D’Andre Swift: Darnell Jefferson, RB, The Program
ESU head coach Sam Winters had one major recruiting target after the Timberwolves’ losing record the season prior, leading the program to miss out on a bowl game for the second year in a row: Running back Darnell Jefferson. Jefferson, out of the Philadelphia area, was a highly-regarded recruit. His 108-yard kickoff return against Taft was one of the best runs Winters ever saw a high school player make…or so he said. Jefferson was armed with a plethora of scholarship offers, but in the end decided to enroll at ESU, with a promise to his family that he would earn not just a starting job, but a degree.
He found playing time in the Timberwolves’ offense tough to come by at first, with Ray Griffen already entrenched as the team’s starting tailback. But Jefferson found other ways to contribute. Using his speed he became the team’s punt returner, and started to earn more playing time when quarterback Joe Kane was suspended. He had a 62-yard touchdown against North Carolina to help ESU keep their bowl hopes alive. But in the end, it was what he was able to do as a receiver that got the Timberwolves a conference championship and back to a bowl game (again, the dialogue is not exactly safe for work):
Jefferson’s feel for route-running gets him open in the end zone, and Kane hits him for the game-winning score.
That is where Swift comes in. The Georgia running back can be a home run hitter as a ball-carrier, but he also is a threat out of the backfield. He runs a complete route tree, from almost any alignment, and has tremendous hands out of the backfield. Pro Football Focus charted him with just three drops on 76 catchable passes during his Georgia career. His long speed, similar to Jefferson’s, is going to make him a threat in a variety of ways in the NFL.