Who is the fastest college football player in the 2008-2009 season?

Answer 1

THE FASTEST PLAYERS IN College Football 2008-2009 I am basing this list upon hard data, whenever available, verified timings and recent track times. I have taken this data and combined it with my knowledge of Track and Field as well as my own observations of how these players move on the gridiron. Now while football is a game of courage desire and toughness, and many players are proud of their physical strength and pain threshold, if you want to start a long, loud and exaggeration-filled argument get football players talking 40 yard dash times. Myth and legend abound: Deion Sanders’ 4.17, Dante Hall’s 4.19, or track exploits: Michael Bennett’s 9.95* (rumored time in 2005, not recognized by the IAAF). His official personal best in the 100 meters was 10.18 seconds, Jamaal Charles ran 10.23 (2006 Big 12 Outdoor Championships), Andre Johnson 10.29 (Big East Outdoor Championships) and Chris Johnson 10.38 wind-aided (in high school). The two seemingly fastest football players beyond high school – Jim Hines, the 1968 Olympic champion in the 100; and John Capel, a receiver at Florida in 1998 and 1999 - ran 9.95 but never really made the transition from sprinting. Capel's professional football and track careers both false-started after he tested positive for marijuana and was cut by the Bears. Hines played two professional seasons at receiver, but was nicknamed ‘Oops’ because his hands were not as reliable as his feet. Sprinter/WR? Justin Gatlin 5-11.7 195 Ran a 4.45 and a 4.42 in the 40. Had a 40½-inch vertical jump, 11-foot long jump, 4.4 short shuttle and 7.36 cone drill and 12 reps in the bench press, yet went unsigned. John Jett, Renaldo Nehemiah, Ron Brown, Tommy Smith and even Rafer Johnson were track athletes that tried their hand at football with varying, but often unsatisfactory results. Nonetheless speed is the ‘Lingua Franca’ the ‘coin of the realm’ in scouting circles and everyone knows it. Urban Meyer had an open call for the fastest student on campus and promised a full scholarship to any student who beat one of his players: Louis Murphy, Chris Rainey or Deonte Thompson, the coach's reason for organizing the event wasn't to find a running back, receiver, defensive back or kick returner from campus. Of the approximately 225 students who tried out, two covered the distance in 4.47 seconds, one ran a 4.48 and another was clocked at 4.49. The Florida spring game was televised on ESPN, offering Meyer a chance to spread his recruiting pitch about wanting to be "the fastest team in America," and having a race featuring three of his stars could help sell the school. So, without further ado: #1. Jeff Demps, Fr., RB, Florida–The fastest teenager in American history, Demps has a best of 10.01 in the 100-meter dash. At 18, Demps is already much faster than famous predecessors like Herschel Walker (10.23), O. J. Simpson (10.3) and Bo Jackson (10.44), slightly faster even than Bob Hayes (10.05), the 1964 Olympic champion at 100 meters who played running back at Florida A.&M. before becoming an All-Pro receiver with the Dallas Cowboys. Last April, during spring football practice at the University of Florida, a collective gasp came from a track meet across the street. Jeffrey Demps had just run the fifth-fastest 100 meters by an American high school sprinter, 10.17 seconds. Even better, he was a Gators football recruit."The rest of the day, I'm not really sure what happened at practice," said Coach Urban Meyer, who heard the time over the public-address system. "I was so excited we had a guy joining the program that could run sub-10.2. I've never witnessed that." Since players seldom run 100 yards in one burst, the 40-yard dash has become football's most common measure of ballistic velocity. But these results are widely discounted by track experts because the timing lacks uniformity and precision. Florida has not bothered clocking Demps, who ran 4.31 as a high school sophomore. It seems beside the point. "He just ran 10.01 at the Olympic trials," said Mickey Marotti, Florida's strength and conditioning coach. "That's fast enough." In late June, at the Olympic track and field trials, Demps ran even faster, setting a national high school record of 10.01 and matching the world junior record for the 100 -- a time equal to the seventh-place finish at the Beijing Games. Now a freshman tailback at Florida, he appears to be the swiftest running back ever to play college or professional football, according to track historians and an examination of performance lists compiled by USA Track and Field He is a running back/WR for the Gators and, honestly, with this mark I don’t see how he can play football for very long. “Football is still at the top for right now,” said Demps. “There’s no pressure to run track full time. If it’s meant to be it will happen for me down the road.” Don’t hold your breath on that one. In the meantime, the fastest player in college football was in Gainesville this season. Meyer craves speed the way sumo wrestlers crave calories. He and other coaches in the Southeastern Conference are placing small sprinters in the backfield, not just at receiver, as football grows faster. At Louisiana State, for instance, Trindon Holliday, a receiver/back, has finished second and third in the 100 at the NCAA track and field championships and has a personal best of 10.02. A dozen Florida football players run the 40 in 4.4 or faster. This includes the redshirt freshman running back Chris Rainey of Lakeland, who ran the leadoff leg on Florida's 4x100-meter relay team that finished third at the 2008 NCAA championships. #2. Trindon Holliday, RB/WR/KR, LSU, junior: Prior to Demps arrival he was the fastest he is #2 this year, but just barely. He once ran a 4.27 40 in basketball shoes at an LSU camp. Since then he has become an elite track star and budding football prospect. He has a best of 10.02 in the 100 meters, which he ran as a freshman. He ran 10.05 this past track season. #3. Jacoby Ford, Jr., WR, Clemson–Ford was coming off a broken ankle, but that didn’t stop him from running a 10.21 in the 100 meters this past spring in the 2008 NCAA East Regional Preliminaries. : Reportedly ran a 4.126 in prep school. Ford has been called the fastest player ever at Fork Union Military Academy, a program that has produced 87 NFL draftees and two Heisman winners. #4. C.J. Spiller, Jr., RB, Clemson–The player with the best combination of production and speed, Spiller is a bona-fide star for the Tigers. He has a best of 10.33 in the 100 meters, which he ran this past spring. That means he is even faster than he was in high school. He has battled a hamstring this year and may declare for the draft his 40 time is reportedly 4.34. #5. Jamere Holland, So., WR, Oregon Is a USC transfer who sat out last season, Holland has a best of 10.36 in the 100 meters. When healthy, he can flat-out fly. #6. Brandon Saine, So., RB, Ohio State–Saine should be a great replacement for Chris Wells in 2009. His 10.38 100-meter speed is amazing considering his rather solid size: 6’0.6 217. He won the400 meters with a time of 47.85 seconds. Comparing 40 times can be a fool's errand. But several Buckeyes confirmed Saine's status as the reigning fastest man in scarlet and gray, claiming his 40 time is anywhere from 4.25 to 4.29. #7. Percy Harvin, Jr., WR, Florida–Harvin has a best of 10.43 in the 100 meters and he long jumped over 24 feet in high school, too (it takes great foot speed to jump that far). It’s little wonder that he is perhaps the most exciting player in college football. #8. T.J. Graham, Fr., WR, NC State–The freshman has posted a wind-aided best of 10.21 in the 100 meters and a wind-legal 20.82 in the 200 meters. #9. Jahvid Best, So., RB, Cal–Best was higher up on this list last year, thanks to his 10.36 100 meters and 20.65 200 meters. However, he hurt his hip as a freshman but it seems he has retained most of his speed. I’m sure he is still pretty darn fast. #10. Darius Heyward-Bey He ran a best of 6.82 in the 60-meter indoor dash as a senior in high school. He’s clearly one of the fastest players in the country. Not far behind: Florida TB Chris Rainey at US Army Combine put up these numbers- 40-Yard Dash: 4.37, Short Shuttle:4.15, Vertical Jump:36.3" 3-Cone: 6.50 Broad Jump:9-7 When Rainey was at Lakeland High School, he was challenged to a race by legendary high school star Noel Devine. The two raced in a shopping mall parking lot, with the victory going to Rainey. So it’s only natural that he would challenge the fastest player in college football. Florida coach Urban Meyer revealed the race — and the result — at SEC Media Days on Wednesday when he was asked if the Gators were achieving his goal of becoming America's fastest college football team. "The fastest 18-year-old to ever run track, his name is Jeff Demps, he's on our campus now," Meyer said. "I don't know if he can catch a ball, but he can run like hell. Chris Rainey beat him in a race the other day.” "Here are these two catting it. We don't condone that. Everyone was saying how fast (Demps) is, so they said, ‘Let's go in the back of the dorms, let's figure this thing out.’ I guess Chris nudged him out, so we've got some speed. WR Shawn Bayes of Kent State was a track and field standout, winning the state championship in the 200-meters his junior year and finished second his senior year, 200 meter runner up at Tennessee State meet in 2005 and in 2004 was the 200 meter state champion, has been timed often in the 4.3s and claims a best 0f 4.26 had timed on a fast surface. Joe McKnight, RB, USC, sophomore: Formerly the #. 1 recruit in the country, McKnight was a YouTube sensation who has been compared to Reggie Bush. Ran a 10.4 100 in high school. CB Arizona State Omar Bolden His best HS combine [hand timed] 40-Yard Dash: 4.35 and ran a 4.39 last spring, Short Shuttle: 4.22, Vertical Jump: 34.0," 3-Cone: 7.31 Broad Jump: 9’10” Marshall TB Lendon ‘Chubb’ Small has been timed as fast as 4.36 at his current weight of 198 and at the Hargrave Academy Combine ran 4.33 on a rubberized surface. UF WR Louis Murphy though not quite in the Demps, Rainey, Harvin class of speed it’s reported that he consistently times in the 4.33 to 4.37 range. Michael Ray Garvin, CB, Florida State, senior: Michael Ray Garvin FSU 10.21 (2007 NCAA East Regional Finals), also set the school record for kick return yardage in '07. Was a member of FSU's 4x100 national champion relay team last year reportedly has a best 40 time of 4.38. Chris Williams WR of NMSU runs about 4.37 in the 40; He was also an outstanding track athlete, scoring 26 points at the 2005 Class 5A state championships. He won the 200-meter dash, the high jump and was a member of the state champion 4x100-meter relay team. He also won the state high jump and 200-meter dash title in 2003 & 2004. Noel Devine, TB West Virginia Warrick Dunn, Part Duex. A 10.40 (100m) and 21.3 (200m) sprinter in high school, Devine averaged 8.6 yards per rush as a freshman and is a major part of the West Virginia offense while replacing Steve Slaton. KSU RB/KR Justin Woods is perhaps the fastest prep in the state of Kansas, the ‘Chris Rainey of the Great Plains’ he has incredible linear speed reportedly he has been clocked at 4.29 in the 40. Woods set the school record in the 100 meters (10.4) and tied the state record in the 200 meters (21.44) as a junior and was 2005 Class 5A state champion in both the 100 and 200 meters. Ohio State WR Lamaar "Flash" Thomas, a state champion in Maryland in the 55 meters and 100 meters. Thomas hasn't been timed in Columbus, but he said he ran two 40s at 4.27 in high school. WR/PR Brandon Banks of KSU At a JUCO combine racked up the following-Forty: 4.37, Bench max: 240 pounds, Squat max:385 pounds, Vertical: 35 inches, Shuttle: 3.98 and his HS track best his senior year were: 100 Meters 2006 Outdoor 10.52, 200 Meters 2006 Outdoor 21.42, 400 Meters 2006 Outdoor 50.94, Long Jump, 2006 Outdoor 23' 6”. Taylor Mays FS USC was a 3A state champion in the 100- and 200-meters in his sophomore and junior years at O'Dea High in Seattle. He didn't run track as a senior, instead preparing himself for his college football career, he is said to run well under 4.4 in the 40; DeWayne Lewis Michigan State Transfer Mid-Continent Conference 100M champion and competed at the NCAA championships after advancing to the regional finals. He qualified for the NCAA finals in the sprints in 2007. Reportedly he has run in the 4.3s in the 40. WR Jeshua Anderson of Washington State a HS teammate of Jamere Holland was a national record holder in track and field, shattering the 22-year old record in the 300 meter hurdles, with a blazing 35.28 seconds -the fastest time ever run by a prepster in the USA. His next-closest competitor in the finals finished 40 meters behind him. As one of the top hurdlers in the nation as an underclassman he finished second in California in the 110h (14.30) and 300h (36.75) in 2006 was ranked in the top 10 nationally for the 300h. His combine numbers from HS Short Shuttle: 4.29, Vertical Jump: 35.0," 3-Cone: 7.42 Reggie Rembert CB/KR, Air Force is one of, if not the fastest player in AFA history. Reports indicate multiple timings in the mid 4.3s. He was a Texas state finalist in the 4x100 relay. Devin Moore RB/KR from Wyoming reportedly runs sub 4.4 in the 40. He has been compared to Dante Hall he was selected All-Mountain West First Team for the 2008 college football season as selected by the nine head coaches and media panel. Moore led the Mountain West Conference in rushing with 1,301 yards. He also was the league leader in all-purpose yardage with 2,008 all-purpose yards in 2008 Chris LeFlore, CB, Northwest Missouri State a Nebraska transfer timed at 4.39 in the spring prior to transferring. As a prepster in track he was part of one of Nebraska’s top 4x100-meter relay teams in 2003. Baylor QB Robert Griffin, While at HS in Copperas Cove TX was one of the top sprinters in the nation, he received the Gatorade Texas Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year award after setting state records in both the 110-meter (13.55 seconds, [with a personal best of 13.3]) and the 300-meter (35.33 seconds) hurdles. His personal best time in the 400-m is a scorching 46.9. He has also Joined Baylor's track team following spring ball and earned All-America honors after finishing third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter hurdles (49.55). He won the Big 12 gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles with the third-fastest time (49.22) in school history and took the NCAA Midwest Regional 400-meter hurdles title in a meet-record time of 49.53 Rodney Glass of ASU while at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame HS won the 100 meters at the Mission League track finals at Notre Dame in 10.32 for the fastest time in the nation that year. He was aided by a 1.1 meter-per-second wind, well below the allowable limit of 2.0. Glass' time made him the sixth fastest Californian of all time tying him with Best and behind Henry Thomas of Hawthorne, who ran 10.25 in 1985. Glass also won the 200 in 21.49. He also ran an electronically timed 10.43 100-meters. WR Travon Patterson of USC; His cousin is current Trojan Stafon Johnson, he ran track at Poly, with bests of 10.44 in the 100 meters (winning the 2006 CIF Division I race; he also was third at the 2006 CIF Masters meet and fourth at the 2006 state meet) and put up a 21.41 in the 200 (he was third in the 2006 CIF Division I meet and seventh in both the CIF Masters and state meets). He sprinted for USC's 2008 track team (in his only appearance, he ran the leadoff leg on the 400-meter relay team in a heat at the Pac-10 meet). WR Jeremy Maclin, Missouri; at 6’0.5” 198 he is one of the larger receivers on this list and one of the few who eschewed track. Basketball was his other high school sport and since as a RS sophomore he has never run for scouts his timed speed is a bit of a mystery. Clearly he is football fast and it will be a shocker if he is not in the low 4.4s-high 4.3s when he is timed. WR Brandon Dillard Va. Tech is a speedy 5-foot-10.6”, 181-pound Martinsville native ran a 4.28-second 40 in winter testing, [note VPI’s winter testing clocked Vick at 4.33 and Hall at 4.19, so take anything from them with many grains of salt.] He was also the 2005 Group AA state championship in the 100 and 200 meters. WR/KR Wesley Larry Beavers, senior, a YouTube sensation [there is a clip of him being hand timed at 4.28- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8eoPuVGt8E&feature=related] was been selected AP Little All-American Second Team for the 2008 college football season as voted on by the Associated Press. The Little All-America Team is comprised of the top players in Division II, III and NAIA. This year, Beavers returned a kick and a punt for touchdowns against the Apprentice School, consecutive kickoffs at Webber International, and a punt at Lake Erie College. His 98-yard kickoff return against Mary Hardin-Baylor set a school record for longest return and established the new Division III record with as his fifth kickoff return score of the year. He led Division III in kick return average at 39.5 and averaged over 29 yards per punt return. Beavers also started at receiver for the Wolverines, leading the team with 598 yards and tying for the team lead with 30 receptions and six touchdowns. Beavers ended his career with 2,366 receiving yards, second all-time at Wesley. He finished his career seventh all-time with 126 career receptions. With 41 career touchdowns between receiving, kick and punt returns, Beavers is the all-time leader in ACFC history in touchdowns scored. His 5,373 all-purpose yards are also a conference record. CB/Return specialist Ryan Murphy of Kansas is another YouTube sensation and has been hand timed at 4.34 While at Lawrence Free State Short Shuttle: 4.19, Vertical Jump: 34.0" 3-Cone: 7.22 Broad Jump: 9-3 CB Quincy Wofford of Northern Colorado has run several sub-4.4 40s and was a three-sport star at Pueblo Centennial High School, playing four years of football, basketball and lettering twice in track. Originally he thought he was going to play basketball in college but is developing into a prospect with a fairly good shot at being drafted in 2010. TB Sam McGuffie formerly of Michigan [is transferring, likely to a Texas school]; was called by some the’ white Reggie Bush’ at a HS combine Forty: 4.32, Bench max: 355 pounds, Bench reps: 15, Vertical: 41 inches, Short Shuttle: 3.83. McGuffie, sustained two concussions during his freshman year, ran for 486 yards and three touchdowns on 118 carries in 10 games. A special note- while not quite Vernon Davis, H-Back/OLB/SS Jameson Konz Kent State is a ‘poor man’s’ Mark Boehricter, big fast and raw he has played TE, SS and LB at Kent, he is petitioning for another year of eligibility, should that fail he could be a UDFA [undrafted free agent] bargain. He has been hand timed on a fast surface at 4.38 at 6’2.5” 222. Naturally, this list is not perfect, so if I overlooked anyone, feel free to make your case.

Answer 2

Jeff Demps of the University of Florida Gators THE FASTEST PLAYERS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2008-2009 I attempting to base this on hard data, whenever available, verified timings and recent track times. I have taken this data and combined it with my knowledge of track and field as well as my own observations of how these players move on the gridiron. Now while football is a game of courage desire and toughness, and many players are proud of their physical strength and pain threshold, if you want to start a long, loud and exaggeration-filled argument get football players talking 40 yard dash times. Myth and legend abound: Deion Sanders’ 4.17, Dante Hall’s 4.19, or track exploits: Michael Bennett’s 9.95* (rumored time in 2005, not recognized by the IAAF). His official personal best in the 100 meters was 10.18 seconds, Jamaal Charles ran 10.23 (2006 Big 12 Outdoor Championships), Andre Johnson 10.29 (Big East Outdoor Championships) and Chris Johnson 10.38 wind-aided (in high school). The two seemingly fastest football players beyond high school – Jim Hines, the 1968 Olympic champion in the 100; and John Capel, a receiver at Florida in 1998 and 1999 - ran 9.95 but never really made the transition from sprinting. Capel's professional football and track careers both false-started after he tested positive for marijuana and was cut by the Bears. Hines played two professional seasons at receiver, but was nicknamed ‘Oops’ because his hands were not as reliable as his feet. Sprinter/WR? Justin Gatlin 5-11.7 195 Ran a 4.45 and a 4.42 in the 40. Had a 40½-inch vertical jump, 11-foot long jump, 4.4 short shuttle and 7.36 cone drill and 12 reps in the bench press, yet went unsigned. John Jett, Renaldo Nehemiah, Ron Brown, Tommy Smith and even Rafer Johnson were track athletes that tried their hand at football with varying, but often unsatisfactory results. Nonetheless speed is the ‘Lingua Franca’ the ‘coin of the realm’ in scouting circles and everyone knows it. Urban Meyer had an open call for the fastest student on campus and promised a full scholarship to any student who beat one of his players: Louis Murphy, Chris Rainey or Deonte Thompson, the coach's reason for organizing the event wasn't to find a running back, receiver, defensive back or kick returner from campus. Of the approximately 225 students who tried out, two covered the distance in 4.47 seconds, one ran a 4.48 and another was clocked at 4.49. The Florida spring game was televised on ESPN, offering Meyer a chance to spread his recruiting pitch about wanting to be "the fastest team in America," and having a race featuring three of his stars could help sell the school. So, without further ado: 1. Jeff Demps, Fr., RB/WR, Florida–The fastest teenager in American history, Demps has a best of 10.01 in the 100-meter dash. At 18, Demps is already much faster than famous predecessors like Herschel Walker (10.23), O. J. Simpson (10.3) and Bo Jackson (10.44), slightly faster even than Bob Hayes (10.05), the 1964 Olympic champion at 100 meters who played running back at Florida A.&M. before becoming an All-Pro receiver with the Dallas Cowboys. Last April, during spring football practice at the University of Florida, a collective gasp came from a track meet across the street. Jeffrey Demps had just run the fifth-fastest 100 meters by an American high school sprinter, 10.17 seconds. Even better, he was a Gators football recruit."The rest of the day, I'm not really sure what happened at practice," said Coach Urban Meyer, who heard the time over the public-address system. "I was so excited we had a guy joining the program that could run sub-10.2. I've never witnessed that." Since players seldom run 100 yards in one burst, the 40-yard dash has become football's most common measure of ballistic velocity. But these results are widely discounted by track experts because the timing lacks uniformity and precision. Florida has not bothered clocking Demps, who ran 4.31 as a high school sophomore. It seems beside the point. "He just ran 10.01 at the Olympic trials," said Mickey Marotti, Florida's strength and conditioning coach. "That's fast enough." In late June, at the Olympic track and field trials, Demps ran even faster, setting a national high school record of 10.01 and matching the world junior record for the 100 -- a time equal to the seventh-place finish at the Beijing Games. Now a freshman tailback at Florida, he appears to be the swiftest running back ever to play college or professional football, according to track historians and an examination of performance lists compiled by USA Track and Field He is a running back/WR for the Gators and, honestly, with this mark I don’t see how he can play football for very long. “Football is still at the top for right now,” said Demps. “There’s no pressure to run track full time. If it’s meant to be it will happen for me down the road.” Don’t hold your breath on that one. In the meantime, the fastest player in college football was in Gainesville this season. Meyer craves speed the way sumo wrestlers crave calories. He and other coaches in the Southeastern Conference are placing small sprinters in the backfield, not just at receiver, as football grows faster. At Louisiana State, for instance, Trindon Holliday, a receiver/back, has finished second and third in the 100 at the NCAA track and field championships and has a personal best of 10.02. A dozen Florida football players run the 40 in 4.4 or faster. This includes the redshirt freshman running back Chris Rainey of Lakeland, who ran the leadoff leg on Florida's 4x100-meter relay team that finished third at the 2008 NCAA championships. 2. Trindon Holliday, RB/WR/KR, LSU, junior: Prior to Demps arrival he was the fastest he is #2, but just barely. He once ran a 4.27 40 in Basketball shoes at an LSU camp. Since then he has become an elite track star and budding football prospect. He has a best of 10.02 in the 100 meters, which he ran as a freshman. He ran 10.05 this past track season. 3. Jacoby Ford, Jr., WR, Clemson–Ford was coming off a broken ankle, but that didn’t stop him from running a 10.21 in the 100 meters this past spring in the 2008 NCAA East Regional Preliminaries. : Reportedly ran a 4.126 in prep school. Ford has been called the fastest player ever at Fork Union Military Academy, a program that has produced 87 NFL draftees and two Heisman winners. 4. C.J. Spiller, Jr., RB, Clemson–The player with the best combination of production and speed, Spiller is a bona-fide star for the Tigers. He has a best of 10.33 in the 100 meters, which he ran this past spring. That means he is even faster than he was in high school. He has battled a hamstring this year and may declare for the draft his 40 time is reportedly 4.34. 5. Jamere Holland, So., WR, Oregon Is a USC transfer who sat out last season, Holland has a best of 10.36 in the 100 meters. When healthy, he can flat-out fly. 6. Brandon Saine, So., RB, Ohio State–Saine should be a great replacement for Chris Wells in 2009. His 10.38 100-meter speed is amazing considering his rather solid size: 6’0.6 217. He won the 400 meters with a time of 47.85 seconds. Comparing 40 times can be a fool's errand. But several Buckeyes confirmed Saine's status as the reigning fastest man in scarlet and gray, claiming his 40 time is anywhere from 4.25 to 4.29. 7. Percy Harvin, Jr., WR, Florida–Harvin has a best of 10.43 in the 100 meters and he long jumped over 24 feet in high school, too (it takes great foot speed to jump that far). It’s little wonder that he is perhaps the most exciting player in college football. 8. T.J. Graham, Fr., WR, NC State–The freshman has posted a wind-aided best of 10.21 in the 100 meters and a wind-legal 20.82 in the 200 meters. 9. Jahvid Best, So., RB, Cal–Best could be higher on this list, thanks to his 10.36 100 meters and 20.65 200 meters. However, he hurt his hip as a freshman but it seems he has retained most of his speed. I’m sure he is still pretty darn fast. 10. Darius Heyward-Bey He ran a best of 6.82 in the 60-meter indoor dash as a senior in high school. He’s clearly one of the fastest players in the country. Not far behind: Florida TB Chris Rainey at US Army Combine put up these numbers- 40-Yard Dash: 4.37, Short Shuttle:4.15, Vertical Jump:36.3" 3-Cone: 6.50 Broad Jump:9-7 When Rainey was at Lakeland High School, he was challenged to a race by legendary high school star Noel Devine. The two raced in a shopping mall parking lot, with the victory going to Rainey. So it’s only natural that he would challenge the fastest player in college football. Florida coach Urban Meyer revealed the race — and the result — at SEC Media Days on Wednesday when he was asked if the Gators were achieving his goal of becoming America's fastest college football team. "The fastest 18-year-old to ever run track, his name is Jeff Demps, he's on our campus now," Meyer said. "I don't know if he can catch a ball, but he can run like hell. Chris Rainey beat him in a race the other day.” "Here are these two catting it. We don't condone that. Everyone was saying how fast (Demps) is, so they said, ‘Let's go in the back of the dorms, let's figure this thing out.’ I guess Chris nudged him out, so we've got some speed. WR Shawn Bayes of Kent State was a track and field standout, winning the state championship in the 200-meters his junior year and finished second his senior year, 200 meter runner up at Tennessee State meet in 2005 and in 2004 was the 200 meter state champion, has been timed often in the 4.3s and claims a best 0f 4.26 had timed on a fast surface. Joe McKnight, RB, USC, sophomore: Formerly the #. 1 recruit in the country, McKnight was a YouTube sensation who has been compared to Reggie Bush. Joe ran a 10.4 100 in high school. CB Arizona State Omar Bolden His best HS combine [hand timed] 40-Yard Dash: 4.35 and ran a 4.39 last spring, Short Shuttle: 4.22, Vertical Jump: 34.0," 3-Cone: 7.31 Broad Jump: 9’10” Marshall TB Lendon ‘Chubb’ Small has been timed as fast as 4.36 at his current weight of 198 and at the Hargrave Academy Combine ran 4.33 on a rubberized surface. UF WR Louis Murphy though not quite in the Demps, Rainey, Harvin class of speed it’s reported that he consistently times in the 4.33 to 4.37 range. Michael Ray Garvin, CB, Florida State, senior: Michael Ray Garvin FSU 10.21 (2007 NCAA East Regional Finals), also set the school record for kick return yardage in '07. Was a member of FSU's 4x100 national champion relay team last year reportedly has a best 40 time of 4.38. Chris Williams WR of NMSU runs about 4.37 in the 40; He was also an outstanding track athlete, scoring 26 points at the 2005 Class 5A state championships. He won the 200-meter dash, the high jump and was a member of the state champion 4x100-meter relay team. He also won the state high jump and 200-meter dash title in 2003 & 2004. Noel Devine, TB West Virginia Warrick Dunn, Part Duex. A 10.40 (100m) and 21.3 (200m) sprinter in high school, Devine averaged 8.6 yards per rush as a freshman and is a major part of the West Virginia offense while replacing Steve Slaton. KSU RB/KR Justin Woods is perhaps the fastest prep in the state of Kansas, the ‘Chris Rainey of the Great Plains’ he has incredible linear speed reportedly he has been clocked at 4.29 in the 40. Woods set the school record in the 100 meters (10.4) and tied the state record in the 200 meters (21.44) as a junior and was 2005 Class 5A state champion in both the 100 and 200 meters. Ohio State WR Lamaar "Flash" Thomas, a state champion in Maryland in the 55 meters and 100 meters. Thomas hasn't been timed in Columbus, but he said he ran two 40s at 4.27 in high school. WR/PR Brandon Banks of KSU while at a JUCO combine racked up the following-Forty: 4.37, Bench max: 240 pounds, Squat max:385 pounds, Vertical: 35 inches, Shuttle: 3.98 and his HS track best his senior year were: 100 Meters 2006 Outdoor 10.52, 200 Meters 2006 Outdoor 21.42, 400 Meters 2006 Outdoor 50.94, Long Jump, 2006 Outdoor 23' 6”. Taylor Mays FS USC was a 3A state champion in the 100- and 200-meters in his sophomore and junior years at O'Dea High in Seattle. He didn't run track as a senior, instead preparing himself for his college football career, he is said to run well under 4.4 in the 40; Southern Utah CB DeWayne Lewis a Michigan State Transfer and the Mid-Continent Conference 100M champion also competed at the NCAA championships after advancing to the regional finals. He qualified for the NCAA finals in the sprints in 2007. Reportedly he has run in the 4.3s in the 40. WR Jeshua Anderson of Washington state a HS teammate of Jamere Holland was a national record holder in track and field, shattering the 22-year old record in the 300 meter hurdles, with a blazing 35.28 seconds -the fastest time ever run by a prepster in the USA. His next-closest competitor in the finals finished 40 meters behind him. As one of the top hurdlers in the nation as an underclassman he finished second in California in the 110h (14.30) and 300h (36.75) in 2006 was ranked in the top 10 nationally for the 300h. His combine numbers from HS Short Shuttle: 4.29, Vertical Jump: 35.0," 3-Cone: 7.42 Reggie Rembert CB/KR, Air Force is one of, if not the fastest player in AFA history. Reports indicate multiple timings in the mid 4.3s. He was a Texas state finalist in the 4x100 relay. Devin Moore RB/KR from Wyoming reportedly runs sub 4.4 in the 40. He has been compared to Dante Hall he was selected All-Mountain West First Team for the 2008 college football season as selected by the nine head coaches and media panel. Moore led the Mountain West Conference in rushing with 1,301 yards. He also was the league leader in all-purpose yardage with 2,008 all-purpose yards in 2008 Chris LeFlore, CB, Northwest Missouri State a Nebraska transfer timed at 4.39 in the spring prior to transferring. As a prepster in track he was part of one of Nebraska’s top 4x100-meter relay teams in 2003. Baylor QB Robert Griffin, While at HS in Copperas Cove TX was one of the top HS sprinters in the nation, he received the Gatorade Texas Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year award after setting state records in both the 110-meter (13.55 seconds, [with a personal best of 13.3]) and the 300-meter (35.33 seconds) hurdles. His personal best time in the 400-m is a scorching 46.9. He has also Joined Baylor's track team following spring ball and earned All-America honors after finishing third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter hurdles (49.55). He won the Big 12 gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles with the third-fastest time (49.22) in school history and took the NCAA Midwest Regional 400-meter hurdles title in a meet-record time of 49.53 Rodney Glass of ASU while at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame HS won the 100 meters at the Mission League track finals at Notre Dame in 10.32 for the fastest time in the nation that year. He was aided by a 1.1 meter-per-second wind, well below the allowable limit of 2.0. Glass' time made him the sixth fastest Californian of all time tying him with Best and behind Henry Thomas of Hawthorne, who ran 10.25 in 1985. Glass also won the 200 in 21.49. He also ran an electronically timed 10.43 100-meters. WR Travon Patterson of USC; His cousin is current Trojan Stafon Johnson, he ran track at Poly, with bests of 10.44 in the 100 meters (winning the 2006 CIF Division I race; he also was third at the 2006 CIF Masters meet and fourth at the 2006 state meet) and put up a 21.41 in the 200 (he was third in the 2006 CIF Division I meet and seventh in both the CIF Masters and state meets). He sprinted for USC's 2008 track team (in his only appearance, he ran the leadoff leg on the 400-meter relay team in a heat at the Pac-10 meet). WR Jeremy Maclin, Missouri; at 6’0.5” 198 he, together with Heyward-Bey, is one of the larger receivers on this list and is one of the few who eschewed track. Basketball was his other high school sport and to this point as a RS sophomore he has never run for scouts his timed speed is a bit of a mystery. Clearly he is football fast and it will be a shocker if he is not in the low 4.4s-high 4.3s when he is timed. WR Brandon Dillard Va. Tech is a speedy 5-foot-10.6”, 181-pound Martinsville native who reportedly ran a 4.28-second 40 in winter testing, [note VPI’s winter testing clocked Vick at 4.33 and Hall at 4.19, so take anything from them with many grains of salt.] He was also the 2005 Group AA state championship in the 100 and 200 meters. WR/KR Wesley Larry Beavers, senior, a YouTube sensation [there is a clip of him being hand timed at 4.28- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8eoPuVGt8E&feature=related] was been selected AP Little All-American Second Team for the 2008 college football season as voted on by the Associated Press. The Little All-America Team is comprised of the top players in Division II, III and NAIA. This year, Beavers returned a kick and a punt for touchdowns against the Apprentice School, consecutive kickoffs at Webber International, and a punt at Lake Erie College. His 98-yard kickoff return against Mary Hardin-Baylor set a school record for longest return and established the new Division III record with as his fifth kickoff return score of the year. He led Division III in kick return average at 39.5 and averaged over 29 yards per punt return. Beavers also started at receiver for the Wolverines, leading the team with 598 yards and tying for the team lead with 30 receptions and six touchdowns. Beavers ended his career with 2,366 receiving yards, second all-time at Wesley. He finished his career seventh all-time with 126 career receptions. With 41 career touchdowns between receiving, kick and punt returns, Beavers is the all-time leader in ACFC history in touchdowns scored. His 5,373 all-purpose yards are also a conference record. CB/Return specialist Ryan Murphy of Kansas is another YouTube sensation and has been hand timed at 4.34 While at Lawrence Free State Short Shuttle: 4.19, Vertical Jump: 34.0" 3-Cone: 7.22 Broad Jump: 9-3 CB Quincy Wofford of Northern Colorado has run several sub-4.4 40s and was a three-sport star at Pueblo Centennial High School, playing four years of football, basketball and lettering twice in track. Originally he thought he was going to play basketball in college but is developing into a prospect with a fairly good shot at being drafted in 2010. TB Sam McGuffie formerly of Michigan [is transferring, likely to a Texas school]; was called by some the’ white Reggie Bush’ at a HS combine Forty: 4.32, Bench max: 355 pounds, Bench reps: 15, Vertical: 41 inches, Short Shuttle: 3.83. McGuffie, despite sustaining two concussions during his freshman year, ran for 486 yards and three touchdowns on 118 carries in 10 games. A special note- while not quite Vernon Davis, H-Back/OLB/SS Jameson Konz Kent State is a ‘poor man’s’ Mark Boehricter, big fast and raw he has played TE, SS and LB at Kent, he is petitioning for another year of eligibility, should that fail he could be a UDFA [undrafted free agent] bargain. He has been hand timed on a fast surface at 4.38 at 6’2.5” 222. Naturally, this list is not perfect, so if I overlooked anyone, feel free to make your case.

Answer 3

trindon holliday for lsu he ran a 101 yard kick return in 9.2 secconds.

Answer 4

mike mckenzie