JJ Arrington, Marshawn Lynch, Justin Forsett, Jahvid Best, and now Shane Vereen. This has been the amazing succession of running backs to come out of Cal in the past 5 years. Now you may notice that only Arrington hit the 2,000 yard mark but I think Shane Vereen could be next.
Vereen was an amazing backup to Jahvid Best and filled in better than most would have imagined when Best went down last year. Vereen is not as fast as Best but I think he is a better all around back in that he can take more carries and runs inside better than Best.
With that said, here is a breakdown of the pros and cons on Shane Vereen becoming the next 2,000 yard rusher in college football:
Pros
Undisputed feature back
Returns 4 Offensive Line starters
Returns starting Quarterback and top receiver
Averaged 27 carries per game as the starter in the last 4 games of the season
1 42 carry game
100+ yard games- 4 20+ carry games- 3 Avg. yards per game- 73 Starter- 142
Analysis: So I know that I am basing a lot on Vereen's few games as a starter but they speak volumes. During his four games as a starter, he averaged 27 carries a game and 142 yards per game. Going into next year he has shown the ability to excel with all the carries and has lots of tread on his tires still.
He returns 4 offensive linemen, his starting quarterback and top receiver, and although Jeff Tedford likes to run two backs, Vereen should get plenty of touches.
Cons
Averaged 14 carries per game
Shared backfield with Jahvid Best; never been the feature back
Loses starting fullback
Analysis: Basically it is just a waiting game to see how Vereen handles full time duty. I think he will hold up admirably but after averaging just 14 carries a game on they year, one has to be cautious. Another thing against him is that he loses he starting fullback.
Overall Analysis:
Shane Vereen is the type of tailback that could have started almost anywhere else but at Cal he was behind the blazing Jahvid Best. I think that could help him though. He will enter the 2010 season without much wear and tear and therefore could really bust out.
He is not very big but has shown the ability to take some punishment as witnessed by his 42 carry game against Stanford. He has a thick build, can catch the ball out of the backfield, and has the wheels to take it to paydirt.
Shane Vereen is definitely capable of breaking out for 2,000 yards in 2010 so just snatch him up on draft day.
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