Next: Alex Collins
Robert Shields
Last week the recruitment and signing of the star running back out of south Florida, Alex Collins, got more curious every day that went by as his mom turned it into a WWE contract signing and ran off with his letter of intent to prevent him from signing it.
As one person pointed out to me, drama follows people for a reason. Generally, I agree, but not in this case. I think this is more tantamount to Collins sitting in a parked car and somebody ran into him. That somebody just happened to be his mother.
In many ways, I felt sorry for him on Wednesday when all the drama was going down. It was his big day to sign in front of his classmates and the ESPN audience to claim what was rightfully his for the hard work that he had put in for many years to earn that scholarship. Then it was stolen from him. As other star football players had their big day on what is the Super Bowl for recruitniks, Collins did not, but he handled it with grace.
I would like to think he made the right choice coming to Arkansas. While Petrino turned the Hogs into a pass-happy team with his recruiting classes usually being half composed of receivers, the history of the Program rests with running the ball. There are a few programs that one can equate with good running backs such as USC, Penn State, Alabama, and even Auburn. I also put Arkansas in that group.
The Razorback history is replete with great running backs with names like Jerry Eckwood, Ben Cowins, Jesse Clark, Gary Anderson, James Rouse, Barry Foster, Madre Hill, Cedric Cobbs, Felix Jones, Peyton Hillis, and Darren McFadden. These guys were NFL-type backs.
There were also a bunch that were good that some forget like Ike Forte, Fred Talley, Rod Stinson, Oscar Malone, James Tolbert, Aaron Jackson, Bobby Joe Edmunds, Ju Ju Harshaw, Michael Smith, Broderick Green, Chrys Chukwuma, Decori Birmingham, and Brandon Holmes. Heck, Mike Jenkins is worth mentioning.
Even at the Razorbacks’ low point, when Jack Crowe was in some ways trying to attempt to mimic the run and shoot of the Houston Cougars because fans wanted to throw the ball, Crowe still had decent running backs in Ron Dickerson and E.D. Jackson.
Then there are unknown Razorback running backs that did incredible things. The Orange Bowl record for rushing up until recently was held by Roland Sales, who was also augmented by Darryl Bowles. What still makes that impressive is that Sales was the backup and set that rushing record against the wishbone team of Oklahoma. Then there is also Alvin Ray. Who is Alvin Ray? He had a 32-yard run that set up the game winning touchdown against Alabama in Fayetteville in 2000.
I’m sorry if I forgot to list your favorite back like a Cory Nichols because there have been so many or I’m just not old enough to remember Danny Brabham or Bill Burnett. The Razorbacks have traditionally been able to run the ball even in the face of not always having the best offensive line because the Hogs have been able to attract great backs. As a Razorback, you can win the Doak Walker, but not the Heisman.
Is Alex Collins the next on the list? It’s a high probability looking at his resume. But, we all know that high-school accolades do not necessarily transcend into being a great college player just as college accolades don’t mean you will be a great NFL player.
It’s the beauty of football. It has to be earned. Nothing is given to you because winning is all that is important. Coaches always play what they believe to be their best players because they cannot afford to do anything else. Not in this world today, where you can be fired tomorrow so easily. You must win and therefore you must play your best.
Alex Collins looks the part, but as a team you only have to look back as far as Ronnie Wingo to know that is not always enough. Wingo looked the part and was highly recruited. He was a good player but never reached the heights so many fans anticipated out of him. The player less ballyhooed by fans in that recruiting class was Knile Davis. Let’s face it, many fans called him Niles not even knowing his real name. When he played, he put up impressive numbers and earned his reputation – for one season, at least.
So don’t be surprised if one of the other running backs in the class or now on campus is the man who steps up. What you can bet on is that the Razorbacks will have a great running back next season. History tells us they always do. Will Alex Collins be that man? Ultimately, that will probably be for him to decide, which was not initially the case on signing day.
Send your favorite memory of a Razorback running back to fromthebench@yahoo.com. (For me, it’s Gary Anderson as a freshman taking the ball around the corner and going the distance against Texas in the 1979 victory in Little Rock.)
