Spring Football Report Card Grades for Top Early Enrollees
Spring practice is in the books for all but two schools: Hawaii and Oregon. With that in mind, it's time to look back at the top early enrollees based on their places in 247Sports' top 100 ranking and the impacts they made.
For a select few, they enter the summer months in the middle of their team's two-deep. For others, there's still a ways to go.
One thing that's taken into account when grading is that not every position is created equal in terms of the depth chart. For example: There's (typically) only one quarterback who plays. Meanwhile, a defensive player who's technically second string could see the field often.
In other words, just because an early enrollee quarterback isn't named the starter doesn't mean he's given an "F." Conversely, a player who could see time out of necessity (i.e. a lack of depth) isn't guaranteed an "A."
It depends on how each player performed during spring and what the top of the depth chart looks like—and whether they can realistically get there.
UCLA Quarterback Josh Rosen
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With Brett Hundley moving on to the NFL, UCLA needs to find its next program cornerstone. When the Bruins signed 5-star pro-style quarterback Josh Rosen as an early enrollee, it looked like they got just what they needed.
By all accounts, Rosen has been impressive in his short time on campus and shined in the spring game. “I thought he made a lot of progress this spring,” head coach Jim Mora said, per CBS Los Angeles (via the Associated Press).
Rosen is in an open competition with Jerry Neuheisel, Asiantii Woulard and Mike Fafaul. Mora won't name a starter until his team opens the season against Virginia. Where exactly he falls in the pecking order isn't clear—for what it's worth, he worked against the first-team defense in the spring game—but he's right where he needs to be. That's in the thick of the conversation.
That counts for something.
Grade: B+
Florida State Safety Derwin James
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While many eyes focused on quarterback Sean Maguire during Florida State's spring game, the most impressive performers were the ones who had just arrived on campus.
In fact, one of the Seminoles' early enrollees, safety Derwin James, picked off Maguire on one of the first throws of the scrimmage and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown.
James started in the spring game because of injuries—something that plagued Florida State all spring—and has been working with the second-team defense during much of spring practice. The fact that he's already on the two-deep should tell you he's ready to make an impact.
Whether he starts or not is less important. So many players rotate on and off the field now, it's hard to keep track of what starts really mean. The key takeaway is that James looks like he'll play this year, and that his future is bright.
Grade: A
Texas Linebacker Malik Jefferson
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The addition of linebacker Malik Jefferson as an early enrollee comes at the right time for Texas. The Longhorns will be breaking in several new faces on defense, and getting talent in during the winter allows room for growth.
For Jefferson, the former No. 1 player in the state of Texas, that means working at both outside and inside linebacker, per Jeff Howe of 247Sports.com:
"It's a given Jefferson will play a lot this season, and the coaches are already preparing him to be a key cog in the defense. He worked at outside linebacker, the Fox end position (Texas' hybrid linebacker/defensive end position) and middle linebacker in the spring, which is a lot to throw at a true freshman.
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The major point here is that the coaching staff feels comfortable enough to ask a lot of Jefferson. That's impressive considering he's only been on campus for a few months. Jefferson certainly showed he was worth the hype in the Longhorns' spring game with six tackles, one of which was for a loss, a quarterback hurry and forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.
The early enrollee is going to play a big role on the defense this fall. There's not much more you can ask from him.
Grade: A+
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Alabama Quarterback Blake Barnett
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Unofficially, Alabama's quarterback race looks like it's down to two players: Jake Coker and David Cornwell. Officially, there's no word on the starter and the competition is still open.
That means early enrollee Blake Barnett is still in the mix. Technically.
Barnett has the blue-chip recruiting status and all the confidence in the world. "As long as he keeps doing what he's doing, take care of his business, learn his plays, be in that film room and come out to practice every day and competing, he'll be fine," Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry said of Barnett, per Michael Casagrande of AL.com.
What Barnett doesn't have, though, is experience in the offense. Each of the other four quarterbacks in the competition have at least one year under offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.
Barnett could theoretically still win the starting job. He could also get lost in the shuffle and maybe even redshirt. That's not a bad thing by itself, but he's not believed to be pushing for the No. 1 job, either.
Grade: C+
Florida State Wide Receiver George Campbell
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Losing three seniors off of last year's wide receiver two-deep, with the biggest loss being Rashad Greene, meant Florida State would have to rely on younger players to fill in some gaps.
One of those players who's come through is former 5-star prospect George Campbell. The early enrollee caught two passes for 99 yards, one being a 65-yard touchdown in which he evaded what looked to be a sure tackle and sprinted down the sideline.
It was against the reserve defense, but there's no question Campbell has the size and speed to be a weapon for the Seminoles offense. He'll get some playing time this year, without a doubt. It'll be a move that's part necessity, part talent, but Campbell will play all the same.
Grade: A-
Baylor Quarterback Jarrett Stidham
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The chase to succeed Bryce Petty at quarterback is taking form. In Baylor's post-spring depth chart, Seth Russell was listed as the starter. Behind him, sophomore Chris Johnson and early enrollee Jarrett Stidham were listed as co-backups.
As David Ubben of Fox Sports points out, "Russell was the clear No. 1 in spring." Stidham is going to need a spectacular preseason camp—or, heaven forbid, an injury—to move up the depth chart.
Originally a Texas Tech commit, there was some speculation that Stidham could win the job as a true freshman. But, 4-star status or not, he is still learning the ropes of his new offense. Russell looks like he has no plans of letting anyone play catch-up, either.
Grade: B
USC Quarterback Ricky Town
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Understand first and foremost that early enrollee Ricky Town wasn't going to join USC this spring and win the quarterback battle. The Trojans already have a starter: Cody Kessler, who is projected to be one of the best in the country in 2015.
Just because Town isn't competing for the starting job doesn't mean he's locked in to a low grade. For him, it's about grasping the offense and getting better. Head coach Steve Sarkisian admitted in March that Town has been "up and down" in the spring. "That’s understandable for a quarterback his first time playing college football," he added, per Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News.
While Town has a nice arm, it wasn't on display in the spring game. He attempted just one pass, which was intercepted.
Grade: C
LSU Defensive Back Kevin Toliver II
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With Jalen Collins off to the NFL, there's an opening for early enrollee Kevin Toliver II to see the field in 2015. While it remains to be seen how much Toliver plays, he has been impressing the Tigers coaching staff in the spring.
Following LSU's spring game, in which Toliver posted an interception, head coach Les Miles said, "We see him as a talented guy, big strong guy who can play physical football. We wanted to give him a variety of snaps to see where he's at. That helps us as we look forward to playing him at a number of spots next fall."
Miles hasn't been shy about heaping praise on Toliver. Miles could move him around to a couple of spots in the fall, which says a lot about his chances of making an impact.
Grade: A-
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.com.
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