Saturday, Duke Blue Devils freshman running back Shaun Wilson had a tough act to follow after breaking into the open field and taking his first carry against the Kansas Jayhawks 69 yards for a touchdown.
Record-breaking Duke RB Shaun Wilson is this week’s impact freshman
A school-record rushing effort definitely classifies as an impact performance.
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But he added a 68-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and a 45-yard run in the fourth quarter that followed a 32-yard effort. Wilson was able to run for a school-record 245 rushing yards and three touchdowns, an average of more than 20 yards per carry.
The performance by Wilson managed to outshine an impressive week by true freshmen around the country. Baylor wide receiver K.D. Cannon continued his assault on opposing defenses with six catches for 189 yards and a highlight 89-yard touchdown in the first quarter against Buffalo, while Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya set a Hurricane record for a true freshman passer in throwing for 324 yards and four touchdowns against Arkansas State.
On the defensive side of the ball, Texas A&M freshman defensive end Myles Garrett continued his strong start with 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and eight total tackles against Rice.
But none of those performances were as impactful as the work of Wilson in helping Duke dismantle Kansas, 41-3.
There had already been flashes for the product of West Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte -- in second-half appearances in the first two games of the season, he played 30 snaps and gained 87 yards on nine carries, a 9.9-yard per-carry average that provided evidence of his explosiveness.
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At 5’9 and 180 pounds, Wilson is on the small side for a major-college running back, which may explain why he was a consensus mid-three-star prospect out of high school. In fact, Wilson measured at 5’8 and 165 pounds at a Nike event.
Ranked as the No. 70 running back nationally and the No. 879 player in the country by the 247Sports Composite rankings, Wilson received only six other offers besides Duke, ranging from small schools like Appalachian State, Charlotte, and Marshall to bigger schools like Kansas State, Louisville, and Wake Forest.
His testing numbers didn't help him out much -- he ran a 4.90 40 at the aforementioned Nike camp, with a 4.80 shuttle time and a 29.5-inch vertical jump. In one-on-one drills, however, Wilson drew praise for the agility he wasn't able to showcase in the shuttle.
