Big 12 Top 50 players: Justin Crawford gears up for senior campaign

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia running back Justin Crawford wears one of the WHOOP bracelets, the tell-all technology that compiles players’ heart rates, sleep cycles, fatigue levels and enough physiological data to fill a hard drive.

Too bad Crawford’s team didn’t have this $500 piece of technology at Northwest Mississippi Junior College, because his would have been a bio-profile worth framing. Holding part-time jobs at Popeye’s at Wal-mart, helping raise his first child, attacking sleepless nights by driving to a local gym to work out at 2 a.m. — and, oh yeah, becoming the national juco player of the year.

Life has settled down a bit in Morgantown, where Crawford is the Big 12’s leading returning rusher after an 1,184-yard junior season. But his WHOOP bracelet still reveals jumbled sleep intervals, thanks to Crawford and his wife Kenya raising a second son.

“With me having two kids, it’s kinda hard to get sleep,” Crawford said. “One is 2 (years old) and the other is 1, and the youngest one, we are trying to get him off bottles, but that’s not working too well. He wakes up throughout the night. I try to go to bed early, but I still have to get up.”

While Crawford could have entered the NFL draft after his junior season, just as West Virginia’s Wendell Smallwood did the previous year, he felt better served to return to college for one more year.

Besides, Crawford has other dreams aside from football, like obtaining his CDL to become a truck driver “because they make pretty good money.” He also likes architectural drawing and cutting hair.

Whatever profession awaits, Crawford said “I feel the reward is going to outweigh the work.”

The Mountaineers running back has worked his way into our countdown of the Top 50 players in the Big 12, and today we list No. 15 through 11.

Previous — Big 12’s Top 50 players: 20-16
16. West Virginia guard Kyle Bosch
17. Iowa State receiver Allen Lazard
18. TCU receiver/returner KaVontae Turpin
19. Kansas State offensive tackle Dalton Risner
20. Texas defensive tackle Poona Ford

Previous — Big 12’s Top 50 players: 25-21
21. K-State cornerback DJ Reed
22. Texas linebacker Malik Jefferson
23. Oklahoma guard Ben Powers
24. K-State defensive end Reggie Walker
25. Oklahoma safety Steven Parker

Previous — Big 12’s Top 50 players: 30-26
26. Oklahoma tight end Mark Andrews
27. Baylor defensive end K.J. Smith
28. Kansas defensive tackle Daniel Wise
29. Texas running back Chris Warren
30. Baylor linebacker Taylor Young

Previous — Big 12’s Top 50 players: 35-31
31. Texas defensive end Malcolm Roach
32. Baylor running back Terence Williams
33. Oklahoma State offensive tackle Aaron Cochran
34. Oklahoma State receiver Marcell Ateman
35. Kansas State quarterback Jesse Ertz

Previous — Big 12’s Top 50 players: 40-36
36. Oklahoma State receiver Jalen McClesky
37. Oklahoma linebacker Caleb Kelly
38. TCU safety Nick Orr
39. Texas quarterback Shane Buechele
40. West Virginia cornerback Corey Winfield

Previous — Big 12’s Top 50 players: 45-41
41. Texas Tech receiver Keke Coutee
42. West Virginia linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton
43. Oklahoma receiver Jeff Badet
44. Oklahoma State linebacker Chad Whitener
45. Kansas running back Octavious Matthews

Previous — Big 12’s Top 50 players: 50-46
46. West Virginia receiver Ka’Raun White
47. Kansas State running back Alex Barnes
48. Oklahoma State safety Ramon Richards
49. TCU quarterback Kenny Hill
50. Kansas State receiver Byron Pringle





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