Don't blink when you watch these blue chip football recruits/sprinters on the track.
Speed - the sheer, unadulterated, raw ability to get from point A to point B.
It is probably the single most important ingredient – certainly God-given trait – a college football recruit is graded upon.
The following is a list (alphabetically) of 10 of the fastest blue chip football recruits from the Class of 2011 who will also star on the track this spring.
George Atkinson
Photo courtesy Granada High School.
Size: 6-foot-2, 201 pounds
Position: RB/FS
High School: Granada (Livermore, Calif.)College commitment: Notre Dame
Track speed: As a sophomore, finished third in the CIF State 100-meter finals (10.66 seconds) and fourth in the 200 (21.46). Had an even faster junior season before a hamstring injury ended it early.
Football credentials: Was a first-team All-San Francisco Bay Area selection as a utility player and accounted for 2,347 yards and 24 touchdowns. The son of the former NFL great by the same name, Atkinson is the
No. 85 recruit overall in the country according to CBS/MaxPreps recruiting expert Tom Lemming.
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Brendon Bigelow
Photo by Tom Lemming
5-10, 185
Position: RB
High School: Central (Fresno, Calif.)College commitment: Cal
Track speed: Runs 100 meters in 10.5 seconds and was state runner-up in the 200 as a freshman (21.43) before a pair of ACL tears have kept him off the track.
Football credentials: Has been compared to Jahvid Best at this stage – he actually had superior track numbers as freshman and sophomore – before injuries. Rushed for 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns in just 87 carries as a junior before first ACL injury. Second tear cost him his entire senior season. He's still the
No. 3 rated tailback in the country.
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Malcolm Brown
Photo by Tom Lemming
6-1, 200
Position: RB
High School: Steele (Cibolo, Texas)College commitment: Texas
Track speed: 100 meters in 10.8 seconds and 4.44 in 40-yard dash.
Football credentials: Sparked Knights to 14-2 record and Class 5A-Division II title by rushing for 2,636 yards and scoring 34 touchdowns. He's ranked the No. 2 big back in the country and the
No. 10 player overall.
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Sheroid Evans
Photo by Tom Lemming
6-1, 185
Position: CB/S
High School: Fort Bend Dulles (Sugar Land, Texas)College commitment: Texas
Track speed: Runs 100 meters in 10.39 seconds, 200 in 20.82; defending Class 5A champion in both events. Also a junior world hurdle champion.
Football credentials: Unlike most on the list, finding numbers in football for Evans is more difficult than track. A hamstring injury cost him most of his senior season, but as a junior, he missed only one game with a shoulder injury. He's a be-everywhere safety or lockdown cornerback. He's ranked the
No. 9 cornerback in the country by Lemming.
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George Farmer
File photo by Gary Jones
6-2, 210
Position: WR/DB
High School: Serra (Gardena, Calif.)College commitment: USC
Track speed: Was the 2010 CIF State 100-meter runner-up in 10.45 seconds and placed seventh in the 200 (21.31).
Football credentials: The nation's
No. 20 recruit overall, Farmer caught 65 passes for 1,514 yards and 14 touchdowns for a team that lost just one game in two seasons. Also a dynamic hitter and safety.
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Doran Grant
Photo by Tom Lemming
5-10, 177
Position: DB
High School: St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio)College commitment: Ohio State
Track speed: Runs 100 meters in 10.7 seconds and according to reports has gone 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
Football credentials: Ranked the No. 4 cornerback in the country and
No. 32 recruit overall, Grant led his team to a 7-5 record doing a little of everything. Nobody threw near him – he had just one interception, three pass deflections and 40 tackles, to go along with 33 catches for 688 yards.
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Aaron Green
Photo by Tom Lemming
5-11, 185
Position: RB
High School: Madison (San Antonio)College commitment: Nebraska
Track speed: Runs 100 meters in 10.7 seconds and has been compared to Reggie Bush.
Football credentials: The
No. 33 recruit overall in the country and No. 1 tailback, Green rushed for 2,024 yards and 27 touchdowns last year.
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Demetrius Hart
Photo by Tom Lemming
5-9, 190
Position: RB
High School: Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.)College commitment: Alabama
Track speed: Runs 100 meters in 10.8 seconds
Football credentials: Rushed for 2,185 yards and scored state-record 50 touchdowns. He's the
No. 44 recruit overall in the country.
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Miles Shuler
Photo by Jim Redman
5-11, 175
Position: QB
High School: Long Branch (N.J.)College commitment: Rutgers
Track speed: Runs 100 meters in 10.39 seconds and 200 in 21.7. Won New Jersey meet of champions.
Football credentials: Passed for more than 1,000 yards, but will be a receiver in college.
Ranked the No. 10 athlete in the country by Lemming.
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De'Anthony Thomas
File photo by Louis Lopez
5-9, 160
Position: RB
High School: Crenshaw (Los Angeles)College commitment: USC
Track speed: Ran 10.57 in the 100 last season, just missing the state finals. Recorded the fastest 200 in the nation last season under any conditions in 20.61 seconds.
Football credentials: Named Los Angeles Player of the Year, Thomas is ranked the No. 2 athlete in the country by Lemming and the
No. 15 recruit overall. He rushed for 1,299 yards and 18 touchdowns and averaged more than 22 yards every one of his 16 receptions last year.
Video of De'Anthony ThomasSenior writer Dave Krider contributed to this report.
