Top Underrated College Football Stars of 2014 Season So Far
Everybody knows about the biggest stars in college football, the Marcus Mariotas, Amari Coopers and Jameis Winstons.
But what about the guys one tier down?
Just below the biggest names in the country sits a group of underrated players with anonymous names but impressive resumes. They have exceeded their respective pedigrees and, in most cases, helped their teams exceed preseason expectations.
The nature of this list demands that most of the bigger-name schools be omitted. The teams that receive the most coverage have players that most people have heard of. If an anonymous player breaks out, it makes headlines beyond the message-board community.
Instead, this list is looking for true unheralded superstars. That doesn't necessarily mean that they are no-names; rather, they are lesser-than-deserved names. If their talent and/or production exceeds their national acclaim, this list sought to give them recognition.
If he's an unknown player, perhaps that means he should be known by some people. If he's known by some people, perhaps that means he should be known by most people. If he's known by most people, perhaps that means he should be known by everyone.
Either way, he is not as well known as he should be.
RB Tevin Coleman, Indiana
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Tevin Coleman was the most underrated player in the country last season, and although he has gotten slightly more attention in 2014, he remains wildly underpublicized for a player so talented.
Coleman leads the nation with 1,060 rushing yards, and he's needed only 120 carries to get there. His 8.83 yards per attempt is the highest among running backs with more than 65 carries, the closest being Georgia's Todd Gurley, who has averaged 8.22 yards on 94 carries.
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise after the season Coleman had (before getting hurt) in 2013. According to an opponent-adjusted explosiveness metric called highlight yards per opportunity, Coleman was by far the best big-play running back in college football last season. Bill Connelly of Football Study Hall explains:
"Of the 199 FBS players with at least 100 carries in 2013, only seven averaged 8.0 highlight yards per opportunity or greater. Boston College's Andre Williams and Missouri's Henry Josey averaged 8.0, Maryland's C.J. Brown and Ohio State's Braxton Miller averaged 8.4, West Virginia's Dreamius Smith and UL-Lafayette's Elijah McGuire averaged 8.6 … and Tevin Coleman averaged 12.0. His average was 40 percent better than the second best. He had 14 carries of at least 20 yards (only 12 players had more), and he had eight of at least 40 (most in the country). He is unlit dynamite every play he's on the field.
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Coleman's most recent victim was Iowa, a team with a pretty good rush defense that he burned for 219 yards on 15 carries. Had his team not fallen behind, he might have exceeded 300 yards.
Do not sleep on Coleman as a Doak Walker candidate.
QB Jared Goff, California
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It is tempting to discount Jared Goff's numbers, which are ridiculous, because he plays for an offensive coach in Sonny Dykes.
Doing so would be a mistake.
Goff has done a lot on his own merit to post the stats he has—stats that include 2,179 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, a QB rating of 173.11 and a total QBR of 82.9. Those numbers rank No. 4, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 7 in the country, respectively. Despite showing aggressive tendencies (9.4 yards per attempt), he has only thrown three interceptions on 232 passes.
"[Goff is] a polished pocket passer with A-plus arm talent and a terrific feel for the position," wrote Bucky Brooks of NFL.com before the season. "He is capable of making every throw in the book with zip and velocity, while also displaying the timing, touch and anticipation to make finesse throws down the field."
And that was after Goff went 1-11 as a true freshman!
This year, Goff is 4-2 and showing precocious tendencies. His QB rating is well higher in the third and fourth quarters (plus overtime) than it is in the first and second, and among quarterbacks from power-five conferences, only Dak Prescott of Mississippi State has a higher rating on third down than Goff's 200.97.
LB Hau'oli Kikaha, Washington
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Shaq Thompson is the biggest name and the best NFL prospect on Washington's defense. He has four defensive touchdowns this season, which is a ridiculous number to post through six games. But he might not even be the best outside linebacker on his team.
And it might not even be much of an argument.
Thompson's partner in crime, Hau'oli Kikaha, leads the nation in sacks (10.0) and tackles for loss (13.0) so far this season. He shouldn't be underrated, but he is; which is to say, his name doesn't jump to mind as a Bednarik Award contender, but it should.
Thompson scored a 100-yard touchdown against Cal last week, earning praise that ranged from an ESPN.com helmet sticker to a Pac-12 Player of the Week award to whispers of a potential Heisman run.
Kikaha dominated that game from start to finish, racking up nine tackles (4.5 for loss), three sacks and one forced fumble, but the praise he earned for his performance was diddly-squat (unless, of course, you count this author's own humble Week 7 honors).
It's about time we started paying attention.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
LB Tank Jakes, Memphis
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Tank Jakes has stepped into a leadership role for Memphis' defense, filling the void left by injured star Martin Ifedi.
The senior outside linebacker leads his defense in total tackles (46), tackles for loss (12), sacks (six) and forced fumbles (four). His closest teammates have 26 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles. Jakes is also tied for the team lead with three pass breakups and a pair of QB hurries.
He has done all this not for some anonymous scrub of a team but for one of the most pleasant surprises of the season. Even after losing a game it could have won against Houston last week, Justin Fuente's Tigers are 3-3 with close losses at UCLA and Ole Miss.
The Rebels, now ranked No. 3 in the country, scored just seven points on Memphis in the first three quarters before winning 24-3.
Jakes has done great work against top-notch competition.
DE Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma State
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Oklahoma State had to replace almost everything from last year's defense, which led many to sour on its prospects in 2014. Six games into the season, however, the Cowboys are 5-1 with a close loss to the defending national champion and ranked No. 15 in the country.
One of the biggest reasons for that has been a mitigated drop-off defensively. And one of the biggest reasons for that mitigated drop-off has been sophomore defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, who last week saved OSU from what would have been an embarrassing defeat by logging 10 tackles (5.5 for loss) against Kansas. Against Florida State, he had two sacks and two pass breakups.
Oklahoma State ranks No. 38 in the defensive S&P+ ratings at Football Outsiders, an underwhelming but respectable spot for a defense that lost so much talent. It ranks No. 27, however, on passing downs, during which it can allow Ogbah to forget about the run and do what he does best—get after the passer.
OG Matt Rotheram, Pittsburgh
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Pittsburgh running back James Conner has cooled off after a red-hot start to the season, failing to exceed 100 total yards or four yards per carry in either of his past two games. Despite this, Football Outsiders' S&P+ ratings grade the Panthers as the best rushing offense in the country through seven weeks.
Interesting.
Conner deserves a lot of the credit for that ranking, but so does his offensive line, which is spearheaded by massive right guard Matt Rotheram (6'6", 335 pounds). According to Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com, Rotheram stood out with "natural feel and awareness for his surroundings" when Pittsburgh played Iowa, a defense led by NFL prospect Carl Davis at defensive tackle.
The Panthers are riding a three-game losing streak that includes a loss to Akron, severely limiting their chances of making a bowl game. Don't be surprised if they turn things around, however, and especially don't be surprised if the rushing game is what gets them there.
WR Nelson Spruce, Colorado
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I wrote about Nelson Spruce at greater length last week, so I will try to parse this down to the most important points.
Spruce caught 32 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns in a two-game stretch against Hawaii and Cal at the end of September. His 13 receptions against the Rainbow Warriors set a school record that would stand for exactly one week before he broke it—and the Pac-12 conference record—with 19 receptions against the Bears.
Pretty darn good.
Also of note, though, is the efficiency with which Spruce has caught so many passes. He is on pace for 170 targets on the season but still has a catch rate of 72.9 percent.
The only power-conference receivers who exceeded that catch rate with at least 170 targets last season were Brandin Cooks of Oregon State and Sammy Watkins of Clemson, both of whom were selected in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft.
Even darn better.
TE Maxx Williams, Minnesota
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Maxx Williams is a 6'4", 250-pound lumberjack and the best offensive player on a Minnesota team that not enough people know about.
Only a sophomore, Williams is the Gophers' most reliable weapon in the passing game but does his best work in the trenches, paving holes for running back David Cobb. Once defenses get accustomed to him doing that, however, he slips out of his stance and beats them over the top with impressive athleticism and strong hands.
Former Minnesota head coach Glen Mason called Williams the best tight end in the Big Ten, per Marcus Fuller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. In a conference that includes Ohio State tight end Jeff Heuerman and Penn State tight end Jesse James, such praise is loftier than it sounds.
But it's not undeserved in the slightest.
DT Terry Williams, East Carolina
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East Carolina is the No. 19 team in the country and cruising toward a spot in one of the "Access Bowls."
It's about time we start learning who the heck these guys are.
Quarterback Shane Carden and receiver Justin Hardy are the best-known players on the roster, and both of them deserve all the recognition they get, but it's ECU's defensive anchor, Terry Williams, that separates it from your average group-of-five upstart. How many small-school teams can trot out a 6'1", 353-pound nose tackle?
Williams missed the first two games of the season with a knee injury, watching from the sideline as ECU lost to South Carolina, 33-23. The Gamecocks rushed for 175 yards on 28 carries, but Williams returned to the lineup the following week to help hold Virginia Tech to 91 yards on 33 carries, leading East Carolina to a 28-21 road upset.
"You can’t run the ball unless you double-team [Williams] and he’s still going to get push," said defensive coordinator Rick Smith, per Jesse Deal of ECU's student newspaper, The East Carolinian.
If (when?) this team plays another power-five opponent, Williams will hold his own in the trenches, which is typically where bigger schools hold the biggest advantage over smaller ones.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
