Three-Star Checkup: ACC running backs running wild
Each week during the college football season we’ll use Wednesday as a chance to look back at three three-star prospects that shined during the previous week’s college football action. Today we will focus on a trio of ACC running backs who had big games in their teams victories on Saturday.
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As a recruit: Homer had a short offer list as a three-star member of the Class of 2016, but it included power programs Alabama, Florida, Florida State and Notre Dame. But the South Florida native never seemed like he was going to stray too far from home and he made an early commitment to the Canes during the spring of his junior year and never wavered.
What he did this week: Homer has been the main man in the Miami backfield since star running back Mark Walton went out with an injury earlier this year and he’s making the most of his time in the spotlight. In Saturday’s win over Notre Dame, Homer had one of his best games of the season, rushing for 146 yards on just 18 carries and also catching two passes for 24 yards. With three games left to play and an appearance in the ACC Championship Game on the schedule, it’s not out of the question that Homer finishes with a 1,000-yard season. Walton will likely have a chance to enter the NFL Draft early and Canes fans should feel pretty good about having Homer as an option for the rest of this season and in 2018.
As a recruit: Etienne emerged on the recruiting scene after a breakout junior season and quickly jumped on the chance to commit to Texas A&M following his junior year. But he didn’t stick with the Aggies for long and re-opened his commitment after two months. That opened the door for Clemson, LSU and Tennessee to enter the mix and after taking late trips to see both the Vols and the Tigers, Etienne surprised many by committing to Clemson just a week before National Signing Day.
What he did this week: Etienne has been one of the biggest surprises in college football this season, stepping into Clemson and quickly becoming one of the team’s most exciting offensive playmakers. In Saturday’s win over Florida State, he had another big game, rushing for 97 yards and two touchdowns while also catching one pass for 16 yards. Etienne only has two games this season in which he’s had double digit carries but he’s averaging nearly eight yards a carry on the year. Clemson continues to employ a running back by committee approach, but with each passing week, Etienne keeps looking like a future star for the Tigers.
As a recruit: The speedy Colburn was a standout on the camp circuit during the offseason of 2014 and grabbed the attention of several mid-major programs. But once Louisville pulled the trigger on an offer, Colburn jumped on the chance to commit to the Cardinals, making his commitment official in June. After shutting down his recruitment from that point forward, Colburn was blindsided when the Cardinals asked him to grayshirt just two weeks prior to Signing Day. He ended up backing off his commitment to Louisville and Georgia Southern and Wake Forest emerged as options, he officially visited both schools and signed with the Demon Deacons a few days after Signing Day in 2015.
What he did this week: Colburn has been a steady contributor since arriving at Wake Forest, rushing for nearly 1,000 yards combined during his freshman and sophomore seasons. But over the last three games he’s emerged as a major playmaker for the Demon Deacons and in Saturday’s win over Syracuse he had the best game of his career. Colburn rushed for 237 yards and two touchdowns, setting career-highs in both categories. Colburn got some sweet revenge on Louisville last month when he rushed for 134 yards in Wake’s victory.
