Top 10 College Prospects To Watch In 2022-23 NCAA Football Season
College Football season is almost here and bad teams everywhere rejoice to finding that key piece to get one step closer towards winning a Super Bowl! But not everyone is lucky when it comes to drafting prospects.
For many NFL franchises, the draft symbolizes hope for a brighter future in football, and next year’s NFL draft class is no different in terms of skill and potential of NFL’s next generation of professional football players.
With next year’s draft class, the talent pool is shaping up to be seeing much more buzz at the league’s most important position, Quarterback. With today’s article, I will be highlighting key players you don’t want to miss when evaluating this year’s college football season.
From Ohio State’s CJ Stroud to Alabama’s Bryce Young to South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler, we will be showcasing the top 10 best of the best in college football.
Let’s start at number 10:
10. Spencer Rattler – QB, South Carolina Gamecocks (Junior)
The hype generated for the former five-star recruit in Spencer Rattler last season was dismissed fairly quickly after losing his starting spot to freshman quarterback Caleb Williams while at Oklahoma University.
Rattler went from an projected top 5 draft pick & likely Heisman trophy favorite heading into last season to transferring over to South Carolina University after an abysmal junior year at Oklahoma with only 11 passing touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
With that being said, He still has the tools and potential to become a star in the NFL, only if he’s willing to learn from his mistakes from the past year.
In 2020: Spencer Rattler had 28 passing touchdowns, 6 rushing touchdowns, only 7 interceptions, and thrown over 3,031 passing yards. He has absolute superstar potential to overcome last year’s rough season, but he has to hurry up or he’ll be on the undrafted road heading into the NFL, having to prove himself everyday that he deserves to be on an NFL 53-man roster.
9. Tyler Van Dyke – QB, Miami Hurricanes (Redshirt Sophomore)
A two-sport star athlete in football & baseball, Tyler could have a very bright future in both the MLB & NFL if he wants to with his talent level.
In retrospective, Van Dyke went to Suffield Academy High School in Suffield, Connecticut, throwing for over 4,600 passing yards & 39 passing touchdowns during his historic high school football career.
In 2021 for his first season as the starting QB at Miami University, Van Dyke threw for 2,931 passing yards & 25 passing touchdowns as a redshirt freshman QB for Miami – He’s bound to have a Heisman worthy season & could dramatically skyrocket up draft boards if he continues to develop his skill-set while at Miami.
8. Elias (Eli) Ricks – CB, Alabama Crimson Tide (Junior)
The star cornerback transfer from LSU is set to shake up the NFL when his name is called next year during the 2023 NFL Draft, he’s easily the best cornerback in the country now heading to the best team in CFB in Alabama.
As a true freshman at Louisiana State University, he was named a freshman All American, and earned All-SEC second team honors at only 18 years old. With five career interceptions and over 31 tackles in just two collegiate seasons of play, the ball hawk from Rancho Cucamonga, California is scary good.
7. Jordan Battle – SS, Alabama Crimson Tide (Senior)
Arguably the best safety in Alabama football history, The Fort Lauderdale strong safety is a proven commodity on whatever football field he steps onto.
With over one hundred-eighty tackles, five career interceptions and three defensive touchdowns over his past three seasons while at the University of Alabama, there’s a reason why Jordan Battle was third team all-American, first team all-SEC, and on the Jim Thorpe award watch-list during his time at Alabama.
6. Bijan Robinson – RB, Texas Longhorns (Junior)
Mr. Lamborghini himself, Bijan Robinson, is set to make a huge splash heading into the 2022-2023 NCAA football season for the Texas Longhorns. Many say that Bijan is the best Texas running back since Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams back in 1998.
The Texas university running back as a sophomore in just 10 games only had 195 carries for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also had 295 receiving yards for four receiving touchdowns last season.
Robinson has a chance to become a Texas legend himself this season, especially if he delivers on the hype this upcoming season with a much needed winning season for Texas football they so desperately need — Expect Heisman trophy talk very late into the college football season.
5. CJ Stroud – QB, Ohio State Buckeyes (Redshirt Sophomore)
Ohio State is known for their strong armed QBs & CJ Stroud is no different. The sophomore from California is ready to shake up the Big Ten after an disappointing 11-2 season for the Buckeyes.
CJ Stroud stats for the 2021-2022 NCAA football season was absolutely insane when you think about it: Throwing for 4,435 passing yards, 44 touchdowns, and the highest quarterback rating in all of college football last season at 91.6%.
The projected number one overall pick in most NFL draft circles is praised for not only his passing ability, but also his leadership, which many NFL teams are in love with when talking about Mr. Stroud.
4. Jaxon Smith-Njigba – WR, Ohio State Buckeyes (Junior)
After 15 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s Rose Bowl Game vs Utah, setting the record for most receiving yards in any bowl game in FBS history, Jaxon Smith-Njigba put his name on the map for sure in the College Football world.
95 catches, 1,606 receiving yards, and 9 receiving touchdowns on a stacked wide receiving core at Ohio State University. JSN can honestly become an all time great player when he goes to the NFL, you’re getting an absolute dominant force whenever Njigba has the ball in his hands.
3. Jordan Addison – WR, USC Trojans (Junior)
After achieving one of the most decorated wide receiver seasons in college football history for University of Pittsburgh last year, Jordan Addison is now taking his talents to The University of Southern California.
Addison had 1,593 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in fourteen games last season for Pittsburgh, becoming consensus 1st team all American & Biletnikoff Award as college football’s most outstanding receiver, becoming the first sophomore to achieve that feat since Larry Fitzgerald back in 2003.
With the new USC QB, Caleb Williams, expect Jordan Addison to have an even bigger year than his sophomore superiority. The connection developed between these two during spring ball will create must watch TV moments this fall, grab the popcorn ladies and gentlemen when you watch these two.
2. Will Anderson – DE, Alabama Crimson Tide (Junior)
While Bryce Young is the Heisman winner, Jordan Battle is the backbone of Alabama’s defense, and Eli Ricks might be the difference maker in Alabama’s secondary. Will Anderson is the heart & soul of Alabama’s football team as a whole.
Anderson won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 after leading the nation in sacks last season with 17.5 sacks. Don’t be surprised when Will Anderson is a top 3 NFL draft pick next year. The best defensive player in the nation, hands down!
1. Bryce Young – QB, Alabama Crimson Tide (Junior)
Bryce Young will be the man that everyone will be watching next season, especially after an fantastic sophomore season that saw him become the first ever Alabama quarterback to win the Heisman in school history.
And it’s pretty clear after last season for sure, Bryce Young is the greatest quarterback in Alabama Football history, as Young threw for 4,872 passing yards and 47 passing touchdowns.
When all you can say about a player’s weakness is his size, you can say that’s a pretty damn good football player in your organization, and Nick Saban knows that he’s coaching a once in a generation player in Bryce Young’s skill-set.
I’m not a betting man, but if I was, I would put all my money on the fact that Bryce Young will go number one overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, Like I said, he’s that damn good!
