baker and Le’Veon Bell return to form one of the top rushing duos in the country. While neither player truly has blazing speed, the pair’s production and talent can’t be denied.
Departing wide receiver Mark Dell will have to be replaced, but B.J. Cunningham and Keshawn Martin can definitely make up for the loss.
This group of Spartan skill players doesn’t have the blazing speed and quickness that LaMichael James and Darron Thomas do at Oregon, but they play their own brand of football and are definitely worthy of being ranked in the top 10 on this list.
10. LSU
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It’s unclear whether Jordan Jefferson will be able to fend off junior college transfer Zach Mettenberger and reclaim his starting quarterback job. Whichever quarterback does emerge as the starter will have a bevy of talented skill players to work with.
Running back Stevan Ridley is leaving to pursue his NFL career, but Spencer Ware showed flashes of future greatness in the Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M. Ware rushed for 102 yards against the Aggies and figures to get a strong look from Les Miles once camp rolls around. One game isn’t admittedly a lot to go off of but Ware played fantastically in the bowl game.
Rueben Randle and Russell Shepherd will fill the void left by the departed Terrence Tolliver. In addition watch for tight end Deangelo Peterson to step his production and contribute more.
If LSU can get strong quarterback play from Mettenberger or Jefferson then this Tiger offense could really click. The skill pieces appear to be in place for LSU Miles’s team now we will have to wait and see if they can put it all together on the field.
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