Georgia junior tailback Todd Gurley is one of four players nationwide who is on everybody’s Heisman Trophy candidate short list. Gurley is probably right up there with Oregon Ducks QB Marcus Mariota as the front-runner. Texas A&M’s Kenny Hill and Jameis Winston are the other two on the list. Although Mr. discount shellfish down in Tallahassee is not doing himself any favors. He will act like an idiot again at some point.
(By the way, every time you hear a member of the media say “knucklehead” on TV, that’s just a euphemism for “acts like an idiot or moron a lot”)
Gurley could also parlay this season into being a very high pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Because we haven’t seen a lot of running backs drafted in the first round lately. And even fewer go high in the first round, there’s been a belief that Trent Richardson may have been the last of his kind: a running back taken very early.
That’s not true. It’s just that the last couple of classes haven’t produced the greatest prospects. Gurley could go top ten in April. Melvin Gordon from Wisconsin could be top 15 to top 25.
Said Georgia Coach Mark Richt: “Todd Gurley is a big, physical guy. As the game wears on, he’s in good enough condition where tired tacklers struggle to get him on the ground. And the linemen see that and they get excited to block in the third and fourth quarter.”
Todd Gurley is now one of only four Bulldogs to have 3,000+ yards rushing in his career with 3,147, joining Herschel Walker-5,259, Garrison Hearst-3,232 and Lars Tate-3,017). The product of Tarboro, North Carolina finished the Clemson game with a school record 293 all-purpose yards (former record 290, Rodney Hampton, 1987) and scored four touchdowns to help down the Tigers. He finished with his 14th career 100-yard rushing game after going for a career-high 198 yards and three scores on just 15 carries (13.2 average). He’s the only running back on the Heisman short list. That really says something because you have to be either a quarterback or a running back to win the Heisman these days.
What’s really helping his draft stock is his potential to also contribute immediately on special teams. Todd Gurley also tied an NCAA record by returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. This marked his second career 100-yard return for a score after he returned one against Buffalo during his first game as a Bulldog in 2012. Boykin, a cornerback/returner, had three 100-yard returns during his time at Georgia.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2