As college sports fans, we are always looking to our past to project onto our present and future.
Perhaps it is because unlike pro fans we have such a short time with the players, that we feel we can extend their time with us with nostalgia. If every quarterback is the next Chase Daniel, if every defensive end is the next Markus Golden, their time with us will never end. And it works the other way, too: as college fans, we are obsessed with recruiting, with potential, with the talented lumps of clay ready to be lovingly molded into All-Americans by our brilliant coaching staff.