8 Most Improved College Football Players from a Season Ago
Maybe it's a result of maturity. Maybe it's because of improved coaching. Or it could just be that something clicked.
Whatever the case, several college football players this fall are performing leaps and bounds better than what we saw from them a year ago. In some cases, that individual improvement has helped put their teams over the hump.
Improvement can easily be judged based on statistics, but there's often more to it than just better numbers. For each of the eight players we've identified as the most improved in college football from a year ago, there's something that changed for them that enabled the performance upgrade.
Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU
1 of 8
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 6'2", 205 lbs
What changed?
Trevone Boykin was recruited to TCU as a quarterback, and he was a player who had the ability to contribute more than just as a passer. It's just taken him a while to figure out exactly how to do that, and it turns out he just needed the right teacher.
Since the Horned Frogs brought in two new coaches to share offensive coordinator duties, Boykin has thrived. In three games, he's thrown for 858 yards and eight touchdowns (with only one interception) along with 283 rushing yards and three TDs.
A year ago, Boykin started eight games at quarterback, and he also played running back and receiver to maximize his skills—he's the only player in school history with a 100-yard rushing game, a 100-yard receiving game and a 200-yard passing game, according to his online bio. Another reason he moved around was because he struggled with accuracy and seemed too willing to run rather than stay in the pocket.
That's changed with co-coordinator Sonny Cumbie, a former Texas Tech quarterback, who has worked to keep Boykin in the pocket and make scrambling only a last resort.
"When Coach Cumbie got here everything changed," Boykin told ESPN.com's Brandon Chatmon. "They changed the whole atmosphere."
Kyle Christy, P, Florida
2 of 8
Year: Senior
Height, weight: 6'3", 198 lbs
What changed?
To get back to how he used to kick, Kyle Christy went back to where he came from. Literally.
Christy spent time in the offseason working with his old high school coach in Indiana, according to David Jones of Florida Today. He was looking to regain the form that led to him being a Ray Guy Award finalist in 2012 but disappeared last season and caused him to lose the starting punter job at Florida.
Jones wrote that Christy lost his timing after a scooter accident during the spring of 2013, and last year he only averaged 39.6 yards per kick after a 45.8-yard average as a freshman.
This season, Christy has averaged 50.4 yards per kick, tops in the nation, including a 52.7 average on seven punts in the Gators' last game at Alabama.
Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky
3 of 8
Year: Senior
Height, weight: 6'3", 210 lbs
What changed?
Brandon Doughty set numerous Western Kentucky school passing records last year, but that included one inauspicious one: interceptions thrown.
No longer throwing the ball as frequently to his opponents, Doughty has exploded in his senior year with 1,846 yards and 14 touchdowns in four games. In 2013, he threw 14 touchdowns in 12 games but also threw 14 interceptions.
"I put the full blame on myself," Doughty told Michael Grant of the Louisville Courier-Journal during training camp. "I can't point any fingers at anybody."
This season, Doughty has thrown only three picks in 224 attempts, and with his accuracy up to 69.2 percent (from 65.8), he's enabled the Hilltoppers to thrive as a pass-heavy team.
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Gerod Holliman, S, Louisville
4 of 8
Year: Sophomore
Height, weight: 6'2", 213 lbs
What changed?
Gerod Holliman struggled to get onto the field much for Louisville as a redshirt freshman last season, a result of the Cardinals' great defensive depth and his own deficiencies. But with many in front of him no longer at the school, and under the guidance of a new coordinator, the safety is thriving.
Holliman leads FBS with six interceptions, with at least one in each of Louisville's four games against FBS opponents. His play on the back line is a big reason the Cardinals are third nationally in total defense despite being coached by a man who was more or less run off from his previous job.
Todd Grantham was the subject of much fan scorn at Georgia, where the Bulldogs' defense was best described as porous in 2013. Georgia is again struggling on defense, despite that unit being run by Jeremy Pruitt, who coached Florida State's defense last year during its national title run.
Grantham said during training camp that Holliman's improvement stems from his improved strength and conditioning. That's enabled him to handle up-tempo offenses and be able to jump routes for the interceptions.
Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
5 of 8
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 6'3", 245 lbs
What changed?
More than anything, it's been about opportunity for Shane Ray. With Kony Ealy and Michael Sam no longer starting in front of him, Ray has moved from being a situational player to a main piece of Missouri's defensive line.
Ray had a solid 2013, racking up nine tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks—and scoring the game-clinching touchdown on a fumble return in the final minutes of the Cotton Bowl win over Oklahoma State—but he's already surpassed those numbers in five games this season. Ray leads FBS in tackles for loss (11.5) and is tied for first in sacks (seven).
Ray has at least one sack each of the last four games, including two last week in the Tigers' 21-20 win at South Carolina.
Josh Robinson, RB, Mississippi State
6 of 8
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 5'9", 215 lbs
What changed?
With a mobile quarterback, Mississippi State was able to get by last season without a go-to running back yet still produce good rushing numbers. Now that Josh Robinson has asserted himself as that missing piece, the Bulldogs are even more deadly on the ground.
Robinson has already surpassed his 2013 rushing total of 459 yards, which he amassed as MSU's No. 3 run option behind quarterback Dak Prescott and running back LaDarius Perkins. Through four games this season, Robinson has run for a team-best 485 yards, including a career-high 197 yards in the Bulldogs' upset win at LSU on Sept. 20.
The small-but-strong rusher is taking advantage of his lack of height, slipping through holes to get through the line. He then turns on the after-burners, using his speed to turn on the jets and then breaks through tackles with a low center of gravity in a way that earned him the nickname "bowling ball."
Nelson Spruce, WR, Colorado
7 of 8
Year: Junior
Height, weight: 6'1", 195 lbs
What changed?
Considered a possession receiver during his first two seasons with Colorado, Nelson Spruce earned the role of No. 1 option in the passing game during spring practice.
"This year, Spruce can be spotted in every pattern imaginable," Tom Kensler of the Denver Post wrote. "And he can make the catch with a defensive back draped all over him."
Spruce leads the nation in receptions (56), yards (694) and touchdowns (10). Those are already career bests for Spruce in catches and yards, while this season he's caught three more TDs than in his first two years combined.
He's twice set the school single-game receptions record, first with 13 catches for 172 yards against Hawaii and then last week with 19 balls for 176 yards and three TDs in the Buffaloes' 59-56 double-overtime loss at California.
Spruce is noted for having big, strong hands, which teammate Tyler McCulloch calls "bear claws," according to Kensler. Spruce has benefited from great coaching, too, as Colorado's receivers coach is former Stanford star wideout Troy Walters. Walters holds the Pac-12 career record for receiving yards with 3,986.
Clint Trickett, QB, West Virginia
8 of 8
Year: Senior
Height, weight: 6'2", 186 lbs
What changed?
Sometimes it just takes a little time to figure out a system. And one as complicated as Dana Holgorsen's offense at West Virginia isn't something that gets picked up overnight.
Clint Trickett was the most successful of three quarterbacks who started for the Mountaineers last season, but that wasn't saying much. In eight games (seven starts), Trickett threw for 1,605 yards and seven touchdowns but threw seven interceptions and completed only 52.8 percent of his passes.
In just four games in 2014, Trickett has 1,600 yards and nine touchdowns, has just three picks and has completed a whopping 72 percent of his throws. That accuracy is tied for fifth nationally, but none of the guys ahead of him have attempted nearly as many passes (175) as Trickett.
Trickett transferred from Florida State in May 2013, meaning he had to learn the offense in training camp. He got his first start in the fifth game of the season, and despite completing only 24 of 50 passes, he threw for 309 yards in leading West Virginia to an upset of then-unbeaten Oklahoma State.
He only completed nine of his 28 passes a week later, and by November he'd been benched before getting the start in the season finale.
With a full year to learn the system, Trickett is clicking on all cylinders, completing at least 61 percent each game.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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