Spiller Running Toward Stardom

Clemson back has Heisman potential

March 13, 2007

By Chris Huston

Special to CSTV.com

	Chris Huston The Heisman Pundit breaks down the top players for CSTV.com. E-mail here!

        ---   Column Archive   --- 7/30: DeSean Blazing Trail Toward Heisman? 5/15: Everything You Need To Know About Heisman `07 5/3: Boise's Johnson Now A Known Commodity 4/24: Rice Looking To Cook Up Heisman Season 4/11: Achilles Ankles 3/29: What's In A Name 3/13: Spiller Running Toward Stardom 2/27: Mr. Kentucky 2/5: Heisman Material? 1/30: Sometimes Diamonds In The Rough 1/23: 2007 Top 20 Heisman Favorites 1/18: Winners and Losers From Bowl Season 12/10: Heisman Still Special Despite Change 11/29: Who's On Third? 11/15: Rest of Field Jockeys Behind Top Two 11/8: Two at the Top 11/8: Under the Weight of Great Expectations 11/1: OSU's Smith, the Heisman Stronghold 10/25: Never Too Early To Look Ahead To `07 10/18: And Then There Were Two... 10/11: Leak Drops Out 10/4: The Wrench In The Works 9/27: The Plot Thickens 9/20: Cooled Off Irons 9/13: Five Alive 9/8: Quinn Still In Among Heisman Favorites 8/31: Heisman Preview

Ever notice lately that every college football player seems to be, or is apparently in the act of becoming, Reggie Bush? 

"Rudy Burgess is our Reggie Bush," former Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter said a couple years ago. 

"We're going to use Lorenzo Booker the way USC used Reggie Bush," the Florida State coaches said a while back.

"Ramonce Taylor is the next Reggie Bush," came the claim from Texas fans over the internet message boards.

And so on.

Forget those guys. If there is one player in college football who can claim to be the next Reggie Bush, it's Clemson's C.J. Spiller. The two are remarkably similar in size, speed and versatility, which is why Spiller, a rising sophomore, is No. 17 on Heismanpundit's Top 20 Heisman Trophy candidates heading into 2007. Not that Spiller is letting it go to his head.

"The Heisman would be a great honor and it would mean a lot to the school," said Spiller. "As for Bush, I try not to compare myself with him. I just try to do what he does."

And he does it quite well. It doesn't hurt that he is exactly as fast as Bush was coming out of high school (both ran a best of 10.42 in the 100-meter dash), a trait that enables him to break pursuit angles with alarming regularity. Last year, he burst onto the national scene with 938 rushing yards despite sharing time with another talented back in James Davis (1,187 rushing yards in 2006). A lot of backs would grumble about splitting carries, but not Spiller. In fact, he sees it as a boon to his young career.

"It actually helps us to split time," said Spiller. "We have fresher legs and can check out what the defense is up to. But we have very different styles. He's more about power and I'm about speed."

He put that speed to good use while starring at Union County High in Lake Butler (Fla.). But when last season started, many were touting Ohio State's Chris Wells or Oklahoma's DeMarco Murray as the top freshmen-to-be. But it didn't take long for Spiller to show that, in fact, he was the best freshman back in college football. More specifically, it was early in the second game of the season against Boston College.

Spiller took a screen pass and zig-zagged through the Eagle defense for an electrifying 82-yard touchdown, his first.  Talking heads around the country took notice, but for Spiller it was an even more important moment.

"That was when I realized I could play at this level," he said.   

He went on to tally five 100-yard rushing games while scoring 10 touchdowns and averaging a stellar 7.3 yards per carry.  He also caught 19 passes for 210 yards and two more scores. It was a brilliant freshman year, except things weren't quite right. He missed his family, especially his son.

In early January, word on the street was that he was planning on transferring to Florida in order to be near his family. Luckily for Clemson, the transfer never came to pass. Now, expectations for Spiller are through the roof.

"I've put all that (talk of transferring) behind me," said Spiller. "I'm focused now and ready to move forward.  I'm going to stay humble and let the media deal with the expectations.

"As for my own expectations, I'd love to hit the 1,000-yard mark and make All-American."

Clemson coaches are doing their best to feature Spiller, who will be given every chance to win the starting tailback position despite the return of Davis.  He'll be used in the slot and at receiver more, not unlike how Bush was used in college.

"Hopefully I can get to that level," said Spiller. "I need to work on my pass protection and learn more about being a receiver. I also want to be a more vocal leader on the team, both on and off the field."

One thing is for sure - he ain't getting any slower. He ran for the Clemson track team during the indoor season and he'll be tackling the 100 and 200 meters in the spring. 

"I run track just to stay in shape," said Spiller. "It's better than just sitting around."

Typical tailback; always on the go. And if he keeps on going like he has been, he just may end up in New York come next December.