Alright, loyal readers (both of you), I need help. Every year there is usually a non-Jayhawk player that will catch fire early in the season and sometimes early in his career and I will end up following them for the rest of their collegiate career and in to the NFL. This is someone who can transcend teams and rivalries. Players of the past I have followed include, Matt Leinart, Pat White, Noel Devine, Eli Manning, Brodie Croyle (one of the all time favorites), Kyle Boller, Matt Stafford, the list goes on. This year I am at a quandary, there are four quarterbacks at the moment that have caught my attention and yet I cannot decide who to throw my fandom behind. This is where you come in. Help me decide. Here are my four candidates:
Sophomore, 6'4", 190 lbs.
Year to date stats: 41-59 comp/att, 656 yds, 69.5%comp, 5 td, 2 int, 184.08 rat.
Jacory Harris was slightly off my radar going into the season. I know he was a highly touted recruit with a lot of upside and potential. Last year he split time for Miami (FL) and showed exactly what you would think: potential and upside.
What got Harris onto my radar was his performance this past Thursday (9/17) against Georgia Tech. I normally probably wouldn't have watched this game but since ESPN is so smart, they only way to get my football fix on a Thursday is watching the only game thats on, so I watched. Needless to say, I was impressed.
Harris' line was 20-25, 270 yds, and 3 touchdowns. Pretty good stats, I would say, but they don't even tell the whole story. Watching this game was great because I really feel this will be Harris' coming out party. He has arm strength, pocket presence, showed great accuracy and led his team to victory as the underdog. He is sure to be in consideration for the Heisman if he keeps this up, which is why he is one of my candidates.
The rest of my candidates are after the jump.
Freshman, 6'1", 188 lbs.
Year to date stats: 36/53 comp/att, 419 yds, 67.9% comp pct, 5 td, 1 int, 161.69 rat., 107 rush yds, 1 rush td.
My opinions on Rich Rodriguez and his questionable recruiting aside, his offense is funner than hell to watch, especially when he has a QB who can run it like Forcier can.
I am not necessarily a huge fan of Michigan, however, seeing them taste victory against my most hated collegiate franchise (Notre Dame) was definitely a highlight. It was in watching this game, hoping ND would lose that I was able to see Forcier work his magic.
The kid is only a freshman and he took Michigan all the way down the field for a score to win the game in the 4th quarter in the biggest game of his life up to this point. With precious seconds left Forcier bobbed and weaved his way away from ND defenders escaping tacklers with the skill of a young Harry Houdini and somehow pulled a rabbit out of his hat by finding a receiver in the end zone to beat the Irish. Forcier is a good passer with decent arm strength and good accuracy, not to mention his excellent mobility and running skills. He is Tim Tebow with slightly less arm strength but a quicker release, and that is Tebow's only fault, his slow release. He is going to be very good, and if he is selected will give me someone to follow for the next 3-4 years.
Junior, 6'3", 220 lbs.
Year to Date Stats: 41/74 comp/att, 637 yds, 6 TD, 6 INT, 138.25 rat.
So this is not as clear cut of a pick as the other candidates. Colburn was not a very highly touted recruit and did not become the started until this year, which is his third with the program. Therefore, I will admit, this pick is based on potential.
I think Colburn has great potential. He has the size, the arm strength and the accuracy to be a proficient passer at the collegiate level, and with a little work he has the tangibles to have scouts drooling at the next level. The only issue Colburn has that I have seen is questionable decision making. However, I believe this can be corrected in time and he could be a success at the next level.
Colburn has had the fortune of being in some marquee games early in the season that I have seen. Colburn has been able to play very well in those games, at times taking the team on his back. However, as aforementioned, he has make some back-breaking plays in those games (questionable decisions resulting in interceptions) that have led to losses. Once this season is under his belt I feel Colburn will have a great senior season and will be much talked about next year.
Junior (RS), 6'3", 215
Year to date stats: 12/22 comp/att, 175 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT, 87 rush yds, 1 rush td
Jevan Sneed was the non-Jayhawk I thought I would follow the most going into this season. Sneed has a little bit of Matt Stafford in him, somewhat inconsistent but LOADS of talent and everyone goes crazy over his tangibles.
Sneed started off at Texas, but couldn't beat out Colt McCoy and transferred to Ole Miss. Once Houston Nutt arrived on campus it was a good match. Sneed started off last season rather slow but once he fully grasped the offense he exploded on the scene and garnered a lot of Heisman hype coming into this season.
Here is why I like Sneed. He has good size, ridiculous arm strength and projects well to the NFL. He did not have a good first game this season, however, he started off last year slow as well so we will see how this ends up. Sneed has the skills to put up crazy numbers, but, keeping with the Stafford comparison, he could use some improvement in his decision making as he only completed 56% of his passes last year. However, with a solid year this year, and if he decides to come back and have another solid year next year, he will be a top five pick in the NFL draft (although he will never be Matt Stafford).
Alright Jeff-reporters, there they are. My man crush for this year is in your hands. I am not partial to any specific candidate and would like them all. Once the decision is made I will provide weekly "Collegiate Quarterback Man-Crush" updates. I will add a poll to my blog so please vote for your candidate and leave me your reasoning in the comments sections.
Cool, calm, and collected, Jacory Harris has the Canes off to their best start since the early 2000s. Two early season wins against ACC opponents have got my attention. Just a tease, or is he worthy of the official endowment of the title "mancrush?" We'll see how he does against OU.
ReplyDeleteYou need to have an orderly process to determine who your mancrush is, a process with rules.
ReplyDeleteRule 1: Mancrush must have a"crush-worthy" name.
Nobody wants to have a crush on Chris Smith.
Tate Forcier: two (gritty sounding) last names = mancrush worthy
Jevon Snead: a southern white guy named Jevon - certaintly mancrush worthy (would be better if pronounced Ja-von)
Ryan Colburn: boring as apple pie, eliminated
Jacory Harris - Certaintly mancrush worthy. Now
Cory Harris is not cursh-worthy, however, his mother's use of the prefix "Ja" gives it his name some pizzaz, and save his butt from elimination in round 1.
Rule 2: Quitting is not a crush-worthy attribute
Tate Forcier: He has too much grit to quit
JaCory Harris: he beat out Robert Marve, no quit in him.
Jevon Snead: Couldn't hack it at Texas, and had to take his Copenhagan and brusied ego to some school that would promise him playing time. Eliminated
Rule 3: Which remaining QB would hate you the most?
Since this is about "crushes" nobody has a crush on somebody who would actually like them, if a person might like you, you would just go talk to them and see how it goes. "Crush" entails they are out of your league, make fun of you, ect... You have crushes on the head cheerleader not the girl with glasses.
Because Rich Rodiguez is a pretentious D-bag and Tate Forcier voluntarily choose to surround himself with such a person, therefore it is likley Foricer is also a D-bag. He likely has built a false sense of confidence by making fun of persons like you Jeff.
Jacory Harris was described on Thrusday night football as laid-back and cool. He wears pink sunglasses and has fun designs shaved into his head. I think this all evidences that Jacory Harris would be willing to say hello to you. Therefore he is Eliminated.
Mancursh = Tate Forcier.