Leonard Who? CFB Players Who'll Make Fans Forget the Stars They're Replacing
Each year, college football must pass the baton from the former stars to the elite players of tomorrow.
Sometimes, Version 2.0 winds up being better than the original. Others, the replacements at least make the transition to the post-star era more seamless.
Several players on the scene in 2017 are ready to become household names. Others such as LSU running back Derrius Guice already are. After all, with Leonard Fournette on the shelf for much of last year, Guice got an extended audition in showcasing his talent.
All he did was garner first-team All-SEC honors.
That's the type of player who belongs on this list. Some may not necessarily play the same positions as the departed stars, but they must match the production. Others like Michigan's Rashan Gary are stepping directly into the spot vacated by the players gearing up to play on Sundays.
But does anybody really think Gary can't be an upgrade on a star like Chris Wormley?
With preseason practice nearly upon us, college football is ready to unleash the stars of tomorrow soon.
Jeff Badet, Oklahoma Wide Receiver
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Who he's replacing: Dede Westbrook
It may be a bit of a cheat putting Jeff Badet on this list. After all, anybody who follows college football religiously, and the SEC in particular, should know who the senior transfer is.
Then again, he played at Kentucky and wasn't dribbling a basketball on the hardwood, so you may not be that familiar with him.
You will be in 2017.
After his decision down to Oklahoma and West Virginia, Badet chose to finish his career in Norman with Baker Mayfield throwing him the ball and Lincoln Riley calling the plays. It's a situation that will wind up great for all parties.
Badet led the star-studded SEC with a 21.6 average on his 31 catches last year, finishing with 670 yards and four touchdowns as the Wildcats broke in JUCO transfer quarterback Stephen Johnson. Meanwhile, Dede Westbrook caught 80 balls for 1,524 yards and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
That's a lot of reasons for Badet to seek greener pastures out west. Though Badet isn't as electrifying as Westbrook with the ball in his hands, they have some similar skills, and Badet figures to get plenty of chances with Mayfield flinging it all around even in a loaded corps of receivers.
"He has the chance to be a home run hitter in the explosive Sooners offense with Dede Westbrook now in the NFL," Yahoo Sports staff wrote. "He could potentially make an impact in the return game as well."
Big numbers will follow.
Brian Burns, Florida State Defensive End
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Who he's replacing: DeMarcus Walker
Though Brian Burns is far from an unknown commodity for those who follow recruiting, his emergence on the scene in 2016 as a true freshman phenom was unexpected.
He was, after all, undersized upon arriving in Tallahassee, and the Seminoles were blessed with some stud pass-rushers like Walker and former top recruit Josh Sweat. Even so, Burns made it impossible to keep him off the field.
At 6'5", 218 pounds, Burns could still stand to add some weight, but if it's not broken, it's hard to ask him to fix it. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, product led all freshmen with 9.5 sacks and was a Freshman All-American. Though Walker wound up with 16.5 sacks, Burns accomplished his feat in a reserve role.
Now, with Derrick Nnadi in the middle and Sweat poised to take a major step forward, FSU's opponents can't afford to pay a lot of extra attention to Burns, and that's exactly the way defensive coordinator Charles Kelly and head coach Jimbo Fisher want it.
In an ACC full of marquee defensive linemen, there may not be a lot of talk about Burns. It's hard to get headlines in a league with Harold Landry, Bradley Chubb, Dexter Lawrence, Clelin Ferrell and others.
By the end of the year, though, Burns will be a player you know. He may be able to remove the "freshman" tag from the front of that All-American honor from a season ago.
Deon Cain, Clemson Wide Receiver
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Who he's replacing: Mike Williams
You may not realize just how prolific Clemson's offense was with Deshaun Watson at the helm a season ago until you take an in-depth look at the receiving statistics.
They're pretty ridiculous.
Williams had 98 catches for 1,361 yards, Artavis Scott added 76 grabs for 614 yards while tight end Jordan Leggett had 46 catches for 736 yards. All those guys are gone in '17, but there aren't any concerns.
That's because Deon Cain, Ray-Ray McCloud, Hunter Renfrow and others will slide in and pick up the slack. All three pass-catchers had big-time receiving numbers themselves in 2016, and they'll be in star roles this year.
Cain should have the biggest impact. He's good enough to be an every-down receiver and a deep threat. You don't have to tell his coach.
"This is one of the best receivers in the country," Swinney told the Greenville News' Scott Keepfer. "He's had unbelievable moments."
Though the numbers may not be quite as big until the Tigers find somebody who can consistently get him the ball, it isn't a stretch to think Cain can improve on his 38 catches for 724 yards and nine touchdowns.
If he doesn't, it will be because Swinney had a hard time getting the right guy under center. There's no shortage of talent for Cain. The 6'1", 209-pound receiver is one of many Florida finds Swinney pulled out of the Sunshine State to build CU into a national champion.
This year, he'll be the biggest name on the defending champion's offense.
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Rashan Gary, Michigan Defensive End
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Who he's replacing: Chris Wormley
There may not be a player in the country with more hype surrounding him than Michigan rising sophomore defensive end Rashan Gary.
Even on an absolutely loaded defensive line a season ago that featured ends Wormley and Taco Charlton, who'll be making millions in the NFL this year, Gary carved out a beefy role.
With those guys gone, it's Gary's show on the defensive front as he tries to help the Wolverines and head coach Jim Harbaugh move into the true Harbaugh era chock-full of players the third-year coach recruited.
The words describing Gary range from "freak" to "monster," and in a mock combine this offseason, Gary showed his sick ability. Though he only had 23 tackles and 5.5 for a loss a season ago, it was just a preview of what's to come.
This week, Harbaugh had a great quote about Gary's hunger, per The Michigan Daily's Orion Sang.
"He's had a lot of hype. He's had a lot of adulation. And there's some people that that's what they live for. They live for approval of others and to be recognized as a hyped-up player. And then there's other people that they see that hype or that adulation and they go by it like it's an orange cone on the side of the road. There's some people that are just aspiring for greater things than just the adulation of somebody. And I think Rashan is that type of guy. You'd really like him. He really doesn't care too much about that. He's gone by it like it's a cone, orange cone on the side of the road. And he just works and I really think competing is his favorite thing to do. And he has the ability to be great. I don't know what more to say about that."
That doesn't sound like a veteran coach talking about a youngster. Gary has embraced his role as a leader, and if his hard work matches his talent, watch out.
Derrius Guice, LSU Running Back
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Who he's replacing: Leonard Fournette
Speaking of hype, few players in all of college football had as much hubbub surrounding them the past few years as former LSU running back Fournette.
Though he was flat-out dominant when he was healthy, some look at his Tigers career as a disappointment because it included no championships and included the ouster of coach Les Miles.
With Fournette gone to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it's Derrius Guice's turn to see if he can parlay his immense talent into bigger and better things for his team. Having a great offensive coordinator like Matt Canada to call plays shouldn't hurt.
It also wouldn't be a bad thing if quarterback Danny Etling blossomed into more of a game manager.
Until then, though, the Tigers will continue to build their offense around the person getting most of the carries, and there's no reason to believe Guice will fail to pass the test. A year ago, with Fournette battling myriad injuries, Guice became one of the best players in the SEC as a sophomore.
He finished with 1,387 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging a remarkable 7.6 yards per carry. He added nine catches and another score.
It's those kind of numbers in a part-time role that make him a contender along with Penn State's Saquon Barkley and USC's Sam Darnold for the Heisman Trophy. If Guice can hold that hardware, it'll be another one-up he'll have on Fournette.
Da'Shawn Hand, Alabama Defensive End
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Who he's replacing: Jonathan Allen
The way Nick Saban has things going in Tuscaloosa, top-ranked prospects come to Alabama and sit most of their career before getting a chance to star for a year or two and make millions in the NFL.
Not a bad gig.
That seems to be the formula for Da'Shawn Hand, who patiently waited behind some of the most talented defensive lines in the history of college football, anchored by first-round draft pick Allen.
Now, the three-year reserve who has 44 career tackles, including 11 for a loss, will have the opportunity to show the world that he is still the star everybody thought he'd be coming out of Woodbridge, Virginia.
Yes, the 6'4", 288-pound senior is mirroring Allen right down to his home state. If he can produce the same kind of numbers in 2017 as Allen did throughout his tenure in Tide country, Hand will also replicate Allen's high draft pick.
The time Hand spent on the sideline didn't hinder his pro status, according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, who notes the former top prospect needs to log enough snaps to prove he can perform against the run and pass and isn't just a workout warrior.
This is the year he should have plenty of reps alongside Da'Ron Payne, JUCO transfer Isaiah Buggs and others. Hand may not make everybody forget about Allen, but he'll definitely carve out his own role at the Capstone.
Bryce Love, Stanford Running Back
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Who he's replacing: Christian McCaffrey
When it comes to the irreplaceable, perhaps nobody in 2016's college football landscape fits that definition like do-it-all star McCaffrey.
The Carolina Panthers thought enough of McCaffrey to take him eighth overall despite running back not traditionally being a position valued in the early picks. The way the Panthers look at it, the former Stanford product isn't just a player who can improve the offense but also the return game.
Meanwhile, Cardinal coach David Shaw must find a way to plug the void.
Enter North Carolina product Bryce Love, who is a burner with a lot of the same on-field skills as McCaffrey. At 5'10", 184 pounds, Love is about 20 pounds lighter than McCaffrey, but he may not miss that much of a beat in shiftiness.
Just how good can Love be? Ask his coach, as Cardinal Sports Report's Jacob Rayburn did before last year's bowl game: "Bryce Love will be one of the most dynamic running backs in college football," Shaw said.
That sounds pretty definitive.
Love rushed for 129 yards against Notre Dame battling an injury. He wound up with 783 yards and a 7.1 average. He'll also step into McCaffrey's role as kick returner.
The all-purpose yards McCaffrey produced throughout his career were the stuff of legend, but everybody will love Love soon enough, except for his Pac-12 opponents.
Taylor Rapp, Washington Safety
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Who he's replacing: Budda Baker
Three-quarters of Washington's dominant starting defensive backfield will be playing in the NFL this year, and head coach Chris Petersen must replace those playmakers.
At least he's returning a guy who could wind up being his best.
In 2016, true freshman Taylor Rapp blossomed into a star, despite being a 6'0", 195-pound, little-known recruit out of Bellingham, Washington. The hard-hitting, ball-hawking player plucked two interceptions in the Pac-12 Championship Game and wound up starting much of the last part of the season.
Though he played alongside Baker in 2016, Rapp is expected to slide into his spot this year. Not only will he be replacing him on the field, he's also expected to replace the production from Baker, a talented athlete who was all over the field.
After getting 51 tackles and four interceptions a year ago, Rapp is on the preseason Jim Thorpe Award watch list.
Rapp isn't quite as talented as Florida State's Derwin James, and he isn't as big as Virginia's Quin Blanding, but he is an all-around defender with an extremely high ceiling and is playing for a coaching staff with a knack for putting their players in position to make big plays.
All of that spells another huge year for Rapp, and since it's possible the Huskies secondary may be more talented than it was a season ago, even if it's nowhere near as experienced, Petersen could have his team back in the thick of the playoff race.
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