For a team to be unbeatable, it has to find that one guy who's unstoppable.
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Harris has made a career of exceeding expectations. |
It's no surprise that DT
Tommie Harris is on the verge of superstardom as a 19-year-old sophomore. When Harris was in high school, his father, a former boxer, took him to the gym to spar -- against GI's from the local Army base. As a high school senior, he was invited by his cousin, Lions OT
Stockar McDougle, to a predraft workout in Houston. The trainer took one look at Harris, pulled him from the prep group and threw him in with the NFL guys. Did Harris keep up with the likes of
Bobby Taylor,
Charles Woodson and
Orlando Pace? "He taught me a few things about focus," says the trainer,
Danny Arnold.
OU had high hopes for Harris, and he blew them all away, leading the team in QB hurries (14) and finishing second with 17 tackles for losses. He's since put on 20 pounds -- he's now 286 -- to get even more physical. "He has it all: speed (4.7 40), quickness, explosiveness, change of direction," says OU co-defensive coordinator
Mike Stoops. "He's the kind you see and say 'Damn, that's what they are supposed to look like.'"
Derrick Johnson Texas So. OLB
Cobra-quick; ranked 2nd at UT with 83 tackles as a true frosh
Kevin Jones Virginia Tech So. RB
Heisman guy without Lee Suggs. Beamer loves to rotate backs
Dewayne White Louisville Jr. DE
27 sacks in two years. Former all-state RB could get 20 this year
Cadillac Williams Auburn So. RB
Healed from a broken collarbone, he's set for 30 carries a game
Reggie Williams Washington So. WR
A physical 6'4", he snagged 5 for 62 yards vs. Quentin Jammer
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This article appears in the September 2 issue of ESPN The Magazine.
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