Earlier this year, Rivals did a feature on the 10 most explosive players in college football.
Now, with all due respect to their definition of explosive, when I think explosive, I think about the ultimate threat, someone who makes me say ‘uh oh’ when the ball’s in his hands or it’s going his way, whether by way of a run, a reception, or a kick return. Not 20 yards and a cloud of dust, but 80 yards and a cloud of shame hanging over the defenders that just got owned.
Jeremy Maclin and Percy Harvin may be off to the NFL, but I’m not starved for choices when it comes to the nation’s top playmakers.
You’ll find a number of the guys who were on the Rivals list on mine, but there are a few others you won’t see on theirs that you’ll see on mine, and vice versa.
15. Antonio Brown, Central Michigan
Brown has been Dan LeFevour’s go-to guy for the last couple of seasons, catching 195 passes for 2,001 yards, and he’s had receptions of 76, 79, and 93 yards. As a freshman, he was one of the nation’s top kick returners and had a kick return for a score, and last season, he led the nation in yards per punt return at 20.5 and returned one punt for a touchdown.
14. Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas
Briscoe had a monster campaign for Kansas last season, setting single-season school records for receiving yards (1,407) and receiving touchdowns (15), and among his 92 receptions were catches of 53, 57, 60, and 69 yards. The 69-yard catch was part of a school-record 269-yard performance against Oklahoma, while the 60-yard catch was the first of 14 catches (tied a school record) in a 201-yard, three-touchdown showing against Minnesota in the Insight Bowl.
Besides being Todd Reesing’s #1 receiver again this season, Briscoe’s also penciled in to be a regular kick returner for Kansas this season, and he showcased his potential as a dangerous returner by logging 195 kick return yards against Missouri.
13. Jordan Shipley, Texas
Shipley had a couple of memorable return touchdowns last season, returning a kickoff for a score against Oklahoma and returning a punt for a touchdown against Texas Tech. He also had receptions of 60 and 68 yards in a breakout season in which he caught 89 passes for 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns.
12. DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
Injuries prematurely ended his first two collegiate seasons, but when he’s on the field, he’s a threat to burn you a variety of ways.
Last season, Murray ran for 1,002 yards and 14 touchdowns, caught 31 passes with four going for scores, and averaged 27.6 yards per kick return, following up on a freshman season in which he ran for 13 touchdowns and returned two kicks for scores.
11. Brandon James, Florida
James doesn’t have a wealth of touches on offense in his Gators career, but he has his place on this list because of the threat he poses as a return man. James has returned four punts for touchdowns in his career, returning one for a score as a freshman, one as a sophomore, and two last season. SEC punters still kick to him, and he still makes them pay.
10. Phillip Livas, Louisiana Tech
Livas has four return touchdowns in his first two seasons (two kickoff, two punt). Last season, he returned two punts and one kickoff for touchdowns, had receptions of 57 and 68 yards, and added runs of 72 and 78 yards on the way to racking up 2,019 all-purpose yards.
Gilyard had a breakout season as a junior on the way to helping the Bearcats win the Big East title, catching 81 passes for 1,276 yards and 11 touchdowns. Among those 81 receptions were catches of 57, 67, and 69 yards, and on top of his receiving exploits, he was one of the nation’s most dangerous kick returners, averaging 27.6 yards per return and returning two kicks for scores.
8. Perrish Cox, Oklahoma State
Cox is rated as one of the nation’s best corners and should be taken early in next April’s draft, but whoever nabs him will also have a lethal weapon in the return game. Cox has returned four kickoffs and one punt for a touchdown in his career, and last season, he averaged 29.8 yards per kick return.
7. Brandon Banks, Kansas State
What did Banks not do last season? Banks had touchdown receptions of 36, 43, 45, 53, 59, and 77 yards, had a 93-yard touchdown run, returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score, and also threw in a 34-yard punt return.
6. Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
Size? Check. Speed? Check. Athleticism? Check. Put that together, and you have the nation’s best receiver in Bryant, who hauled in 87 passes for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns last season.
As a sophomore, he had receptions of 52, 74, and 80 yards, and had seven games in which he had at least one reception of more than 30 yards. He also averaged 17.9 yards per punt return and returned two punts for touchdowns, teaming up with teammate Perrish Cox to form arguably the most dangerous return unit in the country.
Soak it up while it lasts, Oklahoma State fans.
5. Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech
Dwyer had a sensational sophomore season, running for more than 100 yards nine times and ending the season with 1,395 yards and 12 touchdowns. Dwyer had at least one run of 30 yards or more in nine games, including runs of 58, 60, 66, 85, and 88 yards, and he also had a 79-yard reception.
4. T.Y. Hilton, Florida International
He took a punt back 74 yards for a score on his first collegiate touch against Kansas last season, and he was just getting started. Hilton averaged 24.7 yards per catch as a freshman, catching 41 passes for 1,013 yards and seven scores, and he had receptions of 55, 60, 61, 63, 65, 73, and 84 yards, and the only game in which he didn’t have at least one catch of 20-plus yards was against Kansas, when he didn’t have a reception.
He also had two rushing touchdowns, a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and he threw a game-winning, 38-yard touchdown pass with two minutes left to beat Arkansas State. All told, he set numerous school records and was among the nation’s leaders in multiple categories.
The only thing he didn’t do last season was score a defensive touchdown, and I’m sure if Mario Cristobal had stuck him on that side of the ball, he’d have made something happen.
3. C.J. Spiller, Clemson
He may not have yet become a dominant force as might have been expected, but there’s no doubt what Spiller is capable of when the ball’s in his hands.
In his career, Spiller has seven runs of 50+ yards and six receptions of 50+ yards, and he’s also returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in his career. 14 of his 30 career touchdowns (20 rush, 7 receiving, 3 return) have been on plays of 40 yards or more, and six have been of 80 yards or more.
2. Javier Arenas, Alabama
When you kick to Arenas, be prepared for the consequences that may come.
As a Mississippi State fan, I’m still having nightmares about his 80-yard punt return against MSU last year. That’s just one of his six career punt return touchdowns, which makes him the NCAA’s active career leader.
When he’s not burning return units for kicking to him, he’s a cornerback for the Tide, and he had a 63-yard interception return for a score last season.
Washington and Washington State defenders are probably still having nightmares about him after he torched them for 511 combined yards and seven touchdowns.
Best’s 200-yard, three-score day against Washington State was highlighted by touchdown runs of 80 and 86 yards. He also ran for 201 yards and two scores against Stanford (with runs of 36, 45, and 60 yards), but that would be upstaged by what he did in Cal’s regular-season finale against Washington – 19 carries, 311 yards, 4 touchdowns, with runs of 53, 60, and 84 yards.
His season also included runs of 42, 50, 65, and 67 yards, a 42-yard reception, a 54-yard kick return, and numerous other plays in excess of 20 and 30 yards.
