The college football season starts in a week. That means the debut of new faces but it also means the return of some familiar ones. The recruiting class of 2015 comes back for Year 2, and this class was incredible a season ago, so college fans everywhere are eagerly awaiting what they do for an encore presentation. True sophomores are not the only one; several redshirt sophomores figure to make their debuts as well. While we could not make an article big enough to track them all, here are seven sophomores to really pay close attention to in 2016.
1. Jake Browning QB Washington (63.1% completion, 2955 yards, 16 touchdowns, 10 interceptions)
Browning will lead a Huskies team that returns 15 starters from a year ago and had clearly hit their stride near the end of the season; they soundly defeated Arizona, Oregon State, and rival Washington State in their last few games, and then followed up with a win over Southern Miss in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. Browning made several freshman mistakes in 2015, but the offense returns four of five starters on the line, the tight end, and impressive sophomore running back Myles Gaskin. Browning has all the tools to have a great season. In Chris Peterson’s third season at Washington, he has the Huskies ready to burst on to the scene.
2. Calvin Ridley WR Alabama (89 receptions, 1045 yards, 11.74 yards per catch, 7 touchdowns)
Ridley led Alabama in receiving as a freshman. The last two people to do that are now impact players in the NFL. The Tide obviously finished great last season as they were named national champions, but for the third straight year they will be starting a new quarterback. This will likely mean that Ridley will be seeing a ton of balls thrown his way, which could be a huge part of the game plan early as they working in a new running back and a few new lineman as well. Ridley will again be a huge part of the Alabama offense in his sophomore season.
3. Derwin James S Florida State (91 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 4 passes broken up)
James was the team’s second leading tackler as a freshman in 2015 on the nations 19th best defense. He could be the best strong safety in the country and he is only a sophomore. With the bar he set from his first season, I wonder how he will be able to follow it up. But should he improve on those numbers, many accolades should be upon him at seasons end. The Seminoles have a great chance to have a successful season this year, and James will be a huge part of that.
4. Jabrill Peppers ATH Michigan (45 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 10 passes broken up, 2 rushing touchdowns)
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Peppers is one of the most gifted athletes in the entire country and he will literally play a big part in almost every phase of the game for the Wolverines in his redshirt sophomore season. He will primarily play defense at a linebacker/safety hybrid role, a position that has quickly gained traction at both the college and now the professional levels, but he will also be seen lined up at receiver, in the backfield, and likely at punt returner as well. Peppers will play part in a Wolverines secondary that returns four starters from last season, and it is likely that we see his tackle numbers rise significantly in the hybrid role. On offense, Michigan hopes that Peppers will be able to provide some excitement and versatility to their attack, something that was absent last season in Ann Arbor.
5. Christian Kirk WR Texas A&M (80 receptions, 1009 yards, 12.61 yards per catch, 7 receiving touchdowns, 2 punt return touchdowns)
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Kirk led a very talented group of Aggies receivers in receptions, yards, and touchdowns as a freshman. That was all while dealing with the complicated situation that was Texas A&M quarterbacking a year ago. But even with the inconsistency, the Aggies receivers still had decent numbers, and now that they will hopefully have more consistency with Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight as their new signal caller. Kirk should still be able to get his numbers both through the air and in the return game, as he was one of the top punt returners in the nation last year.
6. Josh Rosen QB UCLA (60% completion, 3669 yards, 23 touchdowns, 11 interceptions)
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Rosen had a fantastic freshman campaign, but there is one thing that keeps him from being higher on this list, and that would be what he has returning around him.
The Bruins return just three offensive starters from last season, Rosen and two linemen. They have switched defensive back Ishmael Adams over to receiver in order to fill a huge gap left after the 2015 season. The Bruins only return one receiver with more than 40 receptions in Darren Andrews with 43, the next highest number for a returning pass catcher is 11. Should Rosen be able to perform at a high level despite the losses, it will be a real testament to his skill as a player and will likely gain him consideration for several awards.
7. Deon Cain WR Clemson (34 receptions, 582 yards, 17.12 yards per catch, 5 touchdowns)
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Cain was deeply missed in last season’s national championship game after he was sent home for a violation of team rules, and it’s likely that he would have made a big difference in what turned out to be a shootout between Clemson and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Before the title game, Cain proved to be a good deep ball target for Heisman candidate Deshaun Watson, as he averaged 36.8 yards per touchdown catch in 2015. Cain was the Tigers third leading receiver last year, and joins a solid group of returning wide-outs that will get a ton of great looks from Watson. We could see an early look of Cain’s potential this season in the first game at Auburn, where the Tigers will need to replace their top two pass defenders from 2015.
Honorable Mention
