By Mark Pszonak
College football is all about developing younger players to become important playmakers. Every week numerous players make that jump. Some are expected while others come as a surprise, so here are five who took that leap this weekend:
RB Phil Mafah – Clemson
The skinny: Mafah has experienced success at Clemson, with over 1,000 career rushing yards since joining the Tigers in 2021. However, he had yet to have a game like the one he did on Saturday during an important victory over Notre Dame. Mafah rushed for a career-high 186 yards and two touchdowns on a school record-tying 36 carries. It was his second 100+ yard game of his career and came at the perfect time since starter Will Shipley was out with a concussion.
WR Ja’khi Douglas – Florida State
The skinny: Hoping to make a run into the playoffs and potentially the National Championship, Florida State received a nice surprise on Saturday during a victory at Pittsburgh. Douglas, a redshirt junior, had his first 100+ yard receiving day with 115 yards on six receptions. This was an important performance since the Seminoles were missing their two leading wide receivers due to injury, Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson. Elite teams need players to step up at the right times, and Florida State got that from Douglas.
LB Jalon Walker – Georgia
The skinny: With how loaded the Bulldogs’ defense has been since Walker arrived last year, he has had to wait his turn. On Saturday he once again showed his potential, which could prove important later this season, but is more likely a sign of things to come in 2024. Walker finished with four tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks, which while aren’t eye-popping numbers, does show his continued improvement and potential.
RB Gavin Sawchuk – Oklahoma
The skinny: A week after Tawee Walker broke out, Sawchuk did the same during a tough loss to Oklahoma State. The opportunity arose with Walker out with an injury and Sawchuk responded with a career-high 111 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries. While the Sooners have now lost two straight, they have been able to identify some legitimate talent in their backfield during that time.
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LB Treylin Payne – Houston
The skinny: After a promising true freshman season in 2022, Payne hadn’t made the impact some envisioned for him this season until Saturday. In a big win at Baylor, he set a career-high with nine tackles, to go along with 1.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks after entering the game with only six tackles on the season. He has the potential to be a big part of the Cougars’ defense in 2024.
