It was a long time coming, but finally we have a full slate of college football games to look forward to this Saturday. College football can be unpredictable for the most part, but this season has many experienced championship caliber players returning that will make for a season that we will remember for a while. With this in mind I wanted to start up a top 50 list that I will update after every month of the season. This preseason one was based mainly off past production in addition to specific skills and tool sets that separate these players from the rest of the field. So without further ado here, here are numbers 50-41.
50. Justin Fields QB Ohio St.
2018 stats and/or awards: 27/39 328 yards 4 TDs 0 INT, 42 rushes for 266 yards and 4 TDs
Starting off the list is a guy who was not able to produce much at Georgia as he was a backup behind Jake Fromm. In his limited action he did produce at a very efficient rate. His mobility is going to be his strong suit but if he can continue to show that he is an accurate QB in addition to his great running ability he will terrorize the Big 10. Don’t be too surprised if he doesn’t make a huge leap on this list in the coming months.
49. Khalil Tate QB Arizona
2018 stats and/or awards: 56.3% 2530 yards 26 TDs 8 INTÂ
Was #2 in Pac-12 in yards per attempt
This will probably be a more controversial selection as a guy like Fields is definitely trending up, while Khalil is trying to prove he belongs. However, I cannot ignore how much this guy lit it up on the ground in 2017. Running for 1411 yards as a QB even in college is insane and playing injured last year definitely slowed him down in the run game. With a healthy season looming, I believe Tate can get back to where he was when he lit up the Pac-12 in 2017
48. Raekwon Davis DL Alabama
2018 stats and/or awards: 55 total tackles, 5.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks
One of the best players on Alabama’s 2017 national championship defense definitely took a step back in 2018. A significant drop off from 8.5 sacks to 1.5 sack is definitely noteworthy. The size and athletic ability is tough to ignore as the 6’7, 312 pound defensive lineman looks to get back to the numbers produced in the 2017 season and help that defense dominate the SEC.
47. Julian Okwara DL Notre Dame
2018 stats and/or awards: 39 total tackles, 12.5 TFL, 8.0 sacks, 1 INT, 1 Pass deflection
Notre Dame shocked many people by going on a 12-0 start to the season that led them into the College Football Playoff. A big reason behind that was Okwara’s ability to rush the QB and take care of business behind the line of scrimmage. He will lead this Notre Dame defense back into 2019 with the goal of them putting in work deep into January.
46. CJ Henderson CB Florida
2018 stats and/or awards: 38 total tackles, 5.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 2 INT, 5 Pass Deflections, 2 Forced Fumbles
As one of the key pieces to the Florida secondary that caused fits for the highly ranked Michigan team in the Peach Bowl, CJ Henderson was a lock-down corner last year. Pro Football Focus has him highly regarded showing some other key stats that include a 50% completion percentage allowed against him, 0 touchdowns allowed, and 19.1 snaps per reception. However, his tackle numbers are extremely low and that will be the last puzzle of his game that he needs to fit in order to become an elite corner prospect.
45. Tee Higgins WR Clemson
2018 stats and/or awards: 59 catches 936 yards 12 TDs 15.9 yards per reception
Higgins is a part of a very talented receiving corps, and shows that he could be the biggest problem to cover 1 on 1. His 12 receiving TD’s led the ACC last year, with 8 of those coming inside the red zone. With Justyn Ross sure to garner a lot of attention from opposing DB’s this year, Higgins will definitely make them pay if they are stuck trying to grab a jump ball from him.
44. Collin Johnson WR Texas
2018 stats and/or awards: 68 catches 985 yards 7 TDs 14.5 yards per reception
Another guy with incredible size and solid athleticism, who’s production didn’t quite fit the bill of what he should bring to the table. Last year he was fighting for targets with Lil’Jordan Humphrey, now he is the clear cut number 1 receiver at Texas. That coupled with the fact that Sam Ehlinger now has a full year under his belt and is ready to take the mantle as the guy at Texas, don’t be surprised if Collin Johnson breaks out as a top receiver in the nation.
43. Jalen Hurts QB Oklahoma
2018 stats and/or awards: 51/70 765 yards 8 TDs 2 INT
One of the best stories in college football now goes to a school that has churned out two straight Heisman winners with back to back CFP appearances. After losing the starting job at Alabama, Jalen Hurts showed his resiliency as he stayed with the team through the season and displayed his mental toughness in the SEC Championship against Georgia. Lincoln Riley has proven he is a QB whisper who may be able to bring Hurts back to his production in 2016 where he was the SEC offensive player of the year.
42. Ben Bredeson LG Michigan
2018 stats and/or awards: Second team All-Big 10, Team Captain, Mid-season All-American (AP)
One of the staples of the Michigan offensive line (which was a greatly improved unit), is back for his senior year. With a Preseason All-American selection under his belt, Bredeson is going to be depended on to stabilize this offensive line.
41. Rashard Lawrence DT LSU
2018 stats and/or awards: 54 total tackles, 10.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks, 3 Pass DeflectionsÂ
The 2019 Fiesta Bowl defensive MVP returns to this vaunted LSU defense as a senior ready to finish off his career with a bang and upgrade his draft stock. While LSU is known for their fantastic secondary, a guy like Lawrence is deadly inside the tackles. He is a very big guy who is tough to move off the ball, that plus his good use of hands will create a lot of problems up front for opposing offenses.
Schedule for rest of the list to be released:
Wednesday 8/28: 40-31
Thursday 8/29: 30-21
Friday 8/30: 20-11
Saturday 8/31: 10-1
