10 Freshmen Who Could Make An Instant Impact This Fall in College Football

The hype and hoopla surrounding National Signing Day are now behind us and it’s time for the players in the class of 2016 to focus on improving and getting onto the field. There are a ton of outstanding players in this year’s crop, but often players take a year or two to acclimate to the college game. Below is a list of 10 guys we don’t think will take that long.

The list considers not just a player’s talent, but the chances of him seeing the field. For example, Shea Patterson is likely the top quarterback in the class, but he is headed to Ole Miss, where Chad Kelly is the incumbent starter. The likelihood that he makes an impact in 2016 is incredibly slim.

With that in mind, here is our list of 10 true freshmen who could make an instant impact on college football this fall.

Nick Bosa, DE, Ohio State

Bosa 2.0 will arrive in Columbus with expectations through the roof for his career. While those will be incredibly unfair, and Nick is not the kind of force his brother Joey was, he is still an excellent football player. At 6-4 and 265 pounds, Bosa is physically ready to play college football and probably has been for a year or two.

With so much talent departing Columbus this year, Urban Meyer’s top recruit will have every opportunity to play as a freshman. He and fellow first-year defensive end Jonathon Cooper should both be firmly in the mix and making an impact by mid-season.

Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson

Clemson’s defense got a whole lot better during this recruiting cycle, and Lawrence is clearly the biggest impact player the Tigers landed. He’s just your average 6-5, 330-pound defensive tackle who is quick, strong and flexible. The most impressive thing about Lawrence is his motor and relentless pursuit of the ball. The guy was double-teamed constantly and still managed to make a huge impact every time he stepped on the field.

Clemson has a great team returning in 2016, but Lawrence is the kind of kid you can’t keep off the field. He hits like a bull, is always around the ball and is one of the most intimidating players in the class.

Kareem Walker, RB, Michigan

We all know Jim Harbaugh loves to run the football and that his teams always attempt to wear down the opposition with size and power. In Kareem Walker, he got the perfect running back for his offensive system, and despite the return of De’Veon Smith, expect the youngster to have every chance to be the team’s lead back.

Walker is a 6-1, 210-pound bruiser who also has the speed to run by defenders on the second-level. He doesn’t have a whole lot of shake to him, but he should be a fantastic between-the-tackles rusher for the Wolverines immediately. He enrolled early and will be on hand for spring practice, which should help his chances of making an impact this fall. He has all the makings of a classic stud Big Ten running back.

Jack Jones, CB, USC

Long Beach Poly has been good to USC for years, but recently it has given the Trojans two studs in a pair a five-star players: wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and cornerback Iman Marshall. Jones gives USC a third straight year with a five-star commit from Poly.

Jones is a 5-11, 164-pound corner who should have at least 15 more pounds on him by the time fall camp rolls around. Not only is he an instinctive playmaker in the secondary, he is also explosive with the ball in his hands. He comes in the mold of current Trojan Adoree Jackson, in that he’ll almost certainly be a cornerback first, but could also see time on offense and special teams.

Jones is too explosive not to at least get him the ball from time to time. New Trojans head coach Clay Helton had a phenomenal first signing day, and Jones was the cherry on top at the end.

Feleipe Franks, QB, Florida

Florida’s biggest problem last year was a lack of stability at the quarterback position. With that in mind they were able to land Franks, a 6-5, 210-pound pro-style signal-caller out of Crawfordville, FL. Franks flipped his commitment from LSU to Florida back in November and is already in Gainesville learning head coach Jim McElwain’s system.

Franks is certainly a pass-first guy, but he’s not a statue in the pocket. He has a great arm and doesn’t mind sitting back and picking a defense apart, but can also move. He’s not ever going to be a guy you design runs for, but Franks can get out of the pocket and make things happen when he needs to. With so much turmoil at the quarterback position for Florida last year, it would behoove McElwain to build around his young four-star in 2016. He’s the best option the Gators have.

Mique Juarez, OLB, UCLA

Myles Jack is gone to the NFL leaving UCLA without a superior defensive playmaker. Luckily, Juarez committed to the Bruins and he should go a long way to filling that hole in Westwood. The 6-2, 231-pound five-star outside linebacker from Torrance, CA is a strong playmaker who can hit and has phenomenal instincts.

Juarez will almost certainly get the chance to replace Jack from Day 1. He’s an all-purpose outside backer, meaning he can make plays in all directions. A true sideline-to-sideline talent who will make an impact as soon as he steps on a college football field.

Miles Sanders, RB, Penn State

James Franklin scored himself a good one when he convinced Sanders to stay in his home state. The 5-11, 200-pound running back is likely to see a ton of carries as a freshman, despite the return of leading rusher Saquon Barkley. Sanders is too good to sit on the bench.

What separates Sanders from his peers is his patience and ability let his blockers do work for him. He’s not a burner, but in the open field he can run away from defenders. His vision and anticipation make up for a lack of top-end speed and his long strides just chew up yards when he’s in the clear. He is a strong runner who doesn’t go down on first contact, and he should only get bigger and stronger over the summer. Expect him on the field early in the season.

Ed Oliver, DT, Houston

Houston head coach Tom Herman had a hell of a first year in town, and a big part of that was landing the school’s first-ever five-star recruit in Ed Oliver. The 6-2, 280-pound defensive tackle will become the best player on Houston’s defense at some point during his freshman year and should completely dominate his American Athletic Conference opponents in short order.

Oliver is unbelievably quick for his size and his go-to pass rushing move seems to be dipping his shoulder under the pads of the offensive lineman across from him and bolting into the backfield. He has enough open-field speed to track plays down from behind and could flex out to defensive end at times if needed. The guy is an impressive athlete and Houston is lucky to have him.

Rashan Gary, DT, Michigan

Gary was the consensus No. 1 overall player in the nation for a reason. The 6-5, 293-pound tackle is an absolute beast. In what was a very good defensive line class, he was head-and-shoulders above the competition. The Paramus, New Jersey product has insane burst off the line, power at the point of attack and enough quickness to disengage from blockers and get into the backfield. He moves like an edge rusher but he’s almost 300 pounds and plays tackle.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh went all out to get Gary and it’s not hard to see why. Expect him to make an impact early and often this fall.

Jacob Eason, QB, Georgia

While most observers (including this one) had Ole Miss signee Shea Patterson as the top quarterback in this year’s class, Eason isn’t far behind and he has a much better chance to start as a true freshman. New Georgia head coach Kirby Smart did a great job keeping Eason in the fold after his hiring, and he’d do well to hand the reins to the kid immediately.

At 6-5 and 210 pounds, Eason has the size, arm strength and pocket presence to step in and beat out returning starter Greyson Lambert. Eason is the rare quarterback who could make his team better in his first year on campus, expect him to get that chance.