Which quarterbacks, transfers and potential breakout stars could define this season's College Football Playoff chase? Bill Connelly breaks them all down.
Washington's Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon's Bo Nix both transcended expectations and took the Huskies and Ducks to new levels in 2023. Cornelius Johnson and, Florida State's Jordan Travis and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy all made game-changing leaps that either helped their teams find the College Football Playoff or should have. LSU's Jayden Daniels took a leap to Heisman immortality. Alabama'slist did its job, in other words.
Nolen was one of the shining lights of Lane Kiffin's 2024 transfer class, one loaded with possible breakthrough contributors in the trenches. Kiffin's Rebels have lagged behind the Georgias and Alabamas when it comes to line play, and if Nolen is properly focused and playing at a high level, Ole Miss has genuine top-five potential.He's listed at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, but in the open field he looks about 6-foot-4, 235.
The less-good news: Milroe's skill corps is getting rebuilt almost from scratch. Last year's top two rushers are gone, as are four of Milroe's top five targets. The vast number of former blue-chippers on the roster is unlike anything DeBoer has worked with to date, but experience still matters, and Prentice and Washington transfer Germie Bernard have far more of it than anyone else. Prentice came off the bench in 2023 but averaged a robust 2.6 yards per route and averaged 17.
You can make an easy case for both a Ward and Miami breakout campaign this year. Ward and Oregon State transfer Damien Martinez will form one of the most high-upside backfields in the sport, defensive tackle. is a star and Miami plays only one projected top-30 team on the road. If Ward lives up to his billing , the Hurricanes could make their own game-changing leap. But this is a rake we've stepped on before.It's always hard being the guy who follows the guy.
Last year, we had four repeat names on the Most Important Players list; this year we only have two, but they're both as important as it gets. It was easy to see how signing Allar might represent the best possible chance for Penn State to make the long-elusive leap from very good to elite. He was the No. 1 pocket-passer prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, he has the requisite cannon arm, and James Franklin also signed two stud running backs in the same class.
He throws one of the prettiest deep balls you'll ever see: He completed 45% of passes thrown at least 25 yards downfield with an average of 44.4 yards per completion and TDs on 57% of completions. But on more intermediate passes, he was very average, completing just 52% of passes thrown 11-20 yards downfield .
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