Throwbackz: 'College Dropout' NCAA Football Legends/ NFL Busts: Peter Warrick, WR, Florida State Seminoles, 1996-99

Matt Leinart, Heath Shuler, and Brian Bosworth aren't the only guys that could've been cast in that DISH Network 'going back to college' commercial, where these former college greats with lackluster NFL careers link in a coffee shop and pine the days of their college glory. 

Many college stars and can't miss talents over the years have proven the concept that professional football is an entirely different entity in itself. 

For every late-round gem like Tom Brady and Terrell Davis, you have a Ryan Leaf or Ki-Jana Carter. 

It's just how the game works.  Potential in football is so unpredictable. 

As the 2014 college football season approaches (the first that will feature a four-team playoff rather than the Bowl Championship Series polling format), I recall some of the most electrifying and hard-hitting players to ever play in college, but didn't quite make a name for themselves in the pros....

ADEDS NCAA Basketball Update 2-27-13: 'From Me To U'

The 'Canes look to tackle the NCAA tournament field.

Pretty soon South Beach could be known for great weather and scenery, night spots, and championship basketball.  Not only are the defending NBA champion Miami Heat doing their thing in the pro ranks, the University of Miami (FL) Hurricanes in 2012-13 have a squad that has all the makings of a contender for a NCAA National Championship.  What makes this team special is their combination of size, speed, and veteran leadership, all under the tutelage of head coach Jim Larranaga; who famously led mid-major George Mason to an unpredictable run to the Final Four in 2006.  The size in the frontcourt starts with 5th year senior Kenny Kadji; a seven-footer with NBA potential that can grab boards and initiate the fastbreak off the bounce and also has range extended beyond the collegiate 3-point line.  Senior forwards Reggie Johnson (6-10, 292 lbs.) and Julian Gamble (6-10, 250 lbs.) are like a couple of bookend tackles protecting the Miami paint on the defensive end, and making themselves available for easy finishes off pick-and-roll on the offensive end.  The guy that really gets the mojo going for the U is sophomore point guard Shane Larkin.  His defensive ball pressure on opposing guards is nearly unparalleled in the country (2.1 spg, leads ACC) and turnovers forced by him usually turn into quick transition buckets.  Not to mention, Larkin is a whiz in the pick-and-roll offense with his ability to penetrate past defenders for layups and his efficient perimeter shooting (41.6% 3-point).  Add in four-year starting senior guard Durand Scott (13.3 ppg. leads team), and a pair of athletic wing guards in junior Rion Brown and senior Trey McKinney Jones, and the Hurricanes have a strong chance of making Miami the championship basketball capitol of America.

Rising up.
Georgetown

No moment is too big for Porter, Jr.

Second leading scorer Greg Whittington was ruled academically ineligible for the season in January, but that hasn't stopped the Hoyas from putting together a 10-game win streak, including a 57-46 win at rival Syracuse Feb. 23 in the final scheduled Big East game between the two schools.  Otto Porter, Jr. is a future NBA lottery pick that does his best work in crunch time.  Freshman guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera is coming into the limelight after dropping a career-high 33 points Feb. 20 vs. DePaul.

Oklahoma State
Freshman guard Marcus Smart is on the rise on NBA draft boards and has Travis Ford's folks poised to make a run at the Big 12 Title.  Markel Brown's team leading 15.9 ppg and 38.9-percent 3-point shooting prove that he's more than just an elite dunker.

Michigan State
Tom Izzo has yet another brawlic frontcourt in the likes of Branden Dawson, Adreian Payne, and Derrick Nix.  Keith Appling and Gary Harris, Jr. form a backcourt that can run circles around you once they get hot.

Gonzaga
Mark Few has never had a squad ranked this high, but the talent and depth of the roster remains.  Eight guys average over 15 minutes per game.  Kevin Pangos (44.8% 3-pt) can knock down the 3 with the best of 'em.

Kansas needs Tharpe to contribute key minutes.

Falling off.

Kansas

Bill Self's team might not be the worst to ever suit up in Lawrence, but recent lack luster performances in conference against TCU and Oklahoma are major cause for concern.  The insertion of sophomore guard Naadir Tharpe into the rotation may be the key for the Jayhawks turnaround.

Florida
When the 3's aren't falling, the Gators are rather mediocre.  They went 5-3 in February when it looked like they would dominate the conference in a down SEC year.  Still, this is a dangerous team when Kenny Boynton, Mike Rosario, and Scottie Wilbekin are hitting from the perimeter.  Patric Young is a grown man in the paint.

Louisville
The lack of depth at guard means the Cardinals have to rely heavily on Russ Smith and Peyton Siva to varying degrees of success.  Smith leads the team in scoring at 18.4 ppg but is only shooting 40.2-percent from the field and 31.8-percent from 3-point.  Gorgui Dieng and Chane Behanan will have to be huge in games where the guards get in foul trouble.

Kentucky
This was a shaky team even before Nerlens Noel went down with the season ending ACL injury.  Considering that, the rebuild-and-reload Wildcats of recent years look like they are in danger of missing the NCAA tournament altogether.  What's more troubling for John Calipari is that this losing probably won't affect the decision of players such as Noel, Archie Goodwin, Alex Poythress, and Willie Cauley-Stein from putting their names into the 2013 NBA draft.  Which means Cal will have to start with basically a new starting five yet again in 2013-14.

Oladipo is like Tony Allen with better ball skills.

ADEDS Players to Watch:
Jared Berggren - Wisconsin
Markel Starks - G'Town
Gary Harris, Jr. - Michigan State
Jeran Grant - Notre Dame
D.J. Richardson - Illinois
Tim Hardaway, Jr. - Michigan
Victor Oladipo - Indiana
Shane Larkin - Miami (FL)
Marcus Smart - Oklahoma St.
Pierre Jackson - Baylor
Victor Rudd, Jr. - South Florida
Markel Brown - Oklahoma St.
D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera - G'Town
Richard Howell - N.C. State
Zeke Marshall - Akron
D.J. Cooper - Ohio
Kelly Olynyk - Gonzaga

2012 NFL Draft 'Underrated' Prospects: 'Size Matters . . . Speed Kills'

Hemingway makes tough catches in traffic.

WR - Junior Hemingway - Michigan
6-1 225 Conway H.S./ Conway, SC (12/27/1988)
2011 Stats: 34 rec., 699 yds, 4 TDs

Breakdown:  Playing receiver in a spread-option offense won't get you many accolades or eye-popping statistics, so it's easy to see why a player like Hemingway can fly under the radar.  It also doesn't help when your quarterback for the past two seasons, Dennard Robinson, broke the FBS single-season rushing mark for a QB and was the primary focus of Big Ten defenses.  What is noticeable though is that when Robinson needed to pass, the guy he felt most comfortable slinging it to was Hemingway.  Robinson is not known for his accuracy as a passer and many of Hemingway's receptions were acrobatic grabs of errand passes.  The fifth-year senior often had to fight off double coverage as it became known that Robinson would try to find him first in passing situations.

NFL Skill Set:  Hemingway is 6-1 but plays more like 6-5 because of his 78-inch wingspan.  Add that the 225-pounder put up 21-reps of 225-pounds at the NFL combine (second best among WRs at the combine) and his potential as a physical possession-type NFL receiver is more solidified.  Hemingway ran an average 40-yard dash (4.53 seconds) at the combine but was the top wide receiver in the 3-cone drill (6.59) and the 20-yard shuttle (3.98), illustrating his agility and his ability to stop-and-start coming out of breaks.  Click here to watch video of Hemingway 2011 vs. Notre Dame and Northwestern.

Pead led the Big East in rushing in 2011.

RB - Isaiah Pead - Cincinnati
5-11 197 Eastmoor Academy (OH)/ Columbus, OH (12/14/1989)
2011 Stats: 237 att., 1,259 yds, 12 TDs/ 39 rec. 319 yds, 3 TDs

Breakdown:  The Bearcats football team bounced back from a down year in 2010 (4-8, 2-5 Big East) and finished with a 10-3 record in 2011 and a share of the Big East Title.  Much of that success has to be credited to Pead's offensive production.  Pead led the conference in rushing and was third on the Bearcats in receptions.  Whats more is that Cincy quarterback Zach Collaros had a below-average season passing (1,940 yards, 20 TDs, 14 INTs in 10 games) and defenses game planned to stop the run.  No problem for Pead, who plays with an unwillingness to be brought down by the first tackler.

NFL Skill Set:  Pead clocked in a solid 4.47 second 40-yard dash time at the combine but it's watching his game tape that makes him stand out.  Pead has a knack for anticipating gaps in the defensive line and cutting back once he reaches the second level; qualities that are good if he goes to a NFL team with a zone blocking scheme. When he finds those gaps, he hits them aggressively and with strong acceleration.  He also implements this ability in the passing game when receiving screen passes.  Pead is a strong runner who keeps his legs moving and showed he can move the pile in college and could not be brought down by arm-tackles.  Click here to watch video of Pead 2011 vs. West Virginia.

'Lethal Enforcers'

Tressel lost Buckeye coaching job, now faces NFL suspension.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is always going on about how they would like to get the pro element away from student-athletes so they can be a truly amateur establishment, but some recent decisions made by National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell appear as though the NCAA has requested aid from the NFL to enforce its own penalties.  The incident in question is the suspensions of former Ohio State University quarterback Terrelle Pryor and head football coach Jim Tressel.  Pryor was supposed to be suspended for the first five games of this current 2011 college football season for breaking NCAA rules (he gave game worn jerseys and other memorabilia in exchange for free tattoos) and Tressel also five games for having knowledge of Pryor's and other players' violations and not reporting it.  Pryor withdrew from Ohio State in the spring amid the turmoil of the situation and Tressel later resigned.  Since Pryor was not eligible for the NFL Draft (he withdrew from OSU past the deadline to enter the draft) he found his way into the NFL through the league's supplemental draft, but under a condition arranged by Goodell that he would face a five game suspension upon entering the league.  Tressel recently took a non-coaching position with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts and is now being suspended for six games due to his conduct at Ohio State.  But the big question here to me is why is the NFL enforcing penalties on behalf of the NCAA when the NCAA insists that it wants to decrease the involvement of the pro element in its sports? 

Coach Cal left UMass on pro-b, no NBA suspension.

Normally if a player has baggage from high school or college heading into a pro sports league, they are affected in that transition by maybe falling lower in a draft than they would have originally been selected or in some cases not getting drated at all.  But to be punished by the pro sports team for something the player did in college is absurd.  Did the New Orleans Saints suspend Reggie Bush when it was discovered that the Bush family received impermissable benefits from an agent during his time at the University of Southern California; a violation that subsequently led to USC being placed on four years probation?  Did the New Jersey Nets punish basketball coach John Calipari when the University of Massachusetts was forced to vacate wins when it was discovered Marcus Camby had been receiving impropers under Coach Cal's watch in Amherst? No and no.  The NCAA is becoming more hypocritical with each passing year and is losing a large portion of its fans in the process.  The problem is that student-athletes at big schools are really just buying their time before they can become pro athletes so they can get paid.  There is really no pride taken in being a student at the university, so as a result there is almost no remorse in accepting something that you know if caught will damage the reputation of that university.  Nonetheless , NCAA rules are NCAA rules and not pro rules.  Blurring the lines between the two only adds gas to the fire that college sports has been trying its damndest to quelch for decades now, and given the severity of its current state, will continue to blaze for decades to come.

WeekleeInsperayshunFrumThaWurldUvSportz

BYU guard Jimmer Fredette says think outside the box . . . WAY outside the box.

'UConn Jack'

Walker is averaging 26.9 ppg in 2010-11

The college basketball season really doesn't start until conference play starts.  Sure there are some good non-conference matchups but no one is paying attention to those when the NBA is starting up and the NFL is solidly in the stretch run of the season.  Lemme get you updated.  In case you don't know, the front runner for National Player of the Year honors is UConn junior point guard Kemba Walker, who has gone from being a quality player at the "1" to a scoring machine that takes over games and comes through in the clutch.  Walker, the nation's leading scorer at 26.9 ppg, has dropped 29 or more in six of the 12 games played so far this season and has scored atleast 18 points in every game.  He was especially spectacular in a 83-79 UConn win against Wichita State in Hawaii at the Maui Invitational in November, where 29 of his 31 points came in the second half.  With the Huskies (10-1, #4 ranked by Associated Press) trailing the Shockers 73-70 with 4:07 left, Walker went on a rampage, scoring 13 of UConn's final 14 points down the stretch to help seal the win and avoid the upset.  No doubt, Kemba has been ballin'.  Here are some other players around the NCAA doin' their thing.

Jared Sullinger, Forward, Ohio State Buckeyes.  The highly touted freshman has delivered early on and is averaging 17-and-10 on the year.  Sullinger is light on his feet despite his size (6-9 280) and his great hands.  Attributes that allowed him to drop 40 (12-17 FG, 16-23 FT) on IUPUI earlier this season allong with 13 boards.

Rick Jackson, Forward, Syracuse Orange.  The senior from Neumann-Goretti H.S. in Philly is finally coming into his own for Jim Boeheim's squad as a dominant inside man in the vaunted 2-3 zone defense and as a productive offensive player in the post.  Jackson's 14-and-12 average is a big improvement from his previous career high averages (9.7 ppg, 7 rpg, as a junior) and he has proved that he can come up big no matter what the stage or competition (17 points and 16 rebounds in a 72-58 against Michigan State 12/7/10 at Madison Square Garden).

Can McCamey continue the hot shooting in Big Ten play?

Demetri McCamey, Guard, Illinois Fighting Illini.  McCamey has improved his draft stock considerably so far this year.  The senior is shooting the lights out from three (49 percent) and he has shown the ability to be a consistent playmaker, averaging 7.1 assists per game, good for sixth in the country.

Terrence Jones, Forward, Kenucky Wildcats.  Jones is the next Wildcat one-and-done to the NBA player and it ain't hard to tell why when you see him play.  Though still very raw, Jones, a freshman, posses guard skills for his 6-8 244 pound frame.  He can play multiple positions at the college level and be affective at each.  Jones has proven this by filling up the stat sheet this year, averaging 18.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2 blocks, 1.4 steals, and shooting a decent 33-percent from the 3-point line.

No sophomore slump for Williams. (18.2 ppg, 11.9 rpg)

Other Players To Watch:
F - Jordan Williams, Maryland
G - Austin Freeman, Georgetown

G - Nolan Smith, Duke

G - Brandon Knight, Kentucky

F - JaJuan Johnson, Purdue

G - Corey Stokes, Villanova

G - Quincy Acy, Baylor

F - Marcus Morris, Kansas

G - Ashton Gibbs, Pitt

G - Scotty Hopson, Tennessee

F - Tristan Thompson, Texas

G - Chris Wright, Georgetown

G - LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor

G - Josh Selby, Kansas

Buck-ed Up

Pryor must pay $2,500 to charity for rules violations

Ohio State has received a black mark for the first time in the Jim Tressel era (I don't include the Maurice Clarett saga because frankly he or no one else had any control over Clarett's bipolar ass) as junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor and five other players got suspended for five games to start the 2011 season for trying to make some money by selling stuff they received from the university and thought was their's to own, but now know for sure that it wasn't the case.  Apparently, guys sold awards, rings, game worn jerseys, and other autographed memorabilia to a Colombus, OH tattoo parlor in exchange for money and of course free tatts.  Guys need cash when you're in college, I understand that because I've been there.  And tattoos are expensive, so why not take advantage of your 'celebrity' in order to get free ones?  The regular American can understand why these kids did what they did but the NCAA has different rules.  The rules of the NCAA are basically this: "We get to make tons of money off of your athletic ability and subsequent celebrity for the whole time you are in college and you don't get to make any money for yourself until you decide to go pro." 

Green missed 4 games this year for selling his jersey

Unfortunately, we have not really seen this rule being followed lately, especially in college football (see A.J. Green of Georgia, Marcel Dareus of Alabama, basically the whole UNC starting defense).  I understand that guys do it because they don't think they're gonna get caught, and they have so many people treating them like superstars, and they have friends that are pros and ballin', and they want that life already, so they do what they gotta do for that and forget the integrity of the NCAA rules.  Look, its a damn shame that the NCAA do what they do but until the rules change thats just the way it is and every player knows that they are risking tarnishing their reputation as well as the university they are enrolled in if they get caught.

Posey ranked #11 WR for 2011 NFL Draft by nfldraftscout.com

As for Pryor, junior running back Daniel "Boom" Herron, and junior wide receiver DeVier Posey, I think the most sensible business decision for them now is to leave school and enter the NFL draft, although its not as easy of a decision considering the current labor negotiations going on and the threat of a possible lockout next year.  However, the NCAA has virtually laid down the hammer on you and basically told you who the daddy is by suspending you for half of your season while at the same time saying that you can play in the Sugar Bowl, one of their big-money games, so they don't lose any viewers who would definitely not watch the game if Pryor, Herron, and Posey, were also watching from the sidelines.  The thing is all three guys could have used another year in college to polish their skills.  Of the three though I think Pryor would've benefited the most from another amateur year because his NFL passing ability is very similar to a currently maligned former star college quarterback: Vince Young.  Pryor is 30-4 as the Buckeye starting quarterback but struggled in high-profile games this year against Miami (FL), Wisconsin, and Iowa (44-88 passing, 2 TDs and 3 INTs combined).  Herron, (1,068 rushing yards, 15 TDs) was just starting to come into his own as the feature back but still is a solid prospect if he were to enter the draft now.  Posey, in my opinion, will eventually be the best pro out of this group because of his size (6-2, 213) and ability to put up solid numbers (50 receptions, 778 yards, 6 TDs in 2010) despite Pryor not always being able to get him the ball exactly where it needed to be.