10 College Football Players Who Will Dominate Stat Sheet in Week 1
Hey, look at that: There's (FBS) football in two days. By Saturday, your normal fall routine of vegging out on the couch/grilling/tailgating/enjoying adult beverages before the noon-o-clock hour will be back in full swing.
So let's get to actual football predictions. Which players will light up the stat sheet in Week 1?
Keep in mind these are not predictions of which team will win. Rather, it's a projection of which players can have huge games on the stat sheet because of a particular match-up that's advantageous for them. Specifically, we're going with teams that have released Week 1 depth charts. It's kind of hard to determine if a quarterback will have a big game if he still has an "OR" listed next to his name.
With a few exceptions—Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. facing off against his former team is an obvious storyline—we'll try to stay away from the obvious stat-friendly games. There's a good chance Georgia running back Nick Chubb will top 100 yards against Louisiana-Monroe before halftime. That basically goes without saying.
With that in mind, here are 10 players who could have huge games in Week 1.
Texas Linebacker Malik Jefferson
1 of 10
According to Texas' Week 1 depth chart, freshman sensation Malik Jefferson is the starting middle linebacker for Saturday's game against Notre Dame. It's been obvious for some time that Jefferson was going to see the field right away, but the ankle injury to Dalton Santos means Jefferson is being thrust right into that mike linebacker spot.
Jefferson's versatility is a big reason why the coaching staff is so high on him, but his athleticism will be a plus at middle linebacker. With the way offenses spread the ball around, the mike needs to be able to make plays in a phone booth as well go sideline to sideline.
Jefferson's first opponent, Notre Dame, enters the season with playoff expectations and an experienced offense. Regardless of the outcome, expect to hear Jefferson's name called a lot. Now at 240 pounds, he's built like a player ready to make an impact.
Alabama Linebacker Reggie Ragland
2 of 10
Here's what we know about Wisconsin: The Badgers are going to run the ball. A. Lot. That's good news for Alabama middle linebacker Reggie Ragland, who sits atop the Week 1 depth chart heading into the neutral-site game against the Badgers.
Ragland finished second on the team with 93 tackles last season and third with 10.5 tackles for loss, so the track record of production is there. Given Wisconsin's offensive philosophy, Ragland will be right in the middle of the action.
Additionally, the Badgers are breaking in some new starters along the offensive line. Injuries and youth have been the story for the O-line's two deep throughout the offseason. The last opponent the Badgers should want to test things out against is Alabama's defensive front seven, which will state its case to be the best in the nation. If the Tide's D-line can control the line of scrimmage, that provides room for Ragland to make some plays in the backfield as well.
Oregon Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.
3 of 10
The long-standing assumption that Eastern Washington transfer quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. would start for Oregon in Week 1 against his former team was validated last Friday. However, let's not make this so simple: Adams had a lot of work to do to earn that job in a short amount of time. To do so is an impressive sign, as Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports tweeted.
We've seen Adams show up big against Pac-12 teams in the past (475 passing yards, 7 TDs vs. Washington in 2014), and now he has the chance to do more big things against Eastern Washington. Yes, Adams will be able to make plays with his feet, but he has an experienced and dangerous wide receiver group to throw to as well.
Eastern Washington knows all too well what Adams brings to an offense—scrambling, improvising and more. Now put that on the field with Oregon's athleticism. Watch out.
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Arizona State Wide Receiver D.J. Foster
4 of 10
It was tempting to go with Arizona State running back Demario Richard here, given how poor Texas A&M's run defense was last year (and how much work the Aggies have to do in that department to improve those numbers). Richard, after all, rushed for 5.7 yards per carry last year as a freshman.
However, I like D.J. Foster's proven career as a playmaker. This is a guy who, per his bio, is the only active Football Bowl Subdivision player with 2,000 career rushing yards and 1,500 career receiving yards. Matt Hinton of Grantland.com rightly calls Foster one of the most indispensable players in college football this year.
Sun Devils quarterback Mike Bercovici has already proven himself to be an accomplished passer. The No. 1 goal for him is to get Foster the ball in a variety of routes to let him make plays in space. New Aggies defensive coordinator John Chavis is a great one, but he'll have his hands full with Foster right out of the gate.
South Carolina Wide Receiver Pharoh Cooper
5 of 10
When you're the SEC's leading returning receiver, you're going to get plenty of love in the predictions department. That's the case with South Carolina's do-it-all weapon, Pharoh Cooper.
South Carolina's first game comes Thursday against North Carolina, and the Tar Heels had—literally—the ACC's worst defense in 2014. Yes, 2015 is a new year. Yes, Gene Chizik is the new defensive coordinator. Still, there's a lot of room to improve and trying to defend Cooper isn't the easiest task to ask of anyone right away.
This will also be the first game for Gamecocks starting quarterback Connor Mitch, so it's nice to have a safety net like Cooper. With his versatility in all facets of the game, Week 1 is ripe for a huge stat line for Cooper.
Michigan Safety Jabrill Peppers
6 of 10
On either side of the ball, redshirt freshman safety Jabrill Peppers is the most talented player Michigan will put on the field this year. Peppers didn't get to play much last season because of injuries, but he's impressed first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh this offseason.
In fact, he's impressed Harbaugh so much that he may see some time on offense.
"If you have the capability athletically of doing that and you have the desire to do that, then we'll explore it," Harbaugh said in July (via Nick Baumgardner, MLive.com). "Jabrill's never struck me as someone who has ever (had) his head spin (on the field). He's not one of those type of youngsters. He has a very tight grip of his mind, he's very sharp and very focused."
Against Utah, Peppers will be asked to slow down stud running back Devontae Booker as well as keep tabs on the Utes passing attack. Michigan's strength this year will be on defense, and Peppers is a big reason why.
UCLA Running Back Paul Perkins
7 of 10
By now, you're probably aware that true freshman Josh Rosen has been named UCLA's starting quarterback for Week 1 against Virginia. The fact that Jim Mora named Rosen the starter shows how much confidence he has in the player who looks to be the future face of the program.
But, Saturday will be Rosen's first college game. It's exciting in many ways, but there's a reality check that's needed. Rosen is 18 years old and will be put on live television in front of a huge crowd with a playoff-ready football team. This isn't to say he can't handle the moment, but context is needed. That's why having a safety valve like running back Paul Perkins helps.
All Perkins did last year was lead the Pac-12 with 1,575 yards rushing. He'll be Rosen's best friend this weekend. Whether he's taking a hand-off, pass protecting or receiving, Perkins is going to be a big part of UCLA's offense.
BYU Quarterback Taysom Hill
8 of 10
Taysom Hill's career at BYU to date has been somewhat enigmatic. We've seen what Hill can do when he's healthy (4,282 total yards, 29 touchdowns in 2013) and the devastating impact of when he's not (BYU lost four straight games in 2014 when Hill broke his leg against Utah State).
Hill is back and 100 percent, though. When he's rolling, it's tough to stop him. He's a bruising, decisive downhill runner. Though he's had some hit-or-miss moments as a passer, Hill always seems to play his best in big games against Power 5 opponents.
Opening up the season at Nebraska could be another one of those moments in which Hill re-cements himself as a dark-horse Heisman candidate. If the Huskers have as much trouble stopping the run as they did last year, it could be a long night for head coach Mike Riley in his debut in Lincoln.
TCU Running Back Aaron Green
9 of 10
With so much focus on TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin, it can be easy to forget about the Horned Frogs supporting cast. Against Minnesota, though, it's possible that supporting cast—namely, running back Aaron Green—becomes the hero of the day.
Consider the following: In Boykin's breakout year in 2014, the Gophers limited him to 5.6 yards per pass attempt, a 58.7 completion percentage and 258 yards passing. Other than a terrible game against West Virginia, that was probably the "worst" Boykin performed that year.
The Gophers return a fantastic secondary that is capable of keeping TCU's receivers in check. In such a situation, it's going to be up to Green, who had four 100-yard efforts in the final seven games of last season, to take some of the pressure off of Boykin. Certainly, the Frogs have the veteran offensive line to pave the way for Green.
Boykin could still have a good day, but don't be surprised if Green is asked to shoulder a bigger load than before.
Ohio State Linebacker Darron Lee
10 of 10
As part of Ohio State's national championship run, redshirt freshman linebacker Darron Lee came on strong as one of the Buckeyes' best defenders. I expect Lee, now a sophomore, to pick up where he left off in Ohio State's season opener against Virginia Tech.
And since star defensive end Joey Bosa will be sidelined for the game with a suspension, that means Lee has to help pick up the slack in the pass rush. It's not impossible, though; Lee finished second on the team in 2014 with 7.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. His ability to get into the backfield and disrupt the Hokies offense has difference-making potential written all over it.
Sure, the focus of the game will be on the Buckeyes starting quarterback and Braxton Miller in his new role as H-back. But with Bosa out, there's a ton of responsibility in the defensive front seven that must be shared. Lee is going to be asked to do a lot. But he's already shown that he can handle it.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.
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