Up next in Reviewing the Class of 2009 is running back David Oku, who presented to Tennessee with this:
It was a bit of a surprise that Oku ranked as only RTT#16 to begin with. After all, he was ranked the #1 overall all-purpose running back in the nation by Rivals, a special sub-category of running backs, and the 9th-best running back (no special qualification) in the nation by Scout. Four stars by both services is also quite good, but he was undone some by a top three offer package of Michigan, Ole Miss, and Auburn. Not shabby, but not exactly Florida, Alabama, and USC, either.
So what did he do his first year in orange?
| GP | Rushing | Receiving | Kickoff Ret. |
TTL TDs |
Pts | ||||||||
| No | Gain | Loss | Net | TDs | No | Yds | TD | No | Yds | TD | |||
| 13 | 23 | 99 | 5 | 94 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 33 | 863 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
Oku played in all 13 games and was quite productive, especially as a kick returner. Most of his non-kickoff return stats came against Western Kentucky, against whom he rushed for 42 yards and had two TDs. After that, he mostly gave way to Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown, but he did get more of an opportunity against South Carolina and Memphis, and did fairly well there, too.
Highlights:
If you ask me, those highlights are more impressive than the stats, perhaps just because seeing anything good happen on special teams is, well, special. But I really like this guy, and not just because he conjures up memories of Travis Stephens.
So to me, David Oku is either the first overachiever of the Class of 2009 or he was just ranked too low right out of the gate. Which do you think it was? Or did he just live up to your expectations?