Jake Sharp

ToughJ.Riggins

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Man, at least I awoke in the middle of the night (as per usual) to good news. Celtic, we may have overreacted based on all the past screw jobs on white players, but the truth is even the announcers were perplexed and hadn't heard a thing about Jake being injured. They were so confused the network sent the sideline reporter down to check (with the trainers etc.) if Jake was hurt. The half time crew hadn't heard anything either.

My guess is Jake wasn't able to play 100% effective, so Mangino thought it would be best to not play him unless he had no choice against a bad Duke team. However, they probably didn't announce the injury to keep the Blue Devils on their heals. Maybe the Walrus isn't all that bad and learned from his Crawford misjudgment last year.
 

backrow

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and before we start going crazy:

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Kansas running back Jake Sharp (undisclosed injury) will likely be a game-time decision against Southern Miss next week.
Coach Mangino is clearly worried about keeping his top tailback healthy for the marathon that is the season, so at this very early point in the week we'd advise keeping Sharp on the bench. Backup Toben Opurum is looking like a good start this week. Sep. 21 - 9:00 am et
Source: Topeka Capital-Journal

it's a damn shame, because he would be getting his numbers up like there's no tomorrow. damn.
 

Colonel_Reb

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Thanks for posting this info, backrow. If the injury is that bad, its better to be safe than sorry. I'm like you though, it would be nice to see him get more stats.
 

dwid

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hopefully he can miss this game and still break 1,000 yards this season even though he really didnt play last game. He was looking extremely fast the first two games, it was unreal. He is on an entirely different level than the backup, even the dwf's realize that.Edited by: dwid
 

Jimmy Chitwood

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Land Walrus says Sharp should be back against Cyclones.

Kansas coach Mark Mangino said that running back Jake Sharp could have played in an emergency, but he didn't want to take any risks.


"I don't want to do that to Jake here in his senior year,"Â￾ Mangino said. "He's meant too much to this program. He's got too much invested in this program for me to put him at risk and him miss the rest of the year because I was selfish."Â￾


Mangino said he expects Sharp will be ready to play on Oct. 10 against Iowa State. Freshman Toben Opurum carried 28 times for 109 yards and a touchdown and caught a 12-yard touchdown pass in Sharp's absence. Mangino said there would be no competition when Sharp returned and that he would stick with Sharp as his No. 1 back.
it seems lard-o Mangina (heh) has finally realized just how good Jake is ... let's hope the speedster blows up against ISU.
 

Colonel_Reb

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I hate to hear that Jake's injury is a nagging one. I hope he gets better soon though. His team needs him to be 100%.
 

ToughJ.Riggins

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I wonder if Sharp will ask for a 5th year of eligibility b/c of this nagging injury. His red-shirt was burned as a freshman mostly for special teams. Jake only had 21 rushes as a true frosh. Does anyone know what his chances would be for being granted that? His chance at a combine invite doesn't look good right now- with this injury and his melanin "problem".
 

Colonel_Reb

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Sharp should ask for it no matter the chances of it being granted.
 

white lightning

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I feel so bad for Sharp. This year was supposed to be his coming out party. He was going to show the NFL that he is legit. Other running backs like W.McGhee have still gotten a chance? Will Sharp get the chance? You tell me but I wouldn't hold my breath. He is as fast as any running back in the country. He also has nice power and great ability to cut on a dime. We need him to get healthy. Maybe he can still get there by the last few games of the year. I want him in the NFL Combine period!
 

ToughJ.Riggins

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I think Sharp's NFL chances hinge on him asking for a 5th year of eligibility, unless his injury status improves. If he is close to 100%, Mangino should be giving this guy 20-25 carries a game down the stretch. Mangino needs to show him some love. If Sharp is not close to 100% at this point, Mangino needs to sit him and help Sharp in his quest to get a 5th year of eligibility.

What do you guys think of a "relatively fairer" team like the Packers signing Jake Sharp? I am hopeful a team like the Packers will draft Gerhart either in the late 1st round or late 2nd round (if he's still available) and draft Jake Sharp in the 6th or 7th round or bring him in as a priority FA. Ted Thompson seems to be a little fairer than most GMs, but he probably won't be able to give an incredible white player like Sharp a chance unless his stats are better or he gets a combine invite. Ted Thompson would take heat for "whitening" the Packers offense. I'm hoping the Packers make it to the Superbowl so Ted Thompson won't take any "heat". Ted Thompson could also help himself from taking "heat" by drafting a talented scrambling BLACK QB like Jacory Harris to compete with Matt Flynn for the backup QB/wildcat role!
 

FootballDad

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Just an update on Jake Sharp and his Pro Day. He ruled the place according to the KU Sports website:


<H2 ="er">Sharp steals show at KU ProDay</H2>
<H3 ="sub_er">KU running back runs best 40 and lifts most weight</H3>
<DIV ="pre-story-tools">
By Matt Tait
<DIV ="breadcrumbs">
<DIV ="">
<DIV ="lead_inline story_lead_photo">
<DIV ="photo">http://www2.kusports.com/photos/2009/sep/19/177767/
Photo by Nick Krug
Kansas running back Jake Sharp watches the action from the bench during the fourth quarter against Duke Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Jayhawk Pro Day stats
<DIV id=story_ ="story_">
<DIV ="inline text_inline inline-left ">


Unofficial 40-yard dash times
<UL>
<LI>Kayl Anderson 5.18, 5.10
<LI>Caleb Blakesley 5.35, 5.37
<LI>Dezmon Briscoe 4.48, 4.50
<LI>Kerry Meier 4.53, 4.57
<LI>Maxwell Onyegbule 4.9, 4.81
<LI>Raimond Pendleton 4.78, 4.75
<LI>Todd Reesing 4.89, 4.82
<LI>Jake Sharp 4.34, 4.37
<LI>Justin Thornton 4.7, 4.61
<LI>Arist Wright 4.65, 4.61</LI>[/list]


Bench press reps at 225 pounds
<UL>
<LI>Kayl Anderson 10
<LI>Caleb Blakesley 15
<LI>Dezmon Briscoe 11
<LI>Maxwell Onyegbule 18
<LI>Raimond Pendleton 10
<LI>Jake Sharp 19
<LI>Justin Thornton 5
<LI>Arist Wright 18
<LI>Todd Reesing Did Not Lift
<LI>Kerry Meier Did Not Lift</LI>[/list]
<DIV ="inline inline_gallery inline-left ">
<H5 ="">Photo Gallery</H5>
<H4 ="name">2010 KU football Pro Day</H4>
<DIV id=gallery_5039 ="gallery">http://www2.kusports.com/photos/galleries/2010/mar/10/2010-ku-football-pro-day/


The Kansas University football team's Pro Timing Day at Anschutz Pavilion on Wednesday easily could have been renamed Jake Sharp Day.


Of all the Jayhawks who participated â€" 10 players from the 2009 team plus KU alums Joe Mortensen (2008) and Jason Swanson (2005) â€" the former KU running back ran the fastest 40-yard dash (4.34 seconds), recorded the most reps in the bench press (19) and had two of the best leaps in the vertical and broad jump tests.
<DIV ="inline inline_photo inline-left ">
http://www2.kusports.com/photos/2010/mar/10/188277/
Running back Jake Sharp sprints to the finish during the 40-yard-dash portion of Pro Day, Wednesday, March 10, 2010 in Anschutz Pavilion.
<DIV ="inline inline_photo inline-left ">
http://www2.kusports.com/photos/2010/mar/10/188273/
ku_fbc_pro_day_08_t640.jpga6ea3ebd4438a44b86d2e9c39ecf7613005fe067
Photo by Nick Krug
Running back Jake Sharp gets up during the vertical leap portion of the Pro Day workout, Wednesday, March 10, 2010 in Anschutz Pavilion.


"His work ethic is phenomenal,"Â￾ former KU receiver Dezmon Briscoe said of Sharp. "He's one of the hardest-working players on the team, and his speed, I think he deserves a chance."Â￾


Sharp, who was not invited to the NFL combine last month in Indianapolis, made the most of his day in front of the scouts. In all, 11 NFL teams were represented on Wednesday. They included: Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Miami, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.


In addition to testing well in the timing and measurement portion of the event, Sharp caught every ball thrown his way during the on-field drills and flashed his speed whenever he was given the chance.


"You can run as fast as you want,"Â￾ Sharp said. "But if you can't catch a football, you're going to be in trouble. Everything holds weight and you just want to be the most complete player you can be."Â￾


For Sharp, that includes returning kicks, a position he said would be his most likely avenue to take when pursuing the NFL dream.


"If I play at the next level, that's always what I've thought I would be,"Â￾ he said.


Sharp was not the only player to perform well at KU's Pro Day. Briscoe, who underachieved at the NFL combine, came back with a vengeance, improving in four major areas. He dropped his 40 time by more than a tenth of a second (from 4.63 to 4.48), improved his vertical by an inch (from 33 to 34), topped his combine broad jump by nearly a foot (10 feet, 5 inches vs. 9-7) and recorded 11 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press, two more than he was credited with at the combine.


"I feel like I helped myself a whole lot,"Â￾ Briscoe said. "I feel like I bettered myself in everything I did today. Being around my teammates again, the adrenaline just got pumping. I wasn't going to do everything, but after I got going I just felt like going ahead."Â￾


Other KU seniors who joined Briscoe and Sharp on Wednesday were: long snapper Kayl Anderson, defensive tackle Caleb Blakesley, wide receiver Kerry Meier, defensive end Maxwell Onyegbule, wide receiver Raimond Pendleton, quarterback Todd Reesing, safety Justin Thornton and linebacker Arist Wright. Safety Darrell Stuckey also attended but did not participate in drills, instead deferring to his stellar effort at the NFL combine.


Notable performances from that group included: Reesing's 4.82 in the 40, Wright and Onyegbule recording 18 reps in the bench press and Meier running his 40 a tenth of a second faster than at the NFL combine (4.53).


All times recorded from Wednesday's Pro Day were unofficial, hand times. Official times were not released by the scouts.


Next up, these Jayhawks will continue to prepare for the NFL Draft, which is scheduled for April 22-24 in New York.


"We'll do private workouts (for NFL teams) the next two to three weeks and then we'll kind of shift gears to get him ready for training camp, football stuff,"Â￾ said Erik Burkhardt, Briscoe's agent. "This is underwear Olympics training that he's been doing."Â￾
ku_fbc_pro_day_04_t640.jpga6ea3ebd4438a44b86d2e9c39ecf7613005fe067
Edited by: FootballDad
 

TwentyTwo

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The NFL Combine's missing gem'....can't wait to see which team lands him...what round I think he should go in vs. what round he will go in are two different things

Last week I asked Kansas State RB Keithon Valentine (team's 2nd leading rusher) what he thought of Sharp....he said "he should get a shot"..."he's fast"...he agreed with the discrimmination of white tailbacks...
 

white lightning

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I know Jake Sharp would be happy just to get a tryout for a nfl team. Even just as a punt or kickoff returner. I don't think that is good enough. He should aim for higher goals. If that is how he can make a team at first, so be it but he should attempt to fight for one of the running back spots. I see no reason why he can't be a speed/scat back to compliment a power back on one of the teams. It's a damn shame he was snubbed from the nfl combine. We all know that he should have been there.

He has shown that he has the elite athleticism to play on Sundays! Now will one of the teams step up and draft this kid. I would be happy if he could just sneak into the lower part of the draft. Anywhere from a 5th to the 7th rounds would be fine. Good luck to this kid. It's a shame he had to be hurt most of his senior year. He would have put up some amazing numbers if he would have been healthy.
 

Don Wassall

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WL, I agree that Sharp is aiming too low. He should openly state that his goal is to be nothing less than a featured tailback in the NFL.

He might be better off not being drafted and then trying to sign with one of the teams that can most use his skill set. Either way,as with Danny Woodhead and all the other talented small and big White running backs over the past 25 years, he is facing almost insurmountable odds due to the NFL's extremist blacks-only hiring policies.
 

Thrashen

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I watched Kansas play many times during Sharp's career. On several occasions, the announcers talked endlessly about his 4.2 speed"¦and how he was certainly the fastest player on the team (and one of the fastest NCAA football players). It was a welcome change to hear white speed fawned over, for once.

Sharp could be a stockier, stronger version of Chris Johnson of the Titans. Johnson ran a similar 40 time, and was drafted accordingly despite a slightly above average NCAA career at East Carolina (based on the competition in Conference USA). Sharp is similar in many ways"¦accept for the most important characteristic of all.
 

ToughJ.Riggins

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I'd say Sharp is a poor man's Chris Johnson, a rich man's Leon Washington (better runner, he has even more potential as a WR, might not be quite as good a returner...we'll see). He could also be compared to Danny Woodhead or C.J Spiller. As of now, Sharp is a poor man's Danny Woodhead or C.J Spiller, but he has the potential there to be just as good I think. He just has to learn consistency with patience to follow his blocks and get his production back to what it was looking like this year before his injury.
 

whiteathlete33

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Sharp is another example of an extremely talented and athletic white kid who might not get a shot in the pros. He'd clearly be one the fastest running backs in the NFL and could compliment a power back with his speed. I'd hate to see him waste his talents returning kicks and punts. Sharp is in a better position than Woodhead was because he played for a big school as opposed to Chadron State.
Edited by: whiteathlete33
 

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Since he is a favorite here at CF and I often see inquiries about what is going on with him, I though I would post this article.

Jake Sharp runs YMCA Football Camp



Unfortunately, my oldest son, the football RB, is 13 and too old, or I would have driven him over to Bonner Springs for this camp, I would have liked to meet Jake in person.

From the article, it looks like we might see Jake resurface in the CFL, I would love to see him tear it up in the Great North.
 

TwentyTwo

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Thanks for the update Football Dad! So he sits out a year? Then gets a shot in the CFL??How does that work? What ever team he lands on would be my new favorite CFL team..try to catch as many games as possible on TV.

BTW Is your son in 7th or 8th grade??
 

FootballDad

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He plays 8th grade ball this year. He's tailback and defensive back (both corner and safety) for this team, so he's bucking the system. I'll keep an eye out for future Jake camps, since he says he'll do more.
 

TwentyTwo

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I wish your son nothing but the best this coming season! What's his team's racial make-up?? And what about his competition in the district/league??
 

FootballDad

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TwentyTwo said:
I wish your son nothing but the best this coming season! What's his team's racial make-up?? And what about his competition in the district/league??
Like the vast majority of middle schools across this great nation(?) his team is majority white, with only a couple of blacks. It is a fair representation of the school population. Most of the teams they will play are typical suburban/rural makeup, which means majority white, just like the country is. From what I've seen of the team, and from parents who have kids on other middle school teams in the area, there is some serious white talent. ALL of the fastest kids in my son's school are white. So much for blacks being naturally faster.
 

Don Wassall

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This article skirts around the real issues, and throws in the lie that Sharp is too small at 5-9 200 pounds, when many NFL backs are that size or close to it.


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<H1>Former Jayhawk Sharp still chasing NFL dreams</H1>
<DIV =byline_creditline>
<H4>By CANDACE BUCKNER The Kansas City Star</H4>
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Jake Sharp spent most of his weekend teaching Kansas kids how to sprint towards their dreams. This helps anchor his restless feet as he chases his own dreams.


Body control, quiet steps, good hips, he reminded his students Saturday morning during his Sharp Sports Performance Institute speed clinic at Olathe Northwest High School. The three adolescent girls, four little squirts with knees and elbows flying everywhere, a handful of lean teenage boys who were often reduced to blushed smiles and giggles during the awkward drills â€" 17 students in all â€" listened as Sharp introduced the speed ladder.


The speed ladder stretched horizontally across the gym floor from the baseline to past midcourt. It's intended to improve agility and body control. Sharp instructed the kids to run on their toes inside the open spaces between the rungs, just as he did growing up. He derived more than 30 minutes of various drills from this one contraption.


"Who aspires to be a collegiate athlete or a professional athlete?"Â Sharp asked the group.


Seven hesitant hands slowly raised outward. Sharp did not, but he could have raised his hand high.


Ever since he could pronounce the words, Sharp has wanted to play in the NFL. He was a central Kansas high school football record-breaker who later became the first Kansas Jayhawks running back to surpass 100 receiving yards in a game. Last spring, Sharp left KU with a bachelor's degree in sports management as well as more than 3,000 all-purpose yards, 29 touchdowns and rave reviews from his performance at the pro day â€" but no job offers.


"(The) NFL has something against me,"Â the 22-year-old Sharp would joke.


Maybe the league just has something against undersized running backs, but at 5 feet 9 and 200 pounds, all Sharp wants is a shot â€" one shot â€" to show what he can do. He also wants the same for youngsters who were just like him.


"He thinks Kansas kids aren't getting opportunities,"Â said Jackie Sharp, Jake's mother. "He just wants to help develop fast, strong kids. Give them a chance."Â


"¢ "¢ "¢


When Sharp and his partner and speed coach Joe Wilkerson tour the Sunflower State for these clinics, he can point out who may be the next Jake Sharp. They're easy to spot. In 10 minutes tops, he knows which one looks like a sponge â€" eyes wide open and ears tuned in to hear the next important instruction that could make them faster and stronger.


He was the same age as 11-year-old Cooper Harter, one of the youngest participants at the speed clinic on Saturday, when he first Ickey-Shuffled his way through a speed ladder. Except his contraption stretched down his parents' driveway.


"The kid has to have that drive, which is rare," Sharp said. "(He has to say) ‘I'm going to do this. That's what I'm going to do.'"Â


The truth is, as much as he looks for them, there just aren't too many miniature Jake Sharps running around.


Sharp was a different kid. From his days in the Salvation Army football league in Salina to playing as the featured back against Big 12 defenses, Sharp never stopped working to prove that his speed and skills eclipse his size.


"Jake never takes ‘no' for an answer," Jackie Sharp said. "Jake will fight to the top to show you."Â


"‘Just give me a chance and I'll show you that I can do it, and I can do it better.'"Â


"¢ "¢ "¢


Last March during KU's pro day, Sharp thought he had that chance. He needed a good showing after playing most of his senior season in 2009 while recovering from a broken leg. So he ran 4.42 seconds in the 40-meter dash. He measured a 36-inch vertical jump. He lifted 19 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. His 40 time would have ranked fourth best among running backs at the 2010 NFL combine, while his vertical jump and bench press also would have been among the top.


Interested teams contacted his agent, and the Chicago Bears invited Sharp to their minicamp. But nothing came from it.


"The thing that hurt Jake was the fact that he was injured a lot of his senior season,"Â said James Selmer, Sharp's agent. "NFL guys don't necessarily give you credit for playing tough and how that might impact you in playing less than a 100 percent."Â


"It seems to me that Jake has some interest "¦ but it's been difficult."Â


The phone didn't ring much over the summer, so Sharp did what most recent college graduates would do: He dumped his college apartment and moved back home. His parents call it "visiting." They know he'd rather be somewhere else â€" preferably someplace warm, where he's getting paid to play football. Instead, he spent his first fall in more than a decade without football back in Salina, staying in shape, hunting coyotes with an assault rifle and working odd jobs.


As much he loves kids, Sharp learned that maybe he's not cut out to be a substitute elementary physical education teacher. The first five minutes of tying shoelaces and brushing away tears can make some realize that they should get another job. So Sharp put into motion an idea he'd had since college â€" to give back by spreading the science of speed.


"It's something that I feel very passionate about," Sharp said. "Nobody really came back when I was a younger age (and say), ‘Jake, this is how you do it.'"Â


"(It's) an obligation, to a degree, to the community that helped me out a lot."Â


"¢ "¢ "¢


Near the end of the first Saturday session of the three-hour workout, Sharp and Wilkerson addressed the group. A father who heard about the speed clinic from a radio interview walked in and noticed the huddle. He leaned in and whispered to his son, "That's Jake Sharp."Â


Sharp still gets asked to pose for photographs and sign autographs. After all, KU football fans still remember him. While the window of opportunity is closing, Sharp believes he has one more shot before the NFL forgets his name.


Sharp's agent has plans to get him playing somewhere again â€" possibly an arena football league â€" just to make sure he gets exposure. The hope is that he signs an arena-league contract and the NFL or Canadian Football League finally gives him a real shot.


He could just give it up and step into the real world. Sharp has a degree and connections from Lawrence. He could land a nice job. But he's still very much like the kids who come out for his speed clinics. They all have dreams.


"I love working with kids and anybody who works with young people (knows) there's the energy, there's the hope. The world's at their fingertips. The world hasn't beaten them down yet,"Â Sharp said. "You've got to find what makes life fun for you. (I'm) a little older, a little wiser. There's a big flicker. I'm (almost) 23. Single. I've got the world at my fingertips."Âhttp://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/18/2593757/former-jayhawk-sharp-still-chasing.html
 

white lightning

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Great article Don. Just more proof of how the Caste System in sports can ruin kids dreams. This kid has all the physical attributes needed and the intelligence to go with it. He should try out for the Colts. Maybe they would give him a shot. This just makes me sick how this kind of story repeats itself over and over year after year. Good luck Jake. Don't give up on your dream!
 
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