College Football Players to Watch in 2018 (Part 2 of 5)

Just like last 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 two of five:

(Read part 1 here)

Ed Oliver, DT, Houston Cougars

(Highlights here)

Ed Oliver has been on my list, along with almost everyone else's, for a few years now. He came into his freshman year at Houston as a five-star recruit, attracting the attention of many. And as Ed Oliver enters his junior year, that same attention has been garnered with the defensive tackle being ranked the No. 1 college football player in the country by Sports Illustrated. It is believed by many that Ed Oliver could go first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Oliver has earned All-American honors in both of his seasons at Houston, won the Outland Trophy in 2017 (awarded to college football's best interior lineman), and was the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 290 pounds, watching Ed Oliver's mobility can leave a spectator's brain in a state of confusion and shock. His ability to deny engagement with offensive linemen and get into the backfield makes it look easy. He tallied 73 tackles in 12 games last year, with 16.5 of those being tackles for loss. Just like the two previous seasons, we should all be expecting big things from Ed Oliver in 2018 for his final season before the NFL.

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin Badgers

(Highlights here)

Jonathan Taylor made a name for himself in a massive way throughout the 2017 season, as he broke Adrian Peterson's record for most rushing yards by a freshman. Taylor finished with 1,977 yards, which was the third most in the country. The star freshman added 13 rushing touchdowns on top of his record-breaking yardage performance.

Taylor's consistency throughout his freshman season might be more admirable than his incredible final numbers. The New Jersey native recorded triple-digit rushing totals in ten of the Badgers' fourteen games. In the four games that he didn't reach the 100-yard mark, he still rushed for 87 yards against Utah State (averaging 9.7 yards per carry), 80 yards against Northwestern, 73 yards against Illinois, and 41 yards in a disappointing BIG 10 Championship loss to Ohio State.

The Wisconsin Badgers are causing some serious buzz, as one of the nation's most consistent programs as of late hopes to be a legitimate contender for the playoff. Not that they've been completely out of the playoff picture in recent years, but the expectations are now undoubtedly higher. It's time to beat Ohio State. And with the Badgers in the national spotlight, expect to hear plenty of chatter about Jonathan Taylor as he sets out to continue 2017's success.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama Crimson Tide

Tua Tagovailoa is probably the only player in the country with his amount of starting experience that is on a first name basis for spectators across the country. That is partially due to his last name being wildly difficult to pronounce/spell, but also mainly due to his legendary performance that brought Alabama yet another National Championship. Now, Tua still hasn't been officially named the starting quarterback for the Tide in 2018, but the everlasting buzz of Tua replacing Jalen Hurts in the second half against Georgia gives me the sense that Tua is their guy. I may just be blinded by the hype, but I do think Tua puts his team in a better position to succeed than Hurts does. Tua has an absolute rocket arm, which would pair very nicely with his young, talented receiving corps.

If there's any program that can afford to take a risk at quarterback, it's Alabama. Again, I believe Tua to be far more talented than Jalen Hurts. But if experience is a concern, the Crimson Tide field a roster so talented and well-rounded that a mediocre quarterback can still avoid tallies in the loss column. You can't help but think the National Championship presented a polarizing swing of emotional momentum amongst the Alabama quarterbacks, with Tua being on the right end of that spectrum. It should be noted that Tua was hurt for a large portion of spring practices, so hopefully that won't slow down his progress heading into the fall. If I'm wrong and Jalen Hurts is named QB1 over Tua, I'll simply just sit and wait until Tua takes the job back.

Greedy Williams, CB, LSU

(Highlights here)

Andraez "Greedy" Williams has one of the best names in all of college football, without a doubt. It's right up there with Texas Longhorns receiver Lil' Jordan Humphrey and former Texas A&M receiver Speedy Noil. And on top of Greedy Williams' fantastic name, he's got some serious talent. In Greedy's first season as a redshirt freshman, he led the SEC in interceptions with six (fourth most in the country). He is listed as NFL.com's 20th best player in the country for 2018, he earned first team All-SEC honors in 2017, and is being deemed the next big thing out of the LSU defensive backfield. LSU boasts some incredible defensive back alumni, including Tyrann Mathieu and Patrick Peterson of the Arizona Cardinals.

Greedy Williams is listed at 6 feet two inches, and 182 pounds. His long frame allows him to stay in stride with receivers while preventing an offensive connection once the ball is in the air. In his redshirt freshman season, Greedy recorded a total of 38 tackles and had ten passes defended, the fourth most in the SEC. Williams is an absolute ball hawk as one of the premier cornerbacks in the country, and we'll get to see him go to work in LSU's season opener against the Miami Hurricanes.

Cam Akers, RB, Florida State Seminoles

(Highlights here)

Cam Akers heads into his sophomore season in presumably varied circumstances than when he first committed to Florida State: no Jimbo Fisher as head coach, coming off of a season in which the 'Noles finished 7-6, only tallying three conference wins. Granted, some of FSU's problems came on Labor Day Weekend when Deondre Francois was injured against Alabama. But 2017 presented many more issues in Tallahassee than an injured QB.

Despite his team's uncharacteristic season, Cam Akers still turned plenty of heads with his play. His numbers weren't anywhere near the top of the nation, totaling 1,025 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns, but the explosive manner in which he plays is certainly worth noting. Akers also proved himself to be pretty useful in the passing game, catching the ball 16 times for 116 yards and a touchdown. In 2017, Akers broke Dalvin Cook's rushing record for Florida State freshmen. Akers hit the triple-digit mark in rushing yards four times last season: 121 yards against Miami, 115 yards at Duke, 199 yards against Syracuse, and 117 yards against Louisiana-Monroe. Regardless of the Seminoles' potential problems this fall, Cam Akers will be sure to put on a show for anyone watching.