Keegan Herring
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Keegan Herring (born Keegan Levar Herring on May 12, 1987) plays running back for the Arizona State University Sun Devils in the NCAA college football tournament. A speedy rusher who is capable of outrunning the opposition, Herring produced a breakout year during his rookie season after setting the school's freshman rushing record with a gain of 870 yards. Despite relegated to supporting role in several occassions in his sophomore and junior seasons, Herring still managed to display his explosiveness with spectacular multiple 70-yard runs heavily attributed to his quickness and agility. But appart from those traits, Herring has also gained admiration for his courage when he continued to showcase his running prowess despite playing with a heavy heart upon the loss of several family members.
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Personal Life
Keegan Levar is the son of Debra Griffen of Peoria, Arizona. Keegan is not the first in the family to play in the gridiron as his uncle James Peterson was an ex-Aggie at New Mexico State from 1967 through 1971.
In 2007, Keegan encountered a series of unfortunate events that began in February when his best friend Calvin "C.J." Adams, whom he played with as a kid on the same Pop Warner football team, was shot to death at the age of 19. Not long after, three days to be exact, his 47-year old father Freeman was also shot to death. In June, his sister Denisha Washington was killed in a car accident. Three days later, his aunt passed away from a heart attack. Adding insult to injury, Keegan would lose the Sun Devils' starting running back position to senior Ryan Torain.
After Torain was sidelined with a toe injury, Keegan emerged to become a more than able replacement on the RB spot. In recognition of his courage through adversity, Keegan earned several nominations for national awards including the FedEx Orange Bowl Courage Award.
High School
Herring spent his first two years of high school at Trevor Browne High where he was a starter on the football team during his freshman and sophomore seasons. He displayed his versatility during his second year of play when he played on both sides of the field as a linebacker and as a running back, producing a gain of 937 yards. His quickness was also showcased on the track as he sprinted his way into the state 5A 100 and 200-meter championships during his sophomore year. For his last two years of high school, he moved to Peoria High in Peoria, Arizona and immediately strut his wares under notable head coach Doug Clapp after rushing for 1,712 yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior, leading the Panthers to the state semifinals. His remarkable debut at Peoria---which include 10 kickoff returns for 349 yards, a touchdown on special teams, 2 blocked punts and a safety---garnered him a spot at the all-state first team while bagging the Whizzer White Player of the Year award, becoming the first junior in Arizona to claim the award since Tavon Cooper in 1995.
During his senior season, Herring sat out four of Peoria's games because of injury. Nevertheless, he was still able to rush for over 900 yards while playing a key role in the Panthers' appearance in the state playoffs. He capped the year with several recognitions and awards, including a spot in PrepStar Magazine's pre- and postseason All-American teams and Phoenix Metro Football Magazine's super all-state squad. In addition, he was also named as PrepStar's top running back prospect in the state of Arizona and was included in The Tacoma News Tribune's "Western 100" and Scout.com's Southwest Hot 100 (#100 on the list).
Prior to graduating in 2005, Herring also had a brief career in wrestling as a senior when he competed in the 215 pound class despite weighing only 186 lbs. He was named as the team's most inspirational wrestler after recording 21 wins in 28 matches.
College
The Peoria, Arizona native chose Arizona State over Texas, UCLA, USC, and Washington. He was the Sun Devils' first commitment from the state of Arizona in the 2005 class and was one of the 22 high school standouts who signed a letter of intent.
2005
With several tailbacks returning, Herring had to compete with the likes of Rudy Burgess, Antone Saulsberry, and Jarrett Sayas for playing time. Nevertheless, he made sudden impact after rushing 12 times for 134 yards and one touchdown in his collegiate debut as the 20th ranked ASU stomped on Temple, 63-16. That first game placed Herring's name into the record books as the first true freshman to rush for over 100 yards since Mike Williams during the 2000 season while inserting himself in elite company as only one of three true freshmen in the past 14 years (1991 season) to have rushed for 100 yards in a game. He also broke a 35-year-old record in the process for net rushing yards in the first game of a career as his 134 yards bested Woody Green's 117 established against Houston in 1971. After being limited to 5 carries for 36 yards in the loss to LSU, he returned against Northwestern and turned out a career night with 197 yards rushing on 23 carries, producing the 22nd best rushing performance in ASU single-game history and the most by a Sun Devil since Delvon Flowers rushed for 226 yards against Oregon State in 2001. His two scoring runs also marked the first two-TD rushing performance by an ASU player in two years. He also ran for a career long 67-yards and caught his first pass for a 4-yard gain against the Wildcats.
Herring also posted nearly identical stats in the 42-24 win @ Oregon State and in the 28-38 loss to USC, producing a touchdown on 15 carries on both outings. He also carried the pigskin an average of 10 times in losses to Oregon and Stanford, but was limited to a season low 3 carries and 9 rushing yards in the win over Washington. After rushing 12 times for 87 yards @ Washington State, Herring made his first career start @ UCLA and responded with 129 yards and 1 TD on a season high 27 carries in the 35-45 loss to the Bruins. He kept the starting job the following game against Arizona, rushing for 20 yards on 7 carries before capping his rookie campaign with a 19-carry, 79-yard rushing effort in the win over Rutgers in his bowl game debut at the Insight Bowl.
He finished the year as the team's leading rusher with 158 carries (most by a Sun Devil since 2001) and 870 yards rushing (school freshman rushing record, 10th in the nation among true freshman running backs) and was tied with Burgess for the team lead in rushing touchdowns (6) in 12 games played and two starts. He also had three of the four 100-yard games by an ASU player in 2005 and was the team-leader in rushing and carries in seven different occassions. He closed the year out with a spot at The Sporting News' honorable mention Freshman All-America team and in the All-Pac-10 Freshman team while claiming the team's Bill Kajikawa Sun Devil Award for the most outstanding freshman.
2006
The team's projected starter, Herring was primed for another strong year at the RB position, entering the year as the league's fourth-leading returning rusher from 2005. He also cemented his status as the team's leader in rushing after carrying the pigskin 8 times for 52 yards and the Maroon's lone TD score in the spring game. He began the year with a start against Northern Arizona, carrying the football 7 times for a gain of 34 yards with a scoring run in the 35-14 victory. He also had 7 carries for 30 yards against Nevada then led the Sun Devils the following game @ Colorado with 9 carries for 82 yards, in addition to three tackles total on defense in those two outings. At California, Herring suffered from a strained hamstring early in the game and despite a career game from his reliever and junior college transfer Ryan Torain, the Sun Devils still lost, 49-21.
By the end of September, Torain had already inherited the starting spot from Herring, starting with the home game at Oregon. The Sun Devils lost to the 12th ranked Ducks, 13-48, with Herring contributing 6 carries for 45 yards off the bench. ASU went on to lose its third straight @ USC, 21-28, with Herring down to 4 carries for 12 yards with 2 receptions for 10 yards. Against Stanford, the Sun Devils finally snapped their 3-game losing streak with a huge 38-3 win. In that game, Herring came in and rushed for TD runs of 8 and 6 yards that put ASU ahead 31-0 midway through the third quarter. He also provided quality minutes @ Washington the following week, rushing 6 times for a season high 98 yards and 2 TDs, one of which was a 65-yarder which stood as the longest run from scrimmage of the season by a Sun Devil. His 3 catches for 43 yards against the Huskies were also season highs. In the loss to Oregon State, Herring led the team with a season high 15 carries for 69 yards and a 40-yard touchdown run before chipping in 42 yards on 9 carries and 55 yards on 9 attempts in the win over Washington State and in the loss to UCLA, respectively. He capped the regular season with 10 carries for 43 yards to help ASU defeat Arizona in the Territorial Cup, 28-14.
In his second bowl game appearance, he contributed 9 yards on 3 carries as the Sun Devils lost to Hawai'i. 24-41, in the Hawaii Bowl. He ended the season behind Torain in the rushing category with a single-season low 94 carries for 549 yards and 6 touchdowns, with a team-leading 5.8 yards per carry average in 13 appearances and 4 starts.
2007
Entering his junior year, Herring had to hurdle several obstacles with the death of three family members. Following his dismal outing during the spring game---where he gained only a yard on 11 carries and 12 yards on 2 receptions---and the sudden rise of Torain on the collegiate football radar, Herring would lose the starting running back position for the second straight year.
He started the season on a supporting role with a 16-carry, 76-yard output in the lopsided victory over San Jose State which was followed by a 10-carry, 19-yard effort in the thrashing of Colorado. With Torain nursing a sprained right ankle, Herring returned to the starting line-up after a long while and responded with his first 100-yard game of the year (4th of his career) with a season-high 161 rushing yards and 2 scoring runs on 19 carries to help ASU win over San Diego State, 34-13. He also had his first receiving gains of the year after catching 3 passes for 24 yards against the Aztecs. Upon Torain's return against Oregon State, he was back on the second string but still managed to rush thrice for 6 yards in the 44-32 win. On the Sun Devils' first road assignment of the season, Herring rushed for 83 yards on 8 carries and broke out for a 72-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter as ASU took out Stanford, 41-3. After running for only 16 yards on 7 attempts on the nailbiting 23-20 win over Washington State, Herring provided the needed spark off the bench when Torain was sidelined with an injury, producing 119 yards and a 76-yard touchdown run (longest by an ASU player since J.R. Redmond had an 80-yard run in 1999 against UCLA) in the 44-20 victory over Washington.
Torain's foot injury turned out to be a season-ending one, meaning Herring once again had a crack at the starting job. Against California, the Sun Devils went to him 24 times and gained 96 yards in the 31-20 win over the Bears to keep ASU's unbeaten streak alive and propell the team to a 6th place ranking in the national polls. He continued to lead the team in rushing against the powerhouse Oregon squad, rushing 13 times for 83 yards in the 23-35 loss. The following game, ASU bounced back with a 24-20 come-from behing win over UCLA, with Herring punching in 116 yards (3rd 100-yard rushing game of the season and 6th of his career) on 22 carries, including a 71-yard breakaway to the endzone (third run of 70 yards or more) that put the Sun Devils up 24-13 in the third quarter. The 11th ranked USC however put the clamps on Herring as he was limited to 5 yards rushing on 11 carries in the 24-44 defeat, though he did manage to gain a season high 28 receiving yards on 3 receptions. He finished the regular season with 9 carries for 36 yards in the 20-17 Territorial Cup win over Arizona but was slowed down by an ankle injury in that game.
He managed to recuperate in time for the Holiday Bowl showdown against Texas but was used off the bench, contributing a season-long 28-yard reception in the loss to the Longhorns. By season's end, he took over the leadership in the team's rushing department after finishing with 815 rushing yards on 154 carries (5.3 avg.), in addition to five rushing touchdowns.
2008
Herring enters his senior season with the 10th best rushing performance in the ASU record books, totalling 406 carries for 2,234 yards (5.5 avg.) and 17 touchdowns in three seasons.
Highlights
| Keegan Herring's 65-yard touchdown run against Washington (2006). |
Career Stats
| Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
| Year | Att | RshYds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | RecYds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lst |
| 2005 | 158 | 870 | 5.5 | 67 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1.3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 94 | 549 | 5.8 | 65 | 6 | 8 | 70 | 8.8 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 154 | 815 | 5.3 | 76 | 5 | 10 | 88 | 8.8 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Achievements
2008
- Athlon Sports Preseason First-Team All-Pac-10
- Phil Steele Preseason First-Team All-Pac-10
2007
- FedEx Orange Bowl Courage Award Nominee
- Phil Steele All-Pac-10 Third Team
- Rudy Award Finalist
2006
- Athlon Sports Preseason Second-Team All-Pac-10
- Lindy's No. 21 running back in the nation
- Phil Steele's No. 38 tailback in college football
- The Sporting News Preseason Second-Team All-Pac-10
2005
- ASU Bill Kajikawa Sun Devil Award (outstanding freshman)
- The Sporting News All-Pac-10 Freshman team
- The Sporting News Honorable Mention Freshman All-American
References
- Herring a source of strength and resilience for Sun Devils
- Keegan Herring Arizona State Profile
- Keegan Herring Cfbstats.com
- Keegan Herring ESPN.com Profile
- Keegan Herring Nominated For FedEx Orange Bowl Courage Award
- Keegan Herring Scout.com Profile
