By Mark Pszonak
With the 2024 college football season only a couple of weeks away, here is a closer look at five redshirt freshmen who will make a statement:
QB Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee)
The skinny: A redshirt freshman starting quarterback will always have more eyes on him, but when you’re doing it at Tennessee that is magnified exponentially. This is even more true after Iamaleava’s performance against Iowa in the Citrus Bowl when he completed 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown and rushed for three touchdowns. He has all the tools to be special, but he also won’t have any time for maturation as expectations in Knoxville are for immediate stardom.
OL Wilkin Formby (Alabama)
The skinny: Its not often that Alabama has question marks on the offensive line coming into the spring, but that was the case this year at right tackle. Since then, Formby has established himself as the likely starter. He only played 14 snaps during his true freshman season, so there would likely be some growing pains, but he has shown enough maturation to earn the starting nod.
OL Samson Okunlola (Miami-Florida)
The skinny: Okunlola likely wouldn’t have redshirted in 2023, but a knee injury ended his season in early October. At that point he had already played three games and was backing up Jalen Rivers at left tackle. Now he is healthy and has shown the versatility where he may start at either left guard or right tackle. His future is likely at left tackle, but for now he will play where the Canes need him most. No matter where he plays in 2024, he will be a valuable part of the line.
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CB Jyaire Hill (Michigan)
The skinny: After playing four of the first five games in 2023, Hill spent the remainder of the season on the sidelines. Since the conclusion of the season, there has been plenty of buzz about his development, and now with Mike Sainristil and Josh Wallace in the NFL, there is an opportunity for Hill to start opposite Will Johnson. Hill’s continued development may prove vital this season for the success of the Wolverines’ secondary.
OL Elijah Paige (USC)
The skinny: Following an impressive performance as a starting left tackle in the Holiday Bowl, Paige has continued his development and nailed down the starting job leading into the 2024 season. He began the spring as the starter and has never let down since that point. While he has only played in five games at USC, Paige’s level of play this season will go a long way in determining the Trojans’ offensive success in their first season in the Big Ten.
