CFB Players Who'd Be Stars If They Played on a Power 5 Team
Not every first-round pick in the NFL draft played his college football at a Power Five school. In fact, six players taken in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft came from outside the Power Five or Notre Dame. Perhaps the most successful of these players was Khalil Mack, a linebacker who came from Buffalo of the Mid-American Conference; he's pictured above.
What does this mean? It means we need to look past the traditional power programs to find some of the great players in college football. That's what I've done here.
The players in this piece put up numbers in 2014 that rivaled their peers from Power Five schools. In 2015, they'll show why the only thing holding them back from the national spotlight are the jerseys they wear.
Maybe you've heard of them, maybe not, but they don't deserve to be afterthoughts any longer.
FBS players only. Notre Dame, though technically an independent in football, not included.
Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky
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Brandon Doughty had a season to remember in 2014, though few will remember it. Doughty won the 2014 Sammy Baugh Award after leading the nation in passing yards (4,830) and passing touchdowns (49).
The sixth-year senior is among the active career leaders in many passing categories as well. He's first in passing yards (7,800) and passing touchdowns (63), second in completion percentage (66.8) and third in total offense (7,637 yards).
With so much turnover at the quarterback position across the nation in 2015, it's a good time for Doughty to steal some headlines.
Keenan Reynolds, QB, Navy
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If you watch the Army-Navy Game every year, then you might have heard of Keenan Reynolds. The rising senior has been operating the triple-option offense with great precision.
Like most triple-option quarterbacks, Reynolds is known for running the ball. Reynolds has the most career rushing touchdowns for a quarterback (64), and this makes him tied for sixth in the category overall.
At season's end, don't be surprised to see Reynolds in the top 100 for career rushing yards and leading the Midshipmen to another bowl victory.
Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State
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Donnel Pumphrey packs a big game into a small frame. Despite being 5'9" and 170 pounds, Pumphrey stands up to his peers at running back across the country.
Pumphrey's 276 rushes for 1,867 yards and 20 touchdowns placed him in the top 10 nationally for each category in 2014.
Here's one reason why you might have never heard of Pumphrey: he wasn't even named one of the 10 semifinalists for the 2014 Doak Walker Award.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Jarvion Franklin, RB, Western Michigan
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Like Donnel Pumphrey, Jarvion Franklin wasn't named a semifinalist for the 2014 Doak Walker Award. Also like Pumphrey, Franklin could have made it.
As a true freshman, Franklin rushed 306 times for 1,550 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2014. Franklin's efforts netted him MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors.
The three guys who had more rush attempts than Franklin last season have moved on, so he might be the nation's most-used runner in 2015.
Devon Johnson, RB, Marshall
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Of the three running backs mentioned, Devon Johnson was the only one to be named a semifinalist for the 2014 Doak Walker Award.
In 2014, Johnson had 206 rushes for 1,767 yards and 17 touchdowns. Johnson's 8.6 yards per rush placed third nationally.
With Rakeem Cato having moved on from college, Johnson will be the face of the Thundering Herd program in 2015. Johnson was exceptional in the shadows of Cato, so it will be exciting to see what happens now.
Rashard Higgins, WR, Colorado State
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In 2014, Rashard Higgins was the best wide receiver in the nation other than Amari Cooper. Now that Cooper has moved on, Higgins can be the undisputed best in 2015.
Higgins led the nation in receiving yards (1,750) and receiving touchdowns (17) in 2014. His 96 receptions were 10th-best nationally, too. As a result, Higgins was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, and he was named an All-American.
Matt Hayes of Sporting News has Higgins as the No. 11 best player in college football for 2015; he's the highest-rated among players outside the Power Five and Notre Dame.
Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
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With Jarvion Franklin running the ball, and Corey Davis catching it, Western Michigan has a dangerous pair on offense that can compete with anyone in the nation.
If Davis continues to improve like he has every season with the Broncos, then he'll get lots of national attention in 2015. As a freshman in 2013, Davis had 67 receptions for 841 yards and six touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2014, Davis' numbers jumped to 78 receptions for 1,408 yards and 15 touchdowns. The latter two were good enough for top 10 nationally.
If anyone can transform Davis from a MAC receiver to an NFL one, then there's nobody better than his head coach, P.J. Fleck. Fleck played briefly with the San Francisco 49ers after completing a college career at fellow MAC school Northern Illinois.
Jovan Santos-Knox, LB, UMass
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Jovan Santos-Knox was a tackling machine for UMass in 2014, and he'll be one again in 2015.
Santos-Knox tied teammate Stanley Andre for the national lead with 90 assisted tackles in 2014, and he had the fifth-most total tackles (143).
Santos-Knox didn't just hit, he hit hard: his three forced fumbles were tied for fourth in the nation.
It's understandable why Santos-Knox hasn't gotten national attention. UMass hasn't made noise at the FBS level in its three seasons there. Things are looking up for Santos-Knox and the Minutemen, though, because they won more games in 2014 (three) than they did in 2013 and 2012 combined (two).
Josh Hawkins, CB, East Carolina
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Josh Hawkins has a great name, and a great game, for a cornerback. Did you know Hawkins was a semifinalist for the 2014 Thorpe Award?
Hawkins credits the pass offense he went up against every day in practice with why he's such a good corner. Quarterback Shane Carden threw the ball more than anyone else in the nation in 2014. Wide receiver Justin Hardy left East Carolina with the FBS career receptions record (387).
Now that Carden and Hardy are gone, Hawkins gives us a reason to pay attention to the defense when watching the Pirates in 2015.
Afterword
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Every college football player aspires to be a top-five pick in the NFL draft. Blake Bortles (pictured above) and Khalil Mack reached that goal, despite not having played for college football powerhouses. Bortles, Mack and countless others have shown you don't have to come from a Power Five school to do what they did.
Who knows if any of the players I've mentioned will have the kind of 2015 that will turn them from mid-majors to moneymakers, but if anyone does it, then these guys are among the most likely.
These nine players aren't the only ones from outside the Power Five and Notre Dame who don't get the attention they've earned. Feel free to discuss these, as well as any other players you feel are worthy, in the comments section below.
As always, thanks for reading, and check me out on Twitter @mjcarroll531.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
