No, he didn't win the Heisman but he did win the Doak Walker as the Best Running back in college football.
I don't see him as a Csonka type because I don't think there are many/any like him.
Gerhart is a very good receiver.
He is also a very tough runner with deceptive speed.
There is part of the way he plays that reminds me of Tom Rathman, but he is faster and a better runner. Probably not as good a blocker, yet.
There is also a part of him that reminds me of Roger Craig. If you look at the video, you see very high knees and he really delivers a blow.
I would not have any issue equating him to Jim Kiick and/or Frank Gore. I think he is faster than Kiick and certainly bigger. Of course I am going by a failing memory, too.
Finally, there is a toughness about him that reminds me of another very underrated Stanford 2 sport guy:
" For in 1991, John Lynch was not much of an NFL prospect. A quarterback-turned-safety at Stanford, he started three games as a junior. A second-round draft pick of the Florida Marlins as a pitcher, Lynch had pretty much decided to give up football as a senior to concentrate on baseball.
"Then along comes Bill Walsh, and I'm ready to go off to spring training," Lynch said. "He tells me, not only can I help the Stanford team, but I can play in the NFL at Pro Bowl level at safety. I was trying to be as respectful as possible, but I said, 'What makes you think that? I've started three games in college.'
"Not only did he tell me, but he had a tape. I only had about 10 good plays, but he would show me a play of myself and then a play of Ronnie Lott. He was a good salesman because after that day I called the Marlins and said, 'I'm going to come, but I'm also going to play football my senior year.' "
The following spring Lynch had become a mid-level NFL prospect, but there was no real reason for the Bucs to have any particular interest in him. That is, until Walsh called then-Bucs coach Sam Wyche.
Wyche had been a player for Walsh in Cincinnati and an assistant coach for him in San Francisco, and his old boss was calling with a tip that would help change the course of a franchise.
"Bill called me and said, 'Don't let this guy get away. He's the best leader and the best hitter you can hope for,' " Wyche said. "At the time, our competition was baseball. He was a bit of a gamble in the draft, so we had to make sure John wanted to play football. I did a total recruiting pitch for him."
By the reference to Lynch, I feel his best days are still in the future. He is getting better and he really works and takes huge pride in his team and teammates.
For some reason I have Riggins as a Kansas grad.