EVENTS
Sportsman of the Year
Heisman Trophy
Swimsuit 2001
CENTERS
Fantasy Central
Inside Game
Video Plus
Statitudes
Your Turn
Message Boards
Email Newsletters
Golf Guide
Cities
CNNSI.com GROUP
Sports Illustrated
Life of Reilly
SI Women
SI for Kids
Press Room
TBS/TNT Sports
CNN Languages
COMMERCE
SI Customer Service
SI Media Kits
Get into College
Sports Memorabilia
TeamStore
|
 |
Position by position rankings
By Stewart Mandel, CNNSI.com
| Quarterbacks |
|---|
| Player |
School |
Year |
| 1. Ken Dorsey |
Miami |
Jr. |
| Solidified stardom with last year's game-winning drive against Florida State. |
| 2. Eric Crouch |
Nebraska |
Sr. |
| Average arm, but amazingly fast runner who excels in Huskers' offense. |
| 3. Woody Dantzler |
Clemson State |
Sr. |
| Topped all but one ACC running back with 947 yards last season. |
| 4. Jason Thomas |
UNLV |
Jr. |
| John Robinson calls him "the most gifted athlete I've ever coached."
|
| 5. George Godsey |
Georgia Tech |
Sr. |
| Hard to believe 2000 (2,906 yards, 23 TDs, 6 INTs) was his debut season. |
| 6. Joey Harrington |
Oregon |
Sr. |
| Boasts impressive 16-2 record as Ducks' starter.
|
| 7. Major Applewhite |
Texas |
Sr. |
| School's all-time passing leader now its most overqualified backup.
|
| 8. Chris Simms |
Texas |
Jr. |
| One game against A&M (16-of-24, 383 yards, 3 TDs) launched a legend. |
| 9. Dave Ragone |
Louisville |
Sr. |
| Took over for prolific Chris Redman and didn't miss a beat. |
| 10. Kurt Kittner |
Illinois |
Sr. |
| Numbers should rebound with top receiver Brandon Lloyd back from injury. |
| |
| Running backs |
|---|
| Player |
School |
Year |
| 1. Ken Simonton |
Oregon State |
Sr. |
| Bidding to become Pac-10's first four-time 1,000 yard rusher.
|
| 2. Damien Anderson |
Northwestern |
Sr. |
| 1,914-yard rusher benefits from spread offense that creates massive holes. |
| 3. Lee Suggs |
Virginia Tech |
Jr. |
| Rushed for 27 TDs -- even when Michael Vick could have just kept it! |
| 4. T.J. Duckett |
Michigan State |
Jr. |
| Bruising 250-pounder takes pressure off MSU's struggling QBs. |
| 5. DeShaun Foster |
UCLA |
Sr. |
| Ran circles around Alabama and Michigan before fading a bit last year. |
| 6. Cedric Cobbs |
Arkansas |
So. |
| Fully recovered from ACL tear that ended 2000 after three games. |
| 7. Ennis Haywood |
Iowa State |
Sr. |
| Not a Davis, but continued ISU's tailback legacy nonetheless.
|
| 8. Deonce Whitaker |
San Jose State |
Sr. |
| Made his mark with 254 yards against Stanford. |
| 9. Chester Taylor |
Toledo |
Sr. |
| Took Happy Valley by storm with 141 yards and two TDs. |
| 10. Marcus Houston |
Colorado |
Fr. |
| Averaged 110 yards the first three games of his career. |
| |
| Wide receivers |
|---|
| Player |
School |
Year |
| 1. Antonio Bryant |
Pittsburgh |
Jr. |
| Unlimited potential, if he can stay out of trouble. |
| 2. Roy Williams |
Texas |
So. |
| Averaged staggering 21 yards a catch as a freshman.
|
| 3. Jabar Gaffney |
Florida |
So. |
| Set SEC freshman record with 71 catches. |
| 4. Kelly Campbell |
Georgia Tech |
Sr. |
| George Godsey's top target is deadly on the fade route. |
| 5. Josh Reed |
LSU |
Jr. |
| Burst on the national scene with 1,127 yards as a sophomore.
|
| 6. Lee Mays |
UTEP |
Sr. |
| Led the country with 15 TDs.
|
| 7. Ron Johnson |
Minnesota |
Sr. |
| Gophers got huge boost when Johnson didn't turn pro.
|
| 8. Kareem Kelly |
USC |
Jr. |
| Could have monster season under pass-happy coordinator Norm Chow.
|
| 9. B.J. Johnson |
Texas |
So. |
| Other half of Horns' sophomore duo led team in catches (45). |
| 10. Antwaan Randle El |
Indiana |
Sr. |
| All we have to go on is his 1,270 rushing yards -- as a quarterback. |
| |
| Tight ends |
|---|
| Player |
School |
Year |
| 1. Jerramy Stevens |
Washington |
Jr. |
| Imposing 6-foot-7 target grabbed 48 catches during Rose Bowl season.
|
| 2. Tracey Wistrom |
Nebraska |
Sr. |
| Frequent target when Eric Crouch nears end zone.
|
| 3. Tim Stratton |
Purdue |
Sr. |
| Prolific receiver must break in new quarterback Brandon Hance. |
| 4. Jeremy Shockey |
Miami |
Jr. |
| Caught winning touchdown against Florida State.
|
| 5. Trent Smith |
Oklahoma |
Jr. |
| Was all over the field against K-State in Big 12 title game.
|
| |
| Offensive linemen |
|---|
| Player |
Position |
School |
Year |
| 1. Bryant McKinnie |
T |
Miami |
Sr. |
| Tremendous blocker stands an incredible 6-9, 330. |
| 2. Mike Pearson |
T |
Florida |
Jr. |
| Came on late in season, leading RB Earnest Graham to huge games.
|
| 3. Seth McKinney |
C |
Texas A&M |
Sr. |
| Has started since the first game of his freshman year, 38 in a row. |
| 4. Terrence Metcalf |
T |
Ole Miss |
Sr. |
| Helped Rebels yield only seven sacks, tops in the SEC. |
| 5. Brett Williams |
T |
Florida St. |
Jr. |
| FSU's most consistent performer through consecutive title-game trips. |
| 6. Joaquin Gonzalez |
T |
Miami |
Sr. |
| Was the real star of Miami's line until McKinnie arrived last season. |
| 7. Chris Gibson |
C |
Oregon State |
Sr. |
| A "small" (276 pounds) but mobile center who Ken Simonton follows on occasion.
|
| 8. Jon Stinchcomb |
T |
Georgia |
Jr. |
| Older brother Matt (Oakland Raiders) also was an All-American at UGA.
|
| 9. Frank Romero |
T |
Oklahoma |
Sr. |
| Most noted of OU's otherwise anonymous but awesome O-line.
|
| 10. Antwan Kirk-Hughes |
G |
Texas |
Sr. |
| Takes over as leader following Leonard Davis' departure. |
| |
| Defensive linemen |
|---|
| Player |
Position |
School |
Year |
| 1. John Henderson |
DT |
Tennessee |
Sr. |
| Expansion Houston Texans have already visited Knoxville twice.
|
| 2. Julius Peppers |
DE |
North Carolina |
Jr. |
| Led the nation last year with 15 sacks.
|
| 3. Wendell Bryant |
DT |
Wisconsin |
Sr. |
| Excels for Badgers despite facing double and triple teams. |
| 4. Larry Tripplett |
DT |
Washington |
Sr. |
| Wreaks havoc, posting 6 1/2 sacks from nose-tackle slot.
|
| 5. Alex Brown |
DE |
Florida |
Sr. |
| Wildly inconsistent, but many expect a huge finale. |
| 6. Kenyon Coleman |
DE |
UCLA |
Sr. |
| UCLA missed him dearly following season-ending knee injury.
|
| 7. Will Overstreet |
DE |
Tennessee |
Sr. |
| Presence keeps opponents from focusing solely on Henderson.
|
| 8. Dwight Freeney |
DE |
Syracuse |
Sr. |
| Raised eyebrows with 4 1/2 sacks against Michael Vick and Virginia Tech.
|
| 9. Akin Ayodele |
DE |
Purdue |
Sr. |
| Star of a vastly improved Boilermakers defense.
|
| 10. Terrell Suggs |
DT |
Arizona State |
So. |
| Emerged as nation's top defensive freshman last year. |
| |
| Linebackers |
|---|
| Player |
Position |
School |
Year |
| 1. Rocky Calmus |
OLB |
Oklahoma |
Sr. |
| Never-ending hustle exemplified last year's national champs. |
| 2. Levar Fisher |
ILB |
N.C. State |
Sr. |
| Led the nation in tackles as a junior with 166. |
| 3. Trev Faulk |
ILB |
LSU |
Jr. |
| Combines with Bradie James to form menacing 1-2 punch. |
| 4. Kalimba Edwards |
OLB |
South Carolina |
Sr. |
| Took SEC by storm during Gamecocks' rise from the ashes.
|
| 5. Saleem Rasheed |
OLB |
Alabama |
Jr. |
| Numbers dropped a bit from sensational freshman year.
|
| 6. Mario Haggan |
ILB |
Mississippi St. |
Jr. |
| Led the SEC with 132 tackles, most by a Bulldog in four years.
|
| 7. Jashon Sykes |
ILB |
Colorado |
Sr. |
| Needs strong senior year to get back in NFL's good graces.
|
| 8. Eddie Strong |
ILB |
Ole Miss |
Jr. |
| Returns to boost Rebels after missing entire 2000 season.
|
| 9. Pernell Griffin |
ILB |
East Carolina |
Sr. |
| Boasts 307 tackles in first three seasons.
|
| 10. Ben Leber |
OLB |
Kansas State |
Sr. |
| Ready to carry the load in rebuilt Wildcat defense.
|
| |
| Defensive backs |
|---|
| Player |
Position |
School |
Year |
| 1. Lito Sheppard |
CB |
Florida |
Jr. |
| Showed ability to take over a game against both Tennessee and Georgia.
|
| 2. Roy Williams |
SS |
Oklahoma |
Jr. |
| Phenomenal athlete who shows up both in the pass rush and coverage.
|
| 3. Quentin Jammer |
CB |
Texas |
Sr. |
| Size (6-1) makes him highly coveted by NFL types. |
| 4. Ed Reed |
SS |
Miami |
Sr. |
| Registered eight interceptions and a whopping 23 pass break-ups.
|
| 5. Mike Doss |
SS |
Ohio State |
Jr. |
| Made his mark with 16 tackles against Michigan.
|
| 6. Derrick Strait |
CB |
Oklahoma |
So. |
| Did a number on Florida State's receivers during Orange Bowl.
|
| 7. Pig Prather |
SS |
Mississippi St. |
Sr. |
| The big-play guy in Joe Lee Dunn's swarming defense. |
| 8. Kevin Curtis |
SS |
Texas Tech |
Sr. |
| Major factor in a Raider defense that pitched three shutouts.
|
| 9. Anthony Floyd |
SS |
Louisville |
Jr. |
| Led the country with 10 interceptions in 2000.
|
| 10. Ronyell Whitaker |
CB |
Virginia Tech |
Jr. |
| Hokies' top cover man poised for breakout season. |
| |
| Kickers |
|---|
| Player |
School |
Year |
| 1. Jonathon Ruffin |
Cincinnati |
Jr. |
| Groza winner connected on an amazing 26 of 29 field goals. |
| 2. Jeff Chandler |
Florida |
Sr. |
| Huge boon for Gators when Chandler was granted a sixth year. |
| 3. Alex Walls |
Tennessee |
Jr. |
| Coming off a reliable (18-of-20) sophomore season.
|
| 4. Billy Bennett |
Georgia |
So. |
| Hometown walk-on arrived last year to hit 13-of-14.
|
| 5. Ryan Cesca |
Oregon St. |
Jr. |
| Most accurate kicker in the Pac-10, hitting 16-of-19. |
| |
| Punters |
|---|
| Player |
School |
Year |
| 1. Preston Gruening |
Minnesota |
Jr. |
| Returns after leading country with 45.2 average.
|
| 2. Jeff Ferguson |
Oklahoma |
Sr. |
| Combines with Tim Duncan to give OU top kicking game. |
| 3. Damon Duval |
Auburn |
Jr. |
| Averages 43.2 yards a punt and doubles as place-kicker.
|
| 4. Dave Zastudil |
Ohio |
Sr. |
| Four-year standout terrorizes the MAC.
|
| 5. Craig Jarrett |
Michigan St. |
Sr. |
| Wasn't quite as efficient in 2000 as his sophomore year. |
| |
| Return men |
|---|
| Player |
School |
Year |
| 1. Aaron Lockett |
Kansas State |
Sr. |
| Filled in for David Allen and proceeded to lead country in punt returns (22.8). |
| 2. Andre Davis |
Virginia Tech |
Sr. |
| Broke for three TDs in only 18 punt returns. |
| 3. Lito Sheppard |
Florida |
Jr. |
| (See "cornerback, ability to turn game around.") |
| 4. Nick Davis |
Wisconsin |
Sr. |
| Back for what seems like his 27th year.
|
| 5. Kahlil Hill |
Iowa |
Sr. |
| Returned from year's suspension to average 27.2 a kick.
|
| |
|
|
|
