Top-10 players outside of the Power Five conferences
By Robert Judin
9. Ray Lawry – HB, Old Dominion
I’d bet you didn’t anticipate a true sophomore cracking this list. Well, Ray Lawry has been that good during his brief time with Old Dominion.
As a true-freshman running back, Lawry tore up opposing defenses. In 12 games, he rushed for 947 yards on 134 attempts. Are you kidding me? That’s an average of 7.1 yards per carry. Did I mention he broke into the end zone 16 times, too? The kid is legitimate — mark my words.
Oh, but he doesn’t really go up against any “good” teams, right? False. Listen, folks, football is football. That’s the whole point of this list. If he can torch one team with his running ability, he can torch others.
And when Old Dominion put up 34 points on North Carolina State (an ACC school) last year, Lawry rushed for 71 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns.
In his first game of the 2015 season against Eastern Michigan, Lawry got off for 223 rushing yards on 28 carries with four touchdowns.
It’s hard to believe he was a three-star prospect out of Woolwich, N.J.
I say that like three-star prospects don’t go on to accomplish big things. Johnny Manziel was a three-star recruit. J.J. Watt only had two stars and was listed as a tight end. I’m not going to elevate Lawry to that level just yet, but he’s done a great job so far at catapulting himself.
At 5-foot-10, 192 pounds he has a Maurice Jones-Drew running style — low to the ground and decisive. The moves are superbly athletic, but he has good vision of the second and third levels from the backfield. Right now, Lawry seems to be a one-cut type of running back with the acceleration to get past the safeties. More importantly, he knows how to plant his foot in the ground and get north.
Expect Lawry to continue putting up big numbers as his game progresses.
Next: No. 8 Xavier Woods