While Week 11 lacks one elite matchup, several high-level games with College Football Playoff implications are scheduled, and impact freshmen will be involved in just about every one of them.
In this week’s freshmen to watch list, we’ll focus primarily on those who could make a difference in conference title races and the College Football Playoff picture.
Top 10 Impact Freshmen in Week 9
10) Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame
While he’s listed as a corner, Leonard Moore is really a matchups-based chess piece that the Fighting Irish can deploy against varying offensive schemes. Against Navy, he lined up as an extra linebacker to counteract the triple option.
Saturday, Moore has a game against Florida State, and while the Seminoles are 1-8, Notre Dame cannot afford another slip-up.
9) Eli Bowen, CB, Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s offense has been poor enough this year that it has taken away from the strength of the defense. The line movement on the Oklahoma vs. Missouri game suggests Tigers quarterback Brady Cook will miss the game with an injury.
That might mean that freshman corner Eli Bowen has an even bigger role to play. Drew Pyne doesn’t have Cook’s accuracy, so the passing game will rely more on quick throws as Missouri’s receivers try to make guys miss. Bowen is known more for his coverage ability, so I’m interested to see how he adjusts.
8) Jamarious Brown, IDL, Ole Miss
Ole Miss listed 26 players on its initial SEC-mandated injury report for the week. Whether that’s a piece of gamesmanship or the Rebels are that banged up remains a question, but they’re thinner on the interior of the defensive line than they’ve been.
Freshman Jamarious Brown has come on strong in recent weeks and looks like he could get some extra playing time against a Georgia offensive line that is also somewhat banged up.
7) Isaac Brown, RB, Louisville
While Isaac Brown isn’t in one of the weekend’s biggest matchups, he’s certainly a guy to watch. Last week, I nearly left him off the list simply because Clemson’s front seven has been so good. His inclusion on the list paid off, however, as he ran for a career-high 151 yards and finally got some national attention.
This week, Brown plays Stanford as the Cardinals look to give themselves a slim chance at making the ACC Championship.
6) CJ Bailey, QB, NC State
Don’t look now, but NC State is doing the thing where it starts the season in a disappointing fashion before back-dooring its way to a good record. The fans are frustrated with Dave Doeren and staff, but CJ Bailey is an intriguing freshman quarterback.
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If Bailey stays with the Wolfpack, they’ll be a tough out next year. If not, he has ties to several key players on Blue Bloods, and some of the nation’s top teams could be interested.
5) Dylan Stewart, EDGE, South Carolina
There isn’t a better freshman in college football than Dylan Stewart. There hasn’t been a better freshman edge rusher in college football since… maybe Myles Garrett?
Stewart’s speed, power, bend, and pass-rushing moves are all on the elite side of the scale. He showed that last week, creating pressure on nine of Texas A&M’s 32 dropbacks. For reference, just three other freshmen have nine pressures all season.
It’s not a marquee matchup on Saturday, but it is intriguing, as Stewart will be chasing the elusive Diego Pavia.
4) Braylen Russell, RB, Arkansas
We really liked Braylen Russell out of high school, but he didn’t really get much playing time until Saturday, when he ran for 175 yards on just 16 carries for the Razorbacks against Mississippi State.
The question I have is whether Russell can continue his hot streak against one of the top rushing defenses in the country this weekend when Ole Miss comes to town.
3) Jordan Seaton, OT, Colorado
Colorado was so overcovered last season that it’s almost led to a lack of national coverage this year. The Buffaloes have the best two-way player the sport has seen in three decades, a potential No. 1 pick at quarterback, and one of the best young offensive tackles in the country.
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Jordan Seaton has been excellent this season, especially lately, and has the chance to help lead the Buffaloes to the Big 12 title game. This week, Seaton gets a Texas Tech team that has been highly volatile on defense.
2) KJ Bolden, S, Georgia
KJ Bolden’s solid play has been overshadowed a bit by Georgia’s surprising struggles on offense, but on Saturday, he has an opportunity to remind people why he was so highly rated.
I’ve been most impressed with Bolden’s abilities against the pass, something that many thought would take him a while to improve in college. Against Jaxson Dart and the Rebels offense, he’ll be a key factor.
1) Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama
It’s put up or shut up time for the Alabama Crimson Tide as they go on the road for what is essentially a College Football Playoff elimination game in Death Valley against the LSU Tigers.
Alabama’s best offensive weapon is Ryan Williams, but he’s been quiet in recent weeks. He’ll need a huge game Saturday if the Crimson Tide want to win on the road and keep their playoff hopes alive.
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