Best RB to ever play college football?

#77
#77
therealUT said:
The observation on the carries is spot on, and thanks for calling it to my attention. Ricky just consistently churned out incredible production per touch over four years (5.9, 6.1, 6.8, and 6.0, respectively). A great counterfactual question must be asked:

If Ricky had not lost focus on football when he entered the NFL, and had performed to his speculated potential (as it was when he came out of college), would there even be a debate as to who was the best college back?

I'm inclined to think there would still be a debate, but I am not certain of that.
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His situation in the NFL has hurt his college legacy, no doubt. He's definitely in consideration for anybody putting together a top ten all time list.
 
#78
#78
Ricky Williams is Bo Jackson and to a lesser extent HW minus the nostalgia with a football in his hands. He had social anxiety disorders. He coped through marijuana. People didn't understand that. And crucified the guy.
 
#79
#79
beau blankinship

images
 
#80
#80
Lawrence Wright said:
Herschel Walker, and it's not even close.
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Coming from a Gator, that has double impact! I have to say that, even if I wasn't a Dawg, I'd feel the same way. All you have to do is watch clips and see what an impact he had. He often did what he did in the "post-block" section of the field. In other words, on his own. Without Herschel UGA would have been mediocre in the early 80's.

Herschel Walker: Greatest College Football Running Back Ever - YouTube

Bo Jackson is a close 2nd and the best all-round athlete ever.
 
#81
#81
StoVol said:
Not true at all. The sec wasn't as strong in the early 80's. it started to get crazy parity wise and in recruiting mid 80's and has gotten more competitive ever since. Herschel running over 180 lb db's just doesn't impress me considering the vast amount of carries he had. Bo had far fewer carries and a much better ypc average. No doubt the greatest we have seen so far. A true freak. I saw them both play and we all knew way before his pro days he was a once in a lifetime player. Herschel had an unmatched work ethic tho.
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Uh, no. Herschel and Bo were both born in '62. Nice try though!
 
#82
#82
Vol4life25 said:
I vote for Herschel Walker.

Top 10 in all time Rushing yards, and is the only player in the top 10 who only played 3 years.

Who would you vote for?
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Easily the best I've ever seen...I saw his very first game against us...Still can't believe what I saw lol...He was a beast.
 
#83
#83
A little anecdote about Herschel's debut game. My brother and I, as well as a mutual friend, who was probably 6-5, 300 lbs., were walking back from the stadium after that heartbreaking loss. A couple of Georgia fans were sitting on a little rock wall overlooking Volunteer Blvd. and proceeded to heckle virtually every Tennessee fan who passed them. As we drew even and walked past them, they became quiet. Moments later, we heard one of them say to the other, "Why didn't you say anything to that guy?" The other responded, "That big SOB already looked plenty pissed!"
 
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#85
#85
I know stats are valuable when looking at this stuff, but to me the most enteraining back I ever watched was Marshall Faulk.
As far as UT mine would have to be Chuck Webb or Charlie Garner
 
#86
#86
Because of my age the best I have ever actually watched play were Ricky Williams, Reggie Bush and Ron Dayne. Ricky Williams being in a class above the other two of course.
 
#88
#88
therealUT said:
Just added yards per carry to these stats. Barry and Bo are in a league of their own with regard to production per touch.
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Gale Sayers averaged 6.5 yards per carry in three years at Kansas in the early '60s. He didn't have the quantity of carries, but when he got it, he was magical.
 
#91
#91
therealUT said:
The observation on the carries is spot on, and thanks for calling it to my attention. Ricky just consistently churned out incredible production per touch over four years (5.9, 6.1, 6.8, and 6.0, respectively). A great counterfactual question must be asked:

If Ricky had not lost focus on football when he entered the NFL, and had performed to his speculated potential (as it was when he came out of college), would there even be a debate as to who was the best college back?

I'm inclined to think there would still be a debate, but I am not certain of that.
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Ricky Williams was a great player, no doubt about that. But, he had the benefit of playing in a league that did not put a high priority on defense.
 
#94
#94
Neal Anderson was a good college back. I sadly sat in Neyland Stadium in 1984 and watched him run over the Vols defense. He put on a show. He is one of the very best college backs I have saw play "live and in person". Too bad he was a Gator.
 
#96
#96
leftfield34 said:
Nebraska was a smashmouth team in the 90's. Other than that, who had a good defense?
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Considering the fact that in 1998, there were 7 BigXII teams ranked in the Top 25 in Total Defense, I would say plenty of BigXII teams, aside from Nebraska, had smashmouth defenses in the mid to late 90s, when Ricky was running.
 
#97
#97
therealUT said:
Considering the fact that in 1998, there were 7 BigXII teams ranked in the Top 25 in Total Defense, I would say plenty of BigXII teams, aside from Nebraska, had smashmouth defenses in the mid to late 90s, when Ricky was running.
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1998 (His Best Season)
Att- Yds Avg. TD
N.M. State 36- 215 6.0 6
UCLA 29- 160 5.5 3
Kansas St 25- 43 1.7 0
Rice 30- 318 10.6 6
Iowa State 37- 350 9.5 5
Oklahoma 31- 139 4.5 2
Baylor 39- 259 6.6 2
Nebraska 37- 150 4.1 0
Oklahoma St. 23- 90 3.9 1
Texas Tech 30- 141 4.7 1
Texas A&M 44- 259 5.9 1
Totals 361-2124 5.9 27

Of those 7 teams, they played 5 of them. In those five games, he averaged 146 ypg.

My point is, he feasted on some crappy teams.
 
#100
#100
Bo Jackson was the greatest athlete I've seen play football. Walker was by far the hungrier college runner. His straight away speed, at his size and relentlessness, were unsurpassed. But in the pros, Bo Jackson was scary good. I would have loved to see Bo in the I-formation in college and then make the comparisons. I would say Bo was faster, with much better lateral movement then Walker. But in college, Walker did it best.
 
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