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This college football resume is far from optimal, but it carries a big upside. In a Jasper Sanks sort of way, each blemished year seems to be better than its predecessor.
1997: Sanks, Georgia's prize running back recruit, is unable to meet the minimum ACT score required to play collegiate athletics. The Parade All-America back spends a "character-building" year in prep school -- at Virginia's Fork Union Military Academy.
1998: He gains eligibility to play at Georgia, but Sanks' highly-anticipated arrival is ruled by some as a "bust." He records only 65 yards on 10 carries in an injury-plagued year.
1999: Sanks starts living up to some of hype. As Georgia's featured back, he rushes for 896 yards on 177 carries, making him fourth-best runner in the SEC. However, crucial late-game fumbles in losses to Florida and Georgia Tech taint an otherwise productive season.
Sanks isn't the go-to guy on a Georgia squad that Sports Illustrated ranked No. 7 in its 2000 preseason poll, but a big season is necessary for both he and Georgia to live up to this year's expectations.
The chance to be the next Herschel Walker or Garrison Hearst has seemingly passed Sanks by, but 2000 is still his make-or-break season. If Sanks improves again -- and doesn't fumble -- he could establish himself as one of the SEC's best backs.
-- Luke Winn
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Sanks' late-game fumble against Florida on Oct. 30, 1999, dampened Georgia's hopes for an upset. 
