Who will be this year's surprise player? And why?

[Pony Up]

My vote goes to Keylon Kincade.

From what I've heard, he's really dedicated himself to working hard, including in the conditioning work. ShanDerrick Charles caught everyone's eye last year, but I still think Keylon is the purest natural runner. Once he's comfortable in the new offense, he and ShanD will be a hell of a 1-2 punch.

[leadpony]

my vote goes to Sterling Harris,
he has been waiting on the sidelines and listening to everyone tell him that he has been a bust. He is no bust, and this year he is going to dominate our o-line. he has gotten bigger and faster, and im sure that he is going to prove it on the field.

[MustangFan]

Sure hope you're right. With the offensive line being as thin as it is, a suddenly dominant tackle would be a huge help to our offense's fortunes.

[MesquiteStang]

I would have to agree that Kincade will be the breakout player next year. I watched him during the spring workouts and he was looking great. He was running the ball well and putting on some great blocks for the QB's. Keep your eyes on Keylon.

[ponystudent]

Two words...Tate Wallis.

[MustangMan]

Two more words: Jonas Rutledge.

Maybe he can't be a surprise player when he had such a nice year last year, but from everything I've heard and read, he's making it look easy in spring ball - and that's on a bad ankle, I believe. We need to get more Floridians to the Hilltop. Jonas will emerge this year as one of the top defensive backs in the country.

[Hal]

Markus Pratt

If he gets eligible, he's got a lot of doubters to prove wrong. Hope he gets cleared to play.

[PonyFan]

Leroy Price.

He's never worked as hard as he has this year, on and off the field. He's also in the best shape of his life, and he's always been a naturally good athlete, anyway. He's very motivated, maybe for the first time since he got to SMU.

[Bo 17]

My vote goes to the Mustang "D" as a whole. Watch for great things out of the fierce "D". Maybe we need to come up with a nickname for our "D" this year. Any Suggestions?

[This message has been edited by Bo 17 (edited 05-01-2002).]

[kanucklehead]

I vote for Leroy Price also. This guy is a very gifted athlete with NFL type safety skills. If he's on the same page as the coaches and stays healthy, look for some great play from him

[Dement-ed]

If Leroy Price is playing as well as people seem to think he is, does this mean he starts back there with Ruben Moodley? Can they really keep Rico Harris out of the starting lineup for another year?

When's the last time we had 3 safeties this good? I sure can't remember a better trio.

[PX]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Dement-ed:
<B>If Leroy Price is playing as well as people seem to think he is, does this mean he starts back there with Ruben Moodley? Can they really keep Rico Harris out of the starting lineup for another year?

When's the last time we had 3 safeties this good? I sure can't remember a better trio.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

See if these names ring a bell: Wes Hopkins, Russell Carter, Dwayne "Two Scoops" Anderson, Fred Nichols, and Blane Smith. Carter was primarily a corner, but he played a little free safety in the nickel package, too. These guys were different ages, but all were teammates in 1981 and 82. All of them were All-SWC, and went on to play in the NFL. Carter was All-American.

[Charleston Pony]

we should all hope the "surprise" player turns out to be Sterling Harris or one of our Frosh OL recruits. Either that, or one of our QBs steps up and performs beyond our wildest expectations. I'm afraid that's what it's going to take for SMU to have a break-through season in Bennett's 1st year.

[Hoofprint]

Some people have written him off, but Kris Briggs will have a great senior year. He's in great shape. He wasn't quite fast enough to be a great tailback, but he's more than fast enough to be a fullback. And he has very good hands and blocks well. He'll open some eyes this year.

[Guest]

I would like to say that Sterling "the Jewel" Harris will come on strong, but I just don't think he will dominate the line like his size might indicate.
As for Jonas and the other DB's - expect this group to be the most disciplined and probably the most productive unit as a whole.
The defnese has been simplified from last year and that has placed the players in a comfort zone on the field. This does not mean that they won't fly around to the ball, it just means that they won't play as uptight as in years past.
I would like to see Briggs really take charge of the running, but with the core of running backas that we already have and the history of fumbling, Kris might not get the playing time at tailback to make him a break out player.
As for the quarterbacks, fall (two-a-days) will be very interesting. All three quarterbacks now, and the two coming in, bring diferent strengths and weaknesses to the table.
Bennett has focused on the TEAM more than five or six key players that see most of the action. So, itis really hard to say who will be the one players that has a break out year.