Quinton Ganther

Ganther is a quick, elusive runner with excellent strength. His 430-pound bench press was the best on the 2005 squad and his 545-pound squat ranked third. He is only the eighth player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. Ganther was an All-Conference selection while serving as team captain during his senior year at John F. Kennedy High School. He set the school single-season record for rushing. He also lettered in baseball, setting a school record for batting average. After graduating from JFK, Ganther attended Citrus (Glendora, Calif.) College. He earned All-American and All-Western State Conference honors as he set school records for season and career rushing and all-purpose yards. He rushed for 1,490 yards and 18 touchdowns and had 20 receptions for 189 yards with a score in 2003, leading Citrus to the Western State Conference championship and the Southwestern Bowl. He added 1,239 yards with 14 touchdowns on 211 attempts (5.9 avg) as a first-team All-WSC choice during his freshman year in 2002. During his first season at Utah, Ganther earned All-Mountain West Conference honorable mention. He started twice at tailback and three times at the "E" receiver position, gaining 654 yards with two touchdowns on 109 carries (6.0 avg). He also made seven catches for 49 yards and a score, adding 28 yards on a kickoff return in 2004. In 2005, Ganther garnered second-team All-MWC accolades. He led the team with 205 attempts for 1,120 yards (5.5 avg) and seven touchdowns, despite missing the Wyoming game with a knee injury. He caught 25 passes for 314 yards (12.6 avg) and a score, finishing with 1,436 all-purpose yards. At Utah, Ganther started 15 of 23 games. He finished with 1,774 yards and nine touchdowns on 314 carries (5.6 avg) and caught 32 passes for 363 yards (11.3 avg) and a pair of scores. In 19 games at Citrus College, Ganther amassed 3,036 all-purpose yards, rushing 430 times for 2,729 yards (6.3 avg) and 32 touchdowns, adding 27 catches for 243 yards (9.0 avg) and a score. In 42 games during his college career, he totaled 4,503 yards on 744 attempts (6.1 avg) with 41 touchdowns, 606 yards and three scores on 59 catches (10.3 avg), 64 yards on three punt returns and 28 yards on a kickoff return.

in 2005, ganther had some ball security issues, putting the ball on the ground a career-high five times. he did not have problems running to the line, but left the ball exposed at times when trying to turn the corner. he also struggled some with the handoff exchange.

Ganther got more opportunity to use his short area route running skills in 2005. He is really not a threat out of the backfield, but was effective on swing routes, screens and flares. He will extend to pluck the ball at its high point, but has smaller than ideal hands. He will make the easy grabs, but due to a lack of size, might not be able to win many battles for the jump ball.

his pick-and-slide agility is evident by the quickness he shows redirecting. ganther has the slippery moves to make the initial tackler miss and he shows good urgency locating the seams. he will miss some cutback lanes when he tries to bounce things outside too early, though. as an inside runner, he drives hard with his legs, but can get pushed back when he fails to keep his pad level low. with his strength, you would expect him to be more of a power runner than a finesse type.

When bouncing outside, he does not have the second gear to turn the corner consistently, as he gathers on high-speed cuts and chops his feet in attempts to turn upfield. He is more of a slasher than a multiple speed runner, but has enough short burst to escape the crowd at the line of scrimmage. He just lacks the wiggle to consistently make tacklers miss running into the second level.

ganther is a compactly built athlete with a thick lower frame and good upper body muscle tone, but his frame has reached maximum growth potential. he is a physical inside runner with good balance and initial quickness. he attacks the holes with good leg drive and while he is best utilizing his straight-line speed, he also has the change of direction agility to bounce around the corner.

He demonstrates the balance and body control to quickly readjust and locate the cutback lanes. Ganther keeps his legs churning and is very hard to bring down in isolated coverage due to the strength he generates with his legs, but he needs to play at a lower pad level. When he gets too high in his stance, he struggles to move the pile, negating his impressive weight room strength.

negatives

Undersized athlete with small hands...Needs to improve his pad level, as he runs too tall, causing the defense to push him back through the rush lanes...Needs to do a better job with ball security. He leaves the ball too exposed when trying to turn the corner...Has very good weight room strength, but a lack of size prevents him from consistently moving the pile...Does not have the second gear to elude in the second level...Lack of true acceleration limits him to short routes as a pass catcher...Good cut blocker, but does not have the bulk to stand his ground when taking on blitzers and pass rushers...Small hands and short arms pose problems competing for the jump ball.

ganther is quick to locate and cut block linebackers in space. he makes a good effort and maintains balance blocking in the open, but does not have the size to face up when taking on blitzers and pass rushers blocking in the backfield.

If Ganther can lower his pad level, he will be an effective between-the-tackles runner at the next level. He has made good strides as a short area receiver and shows good toughness and aggression as a cut blocker. He lacks size to face up blocking in pass protection and is more of a slasher than a runner that can simply explode into the second level. He will never be confused for a pile mover, especially when he gets too tall in his stance running with the ball. He does not have the pure speed to bounce the ball outside on a regular basis, but does have enough redeeming qualities to be an effective reserve within the right system at the pro level.

positives

Has very good weight room strength, thick legs, good upper body muscle tone and the balance and foot quickness to adjust in his running stride...Shows good pick-and-slide agility to redirect when the inside rush lanes are clogged...Makes quick decisions once he locates the seams...Has enough of a short burst to escape trash...Adequate short area receiver who is effective on screens and flares...Runs with a normal stride and has the leg drive that makes it difficult for defenders to tackle him in isolated coverage.

2005: Suffered a left knee sprain (MCL) on 10/26 in a non-contact practice. Had to have fluid drained from his knee on 11/02 and was forced to sit out the Wyoming game (11/05). The injury would hamper him (soreness) the rest of the regular season. CAMPUS

4.56 in the 40-yard dash

430-pound bench press

545-pound squat

330-pound hang clean

28 3/8-inch arm length

8 5/8-inch hands

Right-handed

19/28 Wonderlic score.

Attended John F. Kennedy (Richmond, Calif.) High School, playing football for head coach Randy Hood

All-Conference selection while serving as team captain during his senior year

Set the school season record for rushing

Also lettered in baseball, setting a school record for batting average.

Sociology major

Has a daughter, Somia

Son of Henry Ganther, Brenda Ganther and Shannon Montgomery

Nickname is "Q"

Born Quinton (pronounced Quin-THAN) Roy Ganther on 7/15/84 in Oakland, California

Resides in Richmond, California. BACK TO TOP PROFILE GAME ANALYSIS PLAYER NEWS PLAYER STATISTICS Expanded & Classic Player Profiles Are OFFICIAL NFL RECORDS by Scout Dave Te' Thomas, NFLScouting, NFLDraftScout.com © Copyright - The Sports Xchange , My Sports Daily . All Rights Reserved Home | Contact Us | About Us | Privacy Policy