2015 College Football Recruiting: 6 Prospects Likely to Start as Freshmen

A trend that has gained steam in college football in recent years is the emergence of true freshmen taking on bigger roles almost immediately upon arriving on campus.

A quick example of this can be found when taking a look at the running backs who will start in the national semifinal Rose Bowl matchup between No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Florida State. 

Royce Freeman leads the Ducks in rushing with his counterpart Dalvin Cook pacing the Seminoles ground attack—despite the fact that both players were putting the finishing touches on their prep careers at this point a year ago. 

The 2015 cycle has a handful of talents who are capable of coming and making a similar impact to Freeman and Cook.

Which 2015 recruits have a chance to earn a starting role as true freshmen next fall?

All players listed in alphabetical order.

Malik Jefferson

The bitter feud between Texas and Texas A&M spilled over to the recruiting trail in the battle to land the Lone Star State’s top prospect in 2015, 5-star linebacker Malik Jefferson. 

Head coach Charlie Strong and the Longhorns emerged victorious for Jefferson, who will enroll in Austin next month. 

Considering that the Longhorns are losing four of their top six linebackers to graduation, including leading tackler Jordan Hicks, Jefferson has the opportunity to step in and play right away.

Given his immense skill set and the fact that he will be able to learn the scheme while going through spring practice, the 6’3”, 215-pounder will prove difficult to keep off the field next season.

Tarvarus McFadden

Head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Florida State Seminoles have reloaded their roster to the standard held by the ‘Noles outfits that dominated in the '90s. 

However, as talented as FSU’s roster is, the 2015 edition could have a few holes that require immediate assistance from a class that currently sits at No. 2 in the 247Sports team rankings.

If junior corners P.J. Williams and Ronald Darby opt to forgo their seniors seasons and enter the 2015 NFL draft, corner will be among Fisher’s primary concerns heading into next season.

That scenario would provide 5-star corner pledge Tarvarus McFadden with a golden opportunity to follow in the footsteps of FSU defensive backs such as Darby, Nate Andrews and Jalen Ramsey, who have made an impact as true freshmen in Tallahassee.

As Barton Simmons of 247Sports notes, the 6’3”, 198-pound McFadden has a chance to earn the designation as the nation’s top corner prospect in the 2015 class.

Assuming McFadden can make a quick adjustment to the college level, he has a tremendous chance to log plenty of snaps next fall.

Kahlil McKenzie

At 6’4”, 319 pounds, Kahlil McKenzie may literally and figuratively be the biggest commitment of the Butch Jones era at Tennessee. 

The 5-star defensive tackle is the bell cow of a class that ranks No. 5 in the country.

With his size and athleticism, he’s exactly the type of freakish athlete who can help the Vols defensive line be stout in the nation’s toughest conference.

The Vols lose one starting defensive tackle to graduation, which may be all the uber-talented California product needs to crack the starting lineup soon after arriving in Knoxville.

Calvin Ridley

The last time Nick Saban dipped into the recruiting hotbed of South Florida to pluck a wide receiver, he landed then-4-star prospect and current Biletnikoff Award winner Amari Cooper in the 2012 cycle.

The Tide are hoping to offset the potential loss of Cooper this offseason with another talented Floridian in 5-star receiver Calvin Ridley.

As Cooper was, the 6’0”, 170-pounder is scheduled to be an early enrollee for the Tide.

With the graduation of senior starters DeAndrew White and Christion Jones, the Tide’s receiving unit will have a new look next season. 

The expected turnover at the position gives Ridley a chance to make a similar impression as the one Cooper made during his freshman year.

Larry Scott

Running back has been a position that has seen true freshmen emerge in recent years.

This year’s crop of rushers should produce its share of instant impact performers.

One such candidate to continue that trend is 4-star rusher and Michigan State commitment Larry Scott.

The nation’s No. 5 running back has an opportunity to fill the void that will be left by Spartans senior stud rusher Jeremy Langford. 

The 6’0”, 205-pounder—who rushed for combined totals of 3,295 yards and 44 touchdowns over the last two seasons—is a physical back with breakaway speed and can thrive in the Spartans' punishing ground game.

Trent Thompson

The anchor of Georgia’s No. 3 recruiting class is 5-star defensive tackle Trent Thompson.

Considering that the Bulldogs are losing three of their top four defensive linemen to graduation, adding a potential plug-and-play prospect such as Thompson is a necessity for defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.

The 6’4”, 292-pound Thompson is a wrecking ball built similar to the hulking defensive tackles Pruitt had in previous stops at Florida State and Alabama. 

He’s one of the rare prep prospects who has the strength and the athleticism to be a dominant force early in his college career.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports. 

Follow @SanjayKirpalani