College football is coming and with it, the best juniors of the 2015-16 season. Juniors are in that sweet spot wherein they already have enough experience to give them an extra edge against the competition, while also still having the chance to improve should they decide to play their senior year.
This year’s juniors are loaded with talent from national championship-winning quarterbacks, All-Americans, season award-winners and do-it-all players. Read on as we take a look at the top 10 juniors ahead of the 2015-16 NCAA Football season.
How did these juniors get here? By going through their rookie and sophomore years, of course. Check out our list of this year’s top rookies and sophomores, who may one day find themselves on this list.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Top 10 Juniors of the 2015-16 College Football Season
10. Justin Thomas, QB, Georgia Tech
The spotlight will be on running quarterback Justin Thomas ahead of Georgia Tech’s 2015-2016 campaign. With Florida State seemingly weakened after losing a couple of stars, the ACC may have become the Yellow Jackets’ for the taking. They’ll need their Heisman contender and signal caller Thomas to lead them there on the strength of his running game.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Thomas was Tech’s leading rusher last season with 1,086 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged more than 5.7 yards per carry as Georgia Tech repeatedly unleashed its triple-option offense against helpless opponents. Thomas was also excellent in reading defenses to see which one of his running backs he’d hand off to. The result: Tech ranked second in the nation with 342.1 yards rushing.
9. Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State
Who would’ve thought that a third-string quarterback would win Ohio State a championship? Almost no one. Cardale Jones only has three starts in his career, but he made sure to get the most out of them. He threw for a combined 742 yards and five touchdowns in wins over Wisconsin (Big Ten Championship Game), Alabama (Rose Bowl/College Football Playoff Semifinal) and the National Championship Game against Oregon.
8. Pharoh Cooper, WR, South Carolina
South Carolina has it all in wide receiver Pharoh Cooper. He’s not just an excellent playmaker catching 69 passes for 1,136 yards and nine touchdowns last season, he also rushed for 200 yards and two scores and completed five of eight passes for 78 yards and two scores.
Cooper has been responsible for 19 touchdowns in his career, most notably scoring in all three areas against Tennessee (two receiving, one each in passing and rushing), albeit in a 45-42 loss last season. He racked up 286 yards of total offense in that game.
7. Rashard Higgins, WR, Colorado State
Of course Rashard Higgins has to be on this list. The Colorado State wide receiver led the FBS with 1,750 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns last season. He was nearly a perfect target, snatching 92 percent of the balls thrown to him. Higgins will be playing under a new head coach in Mike Bobo and a new quarterback. One of the more experienced players on the field, expect Higgins to be the Rams’ leader this season.
6. Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss
Robert Nkemdiche has been excellent as a former No. 1 overall recruit from the 2013 class. Playing in his first two seasons at Ole Miss, Nkemdiche has racked up 69 total tackles with 12 tackles for loss and four sacks. But being a freshman All-American and being named to the All-SEC team last season speak more of his achievements. After playing in two full seasons, Nkemdiche is ready to unleash his inner beast.
It’s going to be a very exciting season of college football. Create a betting account now and back your favorite teams.
5. Myles Jack, LB, UCLA
Myles Jack has been a phenomenal linebacker for UCLA, rising to prominence in the 2014 season. He finished with 87 tackles, eight tackles for loss, an interception and seven passes broken up. What makes his performance even more incredible is his ability to contribute on offense. Jack managed to score three rushing touchdowns last season, and even a two-point conversion.
4. Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
When looking for a big guy with a huge game and persona to match, look no further than Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa. The incoming junior had an incredible 2014 season, racking up 13 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown in the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin.
Bosa is poised for a big junior year ahead after taking the Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year, All-American and First Team All-Big Ten awards last season. Perhaps he can use this upcoming season as a springboard into the 2016 NFL Draft.
3. Shock Linwood, RB, Baylor
Bryce Petty and his big passing days at Baylor are gone, which means the spotlight will be on the Bears’ amazing running back Shock Linwood. The Bears running back was impressive last season, running for 1,252 yards and 16 touchdowns. He topped 100 yards in four games as he averaged five yards per carry. With the quarterback position basically up for grabs, expect Linwood to shoulder much of the Baylor offense this season.
2. Scooby Wright III, LB, Arizona
Scooby Wright III was a measly two-star recruit in 2013, but he’s developed quite a reputation as a linebacker for the Arizona Wildcats. Wright finished first in the nation in tackles (163), tackles for loss (29) and forced fumbles (six) last season. He also ranked third overall with 14 sacks.
Wright won the Bednarik, Lombardi and Nagurski awards for his outstanding 2014 campaign as a one-man wrecking machine in the Wildcats’ defense. Arizona also won its first Pac-12 South title since 1998 with his help. Wright is also projected as the No. 3 inside linebacker in the 2017 NFL Draft. Not bad for a former two-star recruit.
1. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
Ohio State was desperate for a player to step up in J.T. Barrett’s absence after suffering a season-ending injury in their final game of the regular season. Yes, third-string quarterback Cardale Jones stepped up as mentioned earlier, but Ezekiel Elliott also turned into an absolute beast in the postseason.
Elliott rushed for 696 yards and eight touchdowns in wins over Wisconsin (Big Ten Championship), and Alabama and Oregon in the College Football Playoff. Those performances helped him run for 1,878 yards and 18 touchdowns in the 2014-15 college football season. To boot, Elliott did all that mostly with a broken wrist. Now healthy, expect Elliott to shred defenses playing as one of the favorites to win Heisman Trophy (+600).
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