Ranking the Top 25 Sophomores Heading into the 2015 College Football Season
He was talking about basketball players, but the famous line from longtime coach and commentator Al McGuire applies just as well to college football: "The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores."
It's even more applicable to football, where players must spend three years in school before becoming draft-eligible instead of being able to turn pro after one season. This allows for plenty of year-over-year improvement, and one of the biggest jumps comes between the freshman and sophomore year.
This means the best first-year players in the country from 2014 have only just scratched the surface of what they can accomplish.
Last season saw a bumper crop of standout freshmen in college football, and as they enter their sophomore years, the expectations go way up. It might seem difficult for some to top what they've already accomplished, but if they're able to perform even better this fall, they'll likely be pushing their teams toward great seasons.
Check out our list of the top 25 sophomores heading into the 2015 season, ranked by their past performance and what is expected from them this coming year.
25. Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan
1 of 25
Position: Running back
Height, weight: 6'0", 220 lbs
There weren't many opportunities to watch him play on national television last season—unless you were all over the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in December—but Jarvion Franklin had the kind of year that college football fans would want to see. His 1,551 rushing yards were ranked 16th in the country, slightly ahead of fellow freshman Nick Chubb of Georgia, while his 24 rushing touchdowns were fourth-best.
The first player in Mid-American Conference history to win the league's rookie and offensive player of the year awards, per his online bio, Franklin had six games of at least 149 rushing yards and six games with at least six TDs.
To catch him on TV this year, the options will be greater. Western Michigan, coming off of an 8-5 season, will open at home against Michigan State on a Friday night and also play at Ohio State, and the Broncos will also be heavily featured during the MAC's weeknight action on ESPN in November.
24. Kemoko Turay, Rutgers
2 of 25
Position: Defensive end
Height, weight: 6'6", 235 lbs
Though he didn't start one game as a freshman, Kemoko Turay had the kind of numbers that a starter would normally put up. He led Rutgers last season with 7.5 sacks and was third with 8.5 tackles for loss, with just 26 total tackles, playing almost exclusively as a third-down rushing specialist
Turay also became a special teams star with three blocked kicks in 2014, but now he is expected to take on a much bigger role for the Scarlet Knights.
"We know how valuable he is on third down and how impactful he is on third down, but the great players play on all downs," Rutgers coach Kyle Flood told NJ.com's Dan Duggan. "It's important that he becomes a complete player."
23. De'Mornay Pierson-El, Nebraska
3 of 25
Position: Wide receiver/kick returner
Height, weight: 5'9", 185 lbs
De'Mornay Pierson-El didn't have a true role on Nebraska's offense when the season began, but he still had his job as a punt returner to fall back on. One of the more active return men in the country, he averaged 17.5 yards on 34 returns and brought three back for touchdowns.
But Pierson-El really became an integral part of the Cornhuskers' success when he took over a starting receiver spot, playing the last six games at that position and getting most of his 23 receptions and three of his four TD catches during that stretch.
That late emergence will bode well for Pierson-El this season, as new coach Mike Riley prefers a more pass-heavy pro-style offense that should put him in position to be among the team receiving leaders.
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22. Quin Blanding, Virginia
4 of 25
Position: Safety
Height, weight: 6'4", 215 lbs
One of two big-name recruits Virginia landed for 2014, along with defensive tackle Andrew Brown, Quin Blanding stepped right into the Cavaliers' lineup and became as important as any of the other starters. He was also the most productive, leading the team with 123 tackles, which tied for 21st nationally and was the most of any freshman in the country.
Blanding was the first true freshman to start at safety for Virginia since 1976, but he wasn't just out there to make hits. He also had three interceptions and broke up six passes, but he was just as integral in the run defense with 79 of his tackles coming on rushing plays.
21. JK Scott, Alabama
5 of 25
Position: Punter
Height, weight: 6'5", 195 lbs
Laugh all you want, but Alabama's JK Scott would have been more than deserving of being the team's MVP last season if not for the amazing year wide receiver Amari Cooper had. Despite only a handful of chances each game, Scott routinely flipped the field and put opponents on their heels with deep kicks that pinned them close to the goal line.
With an FBS-best average of 48 yards per punt, Scott rarely played like a freshman with his poise and strong leg. He also came up huge in games when Alabama's offense wasn't clicking, such as in an overtime win at LSU (48.56 average on nine punts) and against Mississippi State (45.57 average on seven kicks).
Against MSU, his punt after Alabama kicked from the Bulldogs' 38-yard line was downed at the 4, and a few plays later Alabama recorded the safety to pace a 25-20 win over then-No. 1 MSU.
20. D.J. Calhoun, Arizona State
6 of 25
Position: Linebacker
Height, weight: 6'0", 213 lbs
Though his numbers might not have looked that spectacular, D.J. Calhoun showed enough during his first season in college to indicate that he's in line for a huge career. Arizona State plans to build its aggressive defense around this standout linebacker, who started six games, including the Sun Devils' 2014 season opener.
For the year he had 35 tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss and a forced fumble. With a bigger role expected this year, those numbers figure to make a huge rise.
19. Justin Jackson, Northwestern
7 of 25
Position: Running back
Height, weight: 5'11", 185 lbs
Northwestern looked to be in huge trouble in the rushing game when Venric Mark chose to leave the program just before the start of the 2014 season. Little did the Wildcats know their savior was buried so deep on the depth chart he wasn't listed for the first few games.
Yet Jackson scored a touchdown in Northwestern's first game, and he went on to rush for 1,187 yards and 10 TDs with six 100-yard games. Three of those came in the Wildcats' last three contests, when he averaged 23.3 carries and 142 yards with five rushing scores.
18. Darron Lee, Ohio State
8 of 25
Position: Linebacker
Height, weight: 6'2", 228 lbs
Though he didn't get nearly the attention that fellow Ohio State redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett received last season, Darron Lee's play on defense was no less important to the Buckeyes' run to a national title.
Lee ranked second on the team in sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (16.5) last season, looking nothing like the high school quarterback he was when Ohio State first started recruiting him.
"I had confidence in my ability when I got here," Lee told Ari Wasserman of Cleveland.com. "I knew this was going to happen."
17. Artavis Scott, Clemson
9 of 25
Position: Wide receiver
Height, weight: 5'10", 190 lbs
The NFL is littered with standout wide receivers who came from Clemson over the past decade, and that number figures to swell in a few years if Artavis Scott remains at the pace he's already set for himself.
Scott's 76 receptions were most on the Tigers, and the most by a freshman since Sammy Watkins had 83 in 2011. He had 965 receiving yards, second to Mike Williams, along with eight touchdowns.
Scott had three two-touchdown games, going for 185 yards on seven receptions in Clemson's signature win over South Carolina. That was one of his four 100-yard games last season.
16. Cam Robinson, Alabama
10 of 25
Position: Offensive tackle
Height, weight: 6'6", 326 lbs
Though Nick Saban is becoming more inclined to start freshmen and is even giving first-year quarterback Blake Barnett a strong chance for playing time this season, his decision to start Cam Robinson on Alabama's offensive line last year transcends any trends in the game because it was mostly due to how game-ready Robinson was in 2014.
He started all 14 games at left tackle, a key reason Alabama's quarterbacks only allowed 16 sacks and Blake Sims was able to put up huge numbers.
According to his online bio, Robinson himself was only responsible for three sacks in more than 860 snaps, while recording 32 knockdown blocks along the way.
15. KD Cannon, Baylor
11 of 25
Position: Wide receiver
Height, weight: 6'0", 175 lbs
With so many great offensive weapons, it's hard for any single player to stand out for Baylor. KD Cannon managed to do this, though, with a tremendous first season that saw him rank third in receptions and second in yards and touchdowns in 2014.
Cannon had 58 catches for 1,030 yards and eight TDs, numbers that would have made him the No. 1 wideout on numerous other FBS teams. His yards-per-reception average of 17.76 was ninth-best in the country for players with at least 50 receptions, as he had 11 catches of 30 or more yards and nine that went for at least 40.
Cannon set himself up for a great second year with an eight-catch, 197-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Cotton Bowl.
14. Brad Kaaya, Miami (Florida)
12 of 25
Position: Quarterback
Height, weight: 6'4", 209 lbs
Injuries and suspensions put Miami's quarterback situation in limbo last summer, when Brad Kaaya arrived as a true freshman and was suddenly a key participant in a position battle. He got the starting nod and never gave it up, putting together a season that ranks among the best in school history.
And considering the quarterbacks who have played for the Hurricanes over the years, that's a big accomplishment.
Against a tough schedule, Kaaya threw for 3,198 yards and 26 touchdowns, topping 300 yards on three occasions. He has the two highest-yardage games from a Miami freshman, with 342 against Arkansas State and 359 against Nebraska.
Now a virtual veteran, Kaaya is already 17th on the school's career passing list and figures to be in the top five before season's end.
13. Royce Freeman, Oregon
13 of 25
Position: Running back
Height, weight: 5'11", 230 lbs
Of all the standout running backs Oregon has had over the past 15 years, none has had as strong of a debut as Royce Freeman. His 1,365 yards were the most by a Ducks freshman, by a long shot, and his performance prompted the team to shift Byron Marshall—a 1,000-yard rusher the year before—to receiver last season.
Built like a tank but with the motor of a sports car, Freeman peaked in the middle of last season by rushing for 100-plus yards in six of eight games and going for 98 and 99 in the others. He was worn down in the postseason, with just 66 yards on 22 carries in the Rose Bowl and national championship game, but with a full offseason to get in better shape, he figures to maintain a high level all season in 2015.
12. Anu Solomon, Arizona
14 of 25
Position: Quarterback
Height, weight: 6'2", 205 lbs
No freshman quarterback had as prolific of a season in 2014 as Anu Solomon, who, in his redshirt year, started every game and parlayed that into numerous school records. He also piloted Arizona to its first Pac-12 title game, its first 10-win season since 1998 and its first major bowl bid since 1994.
Solomon threw for 3,793 yards and 28 touchdowns, tossing just nine interceptions on 540 pass attempts. His low completion rate (58.0 percent) was often the result of overthrowing the ball, as well as some impatience with throws after getting sacked 38 times during the season.
Solomon won a five-player battle for the starting job last year, but now he has the gig all to himself and will again have access to a talented crop of receivers that includes six returners who had at least 20 receptions.
11. Derek Barnett, Tennessee
15 of 25
Position: Defensive end
Height, weight: 6'3", 268 lbs
On a team full of freshman contributors last season, none stood out as much as Derek Barnett during Tennessee's resurgent year. With 10 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss, both Volunteers freshman records, Barnett is only getting started on what has a chance to be one of the best careers in school history.
Barnett saved his best effort for some of the biggest games, collecting all of his sacks in SEC games, including three in a key overtime win over South Carolina that enabled Tennessee to finish above .500 for the first time since 2009.
If not for Myles Garrett at Texas A&M, Barnett would be getting the lion's share of the attention among young SEC defensive stars. Instead, he's still somehow flying under the radar but isn't likely to continue in that direction with Tennessee adding several more stars on what could become the conference's best defensive line.
10. Adoree Jackson, USC
16 of 25
Position: Cornerback/wide receiver/kick returner
Height, weight: 5'11", 185 lbs
Adoree Jackson was recruited to USC as a defensive back, yet he came in with the skills to do much more than just defend passes. We got to see small glimpses of Jackson's receiving ability—including one game when he started at wideout and cornerback—while also watching him in the returning game, though the secondary was his first home.
The area where he stands out most this season might depend on which set of Trojans coaches is able to win out in a battle over the dynamic athlete's skills.
"What we learned about Adoree' a year ago is that he has a really high football IQ," USC coach Steve Sarkisian told Alicia de Artola of FanSided. "He can pick things up really quickly. I don't know many people that can take on what he's taking on."
Jackson finished last year with 10 receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns, along with two kickoff return TDs and a 29.74-yard average, scoring in each way in the bowl win over Nebraska. Defensively, Jackson had 49 tackles, nine pass breakups and four tackles for loss.
9. Mike Dudek, Illinois
17 of 25
Position: Wide receiver
Height, weight: 5'11", 185 lbs
Illinois managed to make a bowl game last season despite a very uneven overall performance from many of its key players, but Mike Dudek wasn't a part of that description. His first college season far exceeded expectations, as he caught 76 passes for 1,038 yards and six touchdowns.
Dudek had a pair of big games, going for 200 yards against Purdue and catching 11 passes for 115 yards in a key victory over Penn State, but otherwise he had solid production in every other outing. As Illinois' top receiver, he was a dependable target for all three quarterbacks the Fighting Illini ended up using last season.
UPDATE: Illinois announced Wednesday (h/t Yahoo!) that Dudek suffered a torn ACL during a non-contact drill. The injury requires surgery and he will be out until at least October.
8. Kyle Allen, Texas A&M
18 of 25
Position: Quarterback
Height, weight: 6'3", 205 lbs
Kyle Allen had to wait his turn last season, especially after Kenny Hill jumped out to a huge start to 2014 as he led Texas A&M to a 5-0 start. Once Allen was inserted as the Aggies' starter, though, he made it evident he's not going to give up the job anytime soon.
Allen threw for 1,322 yards and 16 touchdowns in nine games, but in his five starts he averaged 211.6 yards per game and completed 61.6 percent of his throws along with 13 TDs. He threw for 294 yards and four TDs in the Liberty Bowl win over West Virginia, a strong springboard to what should be a breakout sophomore year.
"He's light years from his first spring practice a year ago," A&M offensive coordinator Jake Spavital told Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle. "Year two is always the best time for a quarterback, because you've got learning all of the operational things out of the way. You can sit back and play some football."
7. Dalvin Cook, Florida State
19 of 25
Position: Running back
Height, weight: 6'0", 203 lbs
Dalvin Cook didn't become a key piece of Florida State's offense until midway through his freshman year, yet he still managed to lead the team with 1,008 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. And with most of the offense around him from 2014 having moved up, this upcoming season could be the Cook show.
The Seminoles will have a new quarterback, several new linemen and many new pass-catchers this fall, making Cook an integral piece of the equation. He showed he could carry the load last year with five 100-yard games while also hauling in 22 receptions.
Cook had only 170 carries last season, getting off to a slow start as he recovered from spring injuries. At full strength for this year, he should be FSU's first back to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Warrick Dunn did it from 1994-96.
6. Samaje Perine, Oklahoma
20 of 25
Position: Running back
Height, weight: 5'11", 237 lbs
Part of a three-man rotation for carries in Oklahoma's backfield to start last season, Samaje Perine didn't need much time to establish himself as the Sooners' best rushing option and one who could challenge some school records if he remains at this pace.
Perine's 1,713 yards and 21 touchdowns were the best numbers by an Oklahoma back since Adrian Peterson a decade earlier, and Perine did it despite not starting several games. That includes the November game against Kansas, when he ended up setting the FBS single-game rushing record with 427 yards and five touchdowns.
That was one of three games with at least 200 yards, and one of seven where he was given 20-plus carries. Though Oklahoma has shifted to an air raid passing offense this season, don't expect Perine's production to go down too much if he continues to run as hard and effectively.
5. Leonard Fournette, LSU
21 of 25
Position: Running back
Height, weight: 6'1", 230 lbs
One of the most hyped players in college football history, even before he ever played a game, Leonard Fournette came into his freshman season at LSU with expectations so high they were nearly impossible to meet. He wasn't able to reach those heights, but he came pretty close.
Fournette set the school freshman rushing record with 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging a solid 5.5 yards per carry. He also showed off amazing speed as a kick returner, averaging 26 yards per return and bringing back a kickoff 100 yards for a TD in the Tigers' Music City Bowl loss to Notre Dame.
In that game, Fournette had 264 all-purpose yards on just 13 touches.
All of that was achieved despite not arriving at LSU until the summer, but now with an offseason to improve his approach to the game, the results should be even bigger in 2015.
"My vision of the game has slowed totally down," Fournette told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. "I'm starting to understand everything, not just what I do, but I'm learning everybody's part."
4. Deshaun Watson, Clemson
22 of 25
Position: Quarterback
Height, weight: 6'2", 205 lbs
The first season of Deshaun Watson's Clemson career is going to be remembered for two vastly different things: how composed and effective he was in running the Tigers' offense, and how often he had to miss time because of injury.
A broken hand and two knee injuries, the last resulting in a torn ACL that required surgery, kept Watson from being able to do more as a freshman. Yet we still saw what he was capable of with 1,466 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and a 67.9 percent completion rate as well as five rushing TDs in only eight games.
In the three games Watson started (and completed), Clemson averaged 42 points and 504.7 yards, while for the season the Tigers averaged 30.8 points and 408.3 yards per game.
Watson had knee surgery in December and has been participating in spring practice. If his recovery continues on that track, he'll be back to his dominant ways in September.
3. Myles Garrett, Texas A&M
23 of 25
Position: Defensive end
Height, weight: 6'5", 255 lbs
If Texas A&M could have 10 more guys like Myles Garrett, its defense wouldn't get criticized much anymore. Even with just one of him last season, though, the Aggies' defensive reputation saw a major rise thanks to Garrett's ability to rush the passer and create havoc despite frequent double-teams.
Garrett was second in the SEC with 11.5 sacks in 2014, breaking Jadeveon Clowney's freshman sack record. He also had 14 tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hurries, constantly finding himself in opponents' backfields and doing his best to take pressure off of an A&M defense that still allowed 28 points and 450 yards per game.
His first season was more about raw ability than anything, but now with another season to learn technique, we should expect to see even more from Garrett. It will also help that the arrival of star prospect Daylon Mack at defensive tackle will take some blockers away from focusing on him, which is likely to boost his numbers.
2. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
24 of 25
Position: Quarterback
Height, weight: 6'1", 225 lbs
A mostly unknown quantity outside of Ohio State's camp at the beginning of last season, J.T. Barrett quickly thrust himself into the Heisman race with a constantly improving performance as the Buckeyes' unexpected on-field leader during a push toward the national championship. Though he didn't get to finish that journey, missing OSU's three postseason games because of injury, it was Barrett who laid the groundwork for that title with his impressive play during the regular season.
Before breaking his ankle in the second half of the Michigan game in late November, Barrett had already established school records for total offense (3,772 yards) and touchdowns responsible for (45). The injury required surgery, and it opened the door for Cardale Jones to be a star in the playoffs, meaning Barrett has to fight to get his job back this season.
And he's not letting that ailment slow him down. On a faster-than-expected recovery track, Barrett has been going toe-to-toe with Jones during spring ball in an effort to avoid returning to the bench.
If OSU were to go with more than one quarterback this season, Barrett could end up working as either the main guy for his passing acumen (64.6 percent completion rate) or as a specialty player who is in there to run more, as he ran for 938 yards and 11 TDs last year.
1. Nick Chubb, Georgia
25 of 25
Position: Running back
Height, weight: 5'10", 228 lbs
Nick Chubb was eased into action with Georgia last season until he was thrust into a starting role midway through the year. The ensuing performance made Bulldogs fans wonder what took the coaching staff so long to unleash him on the SEC.
If not for Todd Gurley's NCAA suspension (and then season-ending injury), Chubb might have had to wait until this season to get his big break. Instead, he ran for 100-plus yards in eight straight games and finished with a 266-yard performance in the Belk Bowl to end up with 1,547 yards. That ranks tied for fourth on the school's single-season rushing list, with the only better efforts coming from Herschel Walker.
"Chubb made replacing Todd Gurley look easy, which is no small task," Bleacher Report's Brian Leigh wrote.
With a strong line in front of him and an offense that figures to be built around his talents, it's hard to imagine anything short of injury preventing Chubb from having an even bigger sophomore season.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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