yes....i know for sure....he got a full ride to florida (lots of schools were recruiting him including auburn).....here is the all-time usa todays high school all usa team (won't find any walk-ons on this list): USA TODAY's 20th anniversary All-USA team Position Player All-USA year QB Tim Couch '95 RB Emmitt Smith '86 RB Thurman Thomas '83 OL Mark Stepnoski '84 OL Aaron Taylor '89 OL Korey Stringer '91 OL Bob Whitfield '88 OL Orlando Pace '93 TE David LaFleur '91 WR Randy Moss '94 WR Charles Rogers '99 K Craig Hentrich '88 DL Darrell Russell '93 DL Grant Wistrom '93 DL Alonzo Spellman '88 DL Sam Adams '90 LB Sean Gilbert '88 LB Derrick Brooks '90 LB Jess Armstead '88 LB Chris Spielman '83 DB Rod Woodson '82 DB Mark Carrier '85 DB Charles Woodson '94 P Tom Tupa '83
i'm an LSU alum but this just shows how media hype just doesn't add up to the actual production of a player.... David LaFleur? Im sure most here can name many more productive TE's blocking as well as passing. Hell, anyone can. I could buy Robert Royal before him... but all time?
see what happens when you get old....i remember when mr. e. smith began his college career at florida and all 4 years he played (you wouldn't even know he was on the darn team given spurrier's obsession with quarterbacks)....remember dallas drafting him....his nfl career.....and i guess now his retirement......all of this happened after i was long gone from lsu....goes by quick (i remember chris mullin playing for st. john's and patrick ewing's freshman year at georgetown too.....but never saw babe ruth play).
oh yeah well I didnt see him in HS so i cant comment. He musta regressed as a college player. (not bashing him, I just never saw anything that equalled 1/2 the hype) also, wasn't emmitts first game against Bama and he ran all over them? something like 230 yds or something which was a precursor of the Emmitt we became used to seeing....
his 3rd game was against bama and you're right he ran all over them: Smith stayed in the Sunshine State for college, enrolling at Florida in 1987. His first start came in his third game -- against Alabama. He responded by rushing for a school-record 224 yards on 39 carries and two touchdowns in a 23-14 upset. In his seventh game, he passed the 1,000-yard mark faster than any other runner in college football history. Although a freshman, he led the Southeastern Conference in rushing with 1,341 yards. as far as la fleur goes.....you know how it goes.....he has the height, weight, maybe some speed....its what they look for when they fill the positions......ok in college......not so in the nfl......was he ever going to be another ozzie newsome (no way).
Give David a little bit of credit. He was a 1st round pick by the Cowboys, and played 4 years in the league before injuries cut that short. Keep in mind that he played during the Dinardo era, and didn't have nearly the talent around him for some of those years.
I kinda thought it was strange Emmitt would be a walk-on but the announcer at the beginning of the game talked about him being a freshman walk-on. Also mentioned something about Galen Hall having limited scholorships due to probation and that being the reason he walked-on. Maybe this announcer didn't know what he was talking about...like me.
