Big Men On Campus
WISCONSIN
Joe Thomas
OFFENSIVETACKLE
HE MAY not boastsculpted guns or washboard abs, but the 6'8", 313-pound Thomas has the kindof frame that draws long stares from NFL scouts. "To see him up close, youwouldn't think he weighs that much," says Badgers coach Bret Bielema,noting that Thomas's body fat was recently measured at 18.2%, darn good for anoffensive lineman. "We had a scout here in the spring who said Joe wouldhave tested out as the best body at the scouting combine." An excellentathlete who qualified for the NCAA championships in the shot put as a Wisconsinsophomore (he has since given up the sport to focus on football), Thomas has anenviable combination of strength, agility and speed (a 4.85 time in the 40).He's so versatile that his coaches, in a pinch for healthy pass rushers lastJanuary, also played him at defensive end in the Badgers' Capital One Bowl winover Auburn. Thomas tore the ACL in his right knee in that game, an injury thatrequired off-season surgery, but he says he'll be at full strength for thestart of his senior year. "For me," he says, "everythingathletically has come pretty easily."
COLORADO
Mason Crosby
KICKER
Crosby has onething to say to all his detractors: It's not the altitude. The thin air ofBoulder is not the reason he can regularly split the uprights from 50 to 60yards--even 75 in practice. His secret? An abnormally long backswing, a violentturn of the hips before impact and a right leg made powerful from playingsoccer for 13 years. Crosby's career-best field goal is a 60-yarder, and overthe last three seasons with the Buffaloes he made 10 of 15 attempts from 50yards and beyond. By the way, of the five field goals the 6'2" 215-poundermade from that range last year, four came on the road. New coach Dan Hawkinshas been so impressed that he plans to give Crosby a shot at making a 70-yarderin a game this season, which would break the Division I-A record of 67."Bring it on," Crosby says. "I've been waiting for thischance."
FLORIDA
Brandon Siler
LINEBACKER
The only knock onSiler--and it's a reach--is that he wasn't the team's leading tackler in eitherof his first two seasons, when he averaged 70 1/2 tackles per year. This seasonthe 6'2", 235-pound junior will be roaming behind one of the top defensivelines in the SEC, if not the nation, and should far exceed that number. And ashis seven fumble recoveries in '05 attest, Siler has always had a knack formaking the big play. Coach Urban Meyer describes him as "good, reallygood" but resists burdening him with the "great" label. If he playsto his potential, Siler may leave his coach no choice.
SOUTHCAROLINA
Sidney Rice
WIDE RECEIVER
A tattoo on hisleft arm reads BLESSED. And why not? The Gamecocks' sophomore receiver stands6'4", has soft hands and arms so long he can grab the bottom of abasketball net standing flat-footed. Rice is a master at positioning his bodyso he can rise over the defensive back, making him a nightmare to defend in thered zone. As a freshman he had 70 catches for 1,143 yards and 13 touchdowns. Nostranger to big-play wideouts, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier says,"As far as his ability to catch the ball, I think he's as good as anyreceiver I've been fortunate to coach."
CLEMSON
Gaines Adams
DEFENSIVE END
As a student atCambridge Academy (enrollment 180) in Greenwood, S.C., Adams had to playeight-man football, which, not surprisingly, didn't bring him a singlemajor-college scholarship. But while spending a postgraduate year at Fork Union(Va.) Military Academy, he caught the eye of Clemson coach Tommy Bowden withhis dominant play. As a junior last season, his first as a starter for theTigers, the 6'5", 265-pound Adams was sixth in the ACC in sacks (8 1/2) andwas projected as a first-round NFL draft pick. But Adams, who has the quickfirst step of a safety, opted to return to Death Valley and anchor a defensethat ranked 11th in the nation in points allowed (17.6) and has seven startersreturning.
WEST VIRGINIA
Dan Mozes
CENTER
Mozes haspancaked many an opponent, but he has yet to help one off the ground. And hedoesn't plan to. It's that nastiness--and a don't-stop-until-the-whistle-blowsmentality--that has turned this overlooked Washington (Pa.) High recruit (hisonly other scholarship offers came from Hofstra and Wake Forest) into one ofthe nation's top centers. "Sometimes you have to play a little dirty to beable to have success," says the 6'4", 290-pound Mozes. "You have toplay mean. You want the guy across from you to say, 'He's light in the butt,but he brings it.'"
NORTHERNILLINOIS
Garrett Wolfe
RUNNING BACK
Could it get anyworse than being a ninth-string tailback who's only 5'7" and 172 pounds? Asa freshman in 2002, that's the hole Wolfe had to climb out of, but four yearslater he has developed into one of the nation's most electrifying runners.Wolfe enters the fall as the active leader in Division I-A career rushing with3,236 yards, plus 34 touchdowns--not bad for a guy who has played in only 20games. He opened last season with a 148-yard performance against Michigan andcapped it with a MAC championship-game-record 270 rushing yards against Akron.First up in '06: a date with No. 1 Ohio State at the Horseshoe.
SOUTHERN CAL
Rey Maualuga
LINEBACKER
The 6'3",250-pound Maualuga is coming hard, and it would be wise to get out of his way.His target, at the moment, isn't a ballcarrier, though that will come soonenough. Maualuga is aiming for the Trojans' starting middle linebacker spot.Oscar Lua, a senior, was solid there last year, but Maualuga, a sophomore, is aspecial player. He's a ferocious hitter who was such a force on special teamsand in part-time duty on defense that he was named to the freshman All-Americateam. As long as Maualuga can control his aggressiveness--he was charged withmisdemeanor battery after allegedly punching a man at a party last year and isundergoing anger-management counseling--the Trojans will have to find a way toget this budding star on the field.
TEXAS
MichaelGriffin
STRONG SAFETY
Aggressive.Vicious. Those words, Griffin says, have been inaccurately used to describe pitbulls. He should know. He breeds them. But aggressive and vicious are accuratedescriptions of this 6-foot, 205-pound senior attack dog. With cornerbackspeed, a lack of concern for the welfare of his body and a flair for thedramatic, Griffin "will just knock you out," coach Mack Brown says.Last year against Texas A&M, Griffin had 23 tackles and a blocked punt (oneof six in his career). And in the Rose Bowl against USC, he had amomentum-turning interception in the end zone that helped the Longhorns win thenational title. His former roommate, Michael Huff, won the Thorpe Award lastseason as the nation's best defensive back. Griffin just might keep that trophyin Austin another year.
Big Men ONCAMPUS
From Air Force toWyoming, one for each of the 119 Division I-A schools
THE LIST
AIR FORCE --GILBERTO PEREZ DE
AKRON -- LUKEGETSY QB
ALABAMA --KENNETH DARBY RB
ALA.-BIRMINGHAM-- LARRY MCSWAIN DE
ARIZONA --ANTOINE CASON CB
ARIZONA STATE --RUDY BURGESS WR
ARKANSAS --DARREN MCFADDEN RB
ARKANSAS STATE --TYRELL JOHNSON DB
ARMY -- CALEBCAMPBELL SS
AUBURN -- KENNYIRONS RB
BALL STATE --CHRIS MILLER P
BAYLOR -- DANIELSEPULVEDA P
BOISE STATE --KOREY HALL LB
BOSTON COLLEGE --BRIAN TOAL LB
BOWLING GREEN --KORY LICHTENSTEIGER C
BRIGHAM YOUNG --JOHN BECK QB
BUFFALO -- DREWWILLY QB
CAL -- MARSHAWNLYNCH RB
CENTRAL FLORIDA-- KEVIN SMITH RB
CENTRAL MICHIGAN-- DAN BAZUIN DE
CINCINNATI --BRENT CELEK TE
CLEMSON -- CHANSISTUCKEY WR
COLORADO -- MARKFENTON C
COLORADO STATE --JESSE NADING DE
CONNECTICUT --TERRY CAULLEY RB
DUKE -- JOHNTALLEY CB
EAST CAROLINA --MARCUS HANDS DE
EASTERN MICHIGAN-- KEVIN HOWE DE
FLA.INTERNATIONAL -- KEYONVIS BOUIE LB
FLORIDA -- CHRISLEAK QB
FLORIDA ATLANTIC-- JERVONTE JACKSON DT
FLORIDA STATE --ANDRE FLUELLEN DT
FRESNO STATE --MARCUS MCCAULEY CB
GEORGIA --QUENTIN MOSES DE
GEORGIA TECH --CALVIN JOHNSON WR
HAWAII -- COLTBRENNAN QB
HOUSTON -- KEVINKOLB QB
IDAHO -- MIKEBARROW K-P
ILLINOIS -- AKIMMILLINGTON T
INDIANA -- BLAKEPOWERS QB
IOWA -- DREW TATEQB
IOWA STATE --TODD BLYTHE WR
KANSAS -- AQIBTALIB CB
KANSAS STATE --JORDY NELSON WR
KENT STATE --DANNY MUIR DE
KENTUCKY --RAFAEL LITTLE RB
LA.-LAFAYETTE --JERRY BABB QB
LA.-MONROE --CHAZ WILLIAMS CB
LOUISIANA TECH --ERIC NEWMAN WR
LOUISVILLE --MICHAEL BUSH RB
LSU -- LARONLANDRY FS
MARSHALL -- AHMADBRADSHAW RB
MARYLAND -- JOSHWILSON CB
MEMPHIS -- WESLEYSMITH FS
MIAMI -- GREGOLSEN TE
MIAMI (OHIO) --RYNE ROBINSON WR
MICHIGAN --LAMARR WOODLEY DE
MICHIGAN STATE --DREW STANTON QB
MIDDLE TENNESSEE-- GERMAYLE FRANKLIN T
MINNESOTA -- MATTSPAETH TE
MISSISSIPPI --PATRICK WILLIS LB
MISSISSIPPI STATE-- QUINTON CULBERSON LB
MISSOURI -- BRIANSMITH DE
NAVY -- ROBCALDWELL LB
N.C. STATE --MARCUS STONE QB
NEBRASKA -- ADAMCARRIKER DE
NEVADA -- JOEGARCIA CB
NEVADA--LAS VEGAS-- BEAU BELL LB
NEW MEXICO --ROBERT TURNER T
NEW MEXICO STATE-- CHASE HOLBROOK QB
NORTH CAROLINA --RONNIE MCGILL RB
NORTHERN ILLINOIS-- GARRETT WOLFE RB
NORTH TEXAS --PHILLIP GRAVES LB
NORTHWESTERN --TYRELL SUTTON RB
NOTRE DAME --BRADY QUINN QB
OHIO -- MATTMUNCY LB
OHIO STATE --TROY SMITH QB
OKLAHOMA --ADRIAN PETERSON RB
OKLAHOMA STATE --COREY HILLIARD T
OREGON -- PATRICKCHUNG ROVER
OREGON STATE --YVENSON BERNARD RB
PENN STATE --LEVI BROWN T
PITTSBURGH --H.B. BLADES LB
PURDUE -- DORIENBRYANT WR
RICE -- ANDRAYDOWNS FS
RUTGERS -- BRIANLEONARD FB
SAN DIEGO STATE-- ANTWAN APPLEWHITE DE
SAN JOSE STATE --MATT CASTELO LB
SMU JOE --STURDIVANT SS
SOUTH CAROLINA --SIDNEY RICE WR
SOUTHERN CAL --DWAYNE JARRETT WR
SOUTHERN MISS --GEORGE BATISTE G
SOUTH FLORIDA --STEPHEN NICHOLAS LB
STANFORD -- TRENTEDWARDS QB
SYRACUSE --KELVIN SMITH LB
TCU -- HERBTAYLOR T
TEMPLE -- ELLIOTSEIFERT T
TENNESSEE --JUSTIN HARRELL DT
TEXAS -- JUSTINBLALOCK T
TEXAS A&M --JUSTIN WARREN LB
TEXAS TECH --JOEL FILANI WR
TOLEDO -- CHRISHOPKINS TE
TROY -- LEODISMCKELVIN DB
TULANE -- LESTERRICARD QB
TULSA -- NICKBUNTING LB
UCLA -- BEN OLSONQB
UTAH -- ERICWEDDLE SS
UTAH STATE --JAKE HUTTON LB
UTEP -- JORDANPALMER QB
VANDERBILT --EARL BENNETT WR
VIRGINIA -- CHRISLONG DE
VIRGINIA TECH --VINCE HALL LB
WAKE FOREST --MICAH ANDREWS RB
WASHINGTON --DASHON GOLDSON CB
WASHINGTON STATE-- MKRISTO BRUCE DE
WESTERN MICHIGAN-- LOUIS DELMAS SS
WEST VIRGINIA --STEVE SLATON RB
WISCONSIN -- JOETHOMAS T
WYOMING -- JOHNWENDLING FS
NINE PHOTOS
Portfolio by Peter Read Miller
THREE PHOTOS
RANDY LITZINGER/ICON SMI; JOSH MERWIN; OLE MISS ATHLETICS
NINE PHOTOS
HELMETS THROUGHOUT PREVIEW COURTESY OF CAL SPORTS INFORMATION; DAVE KLOTZ/LOUISVILLE; IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS; NEVADA MEDIA SERVICES; ONLINESPORTS.COM; OREGON MEDIA SERVICES; SCOREHERE.COM; SCOTT WALSTROM/NIU MEDIA SERVICES; SIDELINEMVP.COM; USF ATHLETICS