CFP National Championship 2017: Under-the-Radar Players to Watch

The 2017 CFP National Championship matchup between the Clemson Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide is one that fans should be familiar with. 

Not only did we see it last season, but it's one that is filled with household names in the world of college football. Everyone knows that Clemson's hopes of coming away with the title rely on Deshaun Watson's playmaking ability or that Reuben Foster will be among the best Alabama defenders trying to stop him.

But every year, the national championship game is impacted by those players who step it up on the big stage and deliver the clutch performance that puts their team over the top. 

None of these three players have made the headlines this season, but all three could play an important role in this matchup. Here's a look at three of the more under-the-radar players who have the opportunity to leave their mark on the biggest stage of them all.

Jonah Williams (Alabama)

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It takes a special player to crack the starting lineup at Alabama as a freshman at any position. It takes an absolute freak to break into that role as a lineman, yet, that's what right tackle Jonah Williams has done. 

One day when the draft rolls around for Williams, everyone will claim to be familiar with his work and clamoring for their team to take him in the top 10 of the draft, but for now, he's a relatively unheralded cog along the Alabama offensive line. 

As one might expect from a guy who went to prom last year and is now playing on the offensive line for the best team in the SEC, there have been some growing pains. According to CFB Film Room, the tackle had the worst pass blocking percentage on the team and gave up 11 hurries, four hits and two sacks on 414 pass-blocking snaps. 

Williams appears to be doing well in the spotlight, though. He was the second-highest graded offensive player for Alabama in the Peach Bowl, per Pro Football Focus:

While fans will likely marvel at Bo Scarbrough running through the defense and looking like he was created in a lab somewhere, Williams will be playing a vital role on Monday. 

The Clemson defensive front is one of the best in college football. The defensive tackle tandem of Carlos Watkins and Dexter Lawrence is enough to create weeping and gnashing of teeth for an offensive line coach, but it frees up Christian Wilkins and Clelin Ferrell for one-on-one situations on the edge. 

That's where Williams is going to have to step up and allow his teammates to worry about the interior. 

Williams name probably won't come up much during the broadcast, but his role can't be understated. 

Kendall Joseph (Clemson)

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As you may have heard in the lead up to this game, Alabama can run the ball. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has over 1,000 yards on the season. Damien Harris also cracked the 1,000 yard milestone, and all 6'2" and 228 pounds of Scarbrough is the Tide's third most productive back with 721 yards on 109 carries. 

Essentially, if Clemson doesn't find a way to at least slow down the Alabama rushing attack, this won't be a game. 

That's where Kendall Joseph steps in. 

On a defense filled with stars and future NFL draft picks, Joseph stands in the middle. Literally. 

The middle linebacker doesn't have the same name recognition as fellow linebacker Ben Boulware or the disruptive power of the defensive tackle duo, but he does lead the team in stuffs (defined as a tackle for a loss or no gain) to go with four sacks, five hits, five hurries and two forced fumbles on the season. 

Dabo Swinney is among the first to praise Joseph, even if he doesn't always get a ton of recognition.

“He studies the game and prepares as well as anybody we have,” Swinney said, per Gene Sapakoff of the Post and Courier. “He’s one of those underrated guys on our team. Not a lot of flash, you don’t hear him a lot, I don’t even know if he gets interviewed a lot. But he’s incredibly important to this football team.”

The importance of Joseph will be no more important than it will be against Alabama. Stopping the downhill running game of Bama is always priority number one for an opposing defense. 

Joseph is going to have to do an excellent job filling the running lanes and being a sure tackler. After forcing a key fumble against Ohio State and not missing any tackles, that's a good sign for Clemson. 

Hunter Renfrow (Clemson)

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Clemson wide receiver Hunter Renfrow's stats aren't much to look at. This season, he has snagged 34 passes for 403 yard and 4 touchdowns. 

No one is going to be looking to add Renfrow to their fantasy football teams next season. He's definitely not going to be mentioned along the Tigers best playmakers, but on an offense that features Mike Williams, Wayne Gallman and Watson, Renfrow has proven to be one of the most clutch players on the offense. 

One needs to simply look at the splits between games that were decided by seven points or less versus games that weren't as close to see that Renfrow does his best work when the stakes are high:

BY FINAL MARGIN	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
Final margin 0-7	24	300	12.5	35	4
Final margin 15+	10	103	10.3	17	0

Last year's national championship is a perfect example. With nearly identical regular season stats, Renfrow all of a sudden became a key part of the Clemson passing attack against Alabama, catching seven balls for 88 yards and two touchdowns. 

Now he'll have the opportunity to up his game once again. He's going against an Alabama secondary that will be worried about the running ability of Watson and Mike Williams on the outside, thus conceivably leaving the opportunity for someone else to take advantage of some soft coverage in the intermediate area of the field. 

Barrett Sallee of Bleacher Report mentions Renfrow's name among those who could be that guy for the Tigers in the video below. 

Given Renfrow's track record in big games, it wouldn't be surprising to see him catch more than one passes to create some first downs for the Tigers. After all, he was Watson's second-most targeted receiver against Ohio State, and the result was three first downs. 

Expect Renfrow to have an impact on this game for the second year in a row.