By JC Nevils
The College Football Playoff Championship is just about here folks.
As the season dwindles to an end, the best players have put their
skills on tape, and All-American teams have come out. Most have
come out already, even so with my First Team list. Now it’s the
freshmen who get their shine.
Quarterback
QB: Jayden Maiava, UNLV
The redshirt freshman originally from Hawaii put up some
pretty good numbers this season. After taking over in week three, he
led the Runnin’ Rebels to the Mountain West championship game.
He ended the season with 3,085 yards and 17 touchdowns through
the air, while also adding 277 yards along with another three scores
on the ground.
Running Backs
RB: Jaylen Buckley, Western Michigan
Coming into the season Buckley was not known by many, if
any at all. By Midseason though, he was an All-American and leading
the MAC in rushing. Nothing changed by the end of the season
as he kept racking up yards. While he didn’t finish atop the list, he
was well known.
Buckley finished the season with 1,003 yards and 10
scores, which put him fifth and tied for second in the conference.
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RB: Jaheim White, West Virginia
Stats: 109 Car, 842 Yds, 4 TDs, 7.7 Avg, 5 Rec, 125 Yds, 2 TDs
Wide Receivers/Tight End
WR: Kevin “KC” Concepcion, NC State
Other than Payton Wilson, the true freshman was the best
player on the roster. Not highly recruited, but he made his presence
known from day one. He finished with 64 catches, 767 yards, and 10
touchdowns to lead all true Freshmen in those categories.
WR: Nic Anderson, Oklahoma
Stats: 31 Rec, 725 Yds, 23.4 Avg (led nation), 9 TDs
WR: Eric Singleton, Georgia Tech
Stats: 47 Rec, 706 Yds, 6 TDs
TE: Benjamin Brahmer, Iowa State
Originally I had Luke Hasz here, who was starring for
Arkansas before he got injured, but plans changed. All year the
Nebraska native was steady in not only the pass game but the run
game as well. He ended the season with 26 catches for 320 yards
and a couple of touchdowns.
Offensive Line
LT: Spencer Fano, Utah
LG: Cayden Greene, Oklahoma
C: Conner Lew, Auburn
RG: Wes King, Wyoming
RT: Francis Mauigoa, Miami (FL)
Spencer Fano along with Francis Mauigoa were plug and play
players as they started every game for their respective squads
from day one while excelling. Cayden Greene ended up starting
almost half the season after beginning as a backup. Wes King
finally got his shot and made the best of it. Meanwhile, Conner Lew came in after an injury and turned into one of the best
centers in the conference.
Defensive Line
Edge: Rueben Bain, Miami (FL)
Not only was Bain one of, if not the best Freshman in the
country, but he might even be just one of the most feared defenders in
the entire country after only a year. He completely dominated the
competition on his way to 44 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 3 forced
fumbles.
DT: Peter Woods, Clemson
Stats: 27 Tckls, 2.5 TFL, 1 FF
DE: T.J. Parker, Clemson
Stats: 41 Tckls, 12.5 TFL, 5.5 Sacks, 2, PBUs, 1 FR
Edge: Nate Johnson, Appalachian State
Stats: 39 Tckls, 8.5 TFL, 7.5 Sacks
Linebackers
LB: Anthony Hill Jr., Texas
As arguably the best LB in the 2023 class coming out, Hill
certainly lived up to the hype. He finished the season with 63
tackles, 7.5 for a loss, and five sacks.
LB: Taurean York, Texas A&M
Stats: 66 Tckls, 8.5 TFL, 3 Sacks, 1 FF
LB: Kam Robinson, Virginia
Stats: 71 Tckls, 4.5 TFL, 1 Sack, 2 Ints
Defensive Backs
CB: Deangelo Ponds, James Madison
It’s hard to come in and perform as a Freshman, let alone play,
but that is exactly what Deangelo Ponds did this past season. As a
true freshman, he finished with 50 tackles, two tackles for loss, and
two interceptions while adding 13 passes defended, which led all
true freshmen.
CB: Caden Jenkins, Baylor
Stats: 37 Tckls, 1 TFL, 3 Ints, 3 PBUs
S: Dillon Thieneman, Purdue
Stats: 106 Tckls, 2 TFL, 6 Ints (tied for 1st in nation)
S: Caleb Downs, Alabama
Stats: 99 Tckls, 3.5 TFL, 2 Ints
Specialist
K: Alex McPherson, Auburn
As a kicker or any marksman for that matter, you can’t do much
better than 100 percent. That’s exactly what Alex McPherson did
this season. He made every field goal including his lone 50-yard
attempt being a 53-yarder. He also went 40-40 on extra points.
