College Football: Players to watch in 2017 (Part 4 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 four of five:

(Part One)
(Part Two)
(Part Three)

Jake Browning



Although Jake Browning and the Washington Huskies ended their 2016 with a 24-7 loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff, the year was wildly successful leading up to that New Year's Eve matchup. Much of that success came thanks to sophomore QB Jake Browning and his main target, John Ross who was just drafted No. 9 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals (he also broke the record for the 40 yard dash with a time of 4.22). So having Browning back is huge for the Huskies, but things won't be as easy for him in his junior year without John Ross and with a stronger Pac 12 than in 2016. They're out-of-conference schedule is impressively weak, as their first three opponents are Rutgers, Montana, and Fresno State. All at home. Not that last year's games in weeks 1-3 were all that impressive in comparison (Rutgers, Idaho, Portland State all at home), but they still managed to land a playoff spot. But the main issue is that the Huskies will be given a major run for their money by Stanford, Utah, and Washington State. If they do wind up in the Pac 12 Championship, good luck with USC.

Anyway, back to Browning. In his sophomore campaign he was tied at the No. 20 spot for passing yards in the country with 3,340. More impressively, he had the second most touchdown passes in the country with 43 (17 of which were tosses to John Ross). Browning's odds to win the Heisman are currently at +1800, which are the same odds as Nick Chubb and Deondre Francois. Browning is also on the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award, which is essentially the JV Heisman.

Browning got shoulder surgery back in January, but was rehabbed in time to throw the ball around  a few times in the spring game. There certainly is the lingering question if that will negatively affect his game, but honestly with today's insane level of sports medicine I'm sure that won't be an issue. I'd expect senior wide receiver Dante Pettis to be Browning's No.1 guy.

Jalen Hurts



I think Jalen hurts gets criticized a little too heavily for a true freshman who took over as QB1 for the most dominant program since the turn of the century, leading them to a 14-1 record, literally seconds away from winning a National Championship until Deshaun Watson surgically picked apart the highly praised Crimson Tide defense. That's not too shabby of a college football debut, but the expectation for Alabama every year is to go undefeated as the champions of the SEC and the National Championship. Anything short of that is a failure. That's just how the Tide rolls in Tuscaloosa.

Personally, I think Jalen Hurts has done very well, I mean most QBs would kill for that season. I wouldn't go so far as to say Hurts could win the Heisman; I just don't see that trophy being handed to an Alabama quarterback. I think if you bet on Hurts to win the Heisman at +1600 you're a fool. But that doesn't deny the fact that Hurts will lead Alabama through the SEC and into the College Football Playoff. Although I do think they'll have one regular season loss in there. Hurts' stat sheet isn't quite the Mona Lisa but it certainly isn't macaroni art. The true freshman, Texas-native threw for 2,780 yards and 23 touchdowns (tied for 35th most in 2016), while also rushing for 954 yards and 13 touchdowns. He's great with the read option, which allows 'Bama to cater to their strength: running it right down their throat.

Alabama opens their season against Florida State, and also has to go up against LSU and Auburn, who are both supposed to have great years. But at the end of the day, I've learned to just trust that Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide will win the SEC more often than they will not. I don't think they're quite in "guaranteeing national championship" territory anymore, but guaranteeing a playoff spot is more than likely to be backed up on the field. For the record, Alabama has the best odds by far to win the National Championship at +275. The next closest is Ohio State at +600.


Malik Jefferson 



A noteworthy defensive player in the Big 12? I know, pretty wild. But it's undeniable that junior linebacker Malik Jefferson brings the heat. Before becoming a Longhorn, Jefferson was the No. 10 ranked recruit in the nation. Although Texas has struggled in recent years, Malik Jefferson has still impressed many, grabbing the attention of NFL scouts. Chad Reuter of NFL.com has Jefferson ranked as the 13th best player heading into the 2017 season.

Malik Jefferson stands at 6'3" and 240 pounds. He's got a little less mass to him than the elite tier of NFL linebackers, but his athleticism allows him to boast fantastic playmaking abilities. Jefferson is a very dynamic player; he can rush off the edge, play inside, and drop back into coverage. I'm excited to see Jefferson's performance improve even more under the instruction of Tom Herman, who had awesome defenses at Houston.

Jefferson's preseason praise has been put on display with his presence on multiple preseason watch lists:

• 2017 Bednarik Award watch list (best defensive player)
• 2017 Preseason All-Big 12
• 2017 Preseason All-American

Jefferson was also honored on the second team all-Big 12 last season. He recorded 62 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks.

Baker Mayfield



There's not too much that we don't know about Baker Mayfield as he enters his senior season. The kid can flat out play, hands down. He's a constant highlight reel that puts up big time numbers. He had the ninth most passing yards in the nation last year with 3,965 while also tossing the sixth most touchdown passes with 40. Although Mayfield is extremely mobile and tends to scramble, Oklahoma's love of the deep ball restricted him to 177 total rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

Mayfield currently has the second best odds to win the Heisman at +750, only behind Same Darnold at +275. Mayfield winning the Heisman wouldn't particularly be an underdog story, but my gut tells me it'd be a bad bet. But then again, the style of play in the Big 12 enables quarterbacks to put up ridiculous stats. In 2016, three of the top ten passing yard leaders were out of the Big 12 (No. 1 Patrick Mahomes with 5,052; No. 8 Mason Rudolph with 4,091; No. 9 Baker Mayfield).

The Sooners have had a successful run with Mayfield under center: in 2015 he led them to the College Football Playoff, where they eventually lost to Clemson 37-17. And in 2016 he led them to an 11-2 record topped off with a 35-19 Sugar Bowl win over Auburn. Earlier this summer Oklahoma's head coach Bob Stoops stepped down, so I think there's a little bit more weight on Baker Mayfield's shoulders as 33 year old Lincoln Riley will be adapting to his new role as head coach of one of the most storied football programs of all time. The Sooners' first big test will come in week two as they travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Buckeyes.

Bradley Chubb


Year in and year out I consistently consider NC State to be a trap game for the top tier programs of the ACC. The Wolfpack aren't typically in the running for the ACC Championship, but they usually have enough talent to be at least capable of upsetting the likes of Clemson and Florida State. Well this season, the NC State defensive line is just ridiculous. This beastly D-line is led by Bradley Chubb, the cousin of Georgia running back Nick Chubb and the brother of Wake Forest linebacker Brandon Chubb. The senior defensive end is 6 foot 4 and 275 pounds. He's explosive, he's aggressive, and he's sure as hell going to make some noise in the ACC this year, a conference whose stock is rising like Christ on Easter.

I genuinely think we'll be hearing Bradley Chubbs' name called in the first or second round of the 2018 NFL draft. He has the size, his block-shedding could use some improvement before making some noise in the League, but the raw talent and potential are there.

In 2016 he recorded the fourth most tackles for loss in the country with 22. Chubbs was elected as a team captain last year and had the honor of wearing the No. 9 Mario Williams jersey. He is on the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy for defensive player of the year. He also has a few studs wearing the same uniform as him, as BJ Hill (D-tackle) and Tony Adams (offensive tackle) are on the preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy. Hill also joins Chubbs on the Nagurski radar.

The Wolfpack have a very intriguing start to their season, as they face off again another Carolina school- the USC Gamecocks. There are a few early ACC vs. SEC games this season, which will be great for the "Who is the best conference" debate. This is one of those gritty, lower tier games of the Atlantic Coast vs. the Southeast conferences, but will probably have some major leverage when the debate seeks a conclusion at the end of the season. I'm taking NC State in that one.