It takes guts to compare a running back to legendary Georgia Bulldogs star Herschel Walker.
It takes some perspective to be right about it.
But right or wrong, former Georgia star Tim Worley has stood in the shoes of the Bulldogs' backfield starter, and isn't afraid to pair the true sophomore's name and Walker in the same sentence.
"I haven't seen one like him in awhile," Worley said, according to ledger-enquirer.com. "He's on another level. Every single time he touches the ball he is a threat. And he's powerful, he's big, he will hurt you, and he understands the game. And he plays like he's been in the league forever. He's up there. I put him right there with Herschel. Not quite as fast, but I put him right there with Herschel Walker."
Not quite as fast, indeed. As fast as Gurley is, it's hard to imagine him ever being fast enough to be on the same track with Usain Bolt. That's what Walker's speed merited back in the day when he was fast enough to be nipped by Carl Lewis.
Worley isn't the only one who has made the Gurley-Walker comparison in recent weeks, though. Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson referenced Walker at a Nov. 26 press conference when he was asked if he could compare Gurley to another player he had seen play.
"He's a big guy who runs through people and is fast," Johnson said. "I mean he's a good player and he's going to be a good player for a long time if he doesn't get hurt. He's not only going to be good at Georgia, he's going to be a heck of an NFL running back too. He's got all the tools that they look for. He's good at running the football and is big and physical. He's a good receiver coming out of the backfield. He can do a lot of things."
Gurley, as a second-year player, won't be eligible for the NFL draft in 2014. He rushed for 1,385 yards as a true freshman in 2012 and, despite missing October with an ankle injury, is in position to reach the 1,000-yard mark again as a sophomore (903 with a bowl game remaining).
Worley rushed for 1,216 yards and 17 touchdowns for Georgia in 1988, good enough to be drafted late by the Pittsburgh Steelers, where his four-year career was slowed by injury, fumbles, and suspension. He played another two seasons with the Chicago Bears.
Walker, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, amassed the ninth-best total of all-purpose yardage in NFL history (18,168) in 13 seasons, mostly with the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
