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Don't discount Tomlinson
Posted: Friday June 02, 2000 08:14 AM
You don't exactly need a stopwatch and the Wonderlic test to figure out that TCU senior LaDainian Tomlinson is going to be one of the most talented running backs in the nation this fall. All you have to do is look at last year's numbers. Tomlinson led Division I-A in rushing with 1,850 yards and 6.9 yards per carry. He finished third, behind Ron Dayne of Wisconsin and Shaun Alexander of Alabama, with 18 rushing touchdowns. Tomlinson also set the single-game rushing record of 406 yards against UTEP. Tomlinson managed to do all that and evade publicity as neatly as he evaded tacklers. Playing for the Horned Frogs in the Western Athletic Conference, Tomlinson couldn't attract the attention that hounded Dayne, Alexander and Thomas Jones of Virginia. That All-America threesome has moved on to the NFL. Only one other back among the top 12 rushers last season, LaMont Jordan of Maryland, returns this fall. So now the college football opinion-makers have no more excuses -- something I was as guilty of as any. We can't pat Tomlinson on the butt, point to Dayne, Alexander and Jones, and say, "Nothing personal." At stake are national acclaim, spots on All-America teams and the little bronze guy with the stiff arm. Can a running back from TCU win the Heisman Trophy? In an era when the Bowl Championship Series has codified the longstanding stature of the haves and the have-nots, can a rusher who plays Tulsa, Rice and, yes, UTEP week in and week out be declared the most outstanding college football player in the United States? The evidence is not encouraging. On the team level, Tulane and Marshall have proven in the last two years that winning every game does not impress the poll voters or the computers. Thundering Herd quarterback Chad Pennington had an outstanding season last year and eventually was drafted 18th overall -- higher than any of the four quarterbacks who won the Heisman in the 1990s ( Ty Detmer, Gino Torretta, Charlie Ward and Danny Wuerffel) -- yet few voters took him seriously. But there are signs that Tomlinson can overcome the publicity hurdle. Specifically, two completely independent developments occurred in the last few days that should cause the Heisman electorate to pause. The first was a letter TCU sent out recently written by Dan Jenkins, who did about as much for college football with a typewriter as anyone since Grantland Rice. Jenkins, who can see Amon Carter Stadium from his home, is an unabashed TCU alum. He vouches for Tomlinson's ability. And while Jenkins may not be unbiased, he has never written a letter like this in the five decades or so since he graduated, either. Meanwhile, TCU running back Tommicus Walker has decided to transfer and may go to Nebraska, where his brother Joe is a starting cornerback. Running backs don't transfer from TCU to Nebraska. It's the other way around. Does Albuquerque ship its backup shortstops to Chavez Ravine? Nope. But Walker is leaving, and TCU coach Dennis Franchione says that the lack of playing time behind Tomlinson may have been an issue. No one is saying that the Downtown Athletic Club ought to go ahead and start engraving Tomlinson's name. But the evidence indicates that when the season begins, Tomlinson ought to have a set of starting blocks in the postseason banquet race. And this reporter -- or as they said where I grew up, this here reporter -- will be paying attention when TCU opens up Sept. 9 at Nevada. Ivan Maisel is a Sports Illustrated senior writer who covers college football and is a frequent contributor to CNNSI.com.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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