BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Let's face it, the average age of college football stars is plummeting. More and more, freshmen are filling important roles on rosters.
They're up for national awards, and two redshirt freshmen (Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston) have even won the Heisman Trophy in recent years.
With the ever-increasing influx of early enrollees, schools are watching freshmen adapt to the college game at almost supersonic rates. With that in mind, we wanted to see which freshmen were turning the most heads this spring in the SEC. We asked a group of our SEC writers who they think has been the most impressive true freshman on campus this spring.
Edward Aschoff: Give me Tennessee offensive tackle Trey Smith. The hype surrounding the nation's No. 1 recruit in the 2017 class appears to be real so far. Tennessee offensive line coach Walt Wells has called Smith "mature beyond his years" and he's seen some good time at right tackle this spring. Teammates call him a monster, and can we just think about the fact that he arrived on campus as a lean 300-plus pounds, literally right out of high school? They guy has looked the part since Day 1, and he's been playing like it, too. Injuries have allowed him to see more time at tackle this spring, but it would make sense to get him on the field immediately this fall by moving him to guard at some point. Vols coach Butch Jones might finally have a much-ballyhooed lineman live up to all that hype in Knoxville.
David Ching: In terms of both immediate and long-term impact, youād probably do well to pick one of the whopping 16 early enrollees at Alabama. I know Alex Scarborough (see below) is high on wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, so allow me to mention another blue-chip freshman for the Tide: offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood, the No. 8 overall prospect in this yearās ESPN 300. According to practice reports last week, Leatherwood was already working with the second-team offensive line, but I'm going to read between the lines here. It shouldn't be a surprise if heās a starter by the opener against Florida State.
Sam Khan Jr.: Texas A&M has a host of true freshmen already on campus thanks to nine early enrollees from its 2017 class. Jhamon Ausbon is one of the few who has been as advertised so far. An ESPN 300 recruit, Ausbon was the No. 135 overall prospect in the 2017 recruiting class and the 20th-ranked receiver. He has already shown off his natural ability as a receiver and appears to be a safe bet to start this fall. His athleticism and size -- and the way he utilizes both -- have drawn rave reviews from those inside the program, and he showed off his progress in the Aggies' Friday Night Lights scrimmage when he caught five passes for more than 100 yards and a touchdown. Christian Kirk, the Aggies' best returning receiver, needs help with Texas A&M's other three 2016 starting receivers having moved on, and Ausbon appears to be a prime candidate to provide it.
Alex Scarborough: There are quite a few impressive rookies I've seen at Alabama, including wideout Jerry Jeudy. But the newcomer I'm most interested in seeing develop is Dylan Moses. If it feels like you've known his name forever, that's because you probably have. The Louisiana product had Power 5 offers in middle school, and now he's all grown up. He's 6-foot-3, 234 pounds and runs like a tailback. His size and speed could be lethal at inside or outside linebacker, and we've seen Alabama crosstrain him at both positions. Given his athleticism and the fact that he enrolled early, I expect him to carve out a niche, big or small, right away in the Crimson Tide defense.
Who has been the most impressive SEC freshman in spring practice?
They're up for national awards, and two redshirt freshmen (Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston) have even won the Heisman Trophy in recent years.
With the ever-increasing influx of early enrollees, schools are watching freshmen adapt to the college game at almost supersonic rates. With that in mind, we wanted to see which freshmen were turning the most heads this spring in the SEC. We asked a group of our SEC writers who they think has been the most impressive true freshman on campus this spring.
Edward Aschoff: Give me Tennessee offensive tackle Trey Smith. The hype surrounding the nation's No. 1 recruit in the 2017 class appears to be real so far. Tennessee offensive line coach Walt Wells has called Smith "mature beyond his years" and he's seen some good time at right tackle this spring. Teammates call him a monster, and can we just think about the fact that he arrived on campus as a lean 300-plus pounds, literally right out of high school? They guy has looked the part since Day 1, and he's been playing like it, too. Injuries have allowed him to see more time at tackle this spring, but it would make sense to get him on the field immediately this fall by moving him to guard at some point. Vols coach Butch Jones might finally have a much-ballyhooed lineman live up to all that hype in Knoxville.
David Ching: In terms of both immediate and long-term impact, youād probably do well to pick one of the whopping 16 early enrollees at Alabama. I know Alex Scarborough (see below) is high on wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, so allow me to mention another blue-chip freshman for the Tide: offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood, the No. 8 overall prospect in this yearās ESPN 300. According to practice reports last week, Leatherwood was already working with the second-team offensive line, but I'm going to read between the lines here. It shouldn't be a surprise if heās a starter by the opener against Florida State.
Sam Khan Jr.: Texas A&M has a host of true freshmen already on campus thanks to nine early enrollees from its 2017 class. Jhamon Ausbon is one of the few who has been as advertised so far. An ESPN 300 recruit, Ausbon was the No. 135 overall prospect in the 2017 recruiting class and the 20th-ranked receiver. He has already shown off his natural ability as a receiver and appears to be a safe bet to start this fall. His athleticism and size -- and the way he utilizes both -- have drawn rave reviews from those inside the program, and he showed off his progress in the Aggies' Friday Night Lights scrimmage when he caught five passes for more than 100 yards and a touchdown. Christian Kirk, the Aggies' best returning receiver, needs help with Texas A&M's other three 2016 starting receivers having moved on, and Ausbon appears to be a prime candidate to provide it.
Alex Scarborough: There are quite a few impressive rookies I've seen at Alabama, including wideout Jerry Jeudy. But the newcomer I'm most interested in seeing develop is Dylan Moses. If it feels like you've known his name forever, that's because you probably have. The Louisiana product had Power 5 offers in middle school, and now he's all grown up. He's 6-foot-3, 234 pounds and runs like a tailback. His size and speed could be lethal at inside or outside linebacker, and we've seen Alabama crosstrain him at both positions. Given his athleticism and the fact that he enrolled early, I expect him to carve out a niche, big or small, right away in the Crimson Tide defense.
Who has been the most impressive SEC freshman in spring practice?
