College Football Players Who Haven't Scratched the Surface of Their Talent
You haven't seen anything yet. In some cases, almost nothing, but you will. Just wait.
Cryptic enough for you? This is the way the college football careers of some highly regarded players have gone to this point, ones who possess a tremendous amount of skill and talent yet haven't been able to showcase it.
It could be because of injury, or maybe they've been stuck behind established stars who have finally moved on. Whatever the case, the opportunities to this point have been limited, but the promise is still there. Once their path is clear of obstacles, the sky is the limit.
We've put together a list of players who haven't begun to scratch the surface of their potential, but the 2016 season is shaping up to be when that should happen. No true freshmen or junior college transfers are included since those players are effectively new to FBS and haven't been held back yet.
Max Browne, USC
1 of 8
Position: Quarterback
Year: Junior
USC always seems to have at least one former 5-star quarterback on its roster, but that player usually doesn't have to wait as long as Max Browne has to play. Most passers of his pedigree might have opted to transfer rather than spend three years mostly holding a clipboard, but that patience figures to pay off this fall.
Browne has appeared in nine games the past two seasons after redshirting in 2013, going 11-of-19 with 143 yards in relief of the now-graduated Cody Kessler. He was 8-of-12 last year but didn't throw a pass after September, as Kessler played every snap of the Trojans' final 10 games in 2015.
"It was just the hand I was dealt," Browne told the Associated Press (h/t USA Today). "It was tough. I'm not going to sit here and say it was easy. But at the same time, you try to stay ready for an opportunity like this. Just staying prepared and staying ready was my mindset the past two or three years."
Though not ensured of the starting job—he's competing with redshirt freshman Sam Darnold and junior Jalen Greene this spring—the 6'5", 220-pound Browne is a strong favorite and may finally be able to show the traits that made him the No. 1 pro-style passer in the 2013 recruiting class, per 247Sports.
Sam Hubbard, Ohio State
2 of 8
Position: Defensive end
Year: Sophomore
It took a while for Ohio State to figure out the best way to utilize Sam Hubbard's varied abilities, but now that he's settled in up front, he's ready to potentially be the Buckeyes' next Joey Bosa. He'll also be among the more veteran players for a defense that had most of its experienced players graduate or leave early for the NFL draft.
Hubbard came to OSU in 2014 labeled by 247Sports a 4-star “athlete.” He was an all-state safety in high school but was projected to be anything from a tight end to a linebacker in college. He arrived at Columbus at 6'5” and 230 pounds, but after the Buckeyes tried him out at linebacker during his redshirt freshman season, they moved him to the defensive line and put him on a program to bulk up.
That resulted in 35 pounds of muscle added to his long frame, enabling him to log 6.5 sacks last season as mostly a backup to ends Bosa and Tyquan Lewis. His sack against Michigan State forced a fumble, and he also had an interception against Maryland.
But it was when Bosa was ejected early in January's Fiesta Bowl that got the clock started early on Hubbard's succession. He came through with a sack in that contest against Notre Dame, the school he'd at one time been committed to...for lacrosse.
Soso Jamabo, UCLA
3 of 8
Position: Running back
Year: Sophomore
After rushing for more than 2,900 yards in the past two seasons, it wasn't a surprise that UCLA's Paul Perkins decided to skip his senior year and turn pro. His stock wasn't going to rise any higher—Bleacher Report NFL draft expert Matt Miller has him as the third-best running back available—and it might even have dipped in 2016 with Soso Jamabo ready to take away more of his carries.
Jamabo ran 66 times for 403 yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman last fall, with the bulk of that coming in three games: 96 yards and a TD on nine carries at Arizona, 79 yards and a score on 18 carries against California, and 90 yards on nine carries with a TD at Oregon State. Not surprisingly, those were three of the Bruins' most impressive victories in 2015.
The 6'3”, 210-pound Jamabo committed to UCLA on signing day last winter, picking the school over Texas as well as ITT Tech and University of Phoenix, online schools he jokingly said were among his finalists in response to constant questions about his future.
With Perkins gone, Jamabo is the man in Westwood. He figures to benefit from a switch to a more pro-style offense after being in a spread attack in high school and a modified version last year under offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, now at Texas A&M.
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Tarvarus McFadden, Florida State
4 of 8
Position: Cornerback
Year: Sophomore
With All-American Jalen Ramsey on one side and established veteran Marquez White on the other, there wasn't much chance Tarvarus McFadden was going to see a lot of playing time in 2015. But rather than redshirt the standout prospect, Florida State gave him bits and pieces of action as a true freshman to help prepare him for this season.
Now McFadden—who played in seven games last year but had just four tackles, along with a 26-yard kickoff return against Chattanooga—is competing with fellow sophomore Marcus Lewis for the starting spot left open by Ramsey's jump to the NFL.
At 6'2" and 201 pounds, McFadden is among the bigger corners in the country and could conceivably fit in at safety, but his instincts are better suited for guarding one-on-one on the boundary. There's also the fact Florida State has a monster at that other position in sophomore safety Derwin James, so there's no need to have McFadden sit behind another star before getting involved.
When the Seminoles open play on Labor Day against Ole Miss in Orlando, it could be McFadden lined up opposite Rebels receiver Quincy Adeboyejo, wideout Damore'ea Stringfellow or even tight end Evan Engram.
Bo Scarbrough, Alabama
5 of 8
Position: Running back
Year: Sophomore
Alabama's roster is so overflowing with talent that its second or third string could probably win 10 games. The byproduct of six consecutive top-rated recruiting classes has enabled the Crimson Tide to stockpile talent, making it so they rarely enter a season thin at any position regardless of who just graduated or turned pro.
It also means some flat-out studs who would be dominant players at any other school are hardly used. Such is the case with Bo Scarbrough, a beast of a ball-carrier Alabama only handed off to 18 times last season. There was no need to give him any more touches, not with Heisman winner Derrick Henry capable of rushing 40-plus times per game without slowing down.
Scarbrough ran for 104 yards and a touchdown last year, with his TD and 10 of the 18 carries coming against FCS Charleston Southern. Otherwise, he was mostly a spectator but one who was being purposely saved for the future to ensure Alabama's run game remained healthy for 2016 and beyond.
At 6'2” and 230 pounds, Scarbrough is almost the same size as Henry and could be just as fresh as Henry was before his monster 2015 season. Scarbrough was part of Alabama's 2014 recruiting class but didn't qualify academically and thus did not join the program until December of that year. A torn ACL last spring slowed down his progress.
Assuming he beats out sophomore Damien Harris and others for the starting job, his first chance to really show what he can do will come in Alabama's Sept. 3 opener against USC in Arlington, Texas. That's the same field where he had three carries for 17 yards in mop-up duty in December's Cotton Bowl win against Michigan State.
Matthew Thomas, Florida State
6 of 8
Position: Linebacker
Year: Junior
Earning a nickname such as "The Unicorn" speaks both to the allure of Matthew Thomas as well as the frequency with which we've seen him perform in three years at the college level.
"To many, he is a magical creature, nothing more, and they will not accept his existence until they see him on the field," wrote Brendan Sonnone of the Orlando Sentinel, referring to the moniker given to Thomas last year by a Tallahassee radio personality.
Rated by 247Sports as the No. 8 overall prospect in 2013, the 6'3", 227-pound Thomas has participated in only 12 games in three seasons, with four coming in 2013 and eight the following year. Shoulder surgery cut short that first season, and then another shoulder injury put him on the sideline for 2015.
In between was an impressive run of eight games in 2014 but not until he sat out the first six games of that season because of a suspension. He made his collegiate debut in Florida State's mid-October win over Notre Dame and ended up starting the next week, as well as in the ACC title game and Rose Bowl.
Thomas was expected to miss most of 2015 because of his injured shoulder, but he was then ruled ineligible for the entire season for unspecified reasons. This spring, he impressed with his speed and vision. He recorded three tackles, including a sack of Malik Henry in the spring game in Orlando, and could be in line to start this fall.
Trenton Thompson, Georgia
7 of 8
Position: Defensive tackle
Year: Sophomore
New Georgia coach Kirby Smart is used to looking at his depth chart and seeing former 5-star recruits who haven't produced much. But that was usually because, as Alabama's defensive coordinator, he had so many great players that he couldn't get them all on the field.
It's different with Trenton Thompson, the No. 1 overall prospect from the 2015 recruiting class whose first college season saw a fair amount of playing time—including several starts—but very little in terms of results. Thompson played in 12 of 13 games but had just 25 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and half a sack.
Thompson can't afford to continue to come along slowly, not with the Bulldogs thin on the defensive line. Four members of the D-line rotation have graduated, two more are hurt and have been limited this spring, and freshman Julian Rochester's status is up in the air after he was arrested earlier this week. Combined with departures at linebacker, Georgia must get maximum performance from everyone up front, most notably the 6'4", 307-pound Thompson.
"He's had a solid spring and offseason, and the staff is hoping that he can blossom into the disruptive playmaker he was billed to be," ESPN's Edward Aschoff wrote.
Preston Williams, Tennessee
8 of 8
Position: Wide receiver
Year: Sophomore
With three catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns in his third career game last fall, Preston Williams appeared well on his way to showing his game was as good as his fashion sense. The 6'4", 209-pound wideout was a hit on signing day last February thanks to a baller outfit complete with a cloth Volunteers helmet.
But Williams only managed four more receptions after that and none after mid-October when a hamstring injury caused him to miss four games and impacted him the rest of the season. To this point, his career has been a series of starts and stops, a knee injury slowing him down prior to arriving at Tennessee and then concerns about his eligibility keeping him from practicing with the team until a week before the season began, yet he still made his debut in the opener.
At 22.6 yards per catch, albeit in a small sample size, Williams has the capability of being the big-play threat the Vols desperately need in the passing game. Last year, Tennessee had only 16 receptions of 30 or more yards and just five that went for at least 40 yards.
No returning Vols player had more than 405 receiving yards in 2015, so the door is open for Williams to become a top target.
Statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com or Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports, unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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