Pro Athletes and Their Spawn: 2015 Edition
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| That’s who you think it is. (image via Delaware Online) |
This is a yearly tradition to look at high school seniors who have famous athletic fathers (or occasionally just a famous father). Below are eleven players whose names – or fathers’ names – you might recognize.
The 2014, 2013, and 2012 versions are available, too, if you’re interested.
Cordell Broadus – WR – Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman: Broadus is a 6’2″, 195 lb. prospect who’s ranked as a 247 Composite 4-star, the #18 wide receiver, and #149 overall. He has a top group that includes Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, LSU, Notre Dame, UCLA, and USC (Michigan has not offered, but he has said that he would be interested in visiting now that Jim Harbaugh has been hired). It seems to be a battle between the two teams in southern California, but I’m leaning toward his father’s favorite schoool, USC. That father is Cordozar Broadus, Jr., who is best known as Snoop Dogg (a.k.a. Snoop Lion). He probably needs no bio, as he is a famous rapper, protege of Dr. Dre, etc. Snoop was known to visit USC practices quite often, at least before Steve Sarkisian was hired as coach.
Hit the jump for the other ten athletes.
Mark Fields II – CB – Cornelius (NC) William Amos Hough: Fields is a 5’11”, 190 lb. prospect with a top group that includes Clemson, LSU, South Carolina, and Texas. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #8 cornerback, and #97 overall, earning a roster spot in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. His father, Mark Fields, played football at Washington State and became a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker during a career with the New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams, and Carolina Panthers. He was a 1st round draft pick (#13 overall) in 1995 by the Saints and retired after the 2004 season. He finished his career with 769 tackles, 34 sacks, and 5 interceptions. The elder Fields has been battling Hodgkin’s disease over the last several years.
Jake Fruhmorgen – OT – Tampa (FL) Plant: Fruhmorgen – a 6’5″, 280 lb. prospect committed to Clemson – is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 offensive tackle, and #90 overall. He had an offer from Michigan and played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl this past weekend. His father, John, played for the Alabama Crimson Tide and had a short career with the Miami Dolphins.
Jaire George – RB – Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha:
Alvin Harper, Jr. – WR – Lakeland (FL) Victory Christian Academy: Harper, Jr. is a 6’0″, 180 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Northern Illinois, and Toledo. He’s a Rivals 2-star prospect. As a senior this past season, he caught 69 balls for 1,332 yards and 16 touchdowns. His father, of course, is Alvin Harper, who played for the Tennessee Volunteers and became a first round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys, with whom he would win two Super Bowls. Harper wasn’t extremely productive (this was before the explosion of passing offenses in the NFL), but he did average 18.2 yards/reception for his career, finishing with 191 catches, 3473 yards, and 21 touchdowns with the Cowboys, Buccaneers, Redskins, and Saints. He retired following the 1999 season.
Beau Hoge – QB – Fort Thomas (KY) Highlands: Hoge is a 6’1″, 205 lb. prospect who is committed to BYU. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #38 dual-threat quarterback, and #1452 overall. Check out this ridiculous run in the Kentucky playoffs (LINK). Hoge is the son of Merril Hoge, now an ESPN football analyst. Merril went to Idaho State and was a three-time all-conference running back, finishing with 5,139 all-purpose yards and 31 rushing touchdowns. He was selected in the 10th round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He would play eight seasons for the Steelers and Chicago Bears before retiring after 1994. Hoge finished his NFL career with 3,139 yards, a 3.8 yards/carry average, and 34 total touchdowns.
Van Jefferson WR – Brentwood (TN) Ravenwood: Jefferson is a 6’2″, 180 lb. prospect who committed to Georgia in August but continues to look around. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #13 wide receiver, and #134 overall. Prior to transferring to Tennessee, he was attending Orchard Lake (MI) St. Mary’s. This season he had 67 catches for 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. His father, Shawn, played football at Central Florida and was a 9th round pick in the 1991 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. Jefferson was a very productive pro receiver and played in two Super Bowls, one with the Chargers and one with the Patriots. He finished his career with 470 receptions, 7023 yards, and 29 touchdowns. He also played for the Falcons and Lions, and he was an assistant coach for the Lions from 2005-2012. He is now the wide receivers coach for the Tennessee Titans.
Manny Miles – QB – Baton Rouge (LA) University Lab: Miles is a 5’11”, 170 lb. prospect with no offers at this point, but he is ranked as a 3-star prospect, the #146 athlete, and the #1736 player overall in the 247 Composite rankings. There was some talk about him potentially walking on at the University of Michigan. That’s because his father is former Wolverines player and coach Les Miles, now the head football coach at LSU. The elder Miles is 131-50 in a head coaching career with Oklahoma State and LSU, and he won a national championship with the Tigers in 2007.
Cassius Peat – LB – Tempe (AZ) Corona Del Sol: Peat is a 6’4″, 235 lb. prospect who was once committed to UCLA; he has taken official visits to Michigan State, Oklahoma, and USC, and he is also highly interested in Arizona State. He plans to announce his college decision on National Signing Day. Peat is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #27 outside linebacker, and #326 overall. Peat’s father, Todd, is from Illinois, went to Northern Illinois, and played in the NFL for the Phoenix Cardinals and Oakland Raiders between 1987-1993. His eldest son, Todd Jr., was a defensive tackle at Nebraska. Another son, Andrus, is an offensive lineman at Stanford.
Jon Runyan, Jr. – OG – Philadelphia (PA) St. John’s: Runyan is a 6’4″, 276 lb. prospect who is committed to Michigan. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #123 offensive tackle, and #1176 overall. Runyan’s father, Jon, was an All-Big Ten tackle at Michigan in the early to mid-’90’s and a 4th round draft pick by the Houston Oilers in 1996. He still holds the record for most consecutive starts by a right tackle in NFL history, with 213 consecutive games for the Oilers/Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles from 1997-2008. He finished his career with the San Diego Chargers in 2009, having made 1 Pro Bowl in his career. Runyan is currently a Republican congressman in New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district, but he did not run for re-election in 2014 after winning in both 2010 and 2012. (Runyan and his family live in Mount Laurel, NJ, which is roughly half an hour away from Jon Jr.’s private school, in case you’re wondering.)
Chris Warren – RB – Rockwall (TX) Rockwall: Warren is a 6’2″, 232 lb. prospect who’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #7 running back, and #73 overall. He rushed for 2,329 yards and 34 touchdowns as a senior this past season, and his top four schools are Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, and Washington. Washington might seem like a natural landing spot for him, because Seattle was where his father – Chris Warren – played running back for the Seahawks from 1990-1997. The elder Warren started his college career at Virginia and ended up at Ferrum (a D-III school), after which he was a 4th round pick by the Seahawks in 1990. For a short time, he was one of the premier running backs in the NFL, peaking with 1,545 yards in 1994 and topping 1,000 yards a total of four times. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and also played with the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, from whom he retired after the 2000 season.
Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. – DE – Canisius (NY) Manlius: Wheatley is a 6’6″, 265 lb. prospect with a top group that includes Alabama, Oregon, UCLA, and USC. Michigan might also be in the mix for family reasons. The younger Wheatley is a 247 Composite 4-star, the #10 tight end, and #235 overall, but the father is a football legend in Ann Arbor lore. Having attended nearby Dearborn (MI) Robichaud, Tyrone Sr. was Big Ten Player of the Year for Michigan in 1992 and All-Big Ten from 1992-1994, among other football accomplishments; he was also a college All-American in track. He was a 1st round draft pick (#17 overall) by the New York Giants in 1995 and played through 2004 with both the Giants and Oakland Raiders. He finished his NFL career with 4,962 yards and 40 touchdowns on the ground, plus 900 yards and 7 touchdowns through the air. Wheatley has since coached at, among other programs, Eastern Michigan and Syracuse, plus he had been the Buffalo Bills running backs coach from 2013 through last week.
