Colorado State wide receiver Rashard Higgins is hoping the number 13 is lucky for him. NFL.com’s CFB 24/7 ranked him No. 13 on their list of best offensive players for 2015.
Cathleen Allison of the AP had this to say about Higgins:
“When CSU quarterback Garrett Grayson was busy attracting NFL scouts last year, this is the guy he was usually looking for. The margin by which Higgins’ numbers dwarfed the team’s other receivers suggests Grayson rarely had to look for his second read. He caught 96 passes for 1,750 yards and 17 touchdowns; the Rams’ No. 2 receiver, Joe Hansley, posted just 35-540-2. Higgins was a consensus first-team All-American and a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. This fall, he’ll have to overcome the transition to a new coach, a new offense and a new quarterback.”
Indeed, Allison points to some big challenges on the horizon for Higgins, only the third consensus first-team All-American in school history.
Earlier this year, new head coach Mike Bobo had very direct words to say about his newly-inherited star:
“Rashard has that mentality that he can’t be covered, but he works extremely hard,” Bobo said. “I made it a point when I took the job (in December) that I knew here was a guy who was first-team All-American but I was going to be hardest on him.”
Adding to the challenge of living up to the high expectations he set for himself are health concerns. Higgins was held out of spring practices and the annual Green and Gold game due to a lingering hamstring issue.
And no doubt he’ll be watching closely as sophomore Nick Stevens and freshman Coleman Key battle for the starting quarterback position. The winner will have big shoes to fill in trying to replace Grayson, who is now with the New Orleans Saints.
If Allison is correct, though, that person won’t have to take many second looks in 2015 – the No. 13 offensive player and his head coach will make sure of that.