Michael Lev column: Arizona Wildcats running back Michael Wiley is the most underestimated player in the Pac-12 Conference. Why does he continue to be overlooked?
The most underrated player in the Pac-12 Conference — which, despite recent developments, is still a thing — plays right here in Tucson.That would be Michael Wiley, whose greatness has slipped through the cracks the way the fifth-year running back darts through defenders.
Wiley did make the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation’s top running back. It’s a well-deserved honor. But it’s also not exactly an exclusive club; the watch list consists of 75 players. Wiley played through a couple of different injuries in 2021. He averaged just 2.28 yards after contact per rushing attempt that season.It’s no wonder his overall yards per attempt more than doubled, climbing from 3.3 to 6.8.
Speaking of which, many in my industry are still too focused on that stat — rushing yards — when it comes to assessing running backs. Carrying the ball is their primary job, of course. But it shouldn’t be the one and only criterion. “He can catch like a wide receiver,” Graham said of Wiley. “If lose 10 pounds, he can play wide receiver tomorrow.
Among backs with at least 33 targets, Wiley tied for seventh nationally with an ADOT of 1.5 yards. That was 0.3 yards higher than Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs, whom the Detroit Lions selected 12th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft largely because of his ability to be a multipurpose weapon.
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