Achilles Ankles

Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart will be a Heisman contender, if he can stay healthy

April 11, 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

Jonathan Stewart is 5-foot-11, 235 pounds.

He runs the 40-yard dash in under 4.4 seconds.

In 2005, he was the No. 1 high school running back in the nation. He utilized a rare combination of size and speed to become the state of Washington's all-time leading high school rusher.

But the last two years, the main determinant of Stewart's fate hasn't been his power or his quickness, but the resiliency of his lower legs. Nagging ankle sprains have slowed his development to the point where the focus going into his junior season is, above all, to stay healthy.

"I've got to get over these bumps and bruises," said Stewart, who checks in at No. 15 on Heismanpundit's pre-spring Heisman Trophy watch list.  "That's been the main thing this off-season -- to get stronger and faster and to get my ankle to be more flexible.

"I just want to stay healthy and have no more ankle problems."

If Stewart could have stayed healthy and kept his early pace from last season, we might be talking about him as one of the Heisman front runners this year. He gained 168 yards and scored two touchdowns in the season opener against Stanford. He gashed Oklahoma for 144 yards on 23 carries and then followed that effort up with 142 yards on just 12 carries against Arizona State. Against UCLA, he rushed for 121 yards, giving him four 100-yard games and 603 yards at the halfway mark of the regular season.

Then the ankle problems reemerged and only one 100-yard game would follow the rest of the season. He finished with 981 yards and 10 touchdowns. But though the season didn't end so promising, he found that he learned a lot about college football in his second year as a Duck.

"I struggled a bit as a freshman," said Stewart, who goes by the nickname `Snoop'. "I had guys ahead of me in the depth chart and it was harder to get carries. Last year there was no one ahead of me. That helped me to learn the offense and become more responsible. I found out how to be more consistent and that's something I've got to keep doing in order to improve."

There's no doubt he has the physical ability to be an elite back. Though he had just 188 rushing yards as a freshman, he led the nation in kickoff returns, averaging over 33 yards per return while scoring two touchdowns. How many 5-11, 235-pound backs do you see bringing kicks back to the house?  Not many.

One NFL scout I talked to thinks Stewart could be as talented as any back in the nation.

"He's got rare speed for his size," the scout said. "Once he gets a head of steam, he doesn't get caught from behind. And he has the strength to run through arm tackles and wear down defenses.  If he stays healthy, he's a definite first-round pick."

It's no wonder that, when he was rising through the high school ranks, Stewart was often compared to Bo Jackson. But he had another back in mind when it came to who he wanted to model his running style after.

"I always tried to take after Walter Payton," Stewart said. "He was so physical. He ran hard and ran through defenders. He had a lot of heart and desire."

It won't be long until Stewart is testing his desire on NFL defenses. In the meantime, he's getting ready for his junior season and the expanded role he is expected to play in Oregon's new offense. 

The Ducks were the first Pac-10 team to move to the spread offense, as Gary Crowton engineered high-powered attacks in 2005 and 2006. Now, Crowton has moved on to LSU and Chip Kelly, formerly of New Hampshire, takes over as the new offensive coordinator. The spread remains, though it will probably look to utilize Stewart more in the passing game.

"I'm excited about that," said Stewart, who caught 20 passes last season. "I want to be a part of the offense as much as possible. Anything I can do to get the ball in my hands, I will do.

"Coach Kelly is a real football guru. It seems like he has a different play and a different scheme for every situation."

And if it all works out -- and his ankles hold up -- Stewart could be involved in a lot of Heisman talk this coming season.

"Everyone wants to win the Heisman," Stewart conceded.  "It's a dream that everyone has. But I'm not really one who likes all the attention that goes with it. I'm kind of a mellow guy."

Against opposing defenses on 2007, however, I wouldn't bet on that being the case.