50 Names You Need to Know for 2016 College Football Season
Every summer, Entertainment Weekly publishes a summer “Must List” of all the names, events and upcoming trends in movies, TV, music and books that all readers should be aware of. Consider this our college football version of that list—a must-read for any fans of the sport.
With the first Saturday of the 2016 season a month away, it's time to make sure you're up to date on everything and everyone who matters in college football. This isn't just players but also coaches, officials and other people associated with the sport who help make it the must-see game it's become.
As the season progresses, there will be new names to know, but for now, these are the 50 that matter most. Study up, college football fans, because the games will be here before you know it.
Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama
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Jonathan Allen was arguably the most important piece of Alabama's ironclad defense in 2015, a unit that tied for second in FBS at 15.1 points allowed per game and helped the Crimson Tide win the national championship. Despite not being a full-time starter, Allen led the Tide with 12 sacks, including four games with at least two apiece.
Projected as a potential first-round NFL draft pick, the 6'3", 294-pound Allen opted to return to 'Bama for his senior year to help defend the title.
Big enough to play on the interior but too fast to be limited to the tackle spot, Allen has the combination of speed and strength that makes it nearly impossible to hold him off with just one blocker.
J.T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State
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J.T. Barrett is entering his third season starting games for Ohio State, though it's hardly been a smooth ride for the junior. He was thrust into action as a redshirt freshman in 2014 when Braxton Miller injured his shoulder in the preseason. After some early hiccups, he rewrote the Buckeyes' record book before breaking his ankle in the regular-season finale.
Last season, Barrett split time at the starting spot with Cardale Jones, who replaced him in Ohio State's run to the 2014 national title. The back-and-forth affair between the two led to offensive inconsistencies and impacted the chance to repeat. Barrett still accounted for 22 touchdowns after amassing 45 the season before.
For the 2016 campaign, Barrett is the guy in OSU's offense. Almost everyone else from last season has graduated or turned pro, which puts plenty of pressure on him to serve as a leader. His poise throughout his career, not to mention his numbers, is why the Buckeyes' lack of returning experience isn't preventing them from being a championship contender.
Arkansas Head Coach Bret Bielema
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One of the most colorful coaches in the game, Bret Bielema also happens to be good at turning around a program. When he inherited Arkansas in 2013, the Razorbacks were coming off a 4-8 season and an embarrassing scandal involving former coach Bobby Petrino—a motorcycle accident and extramarital affair. Three years later, he's got the Hogs in the thick of the hunt in the ultra-tough SEC West.
Bielema's teams have won more games each season, both overall and in conference play. With that increase in performance has come a rise in the coach's quotability.
His appearance at last month's SEC media days furthered this persona, with Bielema essentially treating his press conference like a stand-up routine at times. He managed to make “sexy” sound like a legitimate way to describe a football team while throwing little digs at other teams along the way.
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Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State
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One of college football's top-rated incoming freshmen, Nick Bosa has a little extra to live up to along with those recruiting rankings. He's also the younger brother of former Ohio State standout Joey Bosa—the third pick in the 2016 NFL draft who recorded 26 sacks the past three seasons.
Nick could end up being even better. The No. 8 prospect in the 2016 class, per 247Sports, he'll wear the same No. 97 jersey his brother donned (as well as his father, John, who played three seasons in the NFL) and is expected to play right away despite suffering a torn ACL last season.
"I've seen enough. The redshirt is already off. He's playing," head coach Urban Meyer said of Nick, per Lori Schmidt of 97.1 the Fan.
Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby
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With only 10 teams, the Big 12 is the smallest of college football's five power conferences, but not for long. Last month, the league announced it would begin evaluating potential expansion candidates. It will look to add between two and four teams to keep pace with the rest of the big boys. Since then, there's been nearly constant speculation as to which schools will be coming on board.
Bob Bowlsby is tasked with sorting all that out, and the 64-year-old will be in the news quite a bit until that happens.
He's been in charge of the Big 12 since 2012, taking over not long after a period in which four schools—Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas A&M—bolted for other power leagues. Now he gets to help decide the fate of which rising programs will come on board—a process that will define his tenure.
Jake Butt, TE, Michigan
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Yes, his name elicits a few giggles when said out loud. Even his coach, Jim Harbaugh, couldn't help but laugh when discussing Jake Butt last season. But the 6'6", 250-pound senior is more than just a punchline; he's also one of the most reliable pass-catching targets in the game.
Butt is coming off a breakout 2015 season in which he had 51 receptions for 654 yards. He only caught three touchdowns, but each was on the road, where he had 28 of his catches and made life easy for quarterback Jake Rudock when he needed to get rid of the ball.
Michigan's undecided QB battle might come down to which contender best clicks with Butt, who recorded 29 first downs last season.
Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
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When healthy, there are few running backs in college football more productive than Nick Chubb. Every game he's started (and finished) has resulted in 100 or more rushing yards—a string of 13 straight that began midway through his true freshman season in 2014. He topped that mark in Georgia's first five games last year before suffering a major knee injury on his first carry against Tennessee last October.
An intense rehabilitation program has put the 5'10", 220-pound Chubb in position to play this fall, though it will depend on how he looks during training camp to see to what extent.
"Nick has been doing for the last three months everything the team has done," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Monday, per John Durham of the Red & Black. "He will continue to do that, everything the team’s done. We’ll continue to monitor his progress. The big thing for Nick is putting the ball in his hand. That’s what we really haven’t had outside of drill work."
Chubb's health is key for a Bulldogs team that may be turning to a true freshman at quarterback (Jacob Eason) and that saw fellow running back Sony Michel fracture his forearm in early July.
James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh
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If James Conner can contribute in any meaningful way this season, any and all Comeback Player of the Year awards should go to him in a landslide.
After leading the ACC in rushing in 2014 and setting a school record with 26 touchdowns (previous record holder: Tony Dorsett), Conner was poised for another big year last fall. However, he suffered a knee injury in the Pittsburgh Panthers' season opener. That was only the start of his troubles, as in December he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma—a form of cancer.
Where other athletes might have given up on football, the 6'2", 235-pound Conner used returning to the game as a source of motivation during his treatments. His cancer went into remission in May, and Conner is on pace to play in Pitt's Sept. 3 opener against Villanova.
"And once I get my first carry, then it’ll be like, OK, I’m back," Conner wrote for the Players' Tribune last month.
Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
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Dalvin Cook is the first Florida State running back with consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons since Warrick Dunn did it three years in a row in the mid-1990s. After rushing for a school-record 1,691 yards as a sophomore in 2015, he's another big year away from being the Seminoles' all-time rushing leader.
In 25 career games, the 5'11", 213-pound junior has topped 100 yards 13 times and scored 28 total touchdowns. He was the most reliable part of an uneven FSU offense last season, and this fall his health is paramount to the Seminoles' hopes of getting back into the playoff picture.
Cook missed a game last year because of a hamstring issue and in April had minor shoulder surgery to clear up an old injury. Don't expect any of those ailments to hold him back once the 2016 season begins with a high-profile Labor Day tilt against Ole Miss in Orlando, Florida.
Deontae Cooper, RB, San Jose State
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If you're looking for an example of how important college football can be to some student-athletes, look no further than Deontae Cooper. When San Jose opens the 2016 campaign Sept. 3 at Tulsa, it will mark the start of Cooper's seventh season of eligibility but only the fourth that he's been able to participate because of numerous injuries.
A well-regarded prospect when his college career began, back in 2010 at Washington, Cooper was rated as the 13th-best running back in that class. But a trio of torn ACLs wiped out his first three seasons. He played in six games in 2013, rushing for 166 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries against Oregon State, and appeared in 21 more games the next two seasons in a backup role. But he enters 2017 with just 122 career carries.
Granted multiple medical redshirts and with degree in hand, Cooper took the graduate-transfer route to San Jose State to finish out his career away from the specter of what might have been. "I’m trying to escape this feel-good story," he said in March, per Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. "It’s never going to leave me here."
'College GameDay' Analyst Lee Corso
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Saturdays in the fall are all about college football, but before the games begin, we must find out what wacky mascot head Lee Corso will wear. It's as important to the day's preparation as making sure the chores are done and the snacks are within arm's reach.
Corso has been a part of ESPN's College GameDay since its inception in 1987. About to turn 81, the former Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois coach is the only remaining member of the original GameDay crew. He's also its most recognizable—and not just when he's making his pick for the spotlight game of the week by putting on the mascot head of whichever team he expects to win.
His "not so fast, my friend" catchphrase is as invigorating as that first cup of coffee on Saturday morning, after which you're ready for a full day's worth of college football.
Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany
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The Big Ten Conference actually had an appropriate-sounding name when Jim Delany first took over as its commissioner, back in 1989. Since then, the league has added four schools and a television network, while Delany's influence on college football has extended outside of the conference in helping to bring replay to the sport and putting together the BCS.
He's also helped negotiate the league's latest television contract—a six-year deal with ESPN and Fox that reportedly will pay out $2.64 billion over the life of the pact.
"His voice on countless issues has been influential while always keeping a pulse on what’s next," CBS Sports' Jon Solomon wrote in naming Delany college sports' most influential person.
The 68-year-old Delany appears to be nearing the end of his tenure, with USA Today's Nicole Auerbach reporting he "plans to step down in 2020." Before that happens, though, he'll continue to oversee a longstanding league that has remained relevant in college football's ever-changing landscape.
Jacob Eason, QB, Georgia
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Now more than ever, freshmen play a key role in their teams' chances for success. Never is this more prevalent than when a team turns to a first-year player at the critical quarterback position—a direction Georgia appears headed in for 2016.
Jacob Eason was among dozens of highly regarded prospects who graduated a semester early from high school this past winter to enroll in college and get a jump-start on their careers. This enabled Eason to participate in the Bulldogs' spring practices and play in their spring exhibition, when he dazzled an SEC-record 93,000 fans with his performance.
Whether that will translate into Eason being Georgia's starter, though, remains to be seen. First-year coach Kirby Smart is mum on his decision, but Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee believes it's a done deal.
"Eason will pick up where he left off early in fall camp and will earn the starting job in Athens prior to the start of game-week preparations against North Carolina," Sallee wrote.
Radio Personality Paul Finebaum
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It's hard to argue against the SEC being the most dominant league in college football. Alabama's national title in January gives the conference eight of the last 10 championships, four of those going to the Crimson Tide, while Florida (two), Auburn and LSU have also won it all in that span.
So with the SEC being at the center of the college football universe, it's wise for fans to be in tune with what's going on in that league. There's no better source for information, debate and fan devotion than Paul Finebaum, who has covered the conference in some form since the early 1980s.
His daily radio program, The Paul Finebaum Show, is syndicated throughout the Southeast and has been simulcast on ESPN's SEC Network since its creation in 2014. Finebaum's listeners, many of whom call in on a regular basis, are equal parts biased and obsessed about their teams, but it makes for great radio with Finebaum playing the straight man to their impassioned rants.
Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
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No, that wasn't a freight train dressed in a football uniform. That's just Leonard Fournette, who's made a habit of bulldozing his way around, over and through opposing players in two seasons of college football.
One of the most hyped high school recruits ever, Fournette came to LSU in 2014 with seemingly unachievable expectations, yet he's been as good as advertised. The 6'1", 230-pounder set the Tigers' freshman rushing record (1,034 yards) that year and followed it up with a single-season school mark of 1,953 yards in 2015, scoring 22 touchdowns in the process.
The FBS leader in rushing yards per game last year (162.8), Fournette seems like a shoo-in to be a first-round pick whenever he enters the NFL draft (almost certainly after the 2016 season). But first he has at least another year of dominating and demolishing defenses.
Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon
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When Oregon reached the first College Football Playoff title game at the end of the 2014-15 season, it did so thanks to the exploits of Heisman-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota. But Royce Freeman's running was just as important. His 1,365 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns obliterated the Ducks' previous freshman marks.
Last year saw Freeman run for 1,838 yards and 17 scores, adding 348 receiving yards and two TD catches. But because Oregon lost four games and wasn't part of the playoff picture, his performance went mostly unnoticed.
It's hard to ignore Freeman when watching him up close, though. At 6'0" and 229 pounds, he's a chiseled athlete who rarely goes down easily, averaging 3.9 of his 6.49 yards per carry after contact in 2015, according to Pro Football Focus.
Virginia Tech Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster
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It might seem like defense doesn't matter much in college football, what with 57 of 128 FBS teams averaging at least 30 points per game last season. It could be much worse if not for some sharp minds calling plays on defense—the gold standard of which is Bud Foster.
Foster has been in charge of Virginia Tech's defense since 1995 and has been on the coaching staff in Blacksburg since 1987. He came over from Murray State along with head coach Frank Beamer, who retired after the 2015 season, but new coach Justin Fuente made sure to retain Foster.
"He's an unbelievable defensive coordinator and has had guys play their tails off, and he loves this university as well," Fuente said of Foster, per David Teel of the Daily Press.
Since 1999, nine of Foster's Tech units have finished the year ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense.
Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
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In most facets of society, being labeled as the biggest "freak" can be a bad thing. Not in college football, though, where the label pertains more to a player's physical attributes and the way he dominates the game than any sort of unpleasant abnormality.
Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman ranked Myles Garrett the No. 1 "freak" in college football, noting the 6'5", 262-pound junior has "off-the-charts workout numbers." He also wrote, because of Garrett's 4.45-second time in the 40-yard dash, it's "insane to see someone that big move that fast." But the measurables aren't the only thing about Garrett that stands out.
In 2014, he broke Jadeveon Clowney's SEC freshman sack record (8.0), with 11.5, and added 12.5 more last season. This fall is almost sure to be his final year in college.
Rashan Gary, DT, Michigan
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With a high ranking comes great responsibility. Rashan Gary has learned this already, being the No. 1-rated player in the 2016 recruiting class, and now he has to prove he's worthy of that distinction on the football field.
At 6'5" and 293 pounds, Gary already has the size to play in college, but it will depend on how he performs in training camp that determines his use as a true freshman. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has described his program as a meritocracy, and while Gary has "the license to play," per 247Sports' Zach Shaw, it will come down to effort and performance.
Gary is the first No. 1-ranked player to sign with Michigan since recruiting rankings were first established. Most such recruits end up with significant playing time in their first seasons, though 2015 No. 1-ranked recruit Trent Thompson had minimal impact on Georgia's defensive line last year.
Interim Baylor Head Coach Jim Grobe
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Baylor's offseason has been filled with turmoil, a well-chronicled sexual assault scandal contributing to the firing of head coach Art Briles and leading to numerous players (including incoming recruits) leaving the program. The Bears still have a season to play, though, and Jim Grobe has been tasked with keeping the ship on course.
The 64-year-old was named Baylor's interim coach on May 30. It's his first coaching gig since 2013—the last of 13 seasons in charge of Wake Forest, where he went 77-82 but led the Demon Deacons to the 2006 ACC title game and an Orange Bowl appearance.
Grobe took some criticism for comments he made to reporters at Big 12 media days, including saying Baylor doesn't "have a culture of bad behavior," though his reputation in college football remains a positive one. He's taking over a difficult situation, one in which the Bears are rich in talent but short on goodwill. How he navigates them through 2016 could determine the future of a program that had been on a steady rise under Briles.
CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock
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You asked for it, and you got it. After years of complaints that college football didn't have an adequate system to determine its national championship, the College Football Playoff was established in 2014 and has so far produced good results.
It's Bill Hancock's job to make sure things stay positive for the CFP.
Hancock is in charge of overseeing all facets of the playoff, from the 13-member selection committee to the dates, times and venues. Previously in charge of the Bowl Championship Series, as well as college basketball's NCAA tournament, Hancock has a wealth of experience steering such large endeavors in the right direction.
He recently earned praise for helping implement changes in upcoming playoff schedules, particularly moving semifinal games off weekdays and away from New Year's Eve. "We looked at the replay, and we reversed the call," he told USA Today's George Schroeder of the changes.
Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh
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Some football players and coaches transcend their sport, rising to a level of prominence that makes them well known even to non-fans. Jim Harbaugh has become even more famous than that since returning to his alma mater in 2015 and bringing Michigan to an elite level, almost becoming his own brand.
Actually, it might be two brands, according to Bleacher Report's Adam Kramer—the entertainer and the football coach:
"Somewhere along the way, wedged between cameos in music videos, a tireless siege to turn the globe into his own personal satellite camp, his cryptic vault of tweets and his natural ability to turn any subject into content, Jim Harbaugh became two distinctive beings.
In the midst of that dichotomy, Michigan has found what it has been seeking—strange as it seems—for more than a decade: national relevancy, comfort and an opportunity to get back to winning in a place that has craved more for far too long.
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Harbaugh won 10 games in his first season and figures to have his team ranked in the Top Five entering 2016. He's made the Wolverines relevant again—and not just through on-field performance.
Houston Head Coach Tom Herman
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The "hot young coach" is a term that gets thrown around a lot in sports, including college football, for those whose early success puts them on a fast track to bigger and better things. Tom Herman might as well be considered scorching, then, based on what he's accomplished the last two years.
Herman was offensive coordinator for the Ohio State team that, despite not having much experience, bulldozed through 13 straight teams en route to the national title in 2014. A year later, he led Houston to a 13-1 record, beating a trio of power-conference teams while having his name mentioned for several high-profile job openings, including South Carolina, per Sports Illustrated's Thayer Evans.
A raise to $2.8 million this offseason probably won't be enough to keep Herman with the Cougars after 2016, especially if more big jobs open up. For now, though, he and Houston are focused on the task at hand, which starts with facing Oklahoma on Sept. 3 in what could be the program's biggest game in decades.
Adoree' Jackson, WR/CB, USC
24 of 50There are 11 players on offense, 11 on defense and 11 on either side for football's various special teams plays. Most players are limited to a single position—or multiple ones on the same unit. Occasionally, the most athletic ones can handle both offense and defense.
And then there's Adoree' Jackson, who is arguably USC's best player on offense, defense and special teams. At the very least, he's the most productive and prolific, having started at both wide receiver and cornerback in the same game while also handling the bulk of the Trojans' punt and kickoff returns.
Jackson came up short this summer in his quest to make the U.S. Olympic team as a long-jumper, but that just means he can devote his full attention to preparing for his junior season. As the video above shows, that apparently includes working on a possible foray into gymnastics if the football thing doesn't work out.
Derwin James, DB, Florida State
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Florida State seems to never lack quality defensive backs. So when superstars such as Jalen Ramsey leave early for the NFL, there's another crop ready to take their place. Derwin James started on that path last year as a true freshman, playing as well as any other safety in the country despite his youth.
The 6'3", 211-pound James recorded 91 tackles last season—the most of any freshman during Jimbo Fisher's tenure as coach and third-most in school history from a first-year player. He also had 4.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss and forced two fumbles, setting himself up for a monster sophomore year.
James' availability for Florida State's Sept. 5 opener against Ole Miss may be in doubt, though, after he underwent foot surgery for what Campus Insiders referred to as a "minor fracture" last week.
Alabama Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffin
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Being a head coach hasn't worked out for Lane Kiffin, but there's no denying he knows how to run an offense. His first season as Alabama's play-caller produced record-setting numbers in 2014. He was also integral to the Crimson Tide's national championship last year. Both campaigns came with a first-time starting quarterback at the helm.
Kiffin came to Alabama after USC fired him midway through the 2013 season—his fourth with the Trojans. Prior to that, he spent a season at Tennessee and was also coach for one season and some change with the NFL's Oakland Raiders.
Kiffin doesn't speak to the media often, part of Alabama coach Nick Saban's rules related to his staff, though thanks to Twitter, he's made waves. On Aug. 1, the NCAA made it permissible for coaches to retweet and favorite posts from recruits, which Kiffin has done in addition to trolling Tennessee through a simple link posting (h/t For the Win) that has since been deleted.
Desmond King, CB, Iowa
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Desmond King was the best defensive back in college football in 2015, at least as far as the Jim Thorpe Award voters are concerned. King grabbed the trophy after he had eight interceptions and 13 pass breakups.
That was as a junior and would have served as a perfect springboard into the NFL, yet King decided to return for his senior season. In doing so, he's hoping to help Iowa match last year's success, when it began 12-0 and won the Big Ten's West Division.
With 11 career interceptions, the 5'11", 203-pound King needs seven more picks for the school's all-time record.
Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M
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A lot went wrong with Texas A&M's 2015 season, with the Aggies struggling to throw the ball and seeing both its quarterbacks transfer to other programs. The team also fired coordinator Jake Spavital in January. Christian Kirk's incredible debut was all that kept the offense from being a complete disaster.
The true freshman compiled 1,789 all-purpose yards—the most by an A&M player since 2010—posting team highs in receptions (80), yards (1,009) and touchdowns (seven). That was in addition to his work as a return specialist, where he brought back two punts for TDs and was the Aggies' top option on kickoffs.
Kirk averaged 14.3 yards every time he touched the ball, so expect new coordinator Noel Mazzone to involve him as much as possible on offense.
Washington State Head Coach Mike Leach
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Most college football coaches are so focused on their teams that there's no time left for other interests. Mike Leach is the exception that disproves this rule.
The eclectic, eccentric coach is pretty good at the football thing—particularly in overseeing the passing game, with Washington State ranking first through the air last year, as did several of his Texas Tech teams in the 2000s. But it's far from the only thing that makes him stand out. There's also his other passions, such as pirates, Vikings and Geronimo.
Leach also doesn't shy away from going outside the box with his comments, managing to turn any time in front of a microphone or a tape recorder into an adventure. His most recent turn at Pac-12 media days included discussions on Brexit, Pokemon Go and Samoan football—a year after he provided reporters with dating advice.
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
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Baker Mayfield has redefined what to expect from walk-ons in college football. And his success has led to a change in how the Big 12 treats players who decide to move from one school to the next.
The first true freshman walk-on to ever start at quarterback for a power-conference school in its season opener, Mayfield played the 2013 season at Texas Tech where he threw for 2,315 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games. He then transferred to Oklahoma, but despite being a walk-on, the Big 12 took away a year of his eligibility in addition to the season he had to sit out per NCAA transfer rules.
Once eligible to play, in 2015, Mayfield led the Sooners to a conference title and a playoff bid while throwing for 3,700 yards and 36 TDs. He also had seven rushing scores. He went into the offseason thinking 2016 would be the end of of his college career, but in June, the Big 12 adjusted its policy on walk-on transfers, giving Mayfield back his lost season of eligibility.
Now back to being a junior, Mayfield is set to run Oklahoma's Air Raid offense through another tough schedule.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
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Christian McCaffrey began his college career as the son of former Stanford star athletes. Now Ed and Lisa McCaffrey are known as the parents of the single-season FBS all-purpose-yardage record holder.
Last season saw McCaffrey amass 3,864 total yards. He did so as a running back (2,019, also a school record), receiver (a team-high 645 yards) and punt or kickoff returner. He scored 15 touchdowns, two on returns, and he threw a pair of TD passes in helping the Cardinal to the Pac-12 title and a Rose Bowl victory.
McCaffrey was second in the Heisman Trophy voting a year ago behind Alabama's Derrick Henry and heads into his junior year as one of the favorites for the award, per Odds Shark. If he comes anywhere close to his 2015 production and Stanford is in the mix for the playoffs, he could be the school's first Heisman winner since quarterback Jim Plunkett in 1970.
Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer
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With 154 victories, Urban Meyer has a long way to go to make it into the upper levels of the winningest coaches in college football history. But with an 85.1 percent success rate and three national titles, the debate about where he ranks among the all-time greats is more clearly defined.
Meyer has won everywhere he's been, from going 17-6 at Bowling Green to 22-2 at Utah, where he made the Utes the first "BCS buster" with a perfect season and Fiesta Bowl victory in 2004-05. From there, he went 65-15 with two national titles in six seasons at Florida, and after a year off, he returned to the sidelines in 2012 with Ohio State. And that's where Meyer went from being great to one of the best ever.
The Buckeyes are 50-4 under Meyer and won the 2014 national title. And despite fielding a team this fall that only has six returning starters, they're likely to be high in preseason rankings.
LSU Head Coach Les Miles
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He's fond of eating grass and calling trick plays, which are among the many reasons Les Miles has been dubbed the Mad Hatter. But none of that is as important as the results he's produced—first at Oklahoma State and since 2005 at LSU, where he won a national championship in 2007 and made another title game years later.
Miles has won 112 games in 11 years with the Tigers, yet he seemed close to being fired last November after losing three straight games after a 7-0 start (and No. 1 ranking in the playoff standings). A last-second reprieve—which came at halftime of the regular-season finale—ensured Miles would be on the sidelines in Death Valley again in 2016.
And once again Miles has a star-filled team to work with—one that wasn't nearly as ravaged by the NFL draft as past squads. That means we get at least another season of Miles dazzling us with his "mastery of the English language," as Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee calls it.
Jabrill Peppers, LB, MIchigan
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What can Jabrill Peppers not do? According to his head coach, very little.
"Anything is accomplishable for Jabrill Peppers in the game of football," Michigan's Jim Harbaugh said at Big Ten media days. "He can play just about anywhere on a football field and be effective."
With that in mind, Peppers is heading into his third season of college set to play a third different position on defense. He was in the secondary in 2014 and 2015 and now is switching to linebacker, while forays into offense and special teams that have come in the past should continue.
Dakota Prukop, QB, Oregon
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The prevalence of graduate transfers, particularly at quarterback, has been gaining notoriety for several years. But Oregon has found a way to create a new wrinkle. Dakota Prukop is in line to be the second starter in as many seasons for the Ducks who comes from an FCS school, following Vernon Adams Jr. in 2015.
Prukop, who began his career at Montana State, compiled 7,327 yards of total offense and was responsible for 75 scores in three seasons with the Bobcats but only once faced an FBS team. Adams stood out against FBS competition while at Eastern Washington and followed that with a strong 2015 effort with Oregon, throwing for 2,643 yards and 26 TDs in 10 games.
If Prukop can match the success Adams had, it may lead to more FBS teams mining the FCS ranks for transfers. Others making the jump up in competition this season include Georgia offensive lineman Tyler Catalina (from Rhode Island), Boston College offensive lineman Jimmy Lowery (from Eastern Illinois) and UTSA quarterback Jared Johnson (from Sam Houston State).
Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State
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Big things sometimes come in small packages, which is a great way to describe what Donnel Pumphrey has done in college. At 5'9" and 180 pounds, Pumphrey doesn't have the prototypical size for a running back, and his pro prospects aren't great—Bleacher Report's Matt Miller doesn't have him among his top 10 rushers. But in college, he's unmatched among active players.
Pumphrey enters his senior year as the active FBS rushing leader, at 4,272 yards, and with another 318 he'll surpass Marshall Faulk for San Diego State's career mark. Only 20 players have topped the 5,000-yard mark—none since Wisconsin's Montee Ball in 2012.
Pumphrey has 22 career 100-yard games, including nine last season, when the Aztecs won their final 10 games by an average of 23.7 points.
Miami (Florida) Head Coach Mark Richt
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Twenty-seven FBS schools changed coaches this offseason, but only one managed to scoop up a guy who has averaged no less than nine victories in his lengthy career.
The union of Miami and Mark Richt, a former Hurricanes quarterback, is one that's returned this once great program to national prominence and helped revitalize the drive of a well-respected leader who admits to have gotten somewhat complacent in recent years.
"I've decided to be in the heart of the game-planning of the offense, and that just brings my competitive juices out," Richt said at ACC media days in an ESPN interview (via Jordan Jones of 247Sports). "I missed it."
Richt won 145 games from 2001 to 2015 at Georgia but was let go after the 2015 season. Within days his alma mater hired him. He played for the 'Canes from 1978 to '82.
Demetris Robertson, WR, California
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He's the top-rated wide receiver prospect from the incoming freshman class, but that only begins to describe why Demetris Robertson is a name to know in college football. There's also the unique journey he traveled to get to California and how long it took for him to make that decision compared to other top-flight recruits.
Robertson didn't commit to the Golden Bears until May, nearly three months after national signing day. During that time he tried to improve his SAT scores to qualify for every school on his final list, which, along with Cal, included Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame and Stanford.
Cal is about as far from home as it gets for Robertson, who hails from Georgia. But he will be treated like one of the pack if he can help the Bears in an offense that lost its six top receivers as well as No. 1 draft pick Jared Goff at quarterback.
Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
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Offensive linemen normally don't get their names mentioned unless they do something wrong, such as getting called for a penalty or giving up a sack. But it's easy to talk about Cam Robinson when he's pancaking defenders and sealing the edge for Alabama, something he's done superbly since his first game as a true freshman in 2014.
The 6'6", 320-pound junior is a mammoth at left tackle, protecting his quarterback's blind side and opening major holes for running backs. Last year, en route to the Crimson Tide's national title, he was key in quarterback Jake Coker's development and in Derrick Henry's record-setting run to the Heisman Trophy.
Pegged by Bleacher Report NFL draft expert Matt Miller as the most NFL-ready (as well as the best run- and pass-blocker) among draft-eligible offensive linemen, Robinson is headed for a stellar pro career. But that won't come until after at least one more season destroying defenders for the Tide.
Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
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Josh Rosen didn't have the greatest season ever for a freshman, but it was close. His 2015 performance—from a 351-yard, three-touchdown game against Virginia in his debut through an up-and-down bowl effort in December—figures to be just the start of a stellar college career.
Now we get to see what he can do for an encore after throwing for 3,669 yards and 23 touchdowns. He was also intercepted 11 times and failed to complete 60 percent of his passes eight times, so there's room for improvement. UCLA coach Jim Mora sees this, telling Albert Breer of the MMQB (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk) "his potential is unlimited" but that he has to continue to improve "and not think he's arrived."
Rosen's sophomore year will call for him to become more of a leader, with the Bruins offense skewing younger at the skill positions. If he can thrive with these added responsibilities, it will only improve his already strong pro prospects.
Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban
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With five national championships (including three in the last five years with Alabama) and 191 victories, second-most among active FBS coaches, Nick Saban is the greatest college football coach in the game today. That's not just us saying this; other experts have weighed in with the same verdict.
"No coach handles the win-every-game pressure like Saban," Sporting News' Bill Bender wrote. "He’ll turn 65 in October, but the Crimson Tide show no signs of slowing down under his watch."
Outside of an ill-advised, unsuccessful foray into the NFL, Saban has done nothing but win. He's had at least one nine-win season at every stop, including his first job at Toledo in 1990, and at Alabama he's gone 105-18.
And coaching isn't the only thing he dominates. He and his Crimson Tide staff have landed the top-rated recruiting class each of the past six years.
Jeffery Simmons, DE, Mississippi State
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The issue of violence against women has become a major part of the college football discussion over the past year, with Baylor's sexual assault scandal and other incidents bringing to light a problem that has been ignored for too long. How schools handle allegations involving their student-athletes, particularly in football, has become as closely scrutinized as anything else in the game.
And how Mississippi State has dealt with Jeffery Simmons' off-the-field incident prior to joining the program has become the subject of major debate.
Simmons, the No. 19 overall player and third-best among strong-side defensive ends in the 2016 recruiting class, signed with the Bulldogs in February. In March, he was charged with simple assault and disturbing the peace after video surfaced of him striking a woman.
The school announced in June it was allowing Simmons to enroll and be part of the football program but with "conditions" that included being evaluated by licensed professionals as well as serving a one-game suspension.
Simmons plead no contest to the assault charge in July, resulting in a fine and restitution. That puts an end to the legal matter, but how he is received once his career begins remains to be seen.
Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart
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One of several first-time head coaches hired this offseason, Kirby Smart is far from inexperienced overall. Since 2007, he was part of Nick Saban's staffs at Alabama, during which time he coordinated the defense on four national title teams, including this past season.
Smart put the finishing touches on that last championship while also trying to lay the groundwork for his new gig at Georgia, hired by the latter in December but staying with the Crimson Tide for the playoffs. But within hours of winning it all with Alabama in Glendale, Arizona, Smart became 100 percent focused on the Bulldogs.
Georgia parted ways with Mark Richt after 15 successful seasons but without a national championship and only two SEC titles with no conference championship appearances since 2012. Smart will be expected to win right away. It won't be enough to get to an upper-tier bowl game, giving him a level of pressure normally reserved for coaches who have been on the job for a little while.
Illinois Head Coach Lovie Smith
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Illinois hasn't been relevant in football for some time, with its last Rose Bowl coming in 2008 and the Fighting Illini's last Big Ten Championship back in 2001. Northwestern and Northern Illinois have both started to lay claim to being the state's top program, and new athletic director Josh Whitman decided that to get back to prominence would require tapping into Illinois' pro football history.
Enter Lovie Smith, who coached the Chicago Bears from 2004 to '12 but who hadn't worked in college since 1995. His hiring didn't come until March—a month after national singing day and just before spring practice was set to begin—which put Smith behind the curve in his return to "amateur football."
"Even when I was in the NFL, I considered myself a college coach," Smith told reporters at Big Ten media days. "And I'm talking about stressing fundamentals, trying to develop, of having a personal relationship with our players in the NFL, just like we will in college."
NFL coaches moving down to college is nothing new, but Smith's gap between his last college job and now stands out.
Kansas State Head Coach Bill Snyder
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Bill Snyder is the winningest active coach at the FBS level, with his 193 victories coming entirely at Kansas State. He turned the Wildcats program from a doormat into a consistent power from 1989 to 2005 before retiring, but then he returned in 2009 and has continued to work with the same level of energy as in the previous foray.
At 76 years old, he's one of just two head coaches in their 70s (along with Ohio's Frank Solich, who is 71) and the only one who's a current member of the College Football Hall of Fame. This combo makes him not just the most experienced coach in the game but also one of the most respected.
There's no timetable for how much longer he'll go, but Snyder continues to embrace the future while holding onto the past. His fondness for wearing windbreakers, particularly those he's picked up from bowl-game swag, is tempered by his Twitter use.
Retired Coach Steve Spurrier
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College football lost several big coaching names from its roster last year, but none are likely to be missed as much as Steve Spurrier. Thankfully, it doesn't appear as if the Head Ball Coach plans to go fully into retirement any time soon.
Since stepping down midway through his 11th season at South Carolina last October, the 71-year-old Spurrier has stayed busy. This includes his recent return to Florida, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a quarterback in the 1960s and where he won a national title and six SEC championships as a coach from 1990 to 2001, as an ambassador and athletic department consultant.
Known for his one-liners and verbal jabs as much as his patented visor and on-field success, Spurrier figures to have quite a presence this fall, even though his coaching career is technically over. We'll take whatever we can get.
Texas Head Coach Charlie Strong
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Everything's bigger in Texas, including the scrutiny that college football coaches get in the Lone Star State. This is especially true at a flagship institution where the success of old is desired yet again, and if it doesn't happen right away, those around the program get restless quickly.
This is the atmosphere Charlie Strong is dealing with entering his third season at Texas, where he's gone 6-7 and 5-7 for the program's first consecutive losing seasons since 1988-89. The Longhorns have looked particularly unimpressive on offense, prompting Strong to overhaul his staff and scheme for the second time in as many years.
Strong is one of several high-profile coaches who begin 2016 on the proverbial hot seat, and it could get even hotter immediately. The Longhorns host Notre Dame on Sept. 4—a game that could determine the direction the upcoming season is headed and whether Strong has a future in Austin.
Ryan Switzer, WR, North Carolina
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While the NCAA is reportedly exploring changes to kickoffs that might include eliminating them altogether, there's been no talk of doing the same to punt returns. That's music to Ryan Switzer's ears, since those energy-packed plays are how he's on the verge of getting into the record books once again.
Switzer burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2014 when he brought back five punts for touchdowns to tie the single-season FBS record. With two more punt return TDs last season, he's one away from tying the career mark of eight, shared by Texas Tech's Wes Welker (2000-03) and Oklahoma's Antonio Perkins (2001-04).
But Switzer isn't just a one-trick pony. He's also on pace to become North Carolina's career receiving leader, needing 59 more receptions to pass Quinshad Davis.
Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
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Already a one-of-a-kind player from a statistical standpoint, Deshaun Watson has bigger goals. Some are individual, such as being Clemson's first Heisman Trophy winner, while others include getting the Tigers a national title after leading them to the championship game last season.
Watson is the Heisman front-runner, per Odds Shark, after placing third in 2015. That was during a season in which he was coming off major knee surgery and ended up throwing for more than 4,000 yards and rushing for more than 1,000—the first player in FBS history to achieve both marks.
A superstar who figures to head to the NFL next spring—WalterFootball.com has Watson going first overall in the 2017 draft—he has one last chance to achieve greatness in college. He's already a household name, but just in case, he's someone every college football fan should know about.
Davis Webb, QB, California
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Every team in college football has to replace notable contributors from last year's roster, but only California has to find a successor for the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. After having quarterback Jared Goff throwing the ball the past three seasons, the Golden Bears are starting over at the position. But thanks to the graduate- transfer rule, they won't lack for experience.
Davis Webb began his career at Texas Tech, starting six games for the Red Raiders as a true freshman. He started eight more in 2014, but eventually Patrick Mahomes II overtook him, resulting in a 2015 season spend as a backup.
After announcing his transfer last winter, Webb initially committed to play his final season at Colorado but ended up switching to Cal in May.
In three years, he's thrown for 5,557 yards and 46 touchdowns, while the rest of California's quarterback options have combined to attempt 18 passes at the FBS level.
All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports, unless otherwise noted. All statistics provided by CFBStats.com, unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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