The No. 11 guy on our countdown of the SEC’s 25 best players doesn’t even start, but don’t let that fool you.
No. 11: Trent Richardson, RB, So., Alabama
2009 numbers: Rushed for 751 yards and eight touchdowns while backing up Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.
Most recent ranking: Not ranked in preseason or postseason countdown in 2009.
Making the case for Richardson: If you talk to enough people in and around the Alabama program, they will tell you that Richardson might be the most talented running back on campus. That’s probably not the most politically correct thing to say with Ingram coming off a Heisman Trophy season, but the game tape doesn’t lie. The 5-11, 220-pound Richardson is oozing with natural ability. He’s explosive enough to hit a seam and run away from everybody on the field. After all, you’re talking about a guy who’s run a 10.5 in the 100 meters. He’s powerful enough to run over a linebacker and turn a minimal gain into a 25-yard gain, and he’s savvy enough to let his blocking develop and find the right crease. Richardson would have been a 1,200-yard rusher on just about any other team last season, but served as the perfect complement to Ingram. They return as the best one-two punch in college football. Richardson figures to be even better in 2010 now that he’s been through the SEC for a season. Alabama coach Nick Saban said he could see that Richardson was becoming a more complete football player during spring practices. He wasn’t too shabby as a freshman, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and coming up big in both the SEC championship and BCS national championship games. His best is yet to come.
The rundown
No. 12: Stephon Gilmore, CB, So., South Carolina
No. 13: Kelvin Sheppard, LB, Sr., LSU
No. 14: Randall Cobb, WR/QB, Jr., Kentucky
No. 15: Janoris Jenkins, CB, Jr., Florida
No. 16: Mark Barron, S, Jr., Alabama
No.17: Darvin Adams, WR, Jr., Auburn
No. 18: Alshon Jeffery, WR, So., South Carolina
No. 19: D.J. Williams, TE, Sr., Arkansas
No. 20: Cliff Matthews, DE, Sr., South Carolina
No. 21: Clint Boling, OT, Sr., Georgia
No. 22: Greg Childs, WR, Jr., Arkansas
No. 23: Washaun Ealey, RB, So., Georgia
No. 24: Chris Marve, LB, Jr., Vanderbilt
No. 25: Luke Stocker, TE, Sr., Tennessee
No. 11: Trent Richardson, RB, So., Alabama
2009 numbers: Rushed for 751 yards and eight touchdowns while backing up Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.
Most recent ranking: Not ranked in preseason or postseason countdown in 2009.
Making the case for Richardson: If you talk to enough people in and around the Alabama program, they will tell you that Richardson might be the most talented running back on campus. That’s probably not the most politically correct thing to say with Ingram coming off a Heisman Trophy season, but the game tape doesn’t lie. The 5-11, 220-pound Richardson is oozing with natural ability. He’s explosive enough to hit a seam and run away from everybody on the field. After all, you’re talking about a guy who’s run a 10.5 in the 100 meters. He’s powerful enough to run over a linebacker and turn a minimal gain into a 25-yard gain, and he’s savvy enough to let his blocking develop and find the right crease. Richardson would have been a 1,200-yard rusher on just about any other team last season, but served as the perfect complement to Ingram. They return as the best one-two punch in college football. Richardson figures to be even better in 2010 now that he’s been through the SEC for a season. Alabama coach Nick Saban said he could see that Richardson was becoming a more complete football player during spring practices. He wasn’t too shabby as a freshman, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and coming up big in both the SEC championship and BCS national championship games. His best is yet to come.
The rundown
No. 12: Stephon Gilmore, CB, So., South Carolina
No. 13: Kelvin Sheppard, LB, Sr., LSU
No. 14: Randall Cobb, WR/QB, Jr., Kentucky
No. 15: Janoris Jenkins, CB, Jr., Florida
No. 16: Mark Barron, S, Jr., Alabama
No.17: Darvin Adams, WR, Jr., Auburn
No. 18: Alshon Jeffery, WR, So., South Carolina
No. 19: D.J. Williams, TE, Sr., Arkansas
No. 20: Cliff Matthews, DE, Sr., South Carolina
No. 21: Clint Boling, OT, Sr., Georgia
No. 22: Greg Childs, WR, Jr., Arkansas
No. 23: Washaun Ealey, RB, So., Georgia
No. 24: Chris Marve, LB, Jr., Vanderbilt
No. 25: Luke Stocker, TE, Sr., Tennessee
- ESPN.com SEC blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2007
- Wrote for The (Nashville) Tennessean
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Chris Low
Low joined ESPN.com in 2007 after 10 years with The (Nashville) Tennessean covering the University of Tennessee and SEC. The Rock Hill, S.C., native lives with his wife in Knoxville and has three sons.
Edward Aschoff
Aschoff joined ESPN.com in 2011 after spending four years covering the University of Florida for The Gainesville Sun. He grew up in Oxford, Miss., before attending UF, graduating with a B.S. in journalism.
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