This year, we've seen an influx of great true freshmen shake up the college football season. None has probably had a bigger impact than Oregon State's little Jacquizz Rodgers, but there have been a bunch of teams relying heavily on contributions from rookies. This week's top-10 list is about the schools who have gotten the biggest help from their true freshmen:
- Miami: Last year was hailed as the best year for South Florida high school football in decades, and Randy Shannon is reaping the rewards. An astounding 10 true freshmen have started at least one game for the Canes this fall. Shannon has gotten huge contributions from rookies at almost every level on his team: his most productive QB is Jacory Harris (7 TDs, 3 INTs); four of his top five wideouts are freshmen (Travis Benjamin, Aldarius Johnson, Thearon Collier and LaRon Byrd); two D-linemen have started (Marcus Robinson and Marcus Fortson); Sean Spence is arguably playing as well as any linebacker UM has; and CB Brandon Harris started three games. The most dynamic newcomer is Benjamin, who has been spectacular this season, evoking comparisons to Roscoe Parrish and Devin Hester. Against FSU, Benjamin amassed 274 all-purpose yards, the school's most since Edgerrin James went for 310 against UCLA in 1998.
- Alabama: If we factored JC transfers (NG Terrence Cody) into the mix, the Tide probably gets the top spot. Still, it's been amazing how well many of these freshmen have played for the top-ranked Tide. Nick Saban has played 16 true freshmen this season. None has had a bigger impact than WR Julio Jones, who has been every bit as good as his hype. Jones leads the team with 40 catches and four TDs. Over the weekend, he was phenomenal against LSU, catching seven passes for 128 yards. Lost a bit in the Jones buzz has been the steady play of Don'ta Hightower, the Tide's starting Will LB. He is third on the team with 53 tackles. Backup TB Mark Ingram also has been very impressive, rushing for 539 yards and eight TDs. Strong safety Mark Barron and LB Courtney Upshaw also have been factors. Worth noting: The Tide's two backup tackles, John Michael Boswell and Barrett Jones, are also in their first year with Bama.
- Georgia: Mark Richt's team is similar to the Tide in that they have been headlined by a superb freshman receiver. A.J. Green has caught 46 passes for 806 yards and six TDs. Green's exploits have overshadowed the work of a pair of rookie starters in the O-line: LG Cordy Glenn and center Ben Jones. The Dawgs also have had to be impressed by TB Richard Samuel and LB Marcus Dowtin. Another plus has been kicker Blair Walsh.
- Florida State: The Noles are almost as young as the Canes offensively. FSU starts three true freshman O-linemen (tackles Andrew Datko and Zebrie Sanders and guard David Spurlock), while reserve Jermaine Thomas has been dynamite the past few weeks at tailback. The best part of this is that an O-line that is so incredibly young can produce the ACC's top scoring offense (35 ppg). The group also is very responsible for the league's #2 rushing offense. LBs Nigel Bradham and Vince Williams also have been solid contributors.
- Notre Dame: Like the Canes, the Irish were in desperate help of some receiving help and have seen some stars emerge: I'll predict rangy WR Michael Floyd (46 catches and 7 TDs) will become the best offensive player ND produced since the Holtz era. Kyle Rudolph has been solid at tight end (20 catches). The Irish also have been starting Trevor Robinson at guard. Other contributors: LB Darius Fleming, backup CB Robert Blanton and DL Ethan Johnson.
- Florida: The Gators got even faster this year. The biggest addition has been world-class speedster Jeff Demps, who is not only UF's leading rusher (395 yards, a 9.6 ypc average) but also has blocked two punts. CB Janoris Jenkins is only the second true freshman to start at CB on opening day in school history. He leads the team with five pass deflections. Safety Will Hill has been a big factor in UF's nickel packages and also has a team-best 16 special-teams tackles. Matt Patchan and William Green have also shown some flashes on the D-line.
- Baylor: Robert Griffin has almost singlehandedly made Baylor football interesting again. The young QB is both super fast and super sharp, putting up three 100-yard rushing games and a 12-2 TD-INT ratio. He's also working with a gem of a wideout in Kendall Wright (40 catches). CB Trentson Hill and PK Ben Parks also have been starters for BU this fall.
- Michigan: Like a bunch of others on this list, the Wolverines have been forced to turn to their newcomers for an immediate boost. Michigan's leading rusher, Sam McGuffie, is a freshman. UM's #4 rusher Michael Shaw has battled through some injuries and is averaging 6.8 yards per carry this fall. Little Martavious Odoms has been the Wolverines' most consistent player with 43 catches, while WR Darryl Stonum and TE Kevin Koger also have had solid rookie seasons and have won starting jobs. CB Boubacar Cissoko also has started a few games. DT Mike Martin has 4.5 TFLs and has been a nice addition up front.
- Ohio State: Terrelle Pryor has taken over the Buckeyes' offense and been terrific at times as he has learned to play quarterback. His center, Mike Brewster, also is a true freshman. WR DeVier Posey is running second-team behind some veteran receivers. Lamaar Thomas has been a good return man. Etienne Sabino, a promising young LB, has been a force on special teams.
- Texas A&M: This is the best group that no one seems to be talking about. Then again, a 4-6 record when you have four other teams in your division all over the top 10 can do that. Jeff Fuller is putting up numbers that can rival any other rookie receiver. He has 42 catches and 7 TDs, while RB-KR Cyrus Gray looks like a future star. Safety Trent Hunter is the team's third-leading tackler and also has three INTs. DT Tony Jerod-Eddie also has won a starting job. A host of others: RG Joe Villavisencio, OL Danny Baker, OT Josh Ayers, PK Randy Bullock, LB Ricky Cavanaugh and DT Eddie Brown have already cracked the two-deep depth chart.
RANDOM STUFF
•Charlie Weis is on the hot seat, writes Neil Hayes:
"If the Irish lose to Navy on Saturday, which hardly seems out of the realm of possibility now, Weis might be fired before he is able to limp off the field. Bob Davie, after all, had one more win during his first 46 games than Weis has now. Tyrone Willingham's winning percentage was .583; Weis' is .587. Perhaps most damning of all, Notre Dame is now 1-15 in its last 16 games against winning teams."
This isn't surprising given how inept ND was the other night at BC, losing 17-0. Weis seemed to do a nice job with Willingham's recruits; however, he's done a mediocre job with his own recruits, and just when you think they take one step forward they go on to take two steps back. How much do ND fans regret that their team couldn't land Urban Meyer and instead got Weis?
For all the recruiting accolades that ND has had since Weis took over and for all his tough talk, it's just not happening on the field. Would Cincy's Brian Kelly be someone ND fans prefer?
•Butch Davis is the leading candidate for the Tennessee job, reports Dave Hooker.
My three cents: Even if Davis denies he has any interest in Tennessee or says he is content at UNC, take it with a grain of salt. He made a lot of similar denials about leaving Miami once upon a time too, and a few days later bolted for Cleveland. That said, I think he's a great coach and an outstanding recruiter who can put together a very strong staff.
•I was out at the Cal-USC game. It was a very sloppy game. At one point it felt like Cal had the ball for an hour real-time, even though the Bears probably only advanced the ball about 25 yards. USC's Taylor Mays is now living up to his big hype. Mays had four pass breakups and has been thumping any ball-carrier in sight the past month.
•Nice win for the MWC with Wyoming beating Tennessee.
•Weirdest partial score of the week: Auburn, which has lost four straight to 1-A teams since a win over Tennessee on Sept. 27, was tied with 1-AA Tennessee-Martin midway through the third quarter in what turned into a 37-20 Auburn win.
•Cedric Peerman had given everybody fits since he got healthy this season in the ACC. Till he faced Wake Forest and their D led by the great Aaron Curry. The News & Observer had a nice story about "Mad Dog" Curry:
"[Curry] tackled the 208-pound [Peerman], stripped the ball from his arms and recovered the fumble.
Curry's play technically developed on the field, but he had gained insight during the week watching film of Peerman.
'We knew that on contact that he likes to lift the ball up, so I just decided to strip it out,' Curry said."
Bruce Feldman
