College football players to watch: Part 2 of 5

 | Part one if you missed it |

Labor Day Weekend is approaching much more quickly than you think, which is a horrible thought for some but an absolute delight for someone like myself. As I've done in the past few seasons, I'll be previewing some players to watch in this upcoming college football season. There is no particular order to these previews, just a bunch of dudes that you should keep an eye on from your couch this fall if you're lookin' to optimize your good time. Part two of five:

Tua Tagovailoa | Junior QB | Alabama

| Highlights |

Tua is a prime example of one of those guys whose presence on a "players to watch" list seems kind of pointless, since he's so obviously one of the most talented QBs in college football that we've seen in awhile. But he's one of those guys whose talent is so worthy of making sure the masses are truly appreciating it. Tua had an absolutely marvelous season, piling up numbers while rarely playing in the fourth quarter of games. The Hawaiian native led the nation last year in passing efficiency rating with a 199.4. No quarterback in the country aside from Dwayne Haskins threw more TD passes than Tua's 43. Tua was barely edged out by Kyler Murray in Heisman voting, but Tua still took home the Walter Camp Player of the Year and the Maxwell Award. His 3,966 total passing yards were the 5th most in the country, and he only threw six interceptions on 355 passing attempts. In six different games last year (A&M, Arkansas, Tennessee, Citadel, Auburn, Oklahoma), he was able to tally at least 300 yards AND three touchdowns. It's being reported that Tua is currently dealing with a hamstring injury, but we can all just hope that he'll have enough time to rehab it before the season, because he is truly so much fun to watch.

Lavisk Shenault | Junior WR | Colorado

| Highlights |

The rhythm and stat lines of Lavisk Shenault's sophomore season were stunted a bit by injury, as the Colorado Buffs wide receiver only played in nine games last year. But that didn't stop him from making a name for himself, recording 86 receptions (tied for 13th most in the country), 1,011 receiving yards, and six receiving touchdowns. The Buffs also used him in the ground game a bit, where he got into the end zone five times and averaged 6.8 yards per carry. When this kid has the ball in his hands he could easily be mistaken for a highly talented running back; the Buffs like dishing him short dump and shovel passes, allowing him to just take over and gain yardage. He passed the 100-yard mark in receptions on five separate occasions last year: 211 vs Colorado State, 177 at Nebraska, 126 vs UCLA, 127 vs Arizona State, and 102 vs Washington State. I know Colorado games probably aren't at the top of most people's weekend to-do lists, but Lavisk Shenault is one of the more intriguing athlete's in college football this year. 

Travis Etienne | Junior RB | Clemson

| Highlights |

It is not hyperbole in the slightest to say that Travis Etienne singlehandedly saved Clemson's 15-0, National Championship season. Of course Etienne put up monster numbers all season, and is inarguably one of the nation's top running backs, but without his dominant performance against Syracuse, the Tigers would not have been undefeated. Remember, that was Clemson's first game without Kelly Bryant. Trevor Lawrence left the game with an injury, and Syracuse is one of the few competitive teams in the ACC. It was a perfect storm for the alleged shoo-in to be unexpectedly toppled. But Etienne totaled 203 yards on 27 rushes (7.5 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. He stepped up when they needed him that game, and he stepped up...well, every other game actually. Etienne won the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year; his 24 rushing touchdowns were the most in the nation, he had the fifth highest average yards per carry with 8.1, and totaled the fourth most rushing yards with 1,658. There were only two games in Clemson's 15 that didn't include a Travis Etienne touchdown. He ran for triple digits eight times last season. With the amount of talent that is returning, the Clemson offense should be a well-oiled machine from the start.

Chase Young | Sophomore DE | Ohio State

| Highlights |

Now that there aren't any more Bosa brothers coming off the edge in Columbus, are BIG 10 offenses able to exhale in relief? Not quite, because it seems as if Chase Young is just another NFL-caliber defensive end coming out of the Ohio State University. The 6'5" 265 pound beast has plenty of speed and strength to go along with the size. He's even athletic enough to drop into pass coverage if necessary; he notched five passes defended in 2018. He had the second most sacks in the BIG 10 last season with 9.5, forced a fumble, and had 14.5 tackles for loss. Young totaled 33 tackles last year (24 solo, 9 assisted). He is projected by the majority to be an early pick in next year's NFL Draft.

Justin Herbert | Senior QB | Oregon 

| Highlights |

There was a good chunk of speculation last year that Justin Herbert would enter the NFL Draft, but with his return to Eugene, Oregon the expectations are rightfully very high. Herbert currently holds the longest streak of active players for going 28 straight games with a touchdown pass. In 2018 Herbert threw for 3,151 yards and 29 touchdowns (tied for 13th most). The Ducks QB only threw eight picks on 404 passing attempts. I feel like Herbert staying for his senior season was the correct decision because I believe this is his best chance to reach his ceiling. This will be the first season in which Herbert is playing under the same head coach as the year prior; Herbert's freshman season in 2016 was Mark Helfrich's final one with Oregon, 2017 was Willie Taggart's sole season with the Ducks (Herbert got injured that year as well), and then last year was Mario Cristobal's first season as head coach. So it'll be nice to know that Herbert has now gotten the chance to settle in a bit with Cristobal's system. The Ducks open up the season against Auburn which should be a serious challenge. Last year Herbert opened the season up with a bang against Bowling Green by throwing for five touchdowns.