Trevor Lawrence | Sophomore QB | Clemson
| Highlights |
Quarterback continuity is always a blessing, and the reigning national champs are blessed beyond belief to have Trevor Lawrence back. After the show this kid put on during his freshman season, he has been labeled as a generational talent. It's pretty much the consensus that he's NFL-ready at the age of 19. For the first three games of the 2018 season, Lawrence was part of an ongoing QB competition with Kelly Bryant, who has since transferred to Mizzou. Dabo Swinney deemed Lawrence as QB1 after he went 13/18 for 176 yards and four touchdowns at Georgia Tech. In total, he tallied up 30 touchdown passes (tied for 10th most with Jake Fromm and Brett Rypien) and 3,280 yards, completing 65.2% of his throws. He only threw four interceptions on 259 passing attempts (the last pick was Nov. 10 at BC). He's poised, smart, and surgical, which was largely put on display in the College Football Playoff: 27/39 for 327 yards and three touchdowns against Notre Dame; 20/32 for 347 yards and three touchdowns against Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide. This kid is appointment television and will be one of the Heisman favorites throughout the season.
Jonathan Taylor | Junior RB | Wisconsin
| Highlights |
The Wisconsin Badgers certainly underachieved in 2018, but star running back Jonathan Taylor did not disappoint in the slightest. Taylor caught everyone's attention during his stellar freshman campaign, and last year he just continued to impress by leading the nation with 2,194 rushing yards, 168.8 rush yards per game, and 2,254 yards from scrimmage. The Doak Walker Award winner/unanimous first-team All-American recorded 16 rushing touchdowns, which was tied for ninth most in the nation. This absolute freak eclipsed the 200-yard rushing mark in five different games last season, and was only held under triple-digit rushing yards once (46 yards on 11 carries @ Northwestern). His most dominant performance came on the road against Purdue, where he ran for 321 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 9.7 yards per carry. Jonathan Taylor is clearly next in line for the Badger-turned-pro club. Taylor only needs 506 yards to become the university's fifth all-time leading rusher. While keeping an eye on this stud, take some time to appreciate the ridiculous consistency of beastly, cheese-fed Wisconsin offensive lines.
Evan Weaver | Senior LB | Cal
| Highlights |
There seems to be a lot of uncertainty throughout the Pac 12 at the moment; it's somewhat of a mystery as to which team should be considered the favorite to win the conference, they're questioning why they decided to locate their headquarters in pricy San Francisco, and they're wondering when their next chance will be to play in the College Football Playoff. But if there's one thing that is for certain, it's that the conference boasts one of the best linebackers in the entire country, Evan Weaver of the Cal Golden Bears. Weaver was the center piece of a very impressive defensive unit in 2018, which only allowed 317.2 total yards per game (15th best in the country) and 20.4 points per game. Weaver was tied for second-most total tackles in the country, racking up 155 over the course of the season (88 solo, 67 assisted). The senior is listed at 6 foot 3, weighing in at 245 pounds, and he's an absolute magnet to the ball. 8.5 of his tackles last season were for loss, with 4.5 being sacks. His most impressive showing in 2018 came against Colorado where he recorded 18 tackles. That's just absurd. And I can't fail to mention his two interceptions last year, with one being a 37 yard pick-six in a 12-10 upset win over Washington (the other came against Washington State). Weaver is a second-team preseason All-American, and needs just 29 tackles to crack the top ten of Cal's all time tackle leaders.
Jerry Jeudy | Junior WR | Alabama
| Highlights |
The "best wide receiver in the nation" throne is Jerry Jeudy's to lose this season. There are a few other guys that are kind of close, but as far as I'm concerned nobody is as talented as Jerry Jeudy until proven otherwise. The 2018 Biletnikof Award winner and first team All-American reached the end zone 14 times (third most in the country) and totaled 1,135 receiving yards (10th most in the country). On four separate occasions last year, he reeled in multiple touchdowns in one contest. The South Florida native broke the triple digit threshold in receiving yards five times in 2018, including the National Championship where he had five catches for 139 yards and a touchdown. When Jerry Jeudy has the ball in space, it's over for the defense. He's so incredibly talented at making guys miss. Whether it's a juke, a euro step, or just pure breakaway speed, he's a delight to watch after he makes the catch. I can't imagine his numbers looking any lower this season with Tua still tossing dimes to him.
Jalen Reagor | Junior WR | TCU
| Highlights |
You're always bound to come across a few ridiculously athletic wide receivers in the Big 12, and that's undoubtedly the case for Jalen Reagor of the TCU Horned Frogs. His versatility is certainly utilized properly; he caught the ball 72 times for 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns, while he ran the ball 13 times for 170 yards (13.1 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. Reagor's extraordinary speed is very effective on jet sweeps. His sophomore campaign was highlighted by TCU's regular season finale against Oklahoma State, where Reagor rushed for 121 yards on five carries and made eight catches for 91 yards. He notched a touchdown both through the air and on the ground. Two other noteworthy performances from last year came at Kansas where he had 177 reception yards, and a 150 reception yard clinic at West Virginia. Reagor was also used for some special teams, as he averaged 12.1 yards on eight punt returns and 30.3 yards on four kick returns. TCU is certainly looking for a bounce back season in 2019, and Jalen Reagor is expected to be their biggest playmaker.
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