[BostonCard]

[quote author=socalstanfan1 link=topic=6741.msg82668#msg82668 date=1390861904]
It's great to be excited about all the new faces entering the program, but there are lots of good reasons to expect little from most of these guys in their first year in the program. Shaw has stated that he wants people to know all their assignments; they need to develop physically to make the adjustment, and they have good players in front of them. The list of guys who have come in as a true freshman and had a significant impact on the field is pretty small: Alex Carter, Ty Montgomery (by the end of his true freshman season), Shayne Skov (same situation as Montgomery)...anyone else, recently? Even future greats usually redshirted: Andrew Luck. Zach Ertz, David DeCastro. Others got on the field as backups (Stepfan Taylor, Tyler Gaffney). So it's nice to speculate about Marx or Alfieri becoming our big back of the future, but I certainly wouldn't expect it to happen next year.

I agree but it is worth pointing out that RB is one of the positions where great players play as freshman and play well.
[/quote]

To be specific, as true freshmen, Stepfan Taylor had 56 carries for 306 yards; Tyler Gaffney had 22 carries for 84 yards; Anthony Wilkerson had 89 carries for 408 yards.

I don't think Young, Wright, or Sanders had carries as true freshmen.

[BostonCard]

[quote author=socalstanfan1 link=topic=6741.msg82668#msg82668 date=1390861904]
It's great to be excited about all the new faces entering the program, but there are lots of good reasons to expect little from most of these guys in their first year in the program. Shaw has stated that he wants people to know all their assignments; they need to develop physically to make the adjustment, and they have good players in front of them. The list of guys who have come in as a true freshman and had a significant impact on the field is pretty small: Alex Carter, Ty Montgomery (by the end of his true freshman season), Shayne Skov (same situation as Montgomery)...anyone else, recently? Even future greats usually redshirted: Andrew Luck. Zach Ertz, David DeCastro. Others got on the field as backups (Stepfan Taylor, Tyler Gaffney). So it's nice to speculate about Marx or Alfieri becoming our big back of the future, but I certainly wouldn't expect it to happen next year.

I agree but it is worth pointing out that RB is one of the positions where great players play as freshman and play well.
[/quote]

To be specific, as true freshmen, Stepfan Taylor had 56 carries for 306 yards; Tyler Gaffney had 22 carries for 84 yards; Anthony Wilkerson had 89 carries for 408 yards.

I don't think Young, Wright, or Sanders had carries as true freshmen.