Prospect of the Week: Willis McGahee
One area the program has always had both quality and quantity is in the
offensive backfield. From the days of OJ Anderson to Mike Rozier, Edgerrin James
and most recently Clinton Portis, the Hurricanes find productive feature runners
that project well to the next level.
The depth at the running back Miami
fielded the past five years has been absolutely amazing. Edgerrin James leaves
and James Jackson takes the hand-offs but when Jackson gets injured Clinton
Portis steps up to the plate and when Portis was dinged the ball went to Frank
Gore. Even with that we are leaving a few names out of the mix. Now that Portis
is running roughshod for the Denver Broncos and Gore is nursing a season ending
injury the call's gone out to the next great Hurricane back, Willis McGahee, a
college ball carrier that may just be flashing his skills on Sunday’s in 2003.
Prior to the 2002 campaign McGahee, only a third-year sophomore, saw spot
duty averaging 4.7-yards
on 67 carries, which placed him third on the team in rushing behind both Portis
and Gore. Fast-forward the tape barely nine months and McGahee is destroying the
opposition amassing 8.1-yards on 79 carriers, with an amazing 10 touchdowns;
this in only five games! Four of the five games have resulted in McGahee
breaking the century mark on the ground with his best efforts coming against top
competition including a 204-yard performance against the Florida
Gators and 135-yard day against Boston
College. So is it an aberration or the shape of things to come for Miami’s
newest found talent?
McGahee does have the benefit of a tremendous offensive line. Even with the
graduation of Bryant McKinnie and Joquain Gonzalez the Hurricane line goes six
deep and all those players will either be drafted or signed as free agents over
the course of the next three years. Still; he must have a good amount of skill
that translates to the next level right? The answer is most definitely.
An elusive runner with tremendous footwork, McGahee displays patience,
vision. possessing both the physical abilities and running instincts to be
effective at the next level. Following his blocks, he quickly bounces it to the
outside avoiding piles or slides off would-be tacklers and displays a burst of
speed through the hole with the quickness to immediately get through it. Working
his runs, McGahee falls forwards when tackled, picking up the extra yardage and
can handle a lot of carries during four quarters or take the hand-offs deep into
a game, getting stronger the more he’s given the ball.
His innate abilities are outstanding, leading anyone to believe he is going
to be a high draft choice when he leaves Miami, and the word around campus is it
won’t be before to long. Consider this; an area scout we spoke with while we
attended the Boston College-Miami game felt McGahee is a quicker version of
Edgerrin James!
His
game is not without fault though; he's only an average at best pass catcher out
of the backfield and does not run to his size or with the natural power he possesses
but both should be ironed out with experience and the more McGahee gets
accustomed to becoming a total back.
The competition gets a little tougher from here on out for the Hurricanes and
McGahee starting tomorrow with cross-state rival Florida
State (and eventually a fight for another national title against Oklahoma or
Texas). This Saturday’s game against the Seminoles could be a calling card for
McGahee; FSU will be the fastest, fiercest defense the Miami offense has faced
to date. They are a hard hitting bunch quick to the ball carrier and feature the
nations most prominent outside linebacking pair, Michael Boulware and Kendyl
Pope, a pair of juniors that carry first round grades for the NFL Draft. Factor
in explosive linemen such as Darnell Dockett and Alonzo Jackson and this will be
a good measuring stick for McGahee; we are betting he grades out highly both
tomorrow and next April.