Who Needs Frankie Sinkwich?

To hear bass fisherman and sometimes Coach Bobby Dodd tell it, sophomore Tailback Lenny Snow of Georgia Tech may be the best thing to hit the South since TVA. Snow is so good that the normally loquacious Dodd has had to force himself to keep his mouth shut. He has not always succeeded. One man Snow reminds Dodd of is Frank Sinkwich, Georgia's alltime All-America. "I don't say he's another Sinkwich yet," says Dodd, who plainly thinks Snow could be more. "Let's just say he does some things that remind me of Sinkwich." Other coaches who watched Snow in spring practice games, where he rushed 494 yards in 82 carries for seven touchdowns, usually against Tech's No. 1 and No. 2 defenses, say simply that Snow is the best running back in the South today. A 6-foot-1 183-pounder from Daytona Beach, Fla., Snow played fullback on the Yellow Jackets' freshman team and averaged 5.7 yards a carry in four games. Since Tech switched to a winged-T, flip-flop offense this season, Snow will be the starting tailback and will handle the ball in 75% to 80% of Tech's running plays. Speedy (he ran the 100 in 9.9 in high school), aggressive and spectacular in the open field, Snow is that rare man among runners: he does everything—block, catch passes and play defense (he starred as a corner linebacker in the Florida high school All-Star game his senior year). "Snow's strongest point as a runner," says Tech Assistant Coach John Bell, "is his ability to find a soft spot in the defense. He has such fine reflexes, he can fall into the slightest gap and still manage to keep his balance and drive. If a hole is closed, he can slide to either side."

Floridians bemoaning the fact that Snow was spirited out of state to play college ball will find some solace in watching Dick Trapp, a Bradenton native, catch passes for the University of Florida this season. Trapp, a 6-foot-1 186-pounder with good hands, exceptional speed (he has run the 100 in 9.8) and silky moves, just about earned a spot as the starting split end or flanker back in Coach Ray Graves' pro-type offense with his play in last spring's intrasquad game. He caught five passes, the last a one-hander for a 56-yard touchdown.

The top sophomore lineman in the South could well be North Carolina State's homegrown Dennis Byrd. Six-foot-5, 240 pounds and still growing (he gained an inch and 10 pounds last year), Byrd played linebacker on defense and tackle on offense for his championship Lincolnton ( N.C.) High School team but will start at defensive tackle this season at State.