10 Under-the-Radar College Football Players Who Will Be Stars in 2015
Who will play the role of TCU’s Trevone Boykin in 2015?
Boykin came into last season battling for the starting quarterback job with Matt Joeckel and finished as the No. 4 guy in the Heisman race.
How did it happen? Boykin took a squad that returned 15 starters from its four-win team in 2013, including the top four receiving targets, and led it to a 12-1 finish.
Not many people saw that coming.
Here are 10 names to keep in mind in 2015. They may become Heisman short-listers before November rolls around.
Ty Isaac, RB, Michigan
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Ty Isaac was a 5-star prospect back in 2013 and was the No. 4 running back in the nation on Rivals.com. He originally committed to USC, transferred to Michigan before the 2014 season and was denied eligibility to play last year.
In 2015, Isaac will be available to play under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, the same guy who led Stanford running back Toby Gerhart to 1,000-plus yard seasons in 2008 and 2009.
Remember, Harbaugh’s Cardinal teams ranked in the top 20 in rushing yards versus a much lower rank in passing yards: No. 103 in 2008, No. 70 in 2009 and No. 29 in 2010.
Add in that Michigan returns all five starters to its offensive line and the picture becomes clearer and rosier with a blue-chip back, an experienced O-line leading the way and a guy in charge who likes to run the ball.
Paul Perkins, RB, UCLA
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With 1,575 rushing yards as a sophomore last season, it may be a stretch to say UCLA’s Paul Perkins is flying under the radar.
That said, he is a proven commodity who will be playing for a 10-3 team from last season that returns a whopping 18 starters. That’s No. 1 in the Pac-12 and No. 6 in the FBS.
Included in the goodness are 10 starters back on offense and five on an O-line that led the No. 34-ranked rushing attack in the country.
Throw in the fact that UCLA will be breaking in a new quarterback—choosing between three guys with a total of 39 attempts at the collegiate level (all from Jerry Neuheisel)—and it’s clear that the Bruins will rely on the running game heavily.
Jaylon Smith, LB, Notre Dame
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If you haven’t heard of Jaylon Smith, fear not, 2015 is the year everyone will know his name.
Smith came to Notre Dame as a 5-star with the class of 2013 and was ranked by Rivals as the No. 1 outside linebacker and No. 3 player overall.
He made huge waves in 2014 as a sophomore, leading the team in tackles (111), tackles for a loss (nine) and sacks (3.5). What hurt was Notre Dame’s No. 84 rank in scoring defense and its 8-5 finish, as it dropped four straight to close out the regular season.
Next year sets up well for Smith. He's one of 19 returning starters for the Irish, the second most of any team in the country. Nine are back on offense, and 10 return on defense, including the bulk of the front seven.
If Notre Dame cashes in on its wealth of experience, look for Smith to be a headliner.
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Marquise Williams, QB, North Carolina
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North Carolina’s Marquise Williams’ 3,073 passing and 783 rushing yards accounted for 55 percent of the team’s total offense in 2014. It’s on par with Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett, who passed for 2,834 yards and rushed for 938 more in 12 games as a starter last year. That’s 62 percent of the Buckeyes’ total offense in the 12 games he played in.
What bodes well for Williams in 2015 is the return of 10 starters to an offense that averaged 33.2 points per game in 2014. Included in the returnees are the entire offensive line and all four of Williams’ top receiving targets.
If the Tar Heels can manage to improve their defense, which finished last year ranked No. 119 in scoring, Williams has the potential to have a special season.
As a note, he will miss spring practice due a hip injury but should be ready to go in the fall.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
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For Patrick Mahomes to reach stardom in 2015, first he’ll have to wrest the starting quarterback job from Davis Webb, who started the first eight games of 2014.
Mahomes, who also pitches for the Red Raiders baseball team, came to Tech in 2013 as a 3-star dual-threat prospect, according to Rivals.com. He started the final four games of last season in relief of the injured Webb, going 105-of-185 for 1,547 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. His passer rating of 151.22 bested Webb’s season-mark of 138.4 and put him on par with Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott at 151.72.
If Mahomes were to get the nod, he’d have eight starters returning with him on offense, including four from the O-line and four of the top five receiving targets from a year ago.
If Tech, like North Carolina, can make even marginal strides on defense (the Red Raiders ranked No. 126 of the 128 FBS teams in scoring last year), whoever lands at quarterback could have a big year.
Jalen Hurd, RB, Tennessee
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Another blue-chipper, Jalen Hurd came to Tennessee as a 5-star prospect in 2014; Rivals.com rated him No. 5 among running backs.
As a true freshman last season, he led the team with 190 carries for 899 yards. He was the No. 1 back for an offense that finished No. 43 in rushing yards.
This year, Hurd will be the go-to guy on an offense that returns 10 starters, including all but one from the O-line. Add in a defense that is returning eight starts and you have the most experienced team in the SEC and the No. 6 unit in the FBS.
Hurd is a proven commodity, and he’ll get even more snaps given the uncertainty at quarterback.
Anthony Zettel, DT, Penn State
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Anthony Zettel will be a senior in 2015, one of six returning starters on a defense that ranked No. 7 in scoring, No. 3 versus the run and No. 9 against the pass last season.
As a junior, Zettel racked up 42 tackles, eight sacks, 17 tackles for a loss and three interceptions, the most of any lineman in the FBS.
What could propel him into the national limelight is Penn State’s offense, which ranked No. 113 in scoring last season but returns nine starters in 2014. If this group gets going, look for Zettel and the rest of the defense to get the kudos they deserved last year.
Seth Russell, QB, Baylor
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Seth Russell garnered considerable attention in relief of Bryce Petty last season, especially when he threw up 438 yards and five touchdowns in the Bears’ 70-6 win over FCS Northwestern State in Week 2.
Russell could explode in 2015 as the leader of a team that returns a whopping 17 starters. Eight are due back on the offensive side of the ball, while nine return on defense. Included in the deluge are four members of both the offensive and defensive lines, the No. 1 rusher and three of the top four receivers, two of which crested the 1,000-yard mark last season.
If Baylor can turn opportunity into big success, which is a realistic possibility, Russell could become the second-ever Heisman winner from Baylor.
Eric Swinney, RB, Ole Miss
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Whoever carries the rock at Ole Miss in 2015 has a golden opportunity.
First, there is the search for a new starter under center; regardless of the outcome, look for the Rebels offense to rely on the run to get through the transition.
Next, five starters return on the offensive line, which is a convenient scenario for a team with a new quarterback and a stable of talented running backs.
Last, there are seven starters back, including five of the front seven, to a defense that finished last year No. 1 in the FBS in scoring.
It all adds up to a team that is perfect for a young running back to take the nation by storm. Enter Eric Swinney, the 4-star running back from Tyrone, Georgia, whom Ole Miss just signed in the class of 2015. Rivals.com had him as the No. 10 running back in the nation, and he could be the next big thing from the SEC.
Dane Evans, QB, Tulsa
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Tulsa’s Dane Evans won’t win the Heisman in 2015, but he’ll likely put up award-worthy numbers.
The incoming junior threw for 3,102 yards, 23 touchdowns and 17 interceptions last season. In 2015, he’ll return along with 16 other starters for Tulsa. Included are 10 guys on offense, four on the O-line and all five of the top receiving targets, including Keevan Lucas, who posted 1,219 yards in 2014.
Though that’s all well and good, the No. 1 reason Evans will explode this year is Philip Montgomery, Tulsa’s new head coach.
Montgomery has spent 17 years under the tutelage of Art Briles and the last seven as the offensive coordinator at Baylor, the same team that ranked No. 1 in scoring the last two seasons.
Statistics courtesy of CFBStats. Returning starter data courtesy of Phil Steele.
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