The 2015 College Football Seniors We'll Miss the Most in 2016
The hardest thing about the end of a college football season is having to say goodbye to the players who have entertained us each Saturday for the last few months. It's even more difficult to let go when those players are finishing up their senior year and won't be around next season.
College football, by nature, is a cyclical game because of the limited careers of those participating in it. We know this coming in, but it still hurts to see them go.
If you're looking for another reason to watch the bowl games over the next two weeks—as if you need another one—then treat these final contests like you would the last episode of a beloved television show that's finally reached its end. But instead of fictional characters you're bidding farewell to, it's seniors who have thrilled us for the last three or four years.
Here's a look back at the 10 seniors we're going to miss the most, along with info on when you can watch them one more time.
Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU
1 of 10
Final appearance: Saturday, Jan. 2 vs. Oregon in Alamo Bowl
Trevone Boykin's career took him to several different spots on the field early on as he searched for a position that would best fit his athleticism and skill set. During his sophomore season, he spent time as a running back, wide receiver and quarterback as the TCU Horned Frogs tried to maximize his talents.
But it was when he was moved back to QB to start the 2014 season—and got to work with a pair of new coordinators in Sonny Cumbie and Doug Meacham—that Boykin's career really took off.
As a junior, Boykin had more than 4,600 yards of total offense and was involved in 42 touchdowns, helping TCU to a 12-1 record and a share of the Big 12 title. His numbers this fall were on pace to exceed the previous season—with four 500-yard games—but an ankle injury slowed him in November.
Boykin heads into the Alamo Bowl with 12,776 yards of total offense, which ranks 24th in FBS history. In that game, he could pass Tajh Boyd, Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota and Russell Wilson on the all-time list.
Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State
2 of 10
(Potential) final appearance: Thursday, Dec. 31 vs. Alabama in Cotton Bowl
It's become a rarity in college football for a top player to opt not to turn pro after his junior season when all signs point to him being a high draft pick. Connor Cook made it clear very early that he was going to return for his senior year at Michigan State despite some potential first-round projections, and his reasoning was just as firm.
"I have unfinished business that I want to accomplish next year," Cook told ESPN's Dan Murphy last December, a few weeks before throwing for 314 yards and two touchdowns in a massive comeback win over Baylor in the Cotton Bowl.
His career might end on the same field, as the Spartans are heading back to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for a national semifinal game. Being able to compete for a national championship was part of that "unfinished business" that Cook was alluding to a year ago, and so far he's completed all of his tasks.
A starter since his sophomore year, Cook has had some of his biggest games this season. He needs 158 yards to become MSU's career passing leader, but he'll trade all statistical accomplishments for the chance to get the Spartans into the title game.
Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford
3 of 10
Final appearance: Friday, Jan. 1 vs. Iowa in Rose Bowl
Even though he wasn't a senior when he left, Andrew Luck's departure from Stanford after the 2011 season felt like it would mark the end of the Cardinal's impressive rise from Pac-12 doormat to national power.
Kevin Hogan somehow managed to not only maintain that level of success, but he raised the bar even higher during his three-plus seasons at the helm of Stanford's offense.
A fifth-year senior who took over as starter midway through the 2012 season, Hogan is the winningest quarterback in program history. In addition to his 35 victories, he has piloted Stanford to three conference titles, including this year, and is taking the Cardinal into their third Rose Bowl in the last four seasons.
Cody Kessler, QB, USC
4 of 10
Final appearance: Wednesday, Dec. 30 vs. Wisconsin in Holiday Bowl
Cody Kessler is going to finish his career as one of the most prolific passers in USC history, which is a pretty significant accomplishment considering the success that school has had at quarterback. But because the USC program has resembled a third-rate soap opera during his tenure, Kessler isn't likely to get praised as much as some of his more well-known predecessors.
In his three seasons as a starter, he's experienced two midseason coaching changes—first in 2013 and then again this fall—along with all of the ancillary distractions that come with the search for a replacement. All the while, Kessler continued to put up strong numbers and establish numerous school records. And depending on how the Holiday Bowl goes, he should finish as the school's all-time leader in completion percentage.
Kessler injured his thumb in the Pac-12 championship game loss to Stanford on Dec. 5, but coach Clay Helton expects him to play.
“You could probably cut his right wrist off and he would still play,” Helton said, per Ryan Abraham of USCFootball.com.
Tyler Matakevich, LB, Temple
5 of 10
Final appearance: Tuesday, Dec. 22 vs. Toledo in Boca Raton Bowl
Temple isn't exactly part of the upper echelon of college football, though it's 10-3 record and American Athletic Conference division title this season did turn heads. The Owls' season-opening win over Penn State helped bring attention to the program, and it also allowed the nondiehards to discover one of the hardest-working players in the game.
Tyler Matakevich's storied career will come to a close in a few days with what's likely to be another impressive performance. Since starting as a freshman in 2012, he has averaged better than 10 tackles per game and is one of seven players in FBS history to register at least 100 tackles in four straight seasons.
This year Matakevich not only has 126 tackles but also 15 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and five interceptions, which made him a fine choice for the Bednarik Award given to the nation's top defensive player.
Braxton Miller, WR/QB, Ohio State
6 of 10
Final appearance: Friday, Jan. 1 vs. Notre Dame in Fiesta Bowl-eligible
Highs and lows are commonplace during the course of a career, but Braxton Miller's path has been a little more of a roller coaster than the average college player.
For three seasons, he was Ohio State's starting quarterback—though his ability to run the ball was the more impressive feat. He headed into the 2014 season with more than 5,200 passing yards and more than 3,000 rushing yards and was a likely Heisman Trophy candidate after finishing ninth in the voting the year before.
Then with one otherwise ordinary throw late in the preseason, Miller's career suddenly took a major turn. He tore the labrum in his throwing shoulder, an injury that would require surgery and knock him out for the year.
Miller vowed to return in 2015 to finish out his eligibility. But after OSU won the national title and had two other quarterbacks (J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones) coming back, speculation floated that he would head to another school as a graduate transfer. Instead he remained with the Buckeyes, though over the summer he was converted to a hybrid running back/receiver position to take advantage of his speed and mobility.
This was on full display in OSU's season-opening win against Virginia Tech, with a video-game-like spin move on one of his two touchdowns in that game. For the season, he had 24 catches for 329 yards and three TDs while rushing for 234 yards, also completing his only pass attempt for three yards.
Shawn Oakman, DE, Baylor
7 of 10
Final appearance: Tuesday, Dec. 29 vs. North Carolina in Russell Athletic Bowl
Who are we going to meme once Shawn Oakman leaves college football?
Though it wasn't his only contribution to the game, the 6'9”, 275-pound Oakman's tendency to look absolutely scary in so many pictures and videos during his career made him an Internet sensation. This got him more hype than other worthy teammates, such as junior defensive tackle Andrew Billings, though Oakman's contributions still stood out during his time at Baylor.
In three seasons with the Bears, Oakman has registered 17.5 sacks and 46.5 tackles for loss. He began his career at Penn State but was dismissed after his freshman year. He sat out the 2012 season following his transfer to Baylor.
Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
8 of 10
Final appearance: Wednesday, Dec. 30 vs. North Carolina State in Belk Bowl
Tim Tebow, Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel got the ball rolling before him, but Dak Prescott is just as responsible as those previous dual-threat quarterbacks for why the SEC is now on board with the need to have athletes instead of statues play that position.
Prescott and Tebow are the only two players in the SEC to lead their teams in both passing and rushing in the same season twice, according o Mississippi State media relations director Bill Martin. He did so in both 2013 and this year, when he's accounted for 73 percent of the Bulldogs' offense and 35 of 47 total touchdowns.
His 11,470 yards of total offense are third-most in SEC history, and his two seasons as MSU's full-time starter have been among the most successful in program history. Last year the Bulldogs began 9-0 and spent several weeks atop the Associated Press poll.
Keenan Reynolds, QB, Navy
9 of 10
Final appearance: Monday, Dec. 28 vs. Pittsburgh in Military Bowl
The all-time FBS leader in rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns scored and career points, Navy's Keenan Reynolds epitomizes the dedication we hope to see from college football players. But Reynolds' loyalty extends far beyond the field, as after his college career ends he'll move on to a military assignment.
“I want to leave a legacy of a selfless leader who won football games," Reynolds told Bleacher Report's Justin Ferguson. "Ultimately, you're not measured by all the records and how many touchdowns you scored. All that's great. But if you don't win games, you won't get remembered.”
A starter for four seasons, Reynolds has mastered Navy's triple-option offense so well that it's resulted in him scoring 86 rushing TDs. The previous record heading into this season was 78, and he also broke the total TD mark of 83 with three scores against Army on Dec. 12.
Reynolds helped the Midshipmen successfully transition from a long-time independent program to one that finished second in the American Athletic Conference's West Division, losing only once in league play. A bowl win would give Navy its first-ever 11-win season.
Eric Striker, LB, Oklahoma
10 of 10
(Potential) Final appearance: Thursday, Dec. 31 vs. Clemson in Orange Bowl
Had Oklahoma managed to beat Clemson last December in the Russell Athletic Bowl, who knows if it would be playing the Tigers again—this time in a playoff setting. That 40-6 beatdown served as a motivator for many of the Sooners, most notably Eric Striker, who couldn't let his college career end with such a performance.
“I don’t want to go out like this,” Striker said immediately after that game, per Brady Vardeman of the Oklahoma Daily. “I’ll be back at OU because I’m a winner.”
Striker would have been justified to turn pro after his junior season, during which he had nine sacks and 17 tackles for loss. But by coming back for his final year, doing so as much for the team as for himself, he solidified his place in Oklahoma's long and storied legacy.
This season Striker has 7.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss along with a forced fumble and an interception.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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