| Part Two |
Rondale Moore | Sophomore WR | Purdue
| Highlights |
The Boilermakers boasted one of the BIG 10's best athletes in Rondale Moore, as he had an absolutely stellar freshman season in 2018. Moore's talents were undoubtedly recognized: he was named a first-team All-American, BIG 10 Wide Receiver of the Year, BIG 10 Freshman of the Year, and the winner of the Paul Hornung Award, which goes to the country's most versatile player. The freshman phenom led the nation in receptions with 114. His 1,258 receiving yards were the 11th most in the country, and his twelve touchdowns were tied for 8th most. His versatility was also proven through the run game and special teams; Moore tallied 213 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, averaged 20.1 yards on 33 kick returns, and averaged 6.8 yards on twelve punt returns. This kid came in so hot to the college football scene in his very first game against Northwestern, where he notched 313 all-purpose yards (109 receiving yards, 72 rushing yards, 125 kick return yards). He also broke Purdue's single-season all-purpose yards record with 2,215. This kid is unbelievably entertaining, and the BIG 10 is expected to be more competitive this season. I mean hell, you could say this kid really is a large reason Ohio State wasn't in the playoff last year as their sole loss came at Purdue. In the 49-20 thrashing of the Buckeyes, Moore put up twelve catches for 170 yards with two touchdowns, on top of 82 combined yards from rushes and special teams.
D'Andre Swift | Junior RB | Georgia
| Highlights |
It's become pretty easy to just start expecting Georgia running backs to be extraordinary talents while watching Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb, and Sony Michel on Sundays, and it seems as if junior D'Andre Swift has the opportunity to be next in line for that club. The Philly native should see an increase in his numbers this year, as he'll no longer be sharing carries with Elijah Holyfield, who has since joined the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent. Even with splitting time, Swift still surpassed the 1,000 yard rushing mark on the season, while averaging 6.4 yards for a carry, and got into the end zone ten times. He has also proven to be pretty reliable in the passing game, catching the ball 32 times last year for 297 total yards and three TDs (even freshman year he caught 17 balls for 153 yards and a TD). This guy's cuts are more lethal than those of a samurai sword autographed by Randy Jackson. Swift really proved that he could dominate opposing defenses in an impressive stretch to end the regular season: in four of Georgia's last five regular season games he rushed for triple-digit yardage. That stretch was highlighted by a 186 rushing yard performance (topped off by 43 reception yards) in a win over Auburn. The Georgia Bulldogs will be out for revenge in 2019 after not only blowing the conference championship against 'Bama last year, but also falling to Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Kirby Smart has some very key guys returning, and D'Andre Swift will prove to be one of them.
Jalen Hurts | Senior QB | Oklahoma
| Highlights |
I had just mentioned Georgia blowing the SEC Championship to Alabama, and the sole reason for that collapse was Jalen Hurts, and his ability to step up when Tua was hurting. Hurts came in with such confidence and force, it really made for a great story. Ever since Hurts was a freshman, he's caught too much negativity, far too much, over the years. Even his freshman season he led the Tide to the National Championship, where he did what he needed to do by using his feet and getting the ball into the end zone to take the lead with 2:07 to play. In most scenarios, the Alabama defense would make a stop and Jalen goes out there to take a knee. Unfortunately for Hurts, Deshaun Watson was under center for Clemson that night and led an absolutely surgical two-minute drill to snatch back the lead as the clock wound down. But that's not on Hurts. He won that game for them until the defense lost it or Deshaun won it, depending how you look at it. Hurts' reputation has also taken a hit by being compared to Tua, Kyler Murray, and Baker Mayfield. Those are all first-round talents (along with Watson), and Hurts is obviously still wildly effective, the bar has juts been set so high around him. I'm really looking forward to see what he can do in his final season. It will be interesting to see how Lincoln Riley utilizes him because he's not quite as quick as Murray and Mayfield, and we haven't seen Hurts play in a typical air-raid Big 12 offense. Hurts will certainly be a fan of the drop in talent from SEC defenses to Big 12 defenses, and his uniform change is extremely minimal if that helps his comfort at all. Hurts has raw talent, skilled weapons, and great coaching. I wouldn't be shocked at all if Hurts is able to lead the Sooners back to the playoff in 2019.
Bryce Hall | Senior CB | Virginia
| Highlights |
There's been a lot of winning going on lately at the University of Virginia, and although there's literally a negative infinity percent chance of the Cavaliers running the table and becoming National Champs of the College Football Playoff, they at least have one of the nation's top cornerbacks. Bryce Hall will certainly be on an NFL roster next year; the 6 foot 1, 200 pound shutdown corner led the nation last year with 21 passes defended and was a second-team All-American (first-team All-ACC). He picked the ball off twice last year (once vs. Louisville, once @ Duke), and forced two fumbles with one fumble recovery. He totaled 62 tackles with 39 being solo and 23 assisted. UVA's defense has some good returning experience, and the team as a whole could maybe continue the momentum of a 28-0 Belk Bowl win over South Carolina to cap off last season. Back in his high school days, Hall was considered a two-star prospect and his only FBS offer aside from Virginia was Coastal Carolina. And now it's more probable than not that he'll be drafted in the first round or two next spring.
Shea Patterson | Senior QB | Michigan
| Highlights |
I'm not sure if Jim Harbaugh's underwhelming tenure has led me to be underwhelmed by Shea Patterson, but I think that may be the case. When Patterson first transferred into Ann Arbor from Ole Miss, everyone kind of had the feeling of, "this is exactly the piece that Harbaugh needed, it's all about to happen." Granted, "it" being a win over Ohio State and a BIG 10 Championship (at least championship game appearance), did not happen last season. What an absolute shellacking it was in Columbus last November. But it's a new season, and Urban Meyer is gone, and once again people are speculating that this is the year Michigan takes back over. This is all obviously very dependent on the play of Shea Patterson. And it may seem like I'm hating on Michigan here but I'm certainly not. I would love for Patterson to go off and end the Buckeyes' recent reign. Who wouldn't? Other than OSU fans. In 2018 Paterson completed 64.6% of his passes (210/325) for 2,600 yards and 22 TDs. He also ran the ball 76 times for 273 yards and two touchdowns; the kid is mobile enough to make plays but they'd certainly rather limit his rushes. Although he is really good at extending plays when pressured from the pass rush. Word on the street is that Michigan will be opening up their offensive scheme a bit more than in the past, which should present a new type of opportunity for Patterson to capitalize on in 2019.
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