Top True Freshmen to Watch for in Spring Football
Spring camp is more about young players than veterans. Especially for true freshmen—teenagers who graduated early to join their respective college programs—it eases the learning curve between high school and the FBS level.
Those who enroll early learn the playbook, adjust to the speed of the game and work out in a college strength program, all of which helps them contribute as soon as possible. It's a mental and physical edge that most freshmen don't enjoy.
The top four players on the 247Sports composite rankings did not enroll early, but four of the next six did, as did many others further down the list. The following is a survey of the most important enrollees from that group, broken down by pedigree and position.
Deciding who to feature factored talent against opportunity. The freshmen we discussed fill roles in which their teams need help. Their coaches are counting on them to develop, soak up the scheme and turn weaknesses into strengths (or at least less of weaknesses).
Redshirt freshmen were excluded since they've already spent a year in college. JUCO and prep school transfers were included, but only if they finished high school in 2014 (not 2013 or earlier).
Sound off below, and let us know what you think.
Quarterbacks
1 of 7
Top 100
- Blake Barnett, Alabama
- Jake Browning, Washington
- Josh Rosen, UCLA
- Jarrett Stidham, Baylor
- Ricky Town, USC
Player to Watch: Rosen. He's the No. 1 quarterback in the country and the strongest bet of any true freshman to start. UCLA returns all 10 offensive starters around the QB and finished No. 11 in the offseason composite rankings. If he wins the job over Jerry Neuheisel and Asantii Woulard, he's a legitimate Heisman dark horse.
Top 300
- Quinten Dormady, Tennessee
- Jauan Jennings, Tennessee
- Brett Rypien, Boise State
- Ty Storey, Arkansas
Player to Watch: Rypien. The nephew of Super Bowl XXVI MVP Mark Rypien has a strong case to start at Boise State next season. He's the two-time reigning Washington Player of the Year, per The Seattle Times, and only Ryan Finley (27 career pass attempts) stands in his way.
Others of Note
- Kelly Bryant, Clemson
- Alex Delton, Kansas State
- Austin Kafentzis, Wisconsin
- Chad President, Tulsa
- Elijah Robinson, Boston College
- David Sills, West Virginia
- Elijah Sindelar, Purdue
- Chason Virgil, Fresno State
Player to Watch: Robinson. He doesn't have the strongest arm, but he's a terrific athlete who can run the offense a la Tyler Murphy. Darius Wade and Troy Flutie have thrown eight combined passes at Boston College, so there's no established hierarchy above him.
Running Backs
2 of 7
Top 100
- Taj Griffin, Oregon
- Jacques Patrick, Florida State
Player to Watch: Griffin. The kid is an absolute blur. He ran a 4.31 40-yard dash at The Opening—the second-fastest time of the week—and is shifty in the open field. Oregon has Royce Freeman, Thomas Tyner and Byron Marshall ahead of him, but Griffin is too good to redshirt. He'll force his way onto the field with a strong spring camp.
Top 300
- Rodney Anderson, Oklahoma
- David Ducre, LSU
- Desherrius Flowers, Alabama
- Ty'Son Williams, North Carolina
Player to Watch: Ducre. The nation's top fullback enters a pro-style offense that just lost two-year starter Connor Neighbors. He's a 5'11", 238-pound masher with better ball skills than those of Neighbors, which makes him an interesting chess piece, but he'll have to prove his worth as a lead blocker before he steps on the field.
Others of Note
- Dre Brown, Illinois
- Chandler Cox, Auburn
- Reggie Gallaspy, North Carolina State
- Jae'lon Oglesby, Memphis
- Markell Jones, Purdue
Player to Watch: Oglesby. The former Clemson commit spent last year at Fork Union Military Academy and now joins an up-and-coming Memphis offense. The Tigers lose leading rusher Brandon Hayes, but Oglesby, an all-purpose back, can take them to new heights.
Receivers/Tight Ends
3 of 7
Top 100
- WR George Campbell, Florida State
- WR Christian Kirk, Texas A&M
- WR Da'Vante Phillips, Florida State
Player to Watch: Campbell. He's 6'3" and ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at The Opening. It's hard to find a better athlete at the position—not just in the recruiting class, but in the country—and Florida State has targets to spare after losing Rashad Greene and Nick O'Leary. How fast he picks up the offense will dictate how early and often he plays.
Top 300
- TE C.J. Conrad, Kentucky
- TE Jordan Davis, Texas A&M
- ATH Malik Dear, Mississippi State
- TE Will Gragg, Arkansas
- TE Jackson Harris, Georgia
- WR Blake Lynch, Baylor
- WR Alex Ofodile, Oregon
Player to Watch: Davis. Texas A&M has gotten nothing from its tight ends, but new offensive line coach Dave Christensen, the former offensive coordinator at Missouri (2001-08) and Utah (2014) and head coach at Wyoming (2009-13), has always relied on the position. How, if at all, will A&M tweak its offense to feature Davis?
Others of Note
- WR Shadell Bell, Clemson
- ATH John Humphrey, Oklahoma
- WR Juval Mollette, North Carolina
- WR Christian Owens, South Carolina
- TE Kyle Penniston, Wisconsin
Player to Watch: Penniston. Wisconsin loses tight end Sam Arneson, who in 2014 replaced Jacob Pedersen. This offense relies on multiple-tight end sets, but only sophomore Troy Fumagalli has real experience. Can Penniston block at an FBS level? A Big Ten level? A Wisconsin-under-Paul Chryst level? If so, he'll see the field.
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Offensive Line
4 of 7
Top 100
- OG Chuma Edoga, USC
- OC Tristen Hoge, Notre Dame
- OT Mitch Hyatt, Clemson
- OG Javon Patterson, Ole Miss
Player to Watch: Patterson. With Bo Wallace gone, Ole Miss can no longer skate by without a running game. It needs a better push off the line. Patterson (6'2.5", 317 lbs) is one of the strongest players in the class and fills that immediate need. "Several area high school coaches, scouts and recruiters…would be 'stunned' if he didn't start his first game in Oxford," wrote Riley Blevins of The Clarion-Ledger.
Top 300
- OG Tyler Carr, Auburn
- OT Austin Clark, Virginia Tech
- OT Bobby Evans, Oklahoma
- OT Jake Fruhmorgen, Clemson
- OT Sterling Jenkins, Penn State
- OT Jack Jones, Tennessee
- OG Jalen Merrick, Arkansas
- OG Zach Okun, Oregon
- OT Keaton Sutherland, Texas A&M
- OT William Sweet, North Carolina
- OT Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame
- OG Dallas Warmack, Alabama
Player to Watch: Clark. He's the highest-ranked offensive lineman to sign with the Hokies since Vinston Painter (2008). At 6'6", 293 pounds, he already has the size to play tackle, and an early jump on training should get him well past 300 pounds by August. Virginia Tech loses left tackle Laurence Gibson and needs a new blindside protector.
Others of Note
- OT George Asafo-Adjei, Kentucky
- OC James Daniels, Iowa
- OT Jon Dietzen, Wisconsin
- OG Brandon Kennedy, Alabama
- OT Roy Hemsley, USC
- OT Bailey Sharp, Auburn
- OT Mason Veal, North Carolina
- OT Connor Williams, Texas
Player to Watch: Williams. Texas needs a new right tackle, and Williams, a converted tight end, will battle JUCO transfer Brandon Hodges for the role. Head coach Charlie Strong said Williams is already up to 285 pounds, per Jeff Howe of 247Sports, who also said Williams is "generating the most buzz thus far in workouts" of any new arrival.
Defensive Line
5 of 7
Top 100
- DE Jashon Cornell, Ohio State
- DE Jalen Dalton, North Carolina
- DT Breiden Fehoko, Texas Tech
- DT Albert Huggins, Clemson
- DE Canton Kaumatule, Oregon
- DE Jonathan Ledbetter, Georgia
- DE Natrez Patrick, Georgia
- DE Kyle Phillips, Tennessee
- DE Josh Sweat, Florida State
- DT Shy Tuttle, Tennessee
Player to Watch: Kaumatule. No recruit has more momentum than the 6'7", 290-pound Hawaiian, who dominated all week before the Under Armour All-America Game. With Arik Armstead gone to the NFL draft, there's an open spot across from DeForest Buckner. In a perfect world for Oregon, Kaumatule wins the job.
Top 300
- DE Michael Barnett, Georgia
- DE Andrew Butcher, Tennessee
- DT Hjalte Froholdt, Arkansas
- DE Darian Roseboro, North Carolina State
- DE Dante Sawyer, South Carolina (JUCO)
- DE Dexter Wideman, South Carolina (PREP)
Player to Watch: Froholdt. The Danish standout played at IMG Academy in Florida last season, but he's still a relative unknown. The Razorbacks lose Trey Flowers at defensive end and Darius Philon at defensive tackle, so there are spots to fill in the rotation, and Froholdt (6'4", 282 lbs) has size to contribute up and down the line.
Others of Note
- DE Micah Dew-Treadway, Notre Dame
- DT Sterling Johnson, Clemson
- DE Scott Patchan, Miami
Player to Watch: Johnson. Clemson has 5-star Christian Wilkins and top-100 early enrollee Albert Huggins, but it loses so much from last year's defensive line that every young tackle must play. Johnson is the No. 373 overall player on the 247Sports composite rankings, but ESPN, one of the four major recruiting services, ranks him No. 108.
Linebackers
6 of 7
Top 100
- OLB Malik Jefferson, Texas
Player to Watch: Jefferson. And not just because there's no alternative. With Jordan Hicks and Steve Edmond graduating, Texas needs a new pair of starters in the middle. Jefferson ran an absurd 4.39 40-yard dash at The Opening—faster than any NFL linebacker since 2006—and is favored to start on the weak side.
Top 300
- ILB Nick Conner, Ohio State
- ILB Darrin Kirkland, Tennessee
- ILB Cameron Smith, USC
- OLB Chad Smith, Clemson
Player to Watch: Kirkland. Tennessee loses A.J. Johnson up the middle, and there's no established option to replace him. "Darrin is a perfect linebacker in today's game in terms of his speed and size," said LB coach Tommy Thigpen, per Patrick Brown the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "He can play in space and is very physical against the run. His football IQ is better than [that of] most second-year players."
Others of Note
- ILB Tevon Coney, Notre Dame
- OLB Richard Moore, Texas A&M
- OLB Jordan Jones, Kentucky
- ATH Charles Perry, Miami
- OLB Sherrod Pittman, South Carolina
- ILB C.J. Stalker, Virginia
- OLB Tyriq Thompson, Michigan State
Player to Watch: Pittman. South Carolina needs help off the edge, and Pittman had 21 tackles for loss before breaking his leg as a senior, per Dwayne McElmore of GoGamecocks.com. No way he'd rank outside the national Top 300 if not for that injury. How's the rehab going? Even if he can't go full speed, keep an eye on his progress.
Defensive Backs
7 of 7
Top 100
- S Derwin James, Florida State
- CB Isaiah Langley, USC
- S Deionte Thompson, Alabama
- CB Kevin Toliver II, LSU
Player to Watch: Toliver II. The longtime LSU commit will finally suit up in Baton Rouge, and there's an early road to playing time at corner, where Jalen Collins declared for the NFL draft and Rashard Robinson is no longer with the team. Carter Bryant of Bleacher Report said Tolliver has the best shot of any LSU freshman to start.
Top 300
- S Ronnie Harrison, Alabama
- ATH Tim Irvin, Auburn
- S Jaquan Johnson, Miami
- CB Eric Lee, Nebraska
- CB Deshawn Raymond, TCU
Player to Watch: Raymond. TCU loses three starters from last year's secondary, including cornerback Kevin White. Raymond has the highest composite grade (.9001) of any TCU defender since Devonte Fields, who enrolled early in 2012 and won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as a true freshman. So…yeah. Big steps to follow.
Others of Note
- S Johnathan Abram, Georgia
- CB Kareem Ali, Temple
- CB Ugo Amadi, Oregon
- ATH Avery Anderson, Nebraska
- S Calvin Brewton, Florida State
- CB Jamel Dean, Ohio State
- CB Mook Reynolds, Virginia Tech
- ATH Van Smith, Clemson
Player to Watch: Abram. Georgia has a wide-open secondary race, with five spots available and zero assured starters. Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt has never been afraid to start teenagers, and he's never cared a lick about pedigree. The only defensive back to start every game last season was 3-star true freshman Dominick Sanders.
Note: All recruiting info refers to the 247Sports composite rankings.
Follow Brian Leigh on Twitter: @BLeigh35.
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