Austin Stinson has turned a simple offseason reset into one of the loudest senior seasons in Georgia.
The Warner Robins (Ga.) Houston County running back, who is committed to Colorado State, has blasted through five games with 1,264 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 125 carries, good for 10.1 yards per attempt. He was already a productive back before this fall, piling up nearly 1,600 combined rushing yards as a sophomore and junior, but this version of Stinson looks like a player hitting a different level.
A big part of that jump started after the playoffs last year.
"It all started back in the offseason. Really the week after we lost to Rome in the playoffs," Stinson said.
From there, Stinson cleaned up his diet and changed the way he approached his body. The candy had to go - he said he used to finish two or sometimes three bags a day - and in its place came more protein, fruit and vegetables. He also committed to recovery work and treated track like a real part of his development, not just an extra activity.
That shift showed up in the spring. Stinson ran a 10.71-second 100-meter dash and a 22.06-second 200-meter dash, numbers that match the urgency he brought to his preparation.
At 5-foot-8, 180 pounds, he understood he had to squeeze every bit of value out of his game.
"I credit coaches and people around me, trusting them and just taking things more seriously," Stinson said.
The results have been impossible to ignore. He’s posted four 200-yard outings already, including a 411-yard, six-touchdown eruption in a Game 3 shootout loss to Carrollton Central. Against Atlanta Westlake, Stinson said he topped 22 MPH on GPS tracking.
Recruiting has started to move accordingly. 247Sports recently bumped Stinson’s grade to an 88, a rating that suggests Power Four potential and even late-round NFL Draft upside.
Schools are circling, too, with Group of Six programs such as Georgia State, Georgia Southern and Arkansas State increasing their communication. Wake Forest has reached out recently, and Georgia is also keeping an eye on him.
"I've had a lot of schools contact me," Stinson said. "Honestly, I feel like I've been slept on. But I feel like this [start] has been a break."
He’s not done sorting through it yet. Stinson plans to take visits in the coming weeks with his dad, then make a "final decision" before the Early Signing Period.
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