Gale Sayers. John Hadl. Devin Neal?
It’s been in the news lately that EA Sports is in the final stages of its preparation to launch the latest console version of College Football, the first such edition since 2014. Recently, Michael Swain over at 247Sports broke down who he thinks will be the 10 highest rated Jayhawks in the upcoming release.
Some of the older NCAA Football video game versions had all-time great teams, or at the least, some historical teams that you could play with. With that in mind, six years ago, I… holy (edited)… six years ago? Good God. Time flies when you’re having fun I guess. Um. Anyway. Apparently, six years ago, I created the Ultimate KU Depth Chart as I struggled to remember fonder times during the David Beaty doldrums. After some additional research, I have modified the all-time depth chart a bit and am now prepared to publish an updated version.
With apologies to some KU all-time greats such as Mike McCormack, Ollie Spencer, and George Mrkonic, let’s reveal the offense in today’s post, in an EA Sports-style depth chart.
No doubt, questions abound. Should Jalon Daniels be on this list yet? What about Devin Neal? I figured since they’re current, active players, that they shouldn’t qualify for an all-time great roster yet, but that’s admittedly a bit of a cop-out as these questions will have to be dealt with within a year or two anyway.
In regards to Daniels, despite his injury issues last year he is already a top-10 quarterback in program history in terms of yards, completions, touchdowns, and even completion percentage. Who do you bump? The Heisman finalist (Jaynes)? The 13-year NFL vet (Douglass)? The two-time first team All-American and top-10 NFL draft pick (Hadl)? I just don’t think Daniels is there yet.
That said, if Daniels plays a majority of the games in 2024, he could easily move into the top-3 in multiple categories. He is only 1,085 passing yards behind Kelly Donohoe for third on the all-time list, and 2,113 yards behind Frank Sauer for the #2 spot. Notably, with 31 career TD passes, he is just seven more away from being second on that list – but I don’t think anyone is catching Todd Reesing’s 90 career TDs anytime soon.
The same question must be posed when discussing Devin Neal – who do you cut to make room? Neal’s stats from 2023 are arguably better than Sands’ senior year, so that could make sense. And by the end of this upcoming season, Neal could own multiple career records at KU. He’s already #4 on the career rushing yards list and will have a good shot at passing June Henley for the top spot in multiple categories this coming season.
Regarding the previous post from six years ago, I bumped McCormack, Spencer, and Mrkonic simply due to the way the game is played nowadays. I just felt it would be pretty difficult for 6’2” 225 lb offensive lineman from 1952 (Mrkonic) to compete with today’s (simulated) athletes. So, I looked for guys in the last 50(ish) years who were NFL draft picks and/or all-conference selections.
Note: You’ll see Nolan Cromwell on the defensive side of the ball for this all-time KU team. I’ll unveil the defense next week.
Overall, what do you think? Are there any glaring omissions?
Do you go full Mike Leach Air Raid? Or maybe go full triple option and get as many of those halfbacks and fullbacks on the field as possible?