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:
LB Jonah Elliss – Utah
The skinny: Not only did Elliss have a breakout performance, he also had one of the top overall performances of any player in the country during Week 4. With the Utes smothering the UCLA offense relentlessly throughout the game, Elliss led the charge with 10 tackles, five tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks. As he suddenly leads the nation in both tackles for a loss and sacks, it will be interesting to see if he can maintain this high level of play throughout the remainder of the season in Salt Lake City.
DB Maxwell Hairston – Kentucky
The skinny: After redshirting in 2021 and then totaling two tackles in 12 games last season, there wasn’t much buzz about Hairston coming into 2023. That quickly changed though as he immediately became an important part of the defensive unit after finishing the season-opener with eight tackles and one forced fumble. He continued his solid play over the next two games, before his eye-opening performance on Saturday during a victory over Vanderbilt. Finishing with four tackles, three pass breakups and two interceptions, both of which were returned for a touchdown, Hairston has suddenly become a vital piece of the Wildcats’ defensive unit this season.
DL Byron Murphy II – Texas
The skinny: Murphy has pieced himself together a nice career in Austin during the last two seasons, but he has never had a game like the one he enjoyed on Saturday night against Baylor. It appears every game has produced a new star for Texas through four games and this time it was Murphy’s turn with his four tackles, three tackles for a loss and two sacks. The Longhorns’ defense seems to get deeper and stronger by the week, so adding Murphy into the fold only makes that more imposing for the upcoming opposition.
RB DJ Giddens – Kansas State
The skinny: In spot duty during the 2022 season, Giddens gave Kansas State fans plenty to be excited about despite his backup role to star back Deuce Vaughn. With Vaughn moving onto the NFL, Giddens looked ready to grab the spotlight until the Wildcats signed Treshaun Ward (Florida State) from the transfer portal. However, with Ward dealing with some injuries, Giddens received his opportunity and on Saturday during a win against UCF he enjoyed his best collegiate game to date. Rushing for 207 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries, while adding eight receptions for 86 yards, he proved that even when Ward is healthy he should be the lead back in Manhattan.
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TE Mitchell Evans – Notre Dame
The skinny: Notre Dame is no stranger to big performances by tight ends and on Saturday night it was Evans’ turn. While it did come during a heartbreaking loss at home to Ohio State, Evans still excelled with seven receptions for 75 yards. This is impressive considering during his first two seasons he totaled five receptions for 60 yards, and he had five receptions for 63 yards through the first three games this season. Finding another reliable weapon for quarterback Sam Hartman would go a long way in helping the Irish stay in the playoff hunt this fall.
