Most Surprising College Football Players of the 2021 Season so Far
As much study and preparation can be done in the spring and summer, it will never result in a perfect prediction of what to expect in a college football season.
Hyped players and teams struggle. Unknown or seldom-used players emerge as stars, and programs with low expectations end up contending for a conference title—or more.
Ten weeks into the 2021 campaign, we're looking at some of the most surprising individuals of the season.
Although a surprise technically could be negative, our focus is strictly on the positive developments in the 2021 season. The emphasis is on players with vast production—including a record-setting punter!—but team impact is also a consideration.
The list is ordered alphabetically on school name.
Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
1 of 8
Talent was never a concern for Jameson Williams at Ohio State. The problem was opportunity.
In both 2019 and 2020, he understandably played in the shadows of Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson—two heralded NFL draft prospects. Williams held a regular role, yet managed only 15 catches for 266 yards and three touchdowns over those two seasons.
But as Ohio State stockpiled its receiving corps with elite prospects, Alabama lost a pair of first-round receivers for the second straight year. Williams recognized the opportunity and has capitalized.
John Metchie III seemed in line to become the leading wideout and has enjoyed a nice season with 61 receptions for 674 yards and six scores. Williams, however, has become the No. 1 target, securing 45 catches for 870 yards and seven touchdowns. Plus, he's returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.
Williams has ascended from an afterthought to Alabama's top wideout and a soaring NFL prospect.
Stetson Bennett, QB, Georgia
2 of 8
Georgia surging to a 9-0 record isn't surprising. The defense and rushing attack propelling the Dawgs isn't a shocker. But nobody expected Stetson Bennett to be under center.
Look, he wasn't effective last season. After a respectable start to the campaign, the "Mailman" began sending passes to the wrong places. He tossed three interceptions at Alabama, two at Kentucky and mustered an ugly 4.9 yards per attempt opposite Florida.
And in 2021, this was supposed to be JT Daniels' show. However, a couple of injuries have sidelined him for most of the year.
In his place, Bennett has masterfully executed in a low-stress role. He's averaging a stellar 11.8 yards per attempt with 14 scores to four interceptions. Bennett has also provided a valuable mobile element, rushing for slightly over 200 yards, excluding sacks.
Georgia hasn't needed Bennett to carry the offense or make a clutch late-game drive. Perhaps that changes in the SEC Championship Game or College Football Playoff.
But he's decidedly a net positive in 2021. That is a substantial improvement from one season ago.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State
3 of 8
Not only is Felix Anudike-Uzomah a breakout player, he's following a year in which he barely contributed. The edge-rusher basically only logged meaningful snaps against TCU and Kansas, finishing the season with three tackles and one sack.
And now, he's averaging that output.
Through nine contests, Anudike-Uzomah leads the Football Bowl Subdivision with 11 sacks and five forced fumbles. In a recent win against TCU, only a rule technicality prevented him from tying the FBS single-game sack record of six.
Overall, he's collected 39 stops with 13 tackles for loss and played a key role in Kansas State building a 6-3 record.
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Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State
4 of 8
No list of surprises would be complete without Kenneth Walker III.
In two years at Wake Forest, he split the backfield with Cade Carney and/or Christian Beal. Walker rushed for 1,158 yards and 17 touchdowns, so it's not like he hadn't accomplished much in Winston-Salem. But a transfer to Michigan State didn't scream "Heisman Trophy front-runner" in 2021.
Nevertheless, that's exactly what he is. Walker has produced an FBS-leading 1,340 yards along with 15 rushing scores, adding 10 catches for 56 yards and another touchdown. It's safe to say Michigan State would not be an 8-1 team without him.
Even if Walker doesn't win the Heisman, he's headed for All-American honors and potentially the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in the country.
Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt
5 of 8
Through four seasons at Pitt, Kenny Pickett showed he was a capable starter but never really excelled. He never topped 7.3 yards per attempt—which, depending on the year, is either average or slightly below—as the full-time quarterback.
So, when he announced a return as a super-senior, it didn't result in Pitt being crowned as a premier ACC contender.
Fast-forward to November, and the Panthers stand atop the Coastal Division behind a Heisman-contending Pickett. He's racked up 379.2 yards of total offense per game and accounted for 33 touchdowns with only three interceptions in 342 attempts.
Pitt is 7-2 and approaching the program's first 10-win season in 12 years, and Pickett could be the Panthers' first Heisman finalist since Larry Fitzgerald in 2003.
Matt Araiza, P, San Diego State
6 of 8
Really, dude? A punter?
Really, dudes and dudettes, a punter.
Matt Araiza, who handles all three kicking roles for San Diego State, has already set an NCAA record with 15 punts of 60-plus yards this season. In fact, he's only not blasted at least one 60-yard punt in one of the Aztecs' nine games.
His longest punt of the season so far? Oh, just a casual 86 yards.
Heading into Week 11, Araiza's 51.9 yards per punt is currently an all-time single-season record. Not bad for somebody with five career punts in college before the 2021 season.
Deven Thompkins, WR, Utah State
7 of 8
Shortly after Utah State fired Gary Andersen last November, Deven Thompkins entered the transfer portal. After exploring his options, though, the wideout returned to the Aggies.
Sure, he managed a team-high 214 receiving yards in the pandemic-shortened season. But nobody saw this coming.
Thompkins has thrived since the arrival of quarterback Logan Bonner, who followed head coach Blake Anderson from Arkansas State. Thompkins has reeled in 72 passes for an FBS-leading 1,314 yards, scoring eight touchdowns for the Aggies.
Entering the season, he sported career-high totals of six receptions and 92 yards. Thompkins has matched or surpassed those marks in eight of Utah State's nine contests.
Bonner and Thompkins have helped the 7-2 Aggies quickly move beyond the memory of a 1-5 season.
Sam Hartman, QB, Wake Forest
8 of 8
Similar to his ACC counterpart Pickett, Sam Hartman returned as an experienced, unspectacular option. Through 22 career appearances, he'd posted 7.6 yards per attempt with 33 passing scores to 15 interceptions. Not bad, not great.
Hartman has been nothing short of incredible in 2021.
While hitting a career-best 62.5 percent of his attempts, he's racked up 2,873 yards at 9.5 per attempt—which ranks No. 9 nationally. Hartman has 27 touchdown passes to five interceptions, adding 286 yards and eight scores as a runner.
The timing isn't ideal, given Wake Forest's recent loss to North Carolina. Still, the Demon Deacons are 8-1 and in great position to reach the ACC Championship Game because of Hartman's huge season.
Stats from NCAA.com, cfbstats.com or B/R research. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
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