I know he was mentioned the other day, but check out this article in today's Star-Ledger on Brian Leonard. He'd definitely fit the category of a "Mangini Guy:" Leonard Wins "Academic" Heisman Wednesday, December 06, 2006 Rutgers fullback Brian Leonard added another highlight to his memorable season last night when he was awarded the prestigious Draddy Trophy at The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame's 49th Annual Awards Dinner in New York. The Draddy Trophy, known as the "academic" Heisman, recognizes an individual for combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership. In addition to a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy, Leonard receives a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship. A total of $320,000 was awarded to Leonard and the other 16 finalists, who each received $18,000 scholarships. "We are proud to bestow this honor on Brian Leonard," said NFF President Steven J. Hatchell in presenting the 17th annual Draddy Trophy. "He represents an unbelievable group. Brian joins an elite group of past recipients who serve as the perfect role models for all young players to emulate." Leonard, whose performance this season helped lead Rutgers to a 10-2 record and a date in the Texas Bowl against Kansas State on Dec. 28 in Houston, also remained a role model off the field, both academically and in serving the community. A Labor and Employment Relations major, Leonard has earned Academic All-Conference honors three times and a spot on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team in 2005. Leonard twice earned First Team All-America honors by Pro Football Weekly. A two-time First Team All-Conference selection, Leonard has amassed 2,731 rushing yards and 1,862 receiving yards during his career. A 2006 team captain, he was instrumental in teammate Ray Rice's superb season. Leonard has participated in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life walk and Read Across America. A volunteer in the opening ceremonies of the New Jersey Special Olympics, he has traveled to several local hospitals to visit with children and hand out gifts. Leonard also serves as a speaker for high school athletics events and football camps. He becomes Rutgers' sixth National Scholar-Athlete, the first since Nathaniel Jones in 2003. Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history to credit a player for both academic and athletic accomplishments. The centerpiece to the NFF's scholar-athlete program, which has awarded $8.3 million to 678 top athletes, the Draddy Trophy, first awarded in 1990, honors Manhattan College quarterback and former NFF Chairman Vincent dePaul Draddy. Candidates must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first-team player and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The Texas Bowl between Rutgers and Kansas State will be telecast on the NFL Network. Because many homes don't have access to that channel, the Big East Conference has said it is negotiating to also broadcast the game in the New York metropolitan area on "free TV." Tickets to the game are available online (RutgersBowl.com), by phone (866-445-GORU) and in person at the Rutgers ticket office. Tickets are priced at $75, $50, $35 and $25. Tickets will be free to any Rutgers student who goes to the ticket office and shows his ID. They may be picked up at the game at Reliant Stadium.
I dont get the love affair with rugters on this and other Jet forums. You didnt go there. Its the New York Jets.
It was mentioned the other day by someone (Baamf?) that the Jets might have mentioned Leonard as someone they have an eye on.... or so the rumor went. I was merely pointing out that with Leonard's acedemic accolades accompanying the physical play of this guy, he's definitely someone the Jets might be interested in come April. We need a running attack and to do that we need blocking. I'm not sure Askew is the man and it's very possible we might consider Leonard, that's all. Sorry if it irritates you.
Some people went there, and it's not like there are many great college teams in the NJ-NY area...at least not since Syracuse years ago.
i live in california...i applied to Rutgers and got in, and if it werent for my living setup out in jersey, i would have for sure went there...rutgers is a great school
A good FB is hard to come by in todays NFL. Seattle and SD have GREAT blocking FBs which is why their run games are so formidable. Askew is not the answer, so all I want to know is if he can block. If he can block, I say take a run at him.
I'd love it. Of course I've been hoping the Knicks would take some of my Seton Hall guys for years now and that never happens, so I'm not holding my breath. They did bring Andre Barrett in for summer ball a couple years ago.
Do you mean that the Jets should not draft a Fullback before the seventh round, or that Leonard as a player is no better than a seventh rounder?
2007 NFL Draft Fullback Rankings 1. Brian Leonard Rutgers 6-2 234 2. Cory Anderson Tennessee 6-2 273 3. Dante Rosario (TE) Oregon 6-3 244 4. Jesse Allen Virginia Tech 6-0 249 5. Bryson Davis Mississippi St. 6-1 266 6. LeRon McClain Alabama 6-0 253 7. Desmond Williams Oregon 6-1 261 8. Tim Castille Alabama 5-11 227 9. Dane Todd Nebraska 5-11 235 10. Ryan Kock Iowa St. 6-2 244
I went to a college in the midwest. My son went to Rutgers and has a good job working for Merrill Lynch. Very good school... and cheap too (cheaper, let's put it that way), for NJ residents!
"I dont get the love affair with rutgers on this and other Jet forums. You didnt go there. Its the New York Jets." Alot of Jets fans live in NJ or Metro Area. You could pretty much get to rutgers within an ~hour no matter where you live in the vincinity. It is the biggest D1 football in the NY Metro area. Syracuse, BC, Temple and UConn might as well be in Montana. I cheer for Rutgers because my school is DIAA in football. Should I not cheer for a 1A football team cause i didn't go to school there? Of course not. So I root for Rutgers. I root for them because they are the closest school to me (just like Seton Hall Basketball, although, my school was D1, just NEC conference). besides, my brother went there too. years ago, i was an ND fan till i realized how stupid it was to cheer for a team because you were of Irish decent. I have not allegiance or ties to that school, so F ND. (no offense to those who are fans)
Well, he wouldn't be a FB in the true sense, more of an H-back/TE. Hell he would be a better RB then anyone we currently have. It would be a better 3rd round pick then a slow ass LB.
leonard would be a perfect fit for this team. i started the "draft brian leonard" topic last week, and i agree with it more now than ever. he's an offensive weapon in every sense of the word... can catch, can run, can block, he's smart, he's deceptively fast for his size, i would take him in the late 2nd early 3rd round in a heartbeat. if we dont' take him, i guarantee someone else does... he doesn't have a snowballs shot in hell of lasting past the 3rd/4th round.
Was that you who started that thread? I couldn't think of who it was. Well, he sounds like a great FB. I have to admit I haven't focused on him though. Still, late 2nd or early 3rd is pretty high. We're going to need a legit RB too, and an honest-to-goodness Corner, not to mention some more pass-rushing help on the the D-line, etc., etc. But we DO have that Redskins 2nd Rounder... Hmmm....
