The 25 Most Intriguing Non-Quarterbacks of 2016
Back again by popular demand – or a lack of any other content – are the Yahoo Sports College Football Most Intriguing Lists. Today’s installment, the Most Intriguing Running Backs of 2016:
1. James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh. His comeback from cancer is one of the best stories of the year. When Conner suits up Saturday against Villanova, it will be a triumph.
2. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU. When the sculpted junior runs, everyone watches in anticipation of something spectacular. Might run over the defense, might run away from it – he’s the complete package of power and speed.
3. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford. Also capable of a highlight play every time he touches the ball – and nobody touches it more than McCaffrey. He broke the NCAA single-season all-purpose yardage record last year that was held by none other than Barry Sanders, leading the Cardinal in rushing, receiving, punt returns and kickoff returns.
[More from Pat Forde: Most Intriguing College Football QBs of 2016]
4. Jabrill Peppers, LB, Michigan. Hugely touted recruit who broke out last year as a multi-purpose impact player. The 208-pound Peppers hits hard enough to play in the box but covers well enough to play in space (10 passes broken up in 2015). He also returns kicks and caught eight passes.
5. Adoree Jackson, DB/WR, USC. Busy guy. Made 34 tackles and broke up eight passes last year as a cornerback. Returned 54 kicks, two of them for touchdowns. Caught 27 passes, with two of those for TDs. And he finished 10th in the long jump at the Olympic Track & Field Trials. This year Jackson likely will reduce his snaps on offense, but the Trojans probably will still have a package that gets him on the field on that side of the ball.
6. Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama. The nation’s best offensive lineman had his season jeopardized by a May arrest on gun and drug charges in his hometown of Monroe, La. But then charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence – and in the words of district attorney Jerry Jones, also due to air conditioning.
7. Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M. Writes poetry, loves reading, and loves terrorizing quarterbacks. Garrett had 12½ sacks and 10 quarterback hurries last season, helping significantly improve what had been a porous Aggies defense. The 6-foot-5, 262-pound junior is a physical freak, capable of startling feats of athleticism.
8. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State. He was the top breakaway threat in the nation in 2015. Nobody had more runs of 20-plus, 30-plus and 50-plus yards last season than Cook, despite ranking just 29th nationally in carries (229). With the Seminoles starting a redshirt freshman at quarterback, Cook will be even more important in 2016.
9. Mike Williams, WR, Clemson. You might remember Williams breaking his neck in a collision with the goal post in the season opener last year – a scary moment that put him out for the rest of Clemson’s memorable season. Now he’s back, and ready to put up the kind of numbers he did in 2014, when he had more than 1,000 receiving yards.
10. Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama. Worthy heir to the throne at what has become Wide Receiver U – even without star quarterbacks throwing to them. First it was Julio Jones, then Amari Cooper, and now it is Ridley, who had 89 catches for more than 1,000 yards last year as a sophomore.
11. Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia. Tied Herschel Walker’s school record with 13 consecutive 100-yard rushing games, then promptly tore up a knee in October and missed the rest of the season. How well he comes back could have a significant impact on how Kirby Smart’s debut season unfolds between the hedges.
12. Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma. Monster in the weight room who brings it to the field, where Perine has rushed for more than 3,000 yards and 37 touchdowns in two seasons. Perine is the current NCAA single-game rushing record holder, having put 427 yards on Kansas his freshman year. If he stays healthy, he’s also likely this season to surpass former Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims as the leading rusher in Oklahoma’s gilded history.
13. Devon Allen, WR, Oregon. Seen more recently competing in the Olympics as an American hurdler than on the football field. Allen was an impact player for the Ducks in their 2014 march to the national title game, but tore his knee up returning the opening kickoff of the playoff semifinal against Florida State and played sparingly last year. His speed certainly seemed to be back this summer, so expect more from him on the field this fall.
[More from Pat Forde: Most Intriguing College Football Coaches of 2016]
14. Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State. Georgia native became one of Urban Meyer’s many recruiting coups from the South in 2014 when he enrolled at Ohio State early and became an instant-impact player. Last year he led a defense stocked with NFL talent in tackles, with 119. With so much youth on the Buckeyes two-deep this year, McMillan will be even more important.
15. Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn. Injuries have derailed him the past two seasons. Not coincidentally, Auburn has been a disappointment both those seasons. The powerful edge rusher drew raves throughout fall camp, heightening expectations for a huge year.
16. K.D. Cannon, WR, Baylor. Has 15 catches of 40 yards or longer in two seasons, and this year he becomes the No. 1 receiving weapon in the Bears’ offense. But his sophomore season didn’t match his brilliant freshman year, with declines in receptions and touchdown catches. How will he do as a junior with a new head coach who may be less tolerant of verbal exchanges with opposing defensive backs?
17. Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State. If he performs as expected, the 6-foot-6, 274-pound junior will be in the discussion for the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft. He’s the lone returnee from a studly 2015 defensive line, contributing 13 tackles for loss, eight quarterback hurries and four sacks to that unit. And according to Sports Illustrated, doctors say he’s still growing.
18. O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama. For nearly three full seasons, Crimson Tide fans wondered when offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin would finally figure out how to get their talented tight end involved in the offense. And then in the final game last year, Kiffin got Howard the rock – five catches, 208 yards and his only two touchdowns of the season against Clemson in the national championship game. Now he might be the top NFL prospect at his position – and he will be prominent in every opponent’s scouting reports.
19. Budda Baker, S, Washington. He was Chris Petersen’s first big-time recruit at Washington, a hometown kid the new coaching staff flipped after a commitment to Oregon. Now Baker is the centerpiece of a talented secondary and a key part of a team expected to make a major move into Pac-12 title contention this season.
20. Malachi Dupre, WR, LSU. Five-star receivers keep going to LSU despite the lack of a high-octane passing attack, and none of them arrived with more hype than Dupre. He led the team in receptions last year with 43, and had six of the team’s 13 touchdown catches. But will Les Miles ever figure out how to maximize Dupre’s talents?
21. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC. None other than Nick Saban compared the physical wideout to Dez Bryant. His 89 catches for 1,454 yards and 10 touchdowns last season make him the primary weapon in the USC offense, and with five ranked opponents on the schedule he will play against some of the top defensive backs in the country all season.
22. Desmond King, CB, Iowa. Jim Thorpe Award winner is a do-it-all defensive back: 72 tackles, eight interceptions, 13 pass break-ups last year for the surprising Hawkeyes. The fact that he’s back for a senior year instead of trying the NFL is a big reason why Iowa should probably win the Big Ten West again this season.
23. Dan Skipper, OT, Arkansas. At 6-10 and 326, he’s pretty much the biggest human in a sport filled with huge humans. And at Arkansas, where widebody coach Bret Bielema loves his offensive linemen, that makes Skipper the big man on campus.
[Forde-Yard Dash: Where everyone’s optimistic … for now]
24. Quin Blanding, S, Virginia. He was a national top-10 recruit in 2014, a coup who helped Mike London get a sixth season as coach. Blanding has delivered on the hype, racking up 238 tackles in two seasons, but he hasn’t yet elevated the Cavaliers to a bowl team. Maybe that will change under new coach Bronco Mendenhall in what could be Blanding’s final season before heading to the NFL.
25. Jake Butt, TE, Michigan. His name makes him the Butt of many jokes, but he also became the Wolverines’ go-to receiver on third down and an instant leader in Jim Harbaugh’s first season. Harbaugh touted Butt’s “pizzazz,” recently, so he’s got that going for him as well.
Just missed the list: Lowell Lotulelei, DT, Utah; Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon; Jamal Adams, S, LSU; Wayne Gallman, RB, Clemson; Jalen Hurd, RB, Tennessee; Matt Breida, RB, Georgia Southern; Even Engram, TE, Mississippi; Jaylen Reeves-Maybin, LB, Tennessee; Ruben Foster, LB, Alabama; Bo Scarborough, RB, Alabama; Shock Linwood, RB, Baylor; Devonte Fields, DE, Louisville; Gabe Marks, WR, Washington State; Eddie Vanderdoes, DT, UCLA; Jalen Tabor, CB, Florida; Hardy Nickerson, LB, Illinois.
Related NCAAF video from Yahoo Sports:
