While the college football season officially started this past weekend, I tend to think of it more as a “soft opening”, to use restaurant terms. But this weekend is the real deal. There are several match-ups between Top 25 teams (including a tasty neutral site game between two in the preseason Top 10) and we finally get to see which players and teams will set themselves up for a run at the Heisman, College Football Playoff and more.
I try to do some sort of season preview post each season. But having a house, a full-time job and more general adult responsibilities than I did when I was in my early 20s, I don’t have the time to watch as much tape as in the past. And much like the last few seasons, I likely won’t have time to do weekly prediction and observations like I have in the past.
But I do want to give you guys a preview of who and what to look out for. Today, I look at the individuals on the offensive side of the ball who are among the best at their position.
QUARTERBACKS
- Trace McSorley, Penn State
- Will Grier, West Virginia
- Khalil Tate, Arizona
- McKenzie Milton, Central Florida
- Drew Lock, Missouri
- Ryan Finley, NC State
- Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State
- Jarrett Stidham, Auburn
- Shea Patterson, Michigan
- Jake Browning, Washington
Notes: McSorley is a trendy Heisman pick for a reason. He’s got a good enough arm, plus a Baker Mayfield-like ability to extend plays and direct the troops. While he may not put up gaudy passing stats, he’s the best QB in the nation in my eyes because of his ability to keep his team in games. It will be interesting to see how he does without the services of tight end Mike Gesicki and a certain Mr. Barkley, but he should be good enough to lead the Lions to a lot of wins.
Will Grier probably has the best pure arm of the group, just ahead of Drew Lock. Both will put up nice numbers and both will likely play on Sundays. But how well their teams do will likely determine whether the seasons are considered successful.
Initially, putting Tate as high as 3 felt wrong to me, considering he operated more like another running back last year. But I’m not ranking these guys on what pro scouts consider to be the prototype of quarterback. They are ranked on who the best players are at the quarterback position. The fact of the matter is, Khalil Tate is a heck of a football player, who just happens to play QB. In a Kevin Sumlin/Noel Mazzone offense, Tate could really flourish.
Milton, like McSorley, is a true leader. Finley is a talented guy who gets overshadowed because he plays at a school that doesn’t play as many prime time games as ACC counterparts Clemson, Florida State, Miami and Louisville.
Jake Browning barely sneaks in, though you could make a case for him being higher. The guy has been a stud at Washington, but hardly anyone gets to watch him. His numbers are bound to drop off with the loss of Dante Pettis and he has a great running back to lean on (more on him in a moment), but the guy is still consistent enough to make the Huskies a Pac-12 fave.
Fitzgerald is a true dual threat who is coming off a knee injury and could be a Heisman dark horse if he stays healthy and leads the Bulldogs to big wins. Staying in the SEC, Lock, as mentioned before, has one of the best throwing arms in college football and put up eye-popping numbers a year ago. His production will likely tail off, but probably not by much. Another SEC signal-caller, Jarrett Stidham, enjoyed a fine first year at Auburn after leaving Baylor and going to a junior college. My main knock on him is his poor performances in Auburn’s losses. In the Tigers’ three regular season losses (including the SEC title game), he threw for an average of 130 yards and completed just over 46 percent of his passes. He did throw for 331 yards in the Peach Bowl, but was also picked off twice.
Another talented QB who left a scandal-riddled program was Shea Patterson. Expectations for him are crazy high, but if anyone can help Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines break through in the B1G, it might be Patterson. He’s oozing with ability and is pretty brash, similar to his head coach.
Next men up: Kelly Bryant, Clemson; Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama; Jake Fromm, Georgia; Justin Herbert, Oregon; Alex Hornibrook, Wisconsin.
RUNNING BACKS
- Bryce Love, Stanford
- Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
- Cam Akers, Florida State
- Rodney Anderson, Oklahoma
- Myles Gaskin, Washington
- A.J. Dillon, Boston College
- J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State
- Justice Hill, Oklahoma State
- David Montgomery, Iowa State
- Devin Singletary, FAU
Notes: We start with two guys who are legit Heisman contenders, even though no running back from anywhere other than Alabama has taken home the award since 2005 (I know, I know, it’s technically “vacated”, but we know who won). Both are uber-productive and should continue to be dominant this year. Love is going to run all over defenses this year, and were it not for Baker Mayfield’s ridiculous numbers, he might already have a Heisman.
Taylor put up amazing numbers as a freshman, rushing for just shy of 2,000 yards. Much like Love at Stanford, Taylor is in a running back-friendly system predicated on great offensive line play, but that shouldn’t take away from his ability.
Several other players return after great freshman years. Cam Akers is ranked this high mostly based on ability. His stats from last year aren’t as gaudy as others on this list. But if you’re looking for a guy who can do just about everything, it’s him.
Oddly enough, he wasn’t even the most productive freshman running back in his own conference a year ago. That distinction went to BC’s Dillon, who ran for a staggering 1,589 yards. J.K. Dobbins is a complete back, almost in a Saquon Barkley mold.
The Big 12 boasts a 3-headed monster in Anderson, Hill and Montgomery. You could make a case for any of them being the best running back in the league, but I give Anderson the nod because I don’t think we’ve seen the best from him yet.
Think Lane Kiffin and Clint Trickett are all about signing “Last Chance U” products and slinging the ball all over the yard? Think again. Devin Singletary ranked third in rushing yards in 2017 among returning players, behind only Taylor and Love.
Next men up: Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M; Benny Snell, Kentucky; DeAndre Swift, Georgia; Juwan Washington, San Diego State; Damien Harris, Alabama; Zack Moss, Utah.
WIDE RECEIVERS
- A.J. Brown, Ole Miss
- Marquise Brown, Oklahoma
- David Sills, West Virginia
- Jaylen Smith, Louisville
- Kelvin Harmon, NC State
- Anthony Johnson, Buffalo
- Denzel Mims, Baylor
- Ahmmon Richards, Miami
- N’Keal Harry, Arizona State
- Stanley Morgan Jr., Nebraska
Notes: Brown is the complete package. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is undersized, but a game-breaker waiting to happen. If you to describe Sills in one word, it’s “prolific”. All three should be in the hunt for the Biletnikoff this year.
In the “Madden” video game series, there’s a rating for “spectacular catch” ability. Whenever he enters the NFL, expect Jaylen Smith’s rating to be pretty darn good. His one-handed TD grab against Virginia is must-watch YouTube viewing.
If you’re looking for matchup nightmares, Mims, Harry and Harmon are exactly that. They are big-bodied wideouts who win almost every ball in the air.
Johnson is the unknown of the group, but with guys like Antonio Brown, T.Y. Hilton, Adam Thielen and Cooper Kupp tearing up the NFL, it just goes to show that you don’t need to play at a big school to be a big-time player. Just ask former Buffalo Bull Khalil Mack.
Richards is coming off an injury but was on his way to having a fine season. Morgan is a game-changer, but will likely be receiving passes from a freshman QB.
Next men up: Tyler Vaughns, USC; Felton Davis, Michigan State; Greg Dortch, Wake Forest; Penny Hart, Georgia State; Diontae Johnson, Toledo.
TIGHT ENDS
- Noah Fant, Iowa
- Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri
- Tommy Sweeney, Boston College
- Kaden Smith, Stanford
- Caleb Wilson, UCLA
Notes: All these guys have qualities that make them special. Fant can do it all. He’s a great pass-catcher, outstanding blocker and had some of his best moments against the best defenses college football had to offer.
Albert O (known as such because most announcers feared attempting to pronounce his name) had a fantastic freshman campaign and is looking for an encore. He is a great open-field target who is kind of cut out of the Jimmy Graham mold; he seems to be more comfortable catching than blocking.
On the opposite end of that spectrum is Tommy Sweeney. He is probably the best blocker of this group. He often had no problems bossing around would-be pass rushers. And when called upon, he can make a clutch catch.
Smith was probably picked more based on potential than anything. There are other tight ends who were probably more productive or who get open more easily, but Smith can make the contested catch as well as-if not better than-anyone in the nation. And that includes receivers.
Wilson’s 2017 season was shortened by a broken foot suffered in Week 5. But he was on pace to be among the best tight ends in America. In UCLA’s massive comeback against Texas A&M, not only did he catch the winning touchdown, he caught 15 passes for 208 yards, astounding numbers for a tight end. He had 11 grabs for 145 against Stanford, too. If he stays healthy, expect big things from him.
OFFENSIVE LINE
- David Edwards, OT, Wisconsin
- Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama
- Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss
- Beau Benzschawel, OG, Wisconsin
- Dalton Risner, C, Kansas State
- Mitch Hyatt, OT, Clemson
- Trey Adams, OT, Washington
Notes: I went with a magnificent 7 here, mostly because I felt like there’s a decent drop off after these guys. It was a close race between Edwards and Williams. Both are great technicians and leaders of their lines. But Edwards happens to be the leader of the best o-line in college football, as evidenced by Benzschawel’s appearance.
Hyatt, Little and Adams all have one thing in common: they’ve faced the Alabama defense at least once over the past two seasons, with Little and Hyatt having faced them each of the past two. While the results have been mixed, you know they’re battle-tested and ready for NFL careers. Risner continues the trend of great line play in Bill Snyder’s offense.
Gridiron Glen 