The quarterback arrived on campus from Baldwin County, Ala., with the reputation as a great athlete. Professional baseball waved big money at him, money that would have turned many a head, but he loved football too much. Perhaps he loved it because he was so good at it. In his first season as a starter, he didn't lose a game, capping the season off by leading his team to a headline-grabbing Sugar Bowl victory.

Patrick White of West Virginia has a compelling story, but it doesn't belong only to him. He is the second coming of Ken Stabler, because all of the above describes not only White circa 2005, but the Snake at Alabama in 1966. Stabler, who grew up in Foley, 25 miles east of White's hometown of Daphne, turned down a $50,000 bonus to sign with the Yankees in order to play for the Crimson Tide. When Stabler took over a two-time defending national championship team, all he did was lead it to an 11-0 record, including a 34-7 rout of Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl.

Full Story