Our countdown of the Pac-12’s Top 25 players from the 2013 season continues.
You can review our 2013 preseason Top 25 here.
No. 23: Hroniss Grasu, C, Oregon
2013 numbers: As is always with the case with offensive linemen, it’s tough to gauge their individual statistical impact. But he anchored the line for the No. 1 scoring offense in the Pac-12 (45.5 points per game), the top rushing offense in the league (273.5 yards per game) and the No. 1 total offense in the league (565 yards per game). The Ducks line also allowed just 18 sacks in 13 games, the third-lowest total in the league.
Preseason ranking: No. 23
Making the case for Grasu: When we started making the postseason list and evaluating offensive linemen, there was no debate. “Grasu has to be there,” your Pac-12 bloggers said in sitcom-like unison. Named an All-American by several publications, Grasu gave the Ducks an instant boost by announcing he’d return for another season alongside quarterback Marcus Mariota (spoiler alert: Mariota is somewhere on this list, too). Grasu has been the Pac-12 first-team all-conference center for two seasons and was one of six finalists for the Rimington Trophy after starting all 13 games. He also paved the way for yet another 1,000-yard rusher from Oregon as Byron Marshall totaled 1,038 yards. Expect Grasu to be on most 2014 preseason All-America lists -- and more than likely the postseason ones as well.
No. 25: Myles Jack, LB/RB, UCLA