Biggest Surprises to Spurn the NFL for Another Year in CFB
While the vast majority of college football's best draft-eligible players will depart for the NFL, it's not a 100 percent rate.
Looking ahead to the 2023 season, Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Michigan running back Blake Corum are among the popular players who will chase a national title instead of a Super Bowl.
For at least one more year, the NFL can wait.
The following list is focused on high-tier college players who likely would've been drafted in 2023, especially those considered top prospects for the next level.
The Quarterbacks
1 of 7
What an offseason for Pac-12 quarterback rankings.
USC boasts Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, who isn't eligible to declare for the NFL draft until 2024. But he'll have plenty of proven company with Oregon's Bo Nix, Utah's Cameron Rising and Washington's Michael Penix Jr. all returning to the conference next season.
Nix accounted for 4,139 yards and 44 touchdowns last season, while Rising is a two-time conference champion. Penix ranked second nationally with 4,641 passing yards.
Elsewhere, throw in Wake Forest-to-Notre Dame transfer Sam Hartman, Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel, South Carolina's Spencer Rattler, and a bunch of big-name QBs are sticking around.
Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
2 of 7
Similar to Nix and Tennessee's Hendon Hooker, Blake Corum would've been a greater factor in the 2022 Heisman Trophy race had a late-season injury not affected his campaign.
Corum will have a shot at redemption in 2023, though.
Over the last two seasons, he's rushed for 2,415 yards and 29 touchdowns while adding 35 catches for 221 yards and two scores. The rising senior will share carries with Donovan Edwards but should remain the featured back.
Corum is the Wolverines' top returning player, though they received plenty of good news. Offensive linemen Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan, pass-rusher Kris Jenkins, linebacker Michael Barrett and defensive back Mike Sainristil all could've pursued the NFL but decided to return.
Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
3 of 7
Midway through the 2022 season, Olumuyiwa Fashanu began attracting a wave of first-round attention. How high in draft rankings would the breakout left tackle ascend at his position?
That discussion will be delayed until the 2024 cycle.
Fashanu opened eight games as a redshirt sophomore before an unspecified injury ended his season. He'll return to Penn State as the blindside-protector for a new quarterback, presumably former top prospect Drew Allar.
According to Pro Football Focus, Fashanu didn't allow a sack while playing a single snap shy of 300 last season.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State
4 of 7
When a standout lower-division player moves up a level, the transition can be difficult. Jared Verse adjusted rapidly, though.
The rising redshirt junior, who headed from FCS program Albany to Florida State, emerged as one of the ACC's best pass-rushers. Verse ranked second in the conference in both tackles for loss (17) and sacks (9.0), and no defender attracted more voting points for first-team All-ACC honors.
As a result, he absolutely earned first-round attention. But he decided, along with several others, to stick in Tallahassee.
Florida State also returns all three draft-eligible core pieces of its much-improved offense: quarterback Jordan Travis, running back Trey Benson and wide receiver Johnny Wilson.
Tyler Davis, DT, Clemson
5 of 7
Elsewhere in the ACC, Clemson doesn't have as much of a rebuild on the defensive front as anticipated.
Edge-rusher Myles Murphy and defensive tackle Bryan Bresee are headed to the pros, but veteran lineman Tyler Davis is set for a fifth college season. He collected 31 stops with 9.5 for loss and 5.5 sacks in 2022, joining Verse as a first-team All-ACC selection.
In late November, Davis checked in as a borderline Day 2 prospect for B/R's NFL Scouting Department.
Davis will return alongside fellow defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro, giving the Tigers a strong one-two in the middle.
Tommy Eichenberg, LB, Ohio State
6 of 7
After two-plus years of patrolling the second level for Ohio State, Tommy Eichenberg seemed NFL-bound. As the season ended, B/R pegged the linebacker as a top-100 prospect.
Instead, the Buckeyes will return a fixture of their defense.
Eichenberg's 64 stops ranked second on OSU in 2021, and he piled up a team-best 120 tackles with 12 for loss in 2022. Plus, he garnered second-team AP All-American recognition.
Steele Chambers also passed up the NFL draft, ensuring Ohio State will have an experienced linebacker corps in 2023.
The Washington Crew
7 of 7
Are you ready for a summer of Washington hype?
In addition to Penix leading the offense again, the Dawgs kept standout players on both sides of the ball.
Penix will continue throwing to wide receivers Rome Odunze—a first-team All-Pac-12 choice—and Jalen McMillan. Both players tallied at least 75 receptions and 1,000-plus yards, combining for 16 touchdowns.
Defensively, edge-rusher and top-100 talent Zion Tupuola-Fetui headlines the returners. Others are D-tackle Tuli Letuligasenoa, first-team All-Pac-12 edge-rusher Bralen Trice and linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
