The recently finished “Friday Night Lights” TV show about high school football in Texas might not have scored big with ratings, but it has a cult following that might just lead to a big-screen version (yes, another one). That got us to thinking: If the parts were cast with real members of college football, who would snare the biggest roles? We examine.
Eric Taylor is … Will Muschamp
This is a no-brainer. Not only does Muschamp look like actor Kyle Chandler, the new Florida head coach and Taylor are legendary for their white-hot tempers and tough love. After earning their stripes in Texas, both have left the state in shocking fashion, with Muschamp leaving as head-coach-in-waiting at Texas for Florida this offseason and Taylor off to Philadelphia.
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Tami Taylor is … Layla Kiffin
Hey, y’all. The wife of USC head coach Lane Kiffin, Layla has turned heads since her husband was named the head man at Tennessee in 2008, appearing all over the internet as fans drool over her. That’s a perfect fit for the role of Tami Taylor played by Connie Britton; grown men go gaga over her and the players can’t help notice that the coach’s wife is hotter than their girlfriends.
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Julie Taylor is … Nicki Meyer
Just like Taylor, Meyer is the coach’s daughter who the players can’t help but notice. However, they both get themselves caught up in a bit of controversy – albeit for different reasons. Meyer has been in the news for having her father’s back when it comes to coaching rumors. “Stop txting me abt my dad. HE IS NOT repeat NOT, GOING TO OHIO STATE. thanks,” she tweeted earlier this year. Taylor, well, she’s had an affair with a married TA and was known for acting like a brat.
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Tim Riggins is … Trent Fisher
Fisher, the son of former NFL head coach Jeff Fisher, is a walk-on redshirt freshman safety at Auburn, where he reportedly has impressed coaches. Riggins is the bad-boy running back for the fictional Dillon Panthers. But here’s what makes this different: Fisher and Riggins are dead ringers for one another, making it much easier for us in central casting. But let’s hope that in real life Fisher doesn’t act how Riggins does off the field.
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Jason Street is … Andrew Luck
Yes, the two “Golden Boys.” Street had it all as the star player at Dillon and the fiancee of Lyla Garrity. But after he was paralyzed during a game in his senior year, Street had it all taken away. He helped coach the Panthers and had an interest in quad rugby in the meantime. Hopefully Stanford’s Luck, who is the consensus top QB in the nation for 2011, stays injury-free in his senior year before going first overall in the 2012 NFL draft.
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Matt Saracen is … Ryan Tannehill
Saracen was always overlooked and under-appreciated. During his time on “FNL,” Saracen split his time between quarterback and wide receiver for the Panthers after getting benched in favor of J.D. McCoy. For his part, Tannehill moved to wide receiver after losing the starting QB job to Jerrod Johnson. But when Johnson was benched last season, Tannehill led Texas A&M to a 6-1 finish. All Saracen and Tannehill needed was a chance.
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Vince Howard is … Robert Griffin III
The parallels aren’t exact here, but we like where this is going for the two Texas natives. While Howard never played football before joining the Panthers, Griffin has played as if he was born to play quarterback for Baylor. A dual-threat QB for the Bears, Griffin is the offense in Waco, where the former track star shows off his other-worldly athletic talent. And that’s what reminds us of Howard, who was so talented athletically that he overcame his lack of experience.
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“Smash” Williams is … LaMichael James
“Smash” reminds us of James, the cat-quick running back who also hails from Texas and helped Oregon reach last season’s BCS Championship Game. At 5-foot-8, 185 pounds, James could be swapped with “Smash,” and no one would notice with a helmet on. Now James just needs to start speaking in the third person to prepare for the role.
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Lyla Garrity is … Amanda Pfulgrad
Sometimes, the most obvious choice is the best one; trust your first instinct, we’ve always been told. In this case, we need a smoking hot cheerleader to play the role of Garrity, who was played by Derek Jeter’s girlfriend … er … Minka Kelly. So we chose an Oregon cheerleader. Pfulgrad appeared on SI.com as a Cheerleader of the Week in 2008 and has been dubbed “The Hottest Cheerleader of All Time” on the internet. With some dyed brown hair, it’s a perfect fit.
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