Power Ranking 15 Best Freshmen from 2014 College Football Season
Now that the dust is settling on college football’s 2014 regular season, with the first College Football Playoff field set and 38 postseason games in place, it’s time to start looking back. Well, a little bit.
With only the Army-Navy game left this week, it’s time for hardware to be handed out, for All-America teams to come together and to honor those who thrilled us with their exploits this fall. That includes freshmen. The players counted upon to fill openings in August while making as few mistakes as possible now have a full season under their belts.
They’re grizzled college football veterans now, league champions and record holders. Let’s take a look at the top 15 freshmen in America. They’re recognized for the impact they made on games, both in statistics and their teams’ overall success.
15. Penn State WR DaeSean Hamilton
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Penn State’s offense had its share of struggles this season, managing only 19.8 points per game, No. 115 nationally. Behind a weak, reshuffled offensive line, quarterback Christian Hackenberg regressed, throwing eight touchdowns against 15 interceptions for the 6-6 Nittany Lions.
That said, Hackenberg found an impressive target in redshirt freshman receiver DaeSean Hamilton. Hamilton had 75 receptions for 848 yards and a touchdown this season, the former of which led all FBS freshmen. He had four 100-yard receiving games and seven games with six or more receptions. If the Nittany Lions’ line can protect Hackenberg better next fall, you’ll hear a lot more from Hamilton.
14. Tennessee DE Derek Barnett
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Derek Barnett’s collegiate career got off to a very impressive start, and he hasn’t looked back since. In August, the Tennessee defensive end became the first UT true freshman defensive lineman ever to start a season opener when he managed the feat against Utah State. Barnett has matched the hype.
He has 69 tackles as well as 20.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks; the latter two are both UT freshman records. He had three-sack games against Ole Miss and South Carolina and has been a handful for opposing offensive tackles to deal with, leading all SEC freshmen in tackles.
Barnett is an explosive pass-rushing force at 6’3”, 267 pounds, and he’ll only get better as the years wear on.
13. Miami QB Brad Kaaya
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In late August, Miami’s quarterback situation was a mess due to injuries and suspensions. The Hurricanes were forced to turn to true freshman Brad Kaaya. That was trouble. Or was it a blessing in disguise?
Following a slow start, averaging just over 175 yards passing with three touchdowns against four interceptions, Kaaya found his groove with consecutive 300-yard passing games against Arkansas State and Nebraska.
He finished the regular season with 2,962 passing yards and 25 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. While Miami was up-and-down, finishing the regular season 6-6, the freshman was an impressive leader for the Hurricanes offense. Over the last 10 weeks, he threw 22 touchdowns against seven interceptions. No matter the result of Miami’s bowl game, Kaaya appears locked in as a talented starter going forward.
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12. Clemson WR Artavis Scott
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Last spring, Clemson welcomed a trio of talented true freshman early-enrollee wide receivers in Demarre Kitt, Kyrin Priester and Artavis Scott. As we move into December, Scott is the only one left on campus. Priester was booted from the program in September, and Kitt announced his plans to transfer this week.
However, Clemson has a gem in Scott, a diminutive player who plays much better than his 5’10”, 190-pound frame. He has 68 receptions for 851 yards and seven touchdowns. The regular-season finale win over South Carolina was a tour de force. Scott took a pair of short passes from Deshaun Watson and turned them into long touchdowns, finishing with seven receptions for 185 yards and two scores.
Scott can take the bubble screens that Clemson’s hurry-up, no-huddle offense favors and excel with them. Chad Morris is gone as Clemson’s offensive coordinator, but look for Scott to keep thriving as he matures.
11. Alabama LT Cam Robinson
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There are positions where true freshmen can find a role early on a college football team. Wide receiver. Running back. Cornerback.
Left tackle? Think again. Offensive line is among the most complex positions in football. You don’t just walk into a college football locker room and start, much less as a left tackle. Unless you’re Alabama freshman Cameron Robinson.
Robinson skipped the customary redshirt season issued to college football offensive linemen and immediately began anchoring the Crimson Tide’s offensive line. Robinson has started every game of his freshman season and settled in immediately as one of Alabama’s best offensive linemen.
Robinson stands 6’6”, 323 pounds and has done a great job protecting the blind side of senior quarterback Blake Sims, a first-time starter himself. Alabama averages 37.1 points per game, No. 17 nationally, and has enjoyed a balanced offense with plenty of help from Robinson’s protection. Defensive linemen don’t enjoy Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood.
10. FSU TB Dalvin Cook
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It took Dalvin Cook a little while to warm up to college football. But once Florida State’s true freshman tailback found his groove, he’s left defenders in his wake. Cook had just 14 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown in FSU’s first three games, and it took until his sixth game before he cracked the 100-yard mark (a 122-yard effort against Syracuse).
But Cook has finished with a bang. His 110-yard, two-touchdown effort was key in FSU’s rally for a road win at Louisville. He finished with back-to-back 100-yard games, going for 144 against Florida and 177 and a touchdown in the Seminoles’ ACC title game win over Georgia Tech. Safid Deen of the Tallahassee Democrat says Cook is finding his stride at the perfect time.
Cook stands 6’0”, 200 pounds, and has impressive power and speed. He has 905 yards and eight touchdowns on the season and should go over 1,000 with at least one game left in the College Football Playoff against Oregon. Now that Cook’s engine is revved, good luck slowing him down.
9. Virginia S Quin Blanding
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While Virginia struggled to a 2-10 record a year ago, the Cavaliers had reason for hope given a 2014 recruiting class that included in-state safety Quin Blanding, one of the nation’s most decorated prospects.
Blanding immediately fulfilled that faith. He was the first true UVA freshman to start at safety since 1976 and made a huge impact. He finished the season with 123 tackles, tops on UVA’s roster and second in the ACC following the regular season. Blanding is an athletic player who can really hit and catch the ball; he also has three interceptions on the season.
The Cavaliers improved to 5-7 and just missed a bowl game, falling 24-20 to rival Virginia Tech in the season finale. But with Blanding anchoring the secondary, there’s reason to be excited entering 2015.
8. Arizona TB Nick Wilson
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The taste of a 51-13 Pac-12 title game beatdown at Oregon’s hands is raw, but there’s no denying that this was an impressive season for Arizona. The Wildcats are 10-3 and playing in the Fiesta Bowl, and they’re the only team to defeat the Ducks this season (in Eugene, no less).
Credit can be extended to Rich Rodriguez’s impressive, freshman-fueled offense. Freshman tailback Nick Wilson piled up 1,289 rushing yards with 15 touchdowns this fall, putting together seven 100-yard games and five multi-touchdown games. He and fellow freshman Anu Solomon have created a dynamic backfield duo that RichRod and Co. will be able to build on next fall.
7. LSU TB Leonard Fournette
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Entering this season, the hype surrounding LSU freshman tailback Leonard Fournette was almost unimaginable. The 6’1”, 230-pounder was widely regarded as the nation’s top incoming freshman, but he struggled early to find holes, managing just 18 yards on eight carries in the opener against Wisconsin.
But as the hype faded, Fournette found his groove. He opened the season’s second half with a 140-yard, two-touchdown effort against Florida and finished the season with 146 yards and a touchdown in a win over Texas A&M.
Fournette has power, speed and is more than capable of running over opposing linebackers or dancing around them. He had four 100-yard efforts in his last eight games and has 891 yards and eight touchdowns on the season, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. It didn’t happen quite as fast as everyone expected, but Fournette is well on his way.
6. Arizona QB Anu Solomon
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In August, Arizona had a crowded battle to crown the Wildcats’ third starting quarterback in as many years. Coach Rich Rodriguez picked redshirt freshman Anu Solomon, and the results have been smashing.
Solomon, along with tailback and fellow freshman Nick Wilson, was an immediate hit, throwing for 425 yards and four touchdowns in the season opener against UNLV. He led the Wildcats to a 10-3 record and Fiesta Bowl bid, passing for 3,458 yards with 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions.
He had three 300-yard games, including a 520-yard effort against Cal that saw him win the game on a final-play Hail Mary. There were down moments like a 34-yard effort in the Wildcats’ 51-13 Pac-12 title game loss to Oregon, but those were outweighed by the ups, like handing the Ducks their only loss at Oregon in early October.
Solomon was the right choice for Rodriguez and a cornerstone for the Wildcats’ program going forward.
5. Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett
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Texas A&M’s defense was far from stellar this fall, but don’t put the blame on Myles Garrett’s shoulders. The true freshman defensive end emerged as one of the top pass-rushers in college football. He finished the regular season with 50 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 11.0 sacks.
The sack total was a freshman record, racing past the old record of 8.0 set by former South Carolina end and No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Jadeveon Clowney. He also piled up 3.5 sacks against Louisiana-Monroe, setting an A&M freshman record.
Garrett stands 6’5”, 255 pounds, and has excellent speed and power, the kind of edge-rusher coveted by defensive coordinators across the country. He surpassed Clowney’s SEC freshman sack record in just nine games and five starts. A&M is hiring a new defensive coordinator, and what a toy he’ll get to play with in Garrett starting next fall.
4. Georgia TB Nick Chubb
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Todd? Todd who?
You might hear that refrain on the streets of Athens these days. Make no mistake, Georgia tailback Todd Gurley is one of the nation’s best tailbacks, with 911 yards and nine touchdowns this season. But Gurley just can’t seem to stay on the field. He missed four games due to an NCAA suspension for selling his autograph and then suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his return against Auburn.
No matter. When Gurley was suspended, Nick Chubb stepped right into the starting lineup and excelled. He’ll ride a streak of seven consecutive 100-yard games into the Bulldogs’ bowl game. In that stretch, he has averaged 151 yards per game with 10 total touchdowns. On the season, he has 1,281 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Chubb stands 5’10”, 228 pounds, and is a rolling ball of thunder, the kind of player who has great speed and is very tough for opposing players to tackle. Gurley is expected to enter the NFL draft, per head coach Mark Richt, but with Chubb around, the Bulldogs’ backfield is in great shape.
3. Oregon TB Royce Freeman
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Oregon junior quarterback Marcus Mariota is the favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy later this week, with good reason. Mariota has enjoyed a sensational 2014 season. But his main backfield mate hasn’t been too bad either.
When Mariota inevitably leaves for the NFL draft, freshman tailback Royce Freeman could inherit the mantle as the top attraction in the Ducks offense. The true freshman has enjoyed a tremendous debut season, rushing for 1,299 yards with 16 touchdowns. He has six 100-yard rushing efforts in Oregon’s last eight games, and only a 98-yard effort against Stanford and a 99-yard night against Utah prevent him from carrying an eight-game 100-yard streak into the Ducks’ College Football Playoff showdown against Florida State.
Freeman, who leads a deep backfield that also includes talented backs in Byron Marshall and Thomas Tyner, has been a workhorse, carrying 230 times and averaging 5.6 yards per carry. At 6’0”, 229 pounds, he moves with power and speed. He's in line to be the Ducks’ next great player.
2. Oklahoma TB Samaje Perine
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It hasn’t been the best of seasons at Oklahoma. Following 2013’s 11-2 season capped with a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama, the Sooners were considered bona fide College Football Playoff contenders. But they slipped to 8-4 following a disappointing 38-35 home overtime loss to Oklahoma State and will face off with Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 29.
But one bright spot has emerged in freshman tailback Samaje Perine. Perine has rushed for 1,579 yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. At 5’11”, 243 pounds, he is an absolute load for defenders to tackle but also possesses speed. He set the FBS single-game rushing record with 427 yards against Kansas Nov. 22, one week after Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon set the record at 408 yards. Perine did suffer a sprained ankle in the loss to the Cowboys, leaving his status uncertain for Oklahoma's bowl game.
Perine is the kind of every-down workhorse back that is so rare in college football. He'll be a menace for defenses for at least the next two seasons.
1. Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett
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It was only fitting that Cardale Jones’ 257-yard, three-touchdown effort keyed Ohio State’s 59-0 Big Ten championship rout of Wisconsin, pushing the Buckeyes over the top for the final College Football Playoff spot. Jones began the season as OSU’s No. 3 quarterback, but if the Buckeyes’ 2013 season taught us anything, it’s that you don’t count out a backup quarterback.
When Heisman Trophy candidate Braxton Miller was forced to the sidelines in August following shoulder surgery, Ohio State’s offensive hopes looked uncertain. After all, the new quarterback was redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett, who shot past Jones on the depth chart.
Barrett got off to an ugly start, completing only nine of 29 passes in a home loss to Virginia Tech. That would be his only blemish. The freshman improved with every week, throwing for 2,834 yards with 34 touchdowns against 10 interceptions and adding 938 yards and 11 rushing scores as OSU’s second-leading rusher. By the time his season ended with a broken ankle against Michigan in the regular-season finale, he’d pushed his way into the Heisman Trophy race.
Barrett admitted to Bill Landis of the Northeast Ohio Media Group that the injury hit hard, but he is expected to be ready for spring practice, albeit limited.
"You wonder why," Barrett said. "You have those little talks with God and say, 'Why now?' But you never know. You take it for what is."
In August, it looked like a certainty that Miller would get his job when he returned healthy. Now? Not so much. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has a great problem with Miller and Barrett returning from injuries. How he solves it will be fascinating to watch.
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