Big men on new campuses

Sporting News, The, April 8, 2002 by Tom Dienhart

Back in the fall of 1997, Justin Fargas was a wanted man. It seemed every college in the nation was wooing the running back. He had power, speed, strength and stats that appeared to be typos--6,357 rushing yards and 82 touchdowns in three years--at Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Add the fact he's the son of actor Antonio Fargas, best known for portraying Huggy Bear on the 1970s TV show Starsky and Hutch, and Justin Fargas was the ultimate package of publicity and hype.

Fargas chose Michigan. As a freshman, he was the Wolverines' top kickoff returner and rushed for 277 yards and a touchdown before a broken leg ended his season. He redshirted the 1999 season while rehabbing from three operations to repair the leg. Fargas came back in 2000, starting the year as a backup tailback before asking to be moved to safety. He finished the year on defense, unhappy and yearning for one more chance to show he was more than Huggy Bear's kid. This fall, Fargas gets that chance--back home at Southern California.

He transferred to the school in the spring of 2001, hoping for a new start in his last year of eligibility.

Fargas has thought a lot about what would have happened if he had picked his current school. "About 1,000 times," he says. "I thought of that while I was at Michigan. Coming back, I now realize this is where I'm supposed to be--in southern California and at SC."

While sitting out last season, Fargas impressed coach Pete Carroll's staff as the scout-team tailback, and he's turning heads in drills this spring. The Trojans are crowded at tailback, but none of the holdovers--Sultan McCullough, Sunny Byrd, Malaefou MacKenzie and Darryl Poston has distinguished himself, which is good news for Fargas.

"Competition is the key at tailback" Carroll says. "We have five very good players who are capable of big things, but we'll have to see who takes hold of the job.... Throw in the fullbacks, a group that we really like, and we have the potential to have a strong running game."

The Trojans have been missing that. They went 6-6 last season and averaged just 87.7 yards rushing. In a 10-6 Las Vegas Bowl loss to Utah, USC ran for 1 yard. Through it all, Fargas sat, watched and contemplated what he would do the first time he touched the ball.

"I'm thinking score" he says. "It's been a long journey. When I get to step in the Coliseum and play, it's going to be like a dream come true."

Fargas is only one of many transfers who are dreaming big this spring in preparation for the fall. North Carolina has four--defensive tackle Carl Smalls (South Carolina), tight end Bobby Blizzard (Kentucky), kicker Dan Orner (Michigan State) and quarterback C.J. Stephens (Florida)--who will be counted on to produce. Stephens, a junior who got caught in a crowded position at Florida, could have a significant impact. He is likely to start because of the transfer of Darian Durant and the departure of Ronald Curry.

The number of transfers at Chapel Hill doesn't bother Tar Heels coach John Bunting, who learned of their value during five successful years as head coach at Division III Rowan College.

"The admissions people at Rowan always told me that I was getting someone else's headaches, that there's a problem with the kid," Bunting says. "You are rolling the dice some. You try to explore his family life, high school coaches and make the best decision. We turned our program at Rowan around with the transfers. If you have a 50 Percent success rate, you are doing good. I think the guys I have here have a tremendous chance for success."

Some other transfers who figure to have big impacts this fall:

QB Jon Beutjer (transferred from Iowa), Illinois. A rangy junior, he is in a three-way battle with junior Dustin Ward and sophomore Mark Kornfeld to succeed Kurt Kittner. Beutjer, an Illinois native, started four games at Iowa.

RBs Deon Burnett (Washington State) and Larry Croom (Arizona), UNLV. These two juniors make it eight former Pac-10 players UNLV coach John Robinson has taken in since landing in Las Vegas in 1999. Joe Haro, who in 2001 became the Rebels' first 1,000-yard rusher since 1985, is back, but Croom, who is especially promising, and Burnett will make noise.

WR Devard Darling (Florida State), Washington State. The sophomore is a big target who could start in the spread attack in place of the departed Nakoa McElrath. Darling is the twin brother of Devaughn, who died after a conditioning session last year at FSU.

WRs D.J. Hackett (Cal State Northridge) and Ron Monteilh (Oregon State), Colorado. The Buffs need targets with size and speed. These two have both, which means Colorado could have a passing game to match its formidable ground attack.

DT Lynn McGruder (Tennessee),

Oklahoma. Tommie Harris and Kory Klein, among others, are back, but there's always room for a big, mobile body.

QB A.J. Suggs (Tennessee), Georgia Tech. Suggs, a junior who started four games at Tennessee in 2000, may be part of a quarterback rotation for the Yellow Jackets.

S Madieu Williams (Towson State), Maryland. Don't be fooled by his small-school status. Williams, who was named the Terps' scout-team player of the year in 2001, likely will start in a depleted secondary.