Building the Perfect College Football Offense in 2022
College football lost a ton of stars from an exciting 2021 season, but there is plenty of top-tier talent leading the charge into next year.
Among those are some of the biggest offensive stars in the sport.
So, what would an unbeatable all-star team look like? There are several guys good enough to outfit a starting lineup that would dominate the opposition and may even make things exciting against an NFL team or two. As far-fetched as that seems, the offensive skill-position players are loaded.
With a Heisman Trophy winner sitting at the helm of the unit and guys pro teams can't wait to draft, we're building a pass-happy offense also capable of gashing you with a big-play running back (and a special nod to a backup).
If we were piecing together the best of the best, how would the offense look? Factoring in production, pro potential, experience and on-field resume, let's take a look at college football's perfect offense for the 2022 season.
Quarterback: Bryce Young, Alabama
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Say all you want about C.J. Stroud, and there is plenty to love about Ohio State's rising redshirt sophomore quarterback who looks like he is a near-lock to be selected in the NFL draft after the '22 season. But he still isn't the best signal-caller in the country.
That distinction would go to defending Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, who torched opponents for the national runner-up Crimson Tide a year ago.
While he's going to miss three of his top receivers for the Tide next year (Jameson Williams, John Metchie III and Slade Bolden), he wouldn't have to worry about that on this dream team. With the receivers we've got lined up for Young's arm, there would never be any reason to run the ball at all.
In Young's first year as the Tide's starting quarterback a season ago, he completed nearly 67 percent of his passes for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was a wizard with the ball, and even with 'Bama's offensive line up and down, he has the athleticism to escape the pocket and make pinpoint throws.
While a bit undersized, it shouldn't hurt his pro prospects, and he will make some NFL team very happy with his savvy and skills.
Young has everything you want in an elite college quarterback, and he's the perfect player to lead our offensive onslaught.
Running Back: Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State
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There are plenty of capable game-changers at running back returning to college football next season, but Kansas State's Deuce Vaughn checked the final box a season ago that makes him the best of the bunch.
The diminutive dynamo proved he could be a durable, every-down runner and stay healthy. That was a huge deal in the Wildcats' resurgent season, and the ability to stay on the field makes him the perfect complement to the way our offense is built.
Vaughn broke out in his sophomore campaign, recording 1,404 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on a six-yard-per-carry average. Not only can he run the football with a vengeance and accelerate once he gets to the second level, though, he is also a weapon catching the ball.
The 5'6", 173-pound Round Rock, Texas, native added 49 catches for 468 yards and four more scores last year after notching 434 yards as a freshman. He can do it all, and Young will definitely find a way to get the ball in his hands.
Every team needs a second running back, so Vaughn's Big 12 mate Bijan Robinson of Texas can return from a season-ending injury last year and provide some more pizzazz when Vaughn needs a break. He is a bigger, more between-the-tackles guy who can break it for big gains in his own right.
But if we need only one runner, Vaughn is the choice because of his ability to do everything.
Wide Receiver: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
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Are you ready for a receiving corps that would be the envy of every other all-star team throughout the years?
It starts with Ohio State rising junior Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has three remaining years of eligibility but almost certainly won't be using all of them. Following last year's record-shattering Rose Bowl performance, everybody knows his name.
News flash: NFL scouts already did, and the 6'0", 198-pound Rockwall, Texas, native is poised to lead a loaded unit on this all-star team.
Remember, even with a Buckeyes team featuring Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, Smith-Njigba led the team with 95 catches for 1,606 yards and added nine touchdowns. Yes, he was unstoppable against the Utes (15 catches, 347 yards, three touchdowns), but he was still elite the rest of the year.
With extra attention on Olave and Wilson, Smith-Njigba showed out. He runs pristine routes, has an uncanny ability to get open, some of the best hands in football and he can run, too. The complete package has a lot of weapons around him on the Buckeyes, but on this team, the players around him are sick.
It wouldn't take him long to build the same rapport with Young he already has with C.J. Stroud, and once he does, look out. Smith-Njigba is the type of centerpiece around which you build an offense.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Wide Receiver: Jordan Addison, Pittsburgh
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Jaxon Smith-Njigba's finale provided the sauce to the season for receivers, but the most consistent and best pass-catcher in college football throughout the season was Pittsburgh's Jordan Addison.
The Panthers sophomore was exceptional with Kenny Pickett throwing him the ball, catching 100 passes for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns en route to winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top wideout. The silky-smooth 6'0", 175-pound receiver from Frederick, Maryland, was a 4-star prospect and has exceeded even that status.
He elected to play for coach Pat Narduzzi, who has made him a star in two short seasons. And with USC transfer Kedon Slovis coming in to replace Pickett, Addison's numbers should stay strong.
On this hypothetical team, it would be fun to watch him and the other guys one-up each other with Young flinging them darts.
Addison is a steady guy who doesn't have a lot of college flash, but he's on track to be one of the greatest receivers to come out of the ACC in a while and follow in the Pitt footsteps of stars like Tyler Boyd and Larry Fitzgerald.
With Smith-Njigba and the next guy on the list flanking him, Addison won't get special attention from defensive backs, and it'll be his time to shine. His numbers in this offense would be unbelievable.
Wide Receiver: Kayshon Boutte, LSU
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When Kayshon Boutte is healthy, he's one of the most electrifying playmakers in all of college football. The LSU Tigers lost easily their most productive offensive weapon after he went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 6 last season.
Though Boutte flirted with the transfer portal this offseason, new coach Brian Kelly's best recruiting job was getting the flashy star back in the fold in Baton Rouge.
Now that he's returning, whoever wins the wide-open quarterback job between Myles Brennan, Garrett Nussmeier and Walker Howard will have a proven pass-catcher.
After an exceptional freshman season in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign where Boutte caught 45 passes for 735 yards and five touchdowns, he was on pace for an even better season a year ago. He had 38 grabs for 509 yards and nine scores in just six games.
The 6'0", 190-pound receiver from New Iberia, Louisiana, is a big-play machine, and he has Bayou Bengal purple and gold running through his veins. We'll draft him for this all-star team, and while he may have a hard time catching passes from a division rival in Young, those feelings will dissipate in the wake of huge numbers.
Boutte rounds out this receiving corps perfectly. Not only do we have two steady superstars, but now we've got a home-run hitter who can make every catch and turn any grab into a field-stretching gain or a touchdown.
Tight End: Brock Bowers, Georgia
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A year ago, if you'd asked anybody around college football what they thought about Georgia's tight end situation, you'd have gotten plenty of glowing responses. Exactly none of them would have been for the reasons the position wound up being a strength for the national champion Bulldogs.
Folks would have gushed about young Darnell Washington's potential or raved that Kirby Smart secured a commitment from elite LSU transfer Arik Gilbert. While Washington had a good year, Gilbert didn't play, opening the door for a star to emerge.
True freshman Brock Bowers was a revelation, leading the Dawgs in receiving with 56 catches for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns. The 6'4", 230-pound first-year star was elite catching the ball but didn't embarrass himself blocking, either.
The Napa, California, native came across the country to Athens to play a position that seemed loaded for the Dawgs, yet he surged to the top and became one of the top young offensive stars in college football. Now, he's going to be an anchor for a program expecting to win championships every year.
With the receivers we've already put in place on this team, having Bowers lined up against a linebacker isn't even fair. He gets the slight nod over Notre Dame's Michael Mayer, who we'd pluck from the Irish and line up in two tight end sets.
But Bowers is the best young tight end in the country.
Offensive Tackle: Connor Galvin, Baylor
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The thing we love about offensive linemen on this team is their versatility, as several guys can play either inside or out. But one of the anchors on the line is a veteran who will be locking down Gerry Bohanon's blind side for the Baylor Bears another season.
Coach Dave Aranda received huge news when Connor Galvin elected to return to Waco for another year. The defending Big 12 offensive lineman of the year will be a huge piece of the puzzle for a Bears team looking to repeat as conference champions.
As a 6'7" stalwart at left tackle, he's too good to pass up for our team, too.
A season ago, Galvin was a massive part of Aranda's team's one-year turnaround, paving the way for the team's resurgence on offense. The Bears led the Big 12 in rushing offense and finished fifth in the country in that metric.
While this all-star offense is built around the pass, Galvin's run-blocking ability would be a huge asset, and we're big on loyalty and veteran leadership on the front line. He came to play for former Baylor coach Matt Rhule, weathered the lean years and won a conference title.
Aranda told the Waco Tribune-Herald's John Werner: "We owe him a lot."
Having a man who helped pave the way for a title and the top O-lineman in a Power 5 conference helping hold down the fort is a big deal. He's a good guy to start on either edge of the line.
Offensive Guard: Andrew Vorhees, USC
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Everybody is excited about how new coach Lincoln Riley is building his first team (and his future teams) with the USC Trojans. Guys like quarterback Caleb Williams, receiver Mario Williams and running backs Travis Dye and Austin Jones will get most of the headlines.
But an underrated big deal for Riley's first team in L.A. was getting Andrew Vorhees to come back for another season.
While Vorhees likely will be playing tackle in his final year with the Trojans, the 6'6", 320-pound lineman has the versatility to play inside. With premiere tackles already entrenched for the all-star team, he'll shift inside. It's the position he'll likely play on the next level, anyway.
Vorhees is a Kingsburg, California, native who has done an exceptional job throughout his career, and the redshirt senior is finally getting some of the praise he deserves. Pro Football Focus' Anthony Treash called Vorhees one of college football's top returning offensive tackles.
"Not only is Vorhees the most underrated player on this list, but he's also one of the most underrated players in all of college football," Treash wrote. "He is fresh off a season in which he earned a grade above 90.0 as both a pass- and run-blocker."
In his first year as a left tackle, Vorhees was a star. The sixth-year senior will be a force on this all-star team, too, and it's just a matter of time before the NFL comes calling.
Center: Jarrett Patterson, Notre Dame
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Jarrett Patterson is college football's equivalent of a banged-up tin lunch pail you've been taking with you to work every day for the past 20 years.
He's a rugged, blue-collar fixture who could be beside the definition of "Notre Dame offensive lineman" in the dictionary. It also just so happens he's the best returning center in all of college football and arguably the best interior offensive line altogether.
A season ago, the Irish offensive team captain was a dependable cog to a unit that was a big reason why the team lost just two games in the regular season.
He's been starting for the Irish for the past three years and will return for a fifth and final season in South Bend. He's big, nasty and has the type of temperament you want from your guys up front.
With veteran assistant Harry Hiestand returning to Notre Dame, where he led some of the top Irish lines in recent memory, Patterson has everything set up to thrive again.
Patterson will be at the center of a young line in '22, but with Hiestand back in the fold, it was wise of him to come back and learn from a man who developed linemen into quality draft picks. Four of his former Fighting Irish proteges became first-round picks during his previous six-year stint with the program.
The center looks like the next on this list, and he will be a big part of this all-star unit.
Offensive Guard: Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
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Much like the other guard on this list (Vorhees), we're moving a tackle over to the interior on this side of the line, but for different reasons.
Ohio State's Paris Johnson Jr. is expected to play left tackle for the Buckeyes in 2022, moving into his natural spot and positioning himself to be a likely high NFL draft selection after the season. But Johnson played on the interior a year ago for a loaded OSU team and did extremely well.
So, with two veteran tackles already in the fold, we'll keep Johnson at guard. The 6'6", 315-pound lineman out of Cincinnati was a consensus 5-star prospect everybody wanted, but he elected to stay instate and play for coach Ryan Day's program.
He made an impact almost immediately, playing in five games at guard in 2020. He continued to play there in 2021, and or his efforts, he was named a second-team All-Big Ten selection by coaches and a third-team selection by the media.
Given Johnson's height and arm length, he is likely a better fit at tackle, where he has more free rein. In an article by Eleven Warriors' Griffin Strom, Johnson expressed his desire to move back to the position he will anchor for the Buckeyes in 2022.
Johnson displayed a selfless attitude throughout his first two years playing out of position in Columbus, and he can hang out there for our dream team, as well.
Offensive Tackle: Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
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Perhaps the best offensive tackle—and probably the best offensive lineman overall—returning to college is Northwestern's Peter Skoronski.
As part of the 2020 class, the Park Ridge, Illinois, native was a 5-star prospect on 247Sports (4-star in the composite rankings), and it was a coup when Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald got him to spurn teams like Notre Dame and Michigan to stay home to play for Northwestern.
He hasn't disappointed.
Skoronski played extremely well on an awful Northwestern team a season ago, forging the way as an elite pass-blocker who also looks great against the run. Though he was listed as a center prospect coming out of high school, Skoronski has settled in at tackle.
He had to fill the huge cleats of Rashawn Slater, but he did so admirably and built off the COVID-shortened season to shine again.
Again, Pro Football Focus' Anthony Treash is bullish on Skoronski, who graded out exceptionally well in his past two seasons. The site ranks the junior as the top returning offensive tackle in the nation, and he actually has three seasons remaining to play if he chooses.
"He has elite bloodlines, as his late grandfather—Bob Skoronski—is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame for the work he did serving as a tackle in the 1960s," Treash wrote. "Skoronski's size and top-tier athleticism are reminiscent of Slater, and Northwestern's current left tackle is following in Slater's footsteps from a collegiate production standpoint, too."
That's extremely high praise with a comparison to a guy who was a top-tier rookie protecting Justin Herbert for the Los Angeles Chargers this past year. Skoronski appears on that fast track, too.
All stats courtesy of CFBStats and Sports Reference. Player and recruiting class rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter, @Brad_Shepard.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
