re: 30 for 30 thread - ESPN

Clarett didn't reach LeBron's level in terms of nation-wide media stardom. But he was an absolute legend on and off the field and by his senior year considered one of the greatest to ever play high-school football in Ohio.

He actually lost nearly 10 pounds from the end of his senior year up to opening day in Columbus by training like a maniac for so many hours a day. His senior year at Harding, he was a legit 5'11 235 pounds, and could bench 400+ and squat 600+.

He looked like an offensive guard and routinely injured opposing players. I'll never forget when he rushed for 411 yards and 5 TD's against 11-0 St Ed's -- a school that consistently pumps out tons of d-1 talent -- including delivering a vicious pancake shoulder charge without breaking stride on way to a 70 yard touchdown.

It's at 1:30 or so on his HS film, LINK , in which he doesn't get tackled until like the 6 or 7 minute mark.


As for what happened at Ohio State, I've never seen Clarett as a 'typical hoodlum', because he's not, although Youngstown is certainly full of them. He's intelligent and thoughtful in many ways. He's also definitely border-line manic/paranoid/OCD/narcissist, which allowed him to push himself from day one and grab the starting job. It came with problems, too.

Truly a tragic story. When he was 'on' mentally and giving himself 100% to the game, he approached Adrian Peterson territory, imo. The 200+ yard performance against a Washington State team that played in a BCS bowl and only allowed 1 other 100 yard rusher all year... Craziness watching upper-classmen linebackers bouncing off a freshman during the first few weeks of the seeason.

Alas, his running style invited a lot of punishment. He racked up great numbers at Ohio State despite being injured 2/3rds the year. The injuries would have accumulated and he probably would have worn out physically in the pros, even if he had fortified himself mentally.