The Big East's best: No. 2, Mardy Gilyard
February, 19, 2010
2/19/10
9:00
AM ET
By
Brian Bennett | ESPN.com
A postseason ranking of the Big East's top 30 players ...
No. 2
Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati, Sr.
Preseason rank: 5
Why him here: What more could Mardy Gilyard have done for Cincinnati?
He led the Big East in both catches (87, or 15 more than the nearest receiver) and receiving yards (1,191) while tying with teammate Armon Binns for the lead in touchdown catches with 11. He also led the league in kickoff returns at 30.5 yards per attempt, while scoring two touchdowns. And he tied for the league lead in punt return average (12.6) while scoring another touchdown there.
For the second straight season, he was named the Big East special teams player of the year. He almost singlehandedly brought his team back from the brink in the Pitt game with the Big East title on the line. He finished his career as the Big East's second all-time leading receiver.
In short, he did just about everything a team could ask in his college career.
What's the future hold? Gilyard should be a high-round draft pick, with the only question being his size (a slender 185 pounds on his 6-foot-1 frame) and his ability to get separation at the line of scrimmage. I've got to believe he'll be a productive player at the next level.
You could make a strong case for Gilyard as the Big East's best player in 2009, and you'd get no argument from me. But my choice for No. 1 -- not like it's a surprise at this point -- will be revealed later today.
Previous:
No. 3: Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia
No. 4: Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh
No. 5: Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh
No. 6: Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati
No. 7: Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida
No. 8: Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers
No. 9: Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh
No. 10: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
No. 11: Dorin Dickerson, TE, Pittsburgh
No. 12: Robert Sands, S, West Virginia
No. 13: B.J. Daniels, QB, South Florida
No. 14: Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsburgh
No. 15: Tim Brown, WR, Rutgers
No. 16: Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut
No. 17: Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
No. 18: Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut
No. 19: Tom Savage, QB, Rutgers
No. 20: Andre Dixon, RB, Connecticut
No. 21: Bill Stull, QB, Pittsburgh
No. 22: Nate Allen, S, South Florida
No. 23: Marcus Easley, WR, Connecticut
No. 24: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
No. 25: Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia
No. 26: George Selvie, DE, South Florida
No. 27: Kion Wilson, LB, South Florida
No. 28: Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh
No. 29: Lindsey Witten, DE, Connecticut
No. 30: Jeff Linkenbach, OT, Cincinnati
No. 2
Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati, Sr.
Preseason rank: 5
Why him here: What more could Mardy Gilyard have done for Cincinnati?
He led the Big East in both catches (87, or 15 more than the nearest receiver) and receiving yards (1,191) while tying with teammate Armon Binns for the lead in touchdown catches with 11. He also led the league in kickoff returns at 30.5 yards per attempt, while scoring two touchdowns. And he tied for the league lead in punt return average (12.6) while scoring another touchdown there.
For the second straight season, he was named the Big East special teams player of the year. He almost singlehandedly brought his team back from the brink in the Pitt game with the Big East title on the line. He finished his career as the Big East's second all-time leading receiver.
In short, he did just about everything a team could ask in his college career.
What's the future hold? Gilyard should be a high-round draft pick, with the only question being his size (a slender 185 pounds on his 6-foot-1 frame) and his ability to get separation at the line of scrimmage. I've got to believe he'll be a productive player at the next level.
You could make a strong case for Gilyard as the Big East's best player in 2009, and you'd get no argument from me. But my choice for No. 1 -- not like it's a surprise at this point -- will be revealed later today.
Previous:
No. 3: Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia
No. 4: Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh
No. 5: Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh
No. 6: Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati
No. 7: Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida
No. 8: Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers
No. 9: Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh
No. 10: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
No. 11: Dorin Dickerson, TE, Pittsburgh
No. 12: Robert Sands, S, West Virginia
No. 13: B.J. Daniels, QB, South Florida
No. 14: Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsburgh
No. 15: Tim Brown, WR, Rutgers
No. 16: Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut
No. 17: Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
No. 18: Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut
No. 19: Tom Savage, QB, Rutgers
No. 20: Andre Dixon, RB, Connecticut
No. 21: Bill Stull, QB, Pittsburgh
No. 22: Nate Allen, S, South Florida
No. 23: Marcus Easley, WR, Connecticut
No. 24: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
No. 25: Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia
No. 26: George Selvie, DE, South Florida
No. 27: Kion Wilson, LB, South Florida
No. 28: Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh
No. 29: Lindsey Witten, DE, Connecticut
No. 30: Jeff Linkenbach, OT, Cincinnati
Brian Bennett | email
College Football- ESPN.com Big Ten blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008
- Wrote for The Courier-Journal
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Andrea Adelson
Adelson joined ESPN.com in 2010 after spending time as a college football columnist at The Orlando Sentinel. She has covered college football since her days as a University of Florida student, and lives in Orlando, Fla.
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