ESPN.com's Ted Miller
When folks talk about multi-purpose skill players, it usually means a guy who can run and catch the football and add a little something fancy to the return game. That's great. We all love multi-purpose weapons on the football field. But California's Jahvid Best takes it one step further. Sure, he can run -- he averaged 7.6 yards per carry as a true freshman in 2007. And he can catch, see 13 receptions in 10 games last season. He also does the return game, see a 27-yard average returning kickoffs. But Best adds something that makes him an actual weapon, figuratively speaking, of course. Best was a dominant "gunner" on the punt team last fall, recording 12 tackles and recovering a fumble and earning First-Team All-Pac-10 honors for his special teams work. Now that Best is slated to be Cal's starting tailback, his days as a gunner are probably over. But it just shows that Best spectacular athleticism is about more than speed.
But speed, make no mistake about it, is Best's chief attribute -- he was the 2007 California state sprint champion after clocking a 10.31 in the 100 meters. "If you asked any of the skill guys, I think they are all amazed by the speed in which Jahvid plays," Bears coach Jeff Tedford said. "There have been a few guys who are amazing to watch practice because the whole team just stops and watches. [Best] can do phenomenal things, and at the speed at which he does it -- everybody is in awe." Folks stopped and watched Best during the first week of preseason practices for another reason. He was coming off a hip injury suffered against USC -- a severe bruise to the femoral head of his hip, actually -- that ended his season with three games to go and had some wondering if he'd regain his spectacular form. "It's feeling perfect," Best said. "I'm back to 100 percent." That's been clear from the early going in practices. Best isn't wearing a non-contact yellow jersey, though it often appears that he is because defenders struggle to get a finger on him.
Best made his debut in 2007 on a huge stage, with Tennessee road tripping to California after humiliating the Bears in Knoxville the year before. Best says he was nervous, but it didn't show when he transformed only four carries into 46 yards in Cal's 45-31 drubbing of the Vols. "I didn't doubt myself in the first place, but a couple of big runs did boost my confidence," he said. Best calls former USC multipurpose star Reggie Bush his "idol." He continues to watch tapes of Bush "to learn to see what he sees" and to emulate his moves.
He's worked on his route-running this summer and pushed his weight to almost 200 pounds by hitting the weight room hard. Including on his list of do-everything is proving he can run inside. "I feel like I can be an every-down back," he said. "I may not be the biggest back in the world but all it takes is heart." And lots and lots of speed.
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