3. Steven Manfro, UCLA, RB/WR/KR: If Bruins fans hadn't heard about the redshirt freshman before spring, they almost certainly did by the end of UCLA's spring game when the 5-10, 190-pounder lit up the Rose Bowl making big play after big play.
It's crazy to think that the guy who had almost 3,500 rushing and receiving yards and 39 TDs from scrimmage his senior year in Southern California at Valencia High only had offers from Wyoming and UCLA. The new Bruins staff is lucky to have him though.
Manfro, who lists Maurice Jones-Drew and
Danny Woodhead as his favorite athletes, has earned the nickname
"the White Mamba" for his exploits on the field. UCLA coaches say Manfro – pegged as more quick than fast -- "flashed" in every practice they had and can be a line-up-all-over the field difference-maker as well as
game-breaker for all of the Quick Game stuff new OC Noel Mazzone wants to run.
The kid's family also has an amazing backstory, as detailed here by Fox's Lisa Horne.
"I'm excited about him," says Mazzone, who has a strong group of weapons out of the backfield that also include Jonathan Franklin and Jordon James. "He's a perfect hybrid for what we do. He can run routes. He's flexible enough to get in the slot. He's a back that can run in between the tackles and can play in the slot."
