TCU's Trevone Boykin, QB, Sr.
Boykin finished 4th in Hiesman trophy voting after a breakout season where this young man stole the starting job from Senior transfer Matt Joeckle, and not only threw for 3901 yards and 33 TD's, but he added 707 yards and 8 TD's on the ground. Without Boykin, take away at least 4 of TCU's wins last season, as he is directly responsible for keeping drives alive with his legs and accuracy while passing.
Boykin has the athleticism of a Wide Receiver with his legs, and he puts balls almost always perfectly on. Have fun in the Big 10 playing against this early Hiesman contestant.
Baylor's Shock Linwood, RB, Jr.
Shock Linwood broke out with the leave of Lache Seastrunk, rushing for 1200 yards and 16 TD's, with his freakish speed and power combination. He's not as effective in the pass game as the rush, but his 7 catches went for 90 yards. His major asset was his breakout in big games. His 4 100 yard rushing games were all against Big 10 defenses, his biggest one in the 24 point comeback against TCU, where he ran for 178 yards.
Linwood has a unique lowness in his running style, very much looking like he's falling forward, and he runs to catch his balance while attacking the hole. While he's never the fastest man on the field, he's quick, and his change of direction is what makes him a special player. He's strong too, and with his body size, 5-9, 200 pounds, he's a beast running in the Red Zone. I think we're looking at a potential 1500 yard season for the Junior Linwood if the Bears don't step up their passing game.
Oklahoma's Samaje Perine, RB (So.)
The true freshman clearly has a very Adrian Peterson like way about him. Perine holds the NCAA record for most rushing yards in a single game (427) and finished his 2014 campaign with 1713 yards rushing and 21 TD's, plus 3 games where he ran over 200 yards and scored 3 TD's or more. Don't forget his 15 catches giving him a total of 1821 yards from scrimmage.
They call Perine the "Tank" for a reason. He absorbs hard hits and won't come down unless it's a rap-up tackle. He's 5-11, 243 pounds, but he runs like he weighs 200. Quick, power running football gives him an Earl Campbell style about him. Perine is among the top candidates to win the Hiesman, so watch Perine carefully in 2015.
Oklahoma State's Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Jr.
Wanna talk about a smashtalk football player? Let's talk about Emmanuel Ogbah, Junior DE for a young and exciting Oklahoma State defense. Last season, Ogbah made a total of 49 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, not to mention the 2 times he got to Jameis Winston, at the time the defending Hiesman winner. He's an explosive defensive player with a tremendous upside about him.
Ogbah has speed, and a little power, and the relentless pursue-ability. The above video doesn't do too much to prove him explosive ability, because both sack plays are huge mistakes by Jameis Winston. But remind yourself that it was 3 times in 2014 that Ogbah collected 2 sacks. Definitely a growing player who has a shot in the NFL.
