When you play as many dynasties and recruit as many players as I have, you are bound to come across some memorable players that have impacted your teams and game in some way.
It’s amazing how some players just stick out in your mind, even if it was more than ten years ago when you used them.
Below are stories about three players that have impacted my NCAA Football 06 life, all in a positive way.
You’d be surprised that none these players were from dynasties that are showcased in my dynasties that are on the YouTube channel.
…and forgive me for not having screenshots of these alpha males!
Regardless, I hope you enjoy reading this as much I enjoyed writing about them.
The Ballad of Leeland Lewis
All of my readers and subscribers know by now that I am a huge Tennessee Volunteers’ fan.
It is only natural that in the first few years of playing a sports game you tend to play a lot with your favorite team.
My team of choice during the first few years of my NCAA 06 life was spent with the Vols and trying to win as many championships as I could with them.
The longest Tennessee dynasty I had was (I think) around 9 seasons.
By far my most memorable player during that dynasty was a halfback (HB) by the name of Leeland Lewis.
I grew up in the 90s when Tennessee was a powerhouse, and during that time Tennessee always has a string of amazing running backs.
From Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, to Travis Stephens; the running back position had a historic tradition for not only the Vols back then but in this dynasty as well.
Leeland Lewis, in my mind, was the next great star HB at Tennessee.
During that I ran a very simplistic Pro Style Offense, much like current Duke head coach David Cutcliffe ran while he was Offensive Coordinator at Tennessee back then.
My running game was the foundation of that offense so my HBs got the ball a lot.
One of the reasons Leeland Lewis is so memorable was because he was the first big five star player I ever recruited in NCAA 06.
My HB depth after the first season was full but since we ran the ball so well that first season, it was natural for other HBs to be interested in our program regardless of playing time.
Another reason Lewis was an all-time favorite was his unusual measurables.
The three legendary HBs I mentioned earlier all had the same traits: they were really strong and enjoyed hitting defenders.
They all enjoyed trying to run over players. Well Lewis was the same way.
He wasn’t the fastest but boy could he break a tackle. Also, He was 5’9” 240 pounds! I kid you not, we was basically a FB who could run (think Mike Alstott).
His weird size is probably the biggest reason I remember him more than most, but he simply to fun to watch when defenses tried to tackle him.
What’s even better is the CPU gave him a FB number: 44, hilarious and fun to see that for sure.
Another reason Lewis was so memorable was how early he played.
During my second season I had one obvious starter at HB (Arian Foster, probably a 90 overall player at the time) and four other HBs that had very similar skillsets and ratings, all in the low 80s, all of the sophomores or younger.
Lewis came in as an 82 overall so he competed for the second spot with the other guys in the pack.
My plan was to redshirt Lewis for obvious reasons. However, two games into that season, Foster goes down with a shoulder injury, out for rest of the season.
This left me with the dilemma of who to play at HB.
Since it was basically a five-way tie for that spot, I told myself “screw it, Lewis is the most talented of the bunch so let’s throw him out there and see what he can do”.
Well, needless to say, Lewis took full advantage of his opportunities and became my featured back for the rest of the season.
So the hype was real going into his sophomore season.
Unfortunately he had the same fate Foster did and was injured causing him to miss most of that season.
Thankfully Foster was still around to carry the load.
By Lewis’ junior season he was the main man at HB since Foster left and thankfully had a great season.
For some reason I don’t think he won the Heisman that year.
Unfortunately Lewis opted to go pro after his junior season.
So even though I only got two good seasons out of him, those two seasons were memorable for how unique he was and how important he was to our success at Tennessee.
God bless #44!
The Legend of Aaron Brasiel
You may not know this but I am also a big Duke fan so it is also natural for me to run a couple of Duke dynasties in NCAA 06.
My first Duke dynasty was back in the late 2000s when the Spread Offense was really picking up steam in college football.
This was my first attempt at running this type of offense in 06.
This was also the first time I took NCAA 06 seriously.
I ran the Urban Meyer versions of the Spread so having a QB that can both run and throw is pivotal to your success.
My first full recruiting class was a big success that included several players that helped shaped the rest of that dynasty.
However, none was more important the Aaron Brasiel (I always pronounced his last name as “Brazil”).
Brasiel was a four star athlete who showed some interest in Duke.
Once I scouted him I knew I had to have him. He was (I think) 6’2 200lb.
He wasn’t special at anything. He had 76 speed and a good but not great arm.
However, he was good at everything I asked him to do.
Thankfully he signed with the Blue Devils.
The timing was perfect for Brasiel to play as I already had a senior impact QB coming back so I redshirted Brasiel so he could be ready to take over the next season.
I’ll keep it simple and just say Brasiel was a member of two national championship teams.
His redshirt freshman season was the stepping stone we needed to win the next two championships.
Brasiel was the catalyst for that championship run.
He was the perfect dual-threat QB.
He was a finalist for the Heisman his last two years but never won.
It didn’t matter, he was the perfect QB for my offense and was probably the most enjoyable QB I have ever played with.
My success with future Spread dynasties stemmed from my time with Brasiel.
Basically, I consider Aaron Brasiel the father of my Spread teams, the blueprint if you will.
Long live #12!
The One: Ed Davis
This is my favorite NCAA Football 06 story and it’s not even close:
I was in my third season of my Kansas State dynasty when I recruited a kid by the name of Ed Davis.
He was a 5-star JUCO Athlete (which made complete sense because half of Snyder’s players are JUCO kids).
At 6’1 200lb, Davis was the only player I’ve ever had that could literally play over six positions equally.
He was an 80-84 overall (in 06, 84 was the max for any recruit) at HB, WR, OLB, CB, SS, and FS. He had 99 Speed.
I sadly don’t remember the rest of his ratings but he was simply the best player I have ever seen or played with in any video game.
He came in as a sophomore and I had no choice but to start him at SS since I was weak there.
He was also my kick and punt returner, he basically done it all for me.
In his first year he broke the national single-season interception record (and I never control the SS) and had several returns for touchdowns.
I never controlled him either, all CPU there.
He ended up being a finalist for the Heisman in his first year though he didn’t win.
He is the only defensive player I have seen on 06 that was a finalist for that award, amazing really!
Since he had an A+ Potential rating, he finished the season as an 88 overall, incredible!
Sadly I stopped playing that dynasty after that season as I had won four straight titles and I guess I got bored, but I regret it to this day.
I can’t imagine what other feats he would have done for me.
If I had some depth at SS I would have moved him over to offense just to see what he could do. It is such a shame that I quit that dynasty.
Ed Davis is a big reason I still play 06 today.
You just never know what players will come your way and give you memories that you will never forget.
Thank you #5!
Conclusion
Hopefully you enjoyed these stories. I had so much fun playing 06 then as I do now.
I can’t wait to see what great, fun, unique, and memorable players this game will send my way.
Please share some of your most memorable players you have recruited and played with in your past dynasties in the comments below.
Earl Cuffy. A couple years back i did a dynasty with middle tennessee state. Went for about 6 or 7 seasons. I did well some middle of the road bowls….2 or 3 loss seasons. Few all conference kids here n there. Anyway i recruit a defensive end one yr. Earl Cuffy. I had reservations about him because he was only 6 ft and 215 lbs. A five star kid. I had done well the previous season and was able to recruit well. Anyway he plays sparingly his first yr…came in as an 80. Guy had like 84 speed. Fast forward 3 seasons. He won 3 straight bednarik awards with seasons of 15, 16, and 23 sacks and multiple tackles for loss. He was like a rocket off the ball amd rarely got tired which i knew bcuz i have my sub sliders set so guys get subbed in and out in a realistic manner. Anyway, Earl Cuffy, #9, wherever you are…..Thank you bro!
Awesome stuff right there.
I had some similar players one in Minnesota Dynasty named Mark Johnson the Dude broke 10k Rushing Yards over his career He was laterially a glitch. He was 99 break tackle with like 92 Speed sort of like a Jerome Bettis but better. But by far my most popular player, was my outside linbeacker who laterially had 100 tackles twice in a season Sean Barnes, he was a stud in my 4-3 defense for my Houston Cougars.
My coach dynasty started after I did race to heisman mode and made my player a coach, and I decided to go to Army to start, and they had a QB, who I forget name of, who was an absolute legend. He was dual-threat and he literally won us every single game, I somehow went undefeated that year and he was the reason. Still my favorite player I’ve ever played with in the game
I also had another kid when I went to Ohio. He was a 6 foot 7 inch receiver, only about 80 overall, but he was money on the deep ball. He didn’t have the speed, but he was the closest to Randy Moss I have ever seen in a video game.
I’m not very good on remembering names but these guys stick out after probably 40+ seasons in dynasty mode total for me.
I use my local team USF and 99% use the spread offense, but for a one season I used a mix of that but focused on the I Option. I had a running back, Greg Johnson that was 6’1” 214 lbs. Played sparingly his 1st 2 years but broke out once he became the starter his junior year. In his senior season he broke Barry Sanders’ long time standing rushing yards in a season record! Finished with 2,659 yards and 33 TDs. Man was this guy good. He was a good receiver too. For ended his career holding ALL USF rushing records.
Yards [Game] 309
Yards [Season 2659
Yards [Career] 6358
Rushing TD [Game] 6
Rushing TD Season] 33
Rushing TD [Career] 77
Brad Jackson, a QB currently in his senior year that’s a 99 overall. 93 THP & 90 PA with 86 SPD. so far this season in 5 games I’m passing 78%. I’ll post his career stats once the season is over. This guy is complete dual threat.
And last I had a SS, Davis that was a BEAST. Finished his career with 15 INTs. I play a 4-2-5 so he played the middle of the field a lot. I’d bring him up because my corners were so good. He played a lot like Troy Polamalu. Came in and started as a freshman and never looked back.
Carl Johnson for the Michigan state Spartans. He was a 6’2 3* QB who I brought in with another 3 star Qb. Initially what made him standout was his athleticism combined with his accuracy (82 speed 90 Accuracy as Freshman). His junior year he started his first full season and led us to a 10-3 record and a rose bowl win over USC where he threw for 350 ran for 100 and totaled 5 TDs. After 3 years of finishing at the bottom of the top 25 he led us to a top 10 to finish. There was something about him beyond his attributes that made him exceptional in clutch moments. I recall several amazing throws he made to lead us to close victory over OSU and U of M. Throws that barely made it over the outstretched arms of the defense, or had no room for error. His senior year he returned and led us to our first national championship 4 years in. He barely finished 2nd in heisman voting behind TTU QB who we beat by two scores in the title game. He won the Maxwell and best Qb award. He ran for 1000 and threw for 3000. There wasn’t any great players around him and our defense was OK, yet he made many clutch plays to lead us to an unlikely national title. #18 was a legendary Spartan.
Good stuff right there.
Shout-out to #86 Desi Jefferson from my ND Dynasty. A 6’0, 183 lbs speedster, I put him at WR, KR & PR as a true freshmen. It’s a lot of pressure to put on an 18-year-old from a small town in Ohio, even if they are largely a construct of the mind. SPD and AGI were in the mid-90’s, and they grew over his 4 years at Notre Dame. Desi went on to be the most awarded player I ever had the pleasure of coaching:
1x Freshman All-American
4x All-American
1x 1st Team All-1A Independents
3x 1st Team All-Big Ten (Yes, I absolutely brought Notre Dame into the Big 10)
3x Best RET
Career Punt Return stats: 199 returns, 3455 yards (17.4 average), Long: 90, TD’s: 29 (3 years at All-American, 1 at Heisman)
Desi didn’t get a start at WR until senior year, when he picked up 1252 yards on 71 catches with 21 TD’s (and earned a Best WR trophy).
About that senior year: Desi had a special connection with fellow-Ohioan QB James Williams (2-time Heisman award winner, also undersized for his position at 6’1). Their chemistry on the field was most dangerous coming out of the Shotgun (Normal). Williams could run the speed option all day (plenty of 150+ passing/150+ rushing days), but would look to catch the defense in man to run Arrows. With Jefferson’s acceleration and Williams’ arguably-only-average arm, they were unstoppable in the redzone. During their reign of terror, defenses could never predict if Williams was going to rush to the right, hit Jefferson over the middle, or launch it deep on the Seam attack. Jefferson could’ve added a Hesiman to his trophy collection had it not been for teams kicking away from him on kickoffs (he only tallied 18 kickoff returns senior year due to opponents’ special team coach sabatoge plus a stout ND defense).
To Desi–thank you for not missing study halls or cheating on tests. I hope your NFL teammates continue to block extra hard for you on punt returns. *cheers*
The best player I ever had was QB Drew Carey with the Gators. He was the number one recruit in the nation. At 6’7″ 255lb he was like a big Cam Newton. He started as a freshman because of his running ability even though he wasn’t highest rated among the QBs yet. I was running the I option like the 90’s Nebraska teams. He was a tank with speed and by his senior year he had 90 speed and throwing stats both 95. He trucked his way to 2 titles. i probably could’ve payed him at DE too.
Brian Mosley LE 6,8 251 lb Dynasty UAB
103 sacks, 223 Tack, 155 Tack loss, FF 5, FR 3, Pass def 10, 1 INT
Freshman All-American
1st Team All-American x4
1st Team All-SEC x4
Bednarik x2
Lombardi x3
Final Ratings OVR 98, SPD 76, STR 86, AWR 91, AGI 78, ACC 82, TAK 87