Enjoy Leonard Fournette while you can.
The LSU running back is the biggest story in college football. Despite playing only four games, Fournette leads the nation with 864 rushing yards, most by an FBS player in the same span since 2000, and averages 8.7 yards per carry. He is the first SEC player to record three consecutive 200-yard rushing performances.
Fournette's freakish cocktail of size, speed and strength is drawing comparisons to past awe-inspiring college running backs such as Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson, and Fournette is the overwhelming early favorite for the Heisman Trophy.
The best part for college football: Fournette is just a true sophomore, unable to enter the NFL draft until 2017. But his historic start has some wondering whether he should even play next fall and risk injury.
The idea of a healthy player voluntarily sitting out doesn't sit right with many, but it could happen. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney was advised to sit out his third season in 2013 (Clowney played and still became the No. 1 overall pick in 2014). Earlier this week, UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, a true junior who played just three games this fall before sustaining a season-ending knee injury, withdrew from school to prepare for the 2016 draft. Bruins coach Jim Mora called the move "risky."
Fournette quickly shot down the thought of sitting out, but the chatter isn't going away.
I will never jump ship... I'm drowning with my brothers
— 7⃣ (@_fournette) September 30, 2015What's the smartest move for his future? How much does his position, which typically carries the shortest NFL life span, affect his decision? How will his individual and his team's performance the rest of the season impact what path he takes in 2016?
College football coaches and NFL scouts weighed in anonymously with their thoughts about what Fournette should do.