NFL stars with so-so college careers
Bruce Feldman
ESPN Insider
In response to ESPN.com's "Simply Saturday" series, which looks at college stars who never made it in the pros, I figured I'd flip things around for this week's list: the biggest "upside" guys in the NFL. The criteria: The top players in the NFL who didn't even make all-conference during their college careers. One caveat to keep in mind: I'm picking from guys who played big-time college football -- which we'll define here as the AQ conferences.
1. Tom Brady, Michigan Wolverines
The guy many NFL analysts call the best player in pro football never made first-team or even second-team All-Big Ten in his days at Michigan. Brady, then a lanky Californian, started two seasons in Ann Arbor and was good, performing well enough to rank fifth all-time on the school's list in completions, sixth in passing yards and seventh in touchdowns, but in 1998, it was Drew Brees who made second-team all-conference and Ohio State's Joe Germaine who was the first-team pick. In 1999, it was Brees getting the first-team honors and Indiana's dynamic Antwan Randle El, then a sophomore, who got second-team honors. Brady entered the NFL as the 199th player taken, and yeah, the Patriots struck gold with this pick.
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2. Clay Matthews, USC Trojans
No NFL player has better bloodlines than Matthews, but when he was coming up as a recruit he was a wiry, undersized, off-the-radar prospect who reportedly only weighed 166 pounds as a backup LB-TE for Agoura (Calif.) High. Matthews stared to sprout in his senior year, yet still only had one scholarship offer -- from former USC assistant Nick Holt at Idaho. Matthews opted to walk-on at his father's alma mater, USC. By his junior year, he had started to blossom, emerging as his team's best special-teams player. Then, in 2008, he forced his way into a star-studded defense at rush end, where he finished fourth on the team in tackles and had nine tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
Still, Oregon's Nick Reed and Oregon State's Victor Butler were the first-team All-Pac-10 defensive ends. Matthews proceeded to wow scouts with his explosiveness and determination. Green Bay drafted the one-time walk-on 26th overall, and he has rewarded them with two spectacular seasons, going to back-to-back Pro Bowls and winning NFC Defensive Player of the Year honors, while helping lead Green Bay to a Super Bowl victory.
3. Jason Peters, Arkansas Razorbacks
A former defensive line recruit who the Razorbacks moved to tight end, the 6-foot-4, 300-plus-pound Peters appeared to be quite the project when the Bills signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2004. Peters learned how to play offensive line and eventually beat out former first-rounder Mike Williams for a starting job. Peters has since gone on to earn spots in the last four Pro Bowls.
4. Chad Ochocinco, Oregon State Beavers
The Miami native didn't spend much time in the Pac-10 -- just one season at Oregon State. The receiver, then known as Chad Johnson, did flash some big-play potential during his time in Corvallis, catching 33 passes for 713 yards. He also flashed a lot of personality on his way to the draft, as you can tell if you read this old Q&A he did with Mel Kiper Jr., who at one point asks: "When all is said and done, how do you want people to remember Chad Johnson?"
Johnson's response: "As a very humble, nice person who had no off-the-field problems."
I'm not sure how many will recall the Cincinnati Bengals star as "humble," but he certainly has produced, notching seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons and going to six Pro Bowls. In truth, he'd be even higher on this list, but at 33, he has dipped some in the last three years.
5. Nnamdi Asomugha, California Golden Bears
He had a good but not great career for the Bears, getting chosen as an honorable mention All-Pac-10 pick as a senior. Some great individual workouts took a guy who some touted as a fifth-rounder all the way up into the first round when the Raiders selected him 31st overall.
Oakland certainly didn't whiff on this pick. Asomugha has emerged as a true shutdown corner, earning trips to the past three Pro Bowls. He's also as good as they come off the field, winning NFL Man of the Year honors, too.
6. Jay Ratliff, Auburn Tigers
Like Peters, Ratliff bounced around before he settled into his body and found his spot. A former prep basketball star who came to Auburn as a touted tight end prospect, Ratliff played some defensive end and was solid but unspectacular by the time he left, notching four TFLs and a sack in 2004. The Cowboys picked him in the seventh round, the same year they drafted DeMarcus Ware and Marcus Spears. Ratliff has proven to be quite a force inside and has been selected to three Pro Bowls.
7. Adrian Wilson, North Carolina State Wolfpack
The hard-hitting Wilson's athleticism has been immortalized by this freakish jump. But before that, I suspect a lot of fans had never heard much about him. He was a solid player at State, but only made second-team All-ACC as a strong safety in 2000. Teammate Lloyd Harrison, a two-time all-league pick at corner, was more of the headliner in the secondary. Wilson was taken in the third round and has been to four Pro Bowls, leading the Cardinals' D for the better part of a decade.
8. Frank Gore, Miami (FL) Hurricanes
The Canes have had an amazing run of tailbacks that began with Edgerrin James about 15 years ago and has continued through Gore. Some Miami coaches say the 5-foot-9, 215-pounder was the most talented of the bunch, thanks in large part to his preternatural vision. Problem was Gore couldn't stay healthy at UM. He played 28 games and ran for almost 2,000 yards and a 5.7-yard average with 17 TDs. The 49ers used a third-round pick on him and are glad they did. In six seasons, he's run for 6,400 yards and a 4.7-yard-per-carry average while being the best player on some really shaky offenses.
9. Arian Foster, Tennessee Volunteers
The Vols have had more than their share of big-time backs, but pat yourself on the back if you saw NFL stardom coming from Foster, who at times battled through injuries and off-field issues in Knoxville. Foster did have a strong 2007 season in which he ran for almost 1,200 yards. However, the SEC was loaded with running backs that year with Darren McFadden and Knowshon Moreno taking first-team all-league honors and Felix Jones and Jacob Hester making the second team. Foster had a disappointing senior season in 2008 and went undrafted. It took him a year before settling in with the Houston Texans, but Foster exploded in 2010, winning the NFL rushing title with 1,616 yards and adding 604 receiving yards.
10. Jon Beason, Miami
Beason has an assortment of injuries and left Miami early after making 22 starts, as the Canes program went into decline during his seasons in Miami. The first-team All-ACC linebackers in 2006 were Vince Hall, Buster Davis and Jon Abbate. Beason, though, impressed scouts enough in his workouts that the Panthers grabbed him 25th overall in 2007. That looks to be a very shrewd move, considering Beason has been to three Pro Bowls in his four NFL seasons in which he has started every game of his career and racked up an eye-catching 540 tackles. In three of his four seasons, he has ranked in the top four in tackles in the NFL.
Around college football
• The SEC recently submitted recommendations to the NCAA in an effort to modernize and streamline football recruiting nationally, commissioner Mike Slive told Mitch Sherman and Ryan McGee Tuesday.
"It was a result of meetings and legislation that we were already discussing and, in some instances, had already started to implement within the SEC," Slive said during the College World Series finals between South Carolina and Florida. "And ultimately, its goal is just to modernize the current rules, catch up to technology and society and to make a confusing process easier not only on the schools but the prospects and their families."
A summary of the letter sent by the SEC to the NCAA was obtained by CBS Sports and published Tuesday on its website. Slive told ESPN.com that the SEC also supports an earlier start date for official visits, currently allowed after July 31. Additionally, he said, the SEC has passed legislation to preclude league coaches from hosting or attending seven-on-seven football events. The SEC plans to sponsor national legislation to follow the same guidelines, Slive said.
I feel like lifting the texting ban, along with a few of these other proposals, seems sensible. Right now, there are so many little rules that get tripped over, and the NCAA and each school spends a ridiculous amount of time and money pursuing and trying to keep tabs on them that it seems like streamlining is a smart move. Another one of these is a change that would allow coaches to speak with prospects off campus during spring evaluations and prevent prearranged "bumps" between coaches and prospects, which are legal but difficult to legislate.
I realize the NCAA could view this as giving legs to the notion some schools get an unfair advantage because of the celebrity nature of some coaches. But it also seems if the NCAA spends too much time trying to defend against these encounters, it'll tire itself out chasing its tail, which is more or less what we have now.
• Three UCF players testified that coach George O'Leary never ordered water and athletic trainers be removed from Ereck Plancher's final workout, reports Iliana Limon.
Former UCF captain Rocky Ross and current UCF running back Ronnie Weaver stated during the 12th day of the Plancher wrongful death trial water was available at all times during the workout.
Weaver, the first witness called Tuesday as the UCF Athletics Association began presenting its defense, testified he drank from a water bottle handed to him by an athletic trainer during Plancher's final workout.
• Boise State's new executive director of compliance, Josh Snyder, has left the school because of a family medical issue, leaving the school searching for another compliance officer just weeks after appearing before the NCAA Committee on Infractions, reports Brian Murphy.
"Two full-time compliance officers continue to serve the athletic department, and the university is actively recruiting his replacement. We informed the Committee on Infractions of this most recent and unfortunate development and assured them that we will have a new compliance director soon," university spokesman Frank Zang wrote in an e-mail to the Statesman.
Snyder's replacement will be the school's fourth compliance director since, at least, May 2007. In 2010, the job paid $55,016.
He was hired in December.
• The nation's No. 2 offensive guard prospect, Isaac Seumalo, has committed to Oregon State, reports Jerry Ulmer.
Seumalo's father is Beavers defensive line coach Joe Seumalo.
Bruce Feldman
ESPN Insider
In response to ESPN.com's "Simply Saturday" series, which looks at college stars who never made it in the pros, I figured I'd flip things around for this week's list: the biggest "upside" guys in the NFL. The criteria: The top players in the NFL who didn't even make all-conference during their college careers. One caveat to keep in mind: I'm picking from guys who played big-time college football -- which we'll define here as the AQ conferences.
1. Tom Brady, Michigan Wolverines
The guy many NFL analysts call the best player in pro football never made first-team or even second-team All-Big Ten in his days at Michigan. Brady, then a lanky Californian, started two seasons in Ann Arbor and was good, performing well enough to rank fifth all-time on the school's list in completions, sixth in passing yards and seventh in touchdowns, but in 1998, it was Drew Brees who made second-team all-conference and Ohio State's Joe Germaine who was the first-team pick. In 1999, it was Brees getting the first-team honors and Indiana's dynamic Antwan Randle El, then a sophomore, who got second-team honors. Brady entered the NFL as the 199th player taken, and yeah, the Patriots struck gold with this pick.
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2. Clay Matthews, USC Trojans
No NFL player has better bloodlines than Matthews, but when he was coming up as a recruit he was a wiry, undersized, off-the-radar prospect who reportedly only weighed 166 pounds as a backup LB-TE for Agoura (Calif.) High. Matthews stared to sprout in his senior year, yet still only had one scholarship offer -- from former USC assistant Nick Holt at Idaho. Matthews opted to walk-on at his father's alma mater, USC. By his junior year, he had started to blossom, emerging as his team's best special-teams player. Then, in 2008, he forced his way into a star-studded defense at rush end, where he finished fourth on the team in tackles and had nine tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
Still, Oregon's Nick Reed and Oregon State's Victor Butler were the first-team All-Pac-10 defensive ends. Matthews proceeded to wow scouts with his explosiveness and determination. Green Bay drafted the one-time walk-on 26th overall, and he has rewarded them with two spectacular seasons, going to back-to-back Pro Bowls and winning NFC Defensive Player of the Year honors, while helping lead Green Bay to a Super Bowl victory.
3. Jason Peters, Arkansas Razorbacks
A former defensive line recruit who the Razorbacks moved to tight end, the 6-foot-4, 300-plus-pound Peters appeared to be quite the project when the Bills signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2004. Peters learned how to play offensive line and eventually beat out former first-rounder Mike Williams for a starting job. Peters has since gone on to earn spots in the last four Pro Bowls.
4. Chad Ochocinco, Oregon State Beavers
The Miami native didn't spend much time in the Pac-10 -- just one season at Oregon State. The receiver, then known as Chad Johnson, did flash some big-play potential during his time in Corvallis, catching 33 passes for 713 yards. He also flashed a lot of personality on his way to the draft, as you can tell if you read this old Q&A he did with Mel Kiper Jr., who at one point asks: "When all is said and done, how do you want people to remember Chad Johnson?"
Johnson's response: "As a very humble, nice person who had no off-the-field problems."
I'm not sure how many will recall the Cincinnati Bengals star as "humble," but he certainly has produced, notching seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons and going to six Pro Bowls. In truth, he'd be even higher on this list, but at 33, he has dipped some in the last three years.
5. Nnamdi Asomugha, California Golden Bears
He had a good but not great career for the Bears, getting chosen as an honorable mention All-Pac-10 pick as a senior. Some great individual workouts took a guy who some touted as a fifth-rounder all the way up into the first round when the Raiders selected him 31st overall.
Oakland certainly didn't whiff on this pick. Asomugha has emerged as a true shutdown corner, earning trips to the past three Pro Bowls. He's also as good as they come off the field, winning NFL Man of the Year honors, too.
6. Jay Ratliff, Auburn Tigers
Like Peters, Ratliff bounced around before he settled into his body and found his spot. A former prep basketball star who came to Auburn as a touted tight end prospect, Ratliff played some defensive end and was solid but unspectacular by the time he left, notching four TFLs and a sack in 2004. The Cowboys picked him in the seventh round, the same year they drafted DeMarcus Ware and Marcus Spears. Ratliff has proven to be quite a force inside and has been selected to three Pro Bowls.
7. Adrian Wilson, North Carolina State Wolfpack
The hard-hitting Wilson's athleticism has been immortalized by this freakish jump. But before that, I suspect a lot of fans had never heard much about him. He was a solid player at State, but only made second-team All-ACC as a strong safety in 2000. Teammate Lloyd Harrison, a two-time all-league pick at corner, was more of the headliner in the secondary. Wilson was taken in the third round and has been to four Pro Bowls, leading the Cardinals' D for the better part of a decade.
8. Frank Gore, Miami (FL) Hurricanes
The Canes have had an amazing run of tailbacks that began with Edgerrin James about 15 years ago and has continued through Gore. Some Miami coaches say the 5-foot-9, 215-pounder was the most talented of the bunch, thanks in large part to his preternatural vision. Problem was Gore couldn't stay healthy at UM. He played 28 games and ran for almost 2,000 yards and a 5.7-yard average with 17 TDs. The 49ers used a third-round pick on him and are glad they did. In six seasons, he's run for 6,400 yards and a 4.7-yard-per-carry average while being the best player on some really shaky offenses.
9. Arian Foster, Tennessee Volunteers
The Vols have had more than their share of big-time backs, but pat yourself on the back if you saw NFL stardom coming from Foster, who at times battled through injuries and off-field issues in Knoxville. Foster did have a strong 2007 season in which he ran for almost 1,200 yards. However, the SEC was loaded with running backs that year with Darren McFadden and Knowshon Moreno taking first-team all-league honors and Felix Jones and Jacob Hester making the second team. Foster had a disappointing senior season in 2008 and went undrafted. It took him a year before settling in with the Houston Texans, but Foster exploded in 2010, winning the NFL rushing title with 1,616 yards and adding 604 receiving yards.
10. Jon Beason, Miami
Beason has an assortment of injuries and left Miami early after making 22 starts, as the Canes program went into decline during his seasons in Miami. The first-team All-ACC linebackers in 2006 were Vince Hall, Buster Davis and Jon Abbate. Beason, though, impressed scouts enough in his workouts that the Panthers grabbed him 25th overall in 2007. That looks to be a very shrewd move, considering Beason has been to three Pro Bowls in his four NFL seasons in which he has started every game of his career and racked up an eye-catching 540 tackles. In three of his four seasons, he has ranked in the top four in tackles in the NFL.
Around college football
• The SEC recently submitted recommendations to the NCAA in an effort to modernize and streamline football recruiting nationally, commissioner Mike Slive told Mitch Sherman and Ryan McGee Tuesday.
"It was a result of meetings and legislation that we were already discussing and, in some instances, had already started to implement within the SEC," Slive said during the College World Series finals between South Carolina and Florida. "And ultimately, its goal is just to modernize the current rules, catch up to technology and society and to make a confusing process easier not only on the schools but the prospects and their families."
A summary of the letter sent by the SEC to the NCAA was obtained by CBS Sports and published Tuesday on its website. Slive told ESPN.com that the SEC also supports an earlier start date for official visits, currently allowed after July 31. Additionally, he said, the SEC has passed legislation to preclude league coaches from hosting or attending seven-on-seven football events. The SEC plans to sponsor national legislation to follow the same guidelines, Slive said.
I feel like lifting the texting ban, along with a few of these other proposals, seems sensible. Right now, there are so many little rules that get tripped over, and the NCAA and each school spends a ridiculous amount of time and money pursuing and trying to keep tabs on them that it seems like streamlining is a smart move. Another one of these is a change that would allow coaches to speak with prospects off campus during spring evaluations and prevent prearranged "bumps" between coaches and prospects, which are legal but difficult to legislate.
I realize the NCAA could view this as giving legs to the notion some schools get an unfair advantage because of the celebrity nature of some coaches. But it also seems if the NCAA spends too much time trying to defend against these encounters, it'll tire itself out chasing its tail, which is more or less what we have now.
• Three UCF players testified that coach George O'Leary never ordered water and athletic trainers be removed from Ereck Plancher's final workout, reports Iliana Limon.
Former UCF captain Rocky Ross and current UCF running back Ronnie Weaver stated during the 12th day of the Plancher wrongful death trial water was available at all times during the workout.
Weaver, the first witness called Tuesday as the UCF Athletics Association began presenting its defense, testified he drank from a water bottle handed to him by an athletic trainer during Plancher's final workout.
• Boise State's new executive director of compliance, Josh Snyder, has left the school because of a family medical issue, leaving the school searching for another compliance officer just weeks after appearing before the NCAA Committee on Infractions, reports Brian Murphy.
"Two full-time compliance officers continue to serve the athletic department, and the university is actively recruiting his replacement. We informed the Committee on Infractions of this most recent and unfortunate development and assured them that we will have a new compliance director soon," university spokesman Frank Zang wrote in an e-mail to the Statesman.
Snyder's replacement will be the school's fourth compliance director since, at least, May 2007. In 2010, the job paid $55,016.
He was hired in December.
• The nation's No. 2 offensive guard prospect, Isaac Seumalo, has committed to Oregon State, reports Jerry Ulmer.
Seumalo's father is Beavers defensive line coach Joe Seumalo.
