He’s been called the second-coming of Adrian Peterson. He’s been rated as the 93rd best player in the entire nation by the four-letter network. He’s been given 66:1 odds to win the Hesiman. And he’s yet to play a down of college football.
Needless to say, all this hype is just a little too much for Leonard Fournette, a true freshman who’s just walked through the doors in Death Valley. Not only does the situation with LSU’s offense this season make it difficult for Fournette to become Ernie Davis 2.0 overnight, but his own talent level begs questions, as well. That’s not to say he is not one of the most talented incoming freshman this season, it’s just difficult to say how he will project to the college game.
To return to the situation at LSU, the team has hemorrhaged starters on the offensive side of the ball since last season. Jeremy Hill and Alfred Blue, two of the team’s three leading rushers bolted for the NFL, along with starting fullback J.C. Copeland. Starting quarterback Zach Mettenberger also moved on to the pros leaving the team with only one player with experience under center, sophomore Anthony Jennings. As if that wasn’t enough, Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. also declared for last season’s draft. The tandem combined for 136 of the team’s 205 catches, making last year’s returning catch leaders Travin Dural and Connor Neighbors, each of whom registered just seven catches a piece.
The Tigers will be dying for a veteran presence at the skill positions, which means that running backs Terrance Magee and Kenny Hilliard will be leaned in that role. While Fournette may be more talented than the veteran pair, it’s important to remember the track history of running backs at the school under Les Miles. In the nine years of his tenure, Miles has featured eleven NFL players or current prospects in the backfield, and only four of them have ever eclipsed 200 carries and 1,000 yards in a season.
While the situation Fournette is entering is not the brightest, let’s just isolate his abilities. Fournette has good burst and long speed for a back of his prodigious size, and has excellent balance picking his way through traffic and trash. Those traits are impressive, but he is not without his flaws. Few backs with his height at the collegiate level have been able to both stay healthy and be the productive player that their high school numbers would suggest (Adrian Peterson being the exception rather than the rule, and even he endured a fair share of injury in his career). It’s the nature of the position; the bigger and taller a running back is, the more area there is for him to get hit and injured.
Additionally, because Fournette is oversized for the position, listed at 6’1″ on the team’s website, he lacks the top-end agility that many elite running backs have, which his straight-linish running style in high school suggests. Fournette also did not prove in high school that he has the power to grind out tough yards between the tackles. This again goes back to his frame, as he was simply bigger than almost everyone else on the field in high school. His height also makes it difficult for him to drop his shoulder and get proper pad level through contact to break tackles. The reason many top recruits wash out in college is because they were simply bigger than their peers in high school, and Fournette is on high alert in this area.
Let me be clear: this is not all to say that Fournette will be a bust. Rather, it will be difficult for him to establish himself as a Heisman Trophy contender in his first year on campus. He likely will receive a good amount of playing time, perhaps 100 carries, and earn a place on the All-Freshman Team. Instead of anointing him as the best thing to happen to football since the forward pass, like another media outlet has done, I would prefer to take the wait-and-see approach to determine whether Fournette can convert his physical traits to collegiate success.
For more on sports injuries, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @LWOS_Sibo. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Football fans…check out our two partnered NFL podcasts – Thursday Night Tailgate Radio and Overtime Ireland. Both shows bring you interesting commentary, critical analysis and fantastic guests including former and current NFL players, coaches and personalities.
Main Photo Credit: NOLA.com
