Colorado State RB Dee Hart Exploding Onto NFL Draft Scene

Nov 8, 2014; Fort Collins, CO, USA; Colorado State Rams running back Dee Hart (10) carries the football in the third quarter against the Hawaii Warriors at Hughes Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The success of the Colorado State football program this season has been staggering to the average college football fan. So staggering, in fact, that many people might not even have really recognized any of that success until now, as the Rams are already 10-1 and in line for their best season in a long, long time.

There are plenty of reasons for that success, but namely the play of star quarterback Garrett Grayson, his top receiver Rashard Higgins, and former Alabama Crimson Tide transfer Dee Hart have contributed to the success of an offense that is one of the most explosive in college football.

All three of these players are legitimate NFL prospects, but the subject of this post is the running back Hart, who has had a very interesting rise to prominence as a member of this Rams team.

Hart came from Alabama and ‘reunited’ with former assistant coach Jim McElwain, the head coach of the Colorado State program who is the man responsible for this phenomenal turnaround of the Rams’ program.

So far this season, Hart has put together a phenomenal stat line of 1,139 yards on 164 carries with 18 total touchdowns (16 rushing), including 11 total touchdown in his last three games. At just 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, Hart is not the most impressively sized back but he is shifty and can make big, explosive plays as both a runner and receiver.

A former five-star prospect, Hart has one year of eligibility left with CSU after graduating in just three years at Alabama. Graduating with a criminal justice degree from Alabama, it’s ironic that his departure from the Crimson Tide program was due to his inability to stay out of trouble with the law.

One of the most talented players in the country coming out of high school in the class of 2011, Hart was ranked by Rivals.com has the top all-purpose back in the nation, and is proving some of why he earned those marks this year as a member of the Rams football program.

On Saturday, he helped Colorado State to a win with 230 yards rushing, five rushing touchdowns, and a sixth touchdown as a receiver. Hart’s explosion onto the scene this year is the culmination of what could have been with Alabama, and what always should have been. He’s staying out of trouble, and he’s making plays on the football field.

NFL teams will evaluate his past to see if it’s an indicator of future behavior, but this is a young player that is exciting to watch and has a very bright future ahead.