The 10 Most Terrifying Players in College Football Today
When college football coaches game-plan, they watch an inordinate amount of film. Day and night, coaches and their players pore over game film, looking for that one edge, that one critical factor that could make the difference on Saturday afternoon.
Coaches like to say that players “jump off film” at them, standing out from the clutter and organized chaos that is an average football play. These are the guys that keep opponents up at night, wondering what lies ahead when they finally get on the field for 60 minutes of highly scrutinized competition.
They’re the most terrifying players in college football today. They might not all be the biggest players or the strongest, but they’re frightening in their own ways, for what they can do to change a game with a single play or a handful of them.
They were chosen for their presence, the way they can impact a game and how they’re viewed across college football. Stats were taken from ESPN.com and individual schools’ websites.
Clemson DE Vic Beasley
1 of 10
When Vic Beasley arrived at Clemson five years ago, he was an “athlete.” Beasley bounced from tight end to linebacker to defensive end, where he has truly found a home. The senior, who turned down a shot at the NFL draft last winter to return for his final season of college football, is one of the best pass-rushers in the game and a very difficult assignment for any opposing left tackle.
Beasley stands 6’3”, 235 pounds, and while he has just 20 tackles this season, he has been very impactful with 11.5 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks.
Beasley has impressive speed off the edge and has bulked up during his collegiate career to better handle the run. He is already Clemson’s all-time sack leader and has built on a breakout 2013 that saw him make 23 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. With freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson out with a broken finger, the Tigers’ high-powered offense has struggled, but led by Beasley and a strong line, Clemson’s defense has picked up the slack.
He could fit in as either an end or rush linebacker in the NFL, but for the next two months, he’s collegiate linemen’s problem to contain.
Alabama WR Amari Cooper
2 of 10
Imagine lining up across from Alabama junior wide receiver Amari Cooper as an opposing cornerback. You’re plenty confident in your own abilities. After all, you’re a starting cornerback at the FBS level. Why wouldn’t you toot your own horn?
Then the play begins, and you actually have to cover Cooper. Chances are, many collegiate cornerbacks have had that same feeling this season. The 6’1”, 210-pound junior has been one of college football’s very best receivers.
He has 71 receptions (third nationally) and 1,132 receiving yards (second nationally) with nine touchdowns. He has a pair of 200-plus yard receiving games, including Saturday’s nine-catch, 224-yard, two-touchdown effort against Tennessee. In fact, Cooper has gone for at least 130 yards in six of eight games. Matched up against All-America cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, Cooper torched him for 10 receptions, 201 yards and three scores.
Cooper possesses excellent speed, burst and leaping ability and is highly dangerous in the red zone. If he declares for the NFL draft following this season, he won’t be missed by opposing defenders. Not one bit.
Nebraska DE Randy Gregory
3 of 10
Nebraska is 7-1 and strongly in the mix for the Big Ten West Division title, and while a strong running game led by senior tailback Ameer Abdullah has plenty to say about that success, so does a strong defense.
Junior defensive end Randy Gregory is a playmaker who would stand out on any defense. Gregory stands 6’6”, 245 pounds and is one of college football’s top rush ends. He missed a game with injury but has lived in opposing backfields this fall, making 33 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, an interception and 11 quarterback hits.
Gregory is an excellent, active pass-rusher who can make plays all over the field, equally capable of wrapping up a quarterback for a sack or tracking down a running back to make a tackle for loss. He is the kind of player who opposing left tackles lose sleep thinking about defending, and he’ll be a key cog in the Cornhuskers’ chase for a league championship.
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Georgia TB Todd Gurley
4 of 10
Georgia junior tailback Todd Gurley has missed the Bulldogs’ last two games under suspension for allegedly accepting payment for his autograph. The NCAA announced Wednesday that Gurley will miss the next two games and be eligible to return against Auburn Nov. 15, although Georgia is appealing the decision.
The Tigers and the rest of Georgia’s opponents would probably be just fine if Gurley stayed on the sidelines for the rest of the season. Although he has only played in six games, Gurley was college football’s most impressive tailback when he was on the field this season.
Gurley had 773 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on just 97 carries, averaging an impressive 8.2 yards per carry. He is incredibly difficult for opposing defenders to tackle, as Clemson found out in the season opener. He smashed the Tigers’ talented defense for 198 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, including a 100-yard kickoff return score.
He possesses a tantalizing mix of speed, power and fury, and regardless of when he returns, he doesn’t appear long for the college game as a strong NFL draft early-entry candidate.
Oregon QB Marcus Mariota
5 of 10
Oregon’s offense is the biggest reason why the Ducks are College Football Playoff contenders. The engine of that offense? Junior quarterback Marcus Mariota.
At 6’4”, 219 pounds, the Ducks quarterback has the size to see over defenders and has excellent pocket poise. He has piled up 2,283 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and one interception this season, and also has 325 rushing yards and five touchdowns as Oregon’s second-leading rusher.
Mariota simply doesn’t make mistakes. He threw his first interception of the season last week and is completing 68.8 percent of his passes. He is a very accurate passer who is more than capable of eluding defenders in the pocket, rolling out and making strong throws downfield. Oregon coach Mark Helfrich told Tyson Alger of The Oregonian that Mariota's rare mistake was actually a good thing.
"It's almost funny," Helfrich said. "You expect him to be perfect. Marcus is such a stud and it's great that he's got another year and a half left."
He has all the tools to succeed at the next level and is a top prospect for next spring’s NFL draft as a versatile, athletic player. The Ducks will live or die this fall behind Mariota’s impressive presence.
Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche
6 of 10
If you just looked at Robert Nkemdiche’s stat line, you wouldn’t understand what the big deal was about the Ole Miss sophomore defensive tackle: 21 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 2.0 tackles for loss? Not that impressive.
Watch the Rebels defensive line for a game, and you’ll have a different opinion. The 6’5”, 293-pounder is one of the most physically imposing linemen in college football.
In his second season at Ole Miss, he is living up to the huge hype that followed him when he signed with Hugh Freeze’s program. Nkemdiche came to Oxford as a defensive end but has morphed into a dominant defensive tackle.
He is the kind of player for whom opposing interior offensive linemen must account on every play, with constant physical effort. Ole Miss’ defense has been a huge part of the Rebels’ run to College Football Playoff contention, and with Nkemdiche in the fold, opponents will find it very difficult to run on the Rebels line.
Miami LB Denzel Perryman
7 of 10
At 5-3, Miami is a long way from the College Football Playoff chase, but that certainly is no fault of senior linebacker Denzel Perryman. Perryman stands 6’0”, 242 pounds and is one of the nastiest, toughest linebackers in college football.
He has a team-leading 62 tackles with 4.0 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and two forced fumbles. Perryman plays in the middle of Miami’s defense but has made plays all over the field.
He is a quick, relentless player who is one of college football’s hardest hitters and an excellent leader for the Hurricanes defense. He’ll soon make his mark in the NFL, and none too soon for collegiate offenses.
MIssissippi State QB Dak Prescott
8 of 10
In August, no one expected Mississippi State to be college football’s No. 1 team as the calendar turned to November. But who could have predicted the breakout from junior quarterback Dak Prescott?
Prescott, a bona fide Heisman Trophy candidate, is the Bulldogs’ public face, and a fearsome one at that. He stands 6’2”, 235 pounds and has drawn comparisons to former Heisman winner Tim Tebow, only with a better throwing arm. A USA Today Heisman Trophy survey shows Prescott second to Oregon's Marcus Mariota as we enter the season's homestretch.
Prescott has 1,694 yards passing with 15 touchdowns against five interceptions as well as 664 rushing yards and 10 scores. He has a solid arm and can also beat you with his legs. He’s a load to bring down and has proved to be quite durable as well. With the Dak attack under center, the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff chase has teeth.
Southern California DE Leonard Williams
9 of 10
If you’re looking for one of the most physically imposing defenders in college football, you don’t have to look much further than Southern California’s defensive line. Junior defensive end Leonard Williams stands 6’5”, 300 pounds and is one of the best physical specimens in the game.
He’s big enough to play on the interior, but he is a huge problem for opposing left tackles as an end.
Williams is capable of shedding blocks and making life incredibly difficult for opposing guards, centers and tackles, and he possesses excellent power and pass-rush skills. He is incredibly disruptive. He has 51 tackles with 6.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and an interception.
Williams has drawn favorable comparisons to Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh for his physical nature. A 2013 All-American, he is one of the top overall prospects in the 2015 NFL draft.
Florida State QB Jameis Winston
10 of 10
Given the noise and controversy which has swallowed the conversation about Jameis Winston’s sophomore season, it is very easy to forget about why we’re talking about Florida State’s sophomore quarterback in the first place.
The 2013 Heisman Trophy winner can play some football. Winston won’t match his freshman statistics, but he has been a key part of the Seminoles’ unbeaten start to 2014. He has thrown for 1,878 yards with 13 touchdowns against six interceptions and remains one of the nation’s top quarterbacks. He showed his value to FSU with a game-winning drive against Auburn in the BCS National Championship and flashed that same mettle in the Seminoles’ recent win over then-No. 5 Notre Dame, leading a late touchdown drive in a 31-27 victory.
Winston has a big arm capable of making any throw on the field and is an excellent on-field leader for Florida State. He has some mobility, too, and is a versatile all-around athlete who served as a fireballing closer for FSU’s baseball team.
If the Seminoles continue their run toward the inaugural College Football Playoff, they’ll lean on Winston. Anyone hoping to stop Florida State’s unbeaten streak must shut down Winston first, and that won’t be easy.
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