10 College Football Freshmen Who Are the Real Deal
We're entering Week 3 of the college football season. By now, we're starting to see which freshmen are actually, or at least becoming, regular contributors and which ones had one big game. Chances are, if they're making this much of an impact on the field already, they've been the buzz of the offseason as well.
By now, we feel comfortable saying the following 10 freshmen are the real deal. The main thing here is that the following players have been steady contributors in two games. Unfortunately, that cuts off some other excellent freshmen, such as LSU defensive back Kevin Toliver II, who have only played in one game through no fault of their own.
Did we miss anyone? Feel free to add your own "real deal freshmen" into the comment section below.
UCLA Quarterback Josh Rosen
1 of 10
No other freshman has the "impact" label more closely associated with them than UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen. He's one of the most high-profile players from the 2015 class who's starting at the most-watched position on a possible playoff contender.
Rosen has everything going for him in that regard.
But it's not like the Bruins have been winning despite Rosen. He was brilliant in his collegiate debut, completing 80 percent of his passes for 351 yards. His follow-up against UNLV was more modest with 5.3 yards per attempt, a touchdown and a pick.
That's to be expected. Rosen isn't going to play lights-out every single game. That's part of being a true freshman who's learning the ropes.
"I told you to temper expectations," head coach Jim Mora said, via Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News. Nevertheless, Rosen has shown flashes of what awaits for him long-term. UCLA is in good hands.
Texas A&M Wide Receiver Christian Kirk
2 of 10
Texas A&M wide receiver Christian Kirk is flat-out exciting to watch. The Aggies have perhaps the best wide receiver corps in the SEC, and Kirk, a first-year player, is leading the team in receptions (10), yards (149) and touchdowns (two).
He's also a big contributor on special teams, returning both punts and kickoffs. So far, he's averaging just over 37 yards per punt return and has a touchdown.
The Aggies have churned out amazing wide receivers over the past few years. For Kirk to come in as a freshman and be the most productive and versatile of this group says a lot about him and his future in College Station.
Texas Linebacker Malik Jefferson
3 of 10
How should we put this? Texas' Malik Jefferson. Is. Everywhere.
Here's some context for what we mean: No other freshman in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision has more tackles for loss (3.5; though Oshane Ximines of Old Dominion also has 3.5 TFL), and only Nevada defensive back Asauni Rufus has more tackles among freshmen (22 to 18). In Texas' 42-28 win over Rice in Week 2, Jefferson also had a fumble return for a touchdown.
Defensively, no other freshman defender at the highest level is playing better than Jefferson. Texas may still be a work in progress under head coach Charlie Strong, but as Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News tweeted, Jefferson is already showing how bright the future can be.
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West Virginia Wide Receiver Jovon Durante
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West Virginia's biggest concern heading into the year was how it would replace the one-two receiving punch of Kevin White and Mario Alford. Well, let's get introduced to Shelton Gibson and freshman Jovon Durante.
As for Durante specifically, no other freshman receiver in the Big 12 has more catches (10) than the Mountaineers newcomer. He also has a pair of touchdowns and is averaging just over 18 yards per reception.
The Big 12 has some great veteran receivers such as Oklahoma's Sterling Shepard, Texas Tech's Jakeem Grant and Baylor's Corey Coleman. But Durante looks like he'll be in the next wave of great pass-catchers to come through the pass-happy conference.
BYU Quarterback Tanner Mangum
5 of 10
BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum will no longer be known as the guy who threw the Hail Mary against Nebraska in Week 1 of the 2015 college football season.
No, he'll be known as the guy who threw two successful desperation touchdowns in back-to-back weeks. There's a word for that: clutch. And maybe a little lucky. But mostly clutch.
To Mangum's credit, he's performed admirably in place of the injured Taysom Hill. That's neither easy nor enviable. Yet, against Boise State, he threw for 309 yards and had his second straight game of at least 10 yards per pass attempt.
Mangum is a better pure passer than Hill and possesses a strong arm. He's rallied the team for two dramatic wins and gives the Cougars their best shot to win against UCLA in Week 3.
Florida State Defensive End Josh Sweat
6 of 10
Florida State has played a number of freshmen this season. In part, that's because the younger players are talented. Newcomers were the storyline of the spring. The other part, though, is that Florida State is going through a rebuilding year.
Of the freshmen who have played, defensive end Josh Sweat has stood out the most. In two games, he's recorded six tackles and a quarterback hurry. Those stats by themselves may not totally jump off the page, but Sweat is also coming off a gruesome knee injury that cut his senior year of high school short. The fact he's even contributing at all this year is incredible.
But he has played well too. He's on the two-deep at the "Buck" position and has seen quite a bit of playing time in the first two games.
Wisconsin Linebacker T.J. Edwards
7 of 10
Wisconsin's defense has been one of the best units statistically in college football under coordinator Dave Aranda. A freshman who's already making waves in Aranda's system is linebacker T.J. Edwards.
Dave Heller of Fox Sports Wisconsin specifically noted Edwards as a standout in the season-opening loss to Alabama. Through two games, Edwards is second on the team with 14 tackles, 12 of which he recorded against the Tide.
The stats are one-sided, but Edwards is listed as one of the starting inside linebackers, per Ourlads.com. He's been active in both games and is under direct supervision of Aranda. That should tell you about what Aranda thinks of him and what his future is.
Michigan State Cornerback Vayante Copeland
8 of 10
The biggest question mark for Michigan State coming into the season was the secondary because of all the experience lost. Through two games, redshirt freshman cornerback Vayante Copeland has helped alleviate some of that concern.
Through two games, he has six tackles, two for loss, an interception and a pass breakup. Though he left the Oregon game with a stinger, Copeland was solid with his pass defense against a fast Ducks offense.
"Vayante, I thought he played very well, he's a very good tackler," head coach Mark Dantonio said, per Mike Griffith of MLive.com.
Dantonio added that he expected Copeland to be back. That's a good sign for a secondary that doesn't feature a lot of experience.
Georgia Tech Running Back Marcus Marshall
9 of 10
The number of departing skill players from last year's team left Georgia Tech with huge holes at running back and wide receiver. Through two games, though against easy competition, the Yellow Jackets have had no problem answering those questions.
But of all the new faces in the backfield, the pleasant surprise has been freshman B-back Marcus Marshall. On 14 carries, the second-most of anyone on the team, Marshall is averaging nearly 16 yards per carry with a pair of touchdowns to boot.
The brother of Georgia running back Keith Marshall, the 18-year-old has been a perfect complement to grad transfer Patrick Skov. "They played exactly like I thought they would play going into the game,” head coach Paul Johnson told Doug Roberson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “That’s who they are. I mean, we’ve seen them practice for five weeks.”
USC Linebacker Cameron Smith
10 of 10
USC is employing a handful of impact freshmen this year: running back Ronald Jones II, receiver Jalen Greene, linebacker Porter Gustin and cornerback Iman Marshall. All have had really nice flashes over the first two weeks.
We'll concentrate on linebacker Cameron Smith, though, who got the start at middle linebacker in Week 1 against Arkansas State because of a rib injury to senior Lamar Dawson. Through two games, Smith leads the team with 13 tackles, eight of which he's recorded on his own. That's also a team-best stat.
"He's a heady guy, a solid tackler and has a real nose for the ball," head coach Steve Sarkisian told Greg Katz of ESPN.com. "That's what you look for in a middle linebacker."
This is already a productive freshman class, so Smith isn't the only one deserving of accolades. However, he did shine when asked to step up on defense and has been a big part of the defense. His future as a starting inside linebacker is almost assured at this point.
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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