WR KD Cannon, Baylor
The speedster was given a chance early because of a slew of injuries at the receiver position and has been fantastic. He’s caught 14 passes in three games (two game in Game 1) for 471 yards. That’s an average of 33.6 yards per reception. He has five TD catches — from 46, 50, 81, 42 and 89 yards. That’s game-breaking talent, folks.
RB Royce Freeman, Oregon
Freeman was the No. 37 overall player in the 247Sports.com Composite Ratings in 2014. With Thomas Tyner and Byron Marshall in front of him, Freeman’s emergence is a bit of a surprise. He leads the Ducks in attempts (48), yards (261) and TDs (5, including the final two against Michigan State).
DE Myles Garrett, Texas A&M
If a freshman deserves playing time, Kevin Sumlin will provide it. Garrett arrived at A&M as 247’s Composite No. 2 overall player, so expectations were high. He’s delivered with a team-best 5.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. He’s well ahead of pace to break Jadeveon Clowney’s freshman SEC record for sacks (8.0).
RB Samaje Perine, Oklahoma
The Sooners’ 2014 signing class had its big-name back and it wasn’t Perine. Joe Mixon was the gem, but things haven’t worked out with him. So Perine stepped in and was good through three games (32 carries, 177 yards, TD), but was excellent last Saturday against West Virginia (34-242, 4 TDs).
OT Cam Robinson, Alabama
Starting at left tackle is big in Tuscaloosa; starting at left tackle as a true freshman says one thing: Robinson must be something special. He made his first start against an SEC team Saturday vs. Florida and all the Crimson Tide did was pile up 672 yards. Through four games, Alabama is averaging just short of 600 yards per game — the most through four games in Tide history.
WR Speedy Noil, Texas A&M
In three games — he missed one with an injury — Noil’s talent has been obvious. He has 12 catches for 197 yards with a TD. He’s returned one kickoff for 53 yards and a punt for 67. Look for Kevin Sumlin to continue finding ways to get the ball in the hands of the electric Noil.
RB Nick Wilson, Arizona
Wilson ran seven times for 104 yards in the season opener vs. UNLV with an 85-yard TD run. But when Terris Jones-Grigsby went down with an ankle injury, he stepped in as the lead back and has been stellar since. He ran for 174 yards vs. UTSA and another 171 against Nevada. Cal limited him last week, but 77-482 and four TDs is a good start.
FS Quin Blanding, Virginia
In the season opener against UCLA, Blanding started and recorded nine tackles. The following week he intercepted his first pass. In the Cavs’ upset of Louisville, he led the team with nine tackles. He’s emerging as a leader on defense and is second on the team with 33 tackles.
RB Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan
OK, Franklin’s not from a Power 5 conference team, but don’t let that diminish what he’s done this season. He’s third in the nation with 180.7 yards per game and tied for first with nine TDs. He ran 19 times for 163 yards and three scores against Purdue. He ran for a career-best 210 yards vs. Idaho. He gets a shot against Virginia Tech on Saturday.
RB Sony Michel, Georgia
The Bulldogs signed a pair of 5-star backs in Sony Michel and Nick Chubb to complement their Heisman candidate, Todd Gurley. It’s worked well. Michel’s touches were limited through two games (10 carries, 51 yards) as Gurley got the bulk of work, but he stepped up last week vs. Troy with 10 carries, 155 yard with TD runs from 6, 8 and 18 yards.
