12 College Football Players with the Most 'Take It to the House' Potential
The most exciting players in college football are the ones who can take any play and turn it into a potential touchdown. They're the ones who make fans in the stands sit on the edge of their seats and get the viewers at home to pay closer attention to their TVs.
Having explosive speed or incredible agility in the open field is one thing. It's another to be able to get opportunities to create big plays and then take full advantage of them.
The following dozen players fit both descriptions. They have the wheels to take it to the house on any play in which they can get some daylight, and they also have proven track records of doing just that.
Here are the 12 college football players heading into the 2016 season who have the most potential to create huge gains for touchdowns. This isn't an exhaustive list, but it's based on stats such as explosive plays, touchdowns and yards per touch, as well as their specific roles for their teams.
These are the players who have the best chance of turning a standard handoff, reception or return into something that gets the college football world to pay attention.
Florida WR Antonio Callaway
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As a freshman last season, Antonio Callaway became an instant success with the resurgent Florida Gators. He averaged nearly 20 yards per reception and took two punt returns back for touchdowns.
Callaway had the play that went a long way in helping Florida reach the SEC Championship Game last season—a 63-yard touchdown reception on 4th-and-long against Tennessee to complete a late comeback victory. The Miami native made one turn on the Tennessee defense and turned on the jets for the long score.
"There's no doubt about how impactful Callaway is when on the field," Bleacher Report's Brian Pedersen wrote. "His freshman year was full of explosive plays, both on offense and [special teams], and having him available in 2016 could be key to Florida being able to defend its SEC East title."
With one of the nation's best punt return averages last season and an ability to turn any catch into a huge play, Callaway has the explosiveness to make Florida a huge threat to score at any time—no matter who takes over at quarterback this fall.
Florida State RB Dalvin Cook
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Dalvin Cook was the nation's most explosive Power Five running back last season, and he played at less than 100 percent for several games. Still, with a nagging hamstring injury, Cook averaged a superb 7.38 yards per carry and found the end zone 19 times in 12 games.
No one in the country had more rushes of 20-plus yards, 30-plus yards, 50-plus yards and 70-plus yards than Cook. He was also one of just 13 players in college football last season to break off a run of at least 90 yards, which he did on his first carry of the game against Wake Forest with a 94-yard touchdown.
"Cook is the most electric, explosive back in the country," Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel wrote last December. "Football is entertainment, and Dalvin Cook is the type of player who takes your breath away every single time he touches the ball. Good grief, the average length of his 19 TDs [in 2015] is 33.5 yards."
Now Cook will be back for another season behind a completely intact offensive line and, hopefully, with a clean bill of health from beginning to end. He has an unreal ability to turn a little bit of daylight into six points for the Seminoles.
Georgia Southern RB Matt Breida
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Matt Breida is the best running back you most likely haven't heard about, unless you're a fan of Sun Belt football or maybe the Georgia Bulldogs, who had to hold off Breida in an overtime win over Georgia Southern last season.
Breida either led the country by himself or was tied with Dalvin Cook for the lead for the most rushes of 30-plus, 40-plus, 50-plus, 60-plus and 70-plus yards in 2015. He went on an unreal tear early in the season for Georgia Southern, rushing for 805 yards and 11 touchdowns during a five-game winning streak.
Georgia Southern has led the country in rushing yards per carry in each of the last two seasons, as Breida has led the way in both campaigns. His 7.92 yards per touch ranked fourth in the FBS last season among all rushers, and he had at least 125 more carries than each of the three running backs ahead of him.
Breida is a huge play waiting to happen in one of the nation's deadliest rushing attacks. It's hard to slow him down once he gets into the open field, and he'll put the defenses of Georgia Tech and Ole Miss on notice when they face him this upcoming season.
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LSU RB Leonard Fournette
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Now we go from a largely unknown quantity to perhaps the most known quantity in all of college football. Leonard Fournette's ability to take it to the house on almost any carry made him the runaway Heisman Trophy favorite for the first two-thirds of the 2015 campaign, and it'll make him a huge contender again in 2016.
Fournette only played in 12 games last season due to a cancellation of the season opener against FCS school McNeese State—think of how much damage he could've done then—and still ranked fourth nationally in rushing touchdowns with 22. He averaged 6.51 yards per carry, which was more than a half-yard better than any other running back who toted the ball at least 300 times.
His early-season highlight tape was nothing but a trail of destruction through flailing defenses as he juked, stiff-armed and simply outran plenty of opponents toward the end zone. It took the best rush defense in college football since the 2011 season to put the handcuffs on him.
Against almost everyone else, though, Fournette was a constant menace to score a touchdown. He's lived up to the hype of the nation's No. 1 recruit from the class of 2014 in a hurry, and what will most likely be his final college season should feature some more long, highlight-reel runs.
New Mexico State RB Larry Rose III
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Like Matt Breida, Larry Rose III isn't a household name to the average college football fan. He's even more obscure because his New Mexico State Aggies went 3-9 last season.
But Rose was among the best last season when it came to explosive gains on the ground. He was in the top 10 nationally for every category from 10-plus-yard gains to 80-plus ones, and he averaged an impressive 6.88 yards per carry on what was a bad team by FBS standards.
"Players like Rose give the program glimmer of hope," Matt Walks of ESPN.com wrote last November. "He's the first Aggie in almost 20 years to have back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, and he'll almost certainly be the title author of the program's record book if he stays for four years."
New Mexico State might not challenge for a bowl game this season, but it will still have one of the most dynamic playmakers in the "Group of Five." Kentucky and Texas A&M, the Aggies' two biggest nonconference foes this fall, had better watch out.
North Carolina WR/PR Ryan Switzer
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Whether it's with a pass or a punt return, Ryan Switzer has a way of making huge plays happen for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He's been doing it for the last three years, and he shouldn't show any signs of slowing down in his senior campaign.
Switzer has returned seven punts for touchdowns in his first three seasons in Chapel Hill, which puts him just one behind the all-time NCAA career record set by former Oklahoma defensive back Antonio Perkins and former Texas Tech wide receiver Wes Welker. After being held out of the end zone on returns as a sophomore, he took two back last season in wins over Illinois and Miami.
The senior wide receiver is also coming off his best season as a receiver in terms of creating explosive plays. He averaged a career-high 12.67 yards per reception last fall and scored six times, including twice in the close ACC Championship Game loss against Clemson.
Switzer will be gunning for the record books this fall, and he has the potential to take it to the house whenever he gets a clean return. On offense, he'll be a big-play target for new starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky and the uptempo Tar Heels as they look to defend their ACC Coastal title.
Oklahoma State WR James Washington
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With the likes of Will Fuller, Corey Coleman and Roger Lewis now off to the NFL, Oklahoma State wide receiver James Washington enters the 2016 college football season as the country's best wideout for massive gains downfield.
Washington is the only returning receiver in college football who had at least four receptions of 60-plus yards last season, and he led the country in 70-plus-yard receptions with four. He averaged 20.51 yards per reception in 2015—the best of any receiver who caught at least 50 passes.
His ability to take over games with monster receptions was impressive, as he had 384 yards and five touchdowns on just nine catches in back-to-back wins over Texas Tech and TCU. He had five 100-yard games last season for the Cowboys, and they all came in Big 12 play.
Washington has tremendous speed and a knack for getting incredible separation from defenders. He'll be one of the nation's most feared receivers this fall with Mason Rudolph slinging passes his way, and plenty of touchdowns should be in their future.
Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey
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No one in college football history had a better season in terms of all-purpose yardage than Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey did in 2015. So, it should come as zero surprise that McCaffrey is on here—and he might have the most "take it to the house" potential in the game.
McCaffrey led the nation in all-purpose gains of 50-plus and 60-plus yards last season, and he was among the best in gains of 30-plus, 40-plus and 70-plus yards. He scored touchdowns five different ways last season for the Cardinal, and all of them featured at least one long score.
"Measuring 6-foot, 201 pounds with a chiseled frame, he flashes explosive speed, quickness and agility," Bucky Brooks of NFL.com wrote in January. "McCaffrey frequently appears to be the fastest man on the field, but is also capable of stopping on a dime and quickly regenerating his speed."
Those incredible athletic gifts and the different ways that Stanford tries to get the ball in his hands make McCaffrey a touchdown threat every time he steps between the sidelines. An average kickoff or punt can turn into six points for McCaffrey in a heartbeat, and he can beat a defense in a number of ways when he lines up on offense.
Tennessee KR Evan Berry
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No special teams playmaker in college football was more dangerous last season than Tennessee's Evan Berry. With all due respect to Cameron Sutton, another Volunteer who led the country in punt yard average, Berry's campaign was out-of-this-world good.
Berry averaged 38.29 yards per kick return, which was almost five full yards better than the No. 2 returner on the list. According to Sports-Reference.com, that mark was just .03 yards shy of the all-time single-season record set by UAB's Jamarcus "J.J." Nelson in 2014. And while Nelson did his damage in the C-USA, Berry did a lot of his against SEC competition.
The younger brother of former Tennessee great Eric Berry has another element of danger to him in terms of finding the end zone. In an Outback Bowl game rout of Northwestern, Berry took his first career interception back 100 yards for a touchdown. Berry will be a key reserve in the secondary this season for Tennessee at safety, and he could have more chances to score if he gets his hands on interceptions.
"Evan's a very talented guy, obviously," former Tennessee defensive back Brian Randolph told Patrick Brown of the Times Free Press last December. "It's good to see him get some experience. We have a package for him on defense where he comes in on third down. He got through another year of college at safety, so I think he's ready to take on a full load at safety."
Texas A&M WR/PR Christian Kirk
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The 2015 season was a frustrating one for Texas A&M and its fans, but the Aggies saw a huge bright spot emerge in the form of freshman standout Christian Kirk. As a receiver and a return man, Kirk lived up to his hype out of high school and was an instant-impact player.
Kirk had a long touchdown reception and punt return for a score in his collegiate debut against Arizona State, and the big plays went on from there. He took another punt back for a touchdown against Alabama and had four 100-yard receiving outings, breathing life into an offense that was below its usual standard under head coach Kevin Sumlin.
And, again, Kirk did all of that as a true freshman. Now he's in an offense under new coordinator Noel Mazzone that will look to get the ball in his hands as both a receiver and a rusher. He's electrifying enough as an athlete to make touchdowns appear out of nowhere, and there's no doubt he'll get a lot more touches in 2016.
Kirk broke out last season with an average of 12.61 yards per reception and a ridiculous 24.36 per punt return—even though he didn't have enough returns to qualify for the national lead in that category. He has even more potential to grow in 2016 after a full offseason of preparation as one of the top options for Texas A&M.
USC CB/WR/KR/PR Adoree' Jackson
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Wherever Adoree' Jackson gets on the field, he's a threat to score. Although he doesn't have the touchdown numbers of other players on this list, Jackson has tremendous big-play potential as a wide receiver, defensive back and return man.
According to Chantel Jennings of ESPN.com, USC head coach Clay Helton wants Jackson to get what he called the national average of 68 snaps per game at defensive back in 2016. Helton will give Jackson 12 more snaps between offense and special teams, letting him flash the skills that gave him 23 yards per kick return and 15.33 yards per reception last season.
The formula for Jackson in 2016 could lead to great success for the Trojans. He'll be a key part of a secondary that is loaded with returning experience, and he'll still have the opportunity to change the game with the ball in his hands. If he gets his hands on a pick, that'll work as well—he took the only one he got last season back 46 yards for a touchdown.
Jackson won't get as many scoring opportunities as many of the other playmakers here, but he's already shown that whenever he gets his chance, it can turn into six points quickly. The potential is definitely there for college football's most versatile athlete.
Western Kentucky WR Taywan Taylor
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Western Kentucky had one of the nation's most ridiculous passing attacks last season in terms of sheer yardage and points produced. Although quarterback Brandon Doughty is no longer with the Hilltoppers, they will still be able to light up defenses thanks to the return of wide receiver Taywan Taylor.
Taylor tied with departed Bowling Green wide receiver Roger Lewis for most receptions of 50-plus yards last season, and he was inside the top 10 for almost every other big-play stat category. Taylor had more receiving touchdowns last season than any other returning wideout in college football, and he averaged more than 17 yards per reception.
"Both a reliable target and a terrific big-play threat, Taylor is one of the most dangerous players after the catch in all of college football," Matt Brown of Sports on Earth wrote. "His return is huge boost to the Western Kentucky offense as it attempts to replace QB Brandon Doughty."
After flying somewhat under the radar over the last few seasons, Taylor will have a chance to be known as one of the best receivers in the country for 2016. He can take a small window of opportunity after a catch and burst through it for a huge touchdown.
Stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings are courtesy of 247Sports.
Justin Ferguson is a National College Football Analyst at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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