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. 11: Marion Grice, RB, Arizona State
2013 numbers: With an average of 10.9 points per game, Grice led the Pac-12 in scoring average. And had it not been for an injury that kept him out of the final couple of games, there’s a good chance he would have led the league in total touchdowns. As it stands, he crossed the goal line 20 times in 2013 -- 14 times rushing and six more receiving. He rushed for 996 yards and also caught 50 balls for 438 yards.
Preseason ranking: No. 24
Making the case for Grice: A day or so after Grice hauled in a one-handed catch during ASU’s 53-24 win over Washington, head coach Todd Graham and offensive coordinator Mike Norvell asked each other, “Who does he remind you of?” Neither had an answer. Because Grice brought a very unique skill set that was a perfect fit for what the Sun Devils wanted to do offensively. He’s not the fastest runner, but he has a way of sliding off tackles and, of course, finding the end zone. Whether it was picking up 15 yards in the red zone, selling his role in the option or bringing in the aforementioned one-handed catch, Grice was a do-it-all back. He was named second-team all-conference and led all running backs nationally with six touchdown receptions. And perhaps his greatest stat, the one all coaches hold most sacred, is that he tied nationally for first with zero fumbles lost.
No. 12: Xavier Su'a-Filo, OL, UCLA
No. 13: Tyler Gaffney, RB, Stanford
No. 14: Taylor Kelly, QB, Arizona State
No. 15: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon
No. 16: Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State
No. 17: Paul Richardson, WR, Colorado
No. 18: Shayne Skov, LB, Stanford
No. 19: Scott Crichton, DE, Oregon State
No. 20: Trevor Reilly, DE/OLB, Utah
No. 21: Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State
No. 22: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington
No. 23: Hroniss Grasu, C, Oregon
No. 25: Myles Jack, LB/RB, UCLA