College Football: Players to watch in 2017 (Part 3 of 5)

To help get everyone pumped up for the 2017 college football season, I will be doing a five-part series of posts, each post featuring five players to watch for this fall. Some players on this list are so obvious that you don't need a reminder to watch them, some could be busts, and there will certainly be players outside of these 25 that will have impactful seasons. Also, I must add that the order in which these players are listed is not a ranking system. Without further ado, part three of five:

(In case you missed them: Part One and Part Two).

Deon Cain


Another year, another impressive receiving corps for the Clemson Tigers. Junior wide receiver Deon Cain has proven his worth as a lethal target over the last two seasons. Mike William's was clearly Clemson's No. 1 receiver in 2016, but Cain still managed to put up some impressive numbers catching the ball 38 times for 724 yards and nine touchdowns. Cain thrived in some of Clemson's primetime games; he recorded 98 yards and two touchdowns against the 42-36 thriller over Louisville, and caught the ball five times for 94 yards in the National Championship against Alabama (a defense that boasts three first-round picks and two second-rounders).

With Mike Williams now playing professional ball in San Diego  Los Angeles, Cain will presumably be getting more touches. Good news for Deon Cain. But the bad news for Deon Cain is that Deshaun Watson will no longer be under center. That's not a knock on any of the QBs competing for Clemson's starting spot (I think it will be Kelly Bryant), but whoever is throwing the ball to Deon Cain will not be as good as Deshaun Watson. Plain and simple.

The ACC is expected to have some excellent competition in 2017, so Cain and the Tigers will be facing off against some high profile opponents with Louisville, Virginia Tech, and Florida State. Not to mention the Tigers play the other Tigers from Auburn in week two, which should be a phenomenal matchup.

J.T. Barrett

It's pretty likely that Ohio State enters 2017 as No. 1 in the preseason polls, and if not No. 1 it's a guarantee they'll land in the top three. So naturally their senior quarterback JT Barrett is in the national spotlight. Honestly, I feel like I've been watching JT Barrett for a decade now. I swear he was handing the ball off to Maurice Clarett.

My favorite thing that JT Barrett has ever done is allowing the world to experience Cardale Jones in 2014, what a time it was to be alive. But regarding his expectations for this year, JT Barrett has the fourth best odds to win the Heisman (+900), only behind Sam Darold (+275), Baker Mayfield (+750), and Lamar Jackson (+800). The Buckeyes have the second best odds to win the College Football Playoff, only behind Alabama of course.

In 2016, JT Barrett led Ohio State to an amazing regular season record of 11-1, which led to a disappointing playoff blowout to the eventual champions Clemson. Over the course of the season, Barrett threw for 2,555 yards and 24 touchdowns. He's proven to be very mobile, as he totaled 845 rushing yards and ran the ball into the end zone nine times.

What's happened is in the past, and there is nothing we can do to change it. But for the sake of holding grudges and sticking by your takes, JT Barrett did not get the first down against Michigan.

Just sayin'. 

Deondre Francois 



I firmly believe that Deondre Francois' sophomore season will be highlighted by a playoff berth. Despite losing Dalvin Cook, I think the Seminoles have improved since 2016. The combination of a better, deeper defense and a more experienced Francois will make for a special year.

Francois, the Orlando native, stands at 6'2" and 205 pounds. During his freshman campaign, in which the 'Noles finished 10-3 with an Orange Bowl victory, Francois threw for 3,350 yards (25th most in the country) and 20 touchdowns. Although he's athletic, Francois is not much of a scrambler. He averaged a measly 1.8 yards per carry on 108 attempts. But to his defense, he managed to tally five rushing touchdowns.

The 'Noles have one hell of a schedule to conquer this year: season opener against Alabama, hosting Miami week three, playing Louisville in Tallahassee on Oct. 21, and have to travel to Death Valley Nov. 11 to play the defending National Champions. And to top all of that off, the 'Noles end their regular season playing their rivaled Gators at the Swamp.

Deondre Francois has the potential to pull off a wildly impressive season if things go Florida State's way. The talent is there, but one bad loss can lead to a domino effect of shittiness in college football. Some teams just crumble. But I think this Seminoles squad is capable of fulfilling the expectations. Francois is a good quarterback with a great surrounding cast and a year of experience under his belt.

Bo Scarbrough



Before the 2016 season, Bo Scarbrough was a player I was really looking forward to watching. He fit the prototype as a beastly Alabama running back, so it didn't take an expert to predict he'd excite. Not to mention his high school picture legitimately looked like an NFL Pro Bowler.

Despite the presumptions for his success, it took until Alabama's seventh game at Tennessee for Bo to put up some serious yardage, when he tallied 109 yards with a touchdown. He missed two games in November against Mississippi State and Chattanooga, and then tore it up in the final four games:

• 11/26 vs. Auburn: 17 carries for 90 yards
• 12/3 SEC Championship vs. Florida: 11 carries for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
• 12/31 CFP Semifinal vs. Washington: 19 carries for 180 yards and two touchdowns.
• 1/9 CFP National Championship vs. Clemson: 16 carries for 93 yards and two touchdowns.

Although 'Bama ended up falling short in a thriller of a Natty Championship, at one point in that game it looked like the Tide were going to come out of it with a blowout win. During that point of the game, this was Tweeted

View from Clemson secondary pic.twitter.com/UaYUQpGXrc

— Mark Schlabach (@Mark_Schlabach) January 10, 2017

and I still think that's the only way to describe Bo Scarbrough running the ball when he's clocked in.

Bo's talent will be put to the test plenty of times this season against the always defensively-loaded SEC and in the opening weekend against Florida State. Alabama, once again, is the favorite to win the SEC and the National Championship. I think the Tide's offense is looking stellar between Jalen Hurts, Calvin Ridley, and Big Bo Scarbrough.

Maurice Hurst Jr. 



Maurice Hurst Jr., the fifth year senior (and Massachusetts native) looks to be Michigan's leading pash rusher this year. Michigan lost a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball, so Hurst deciding to stay for his fifth year was huge for the Wolverines. It doesn't take 20/20 vision to see Hurst's colossal size, and his ability to get off the ball quickly is what makes his game so impactful.

Hurst will be teamed up with last year's No. 1 recruit in the country Rashan Gary to anchor the defensive line. Both Hurst and Gary have been put on the preseason Bednarik Award watch list. Back in May, Mel Kiper released a 2018 NFL Mock Draft in which Hurst landed the No. 21 spot. If that's not enough for you, Pro Football Focus ranked Hurst as the No. 1 pass rushing defensive tackle in the nation.

Most productive interior pass rusher in the nation?@UMichFootball DT Maurice Hurst pic.twitter.com/wafMQ8yXF9

— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) June 7, 2017

Okay, I guess we have time for one more stop on the Mo Hurst preseason hype train: Sports Illustrated listed him as the No. 71 best player in the country for 2017. Obviously all of these preseason honors have to be proven, but Hurst's past performance has given many people reason to believe the hype.