College Football Rankings: Way-too-early Top 25 for 2019

SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during the second half of the Alabama Crimson Tide's game versus the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship game on January 7, 2019, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by David Dennis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 01: Penn State wide receiver KJ Hamler (1) during the second half of the Citrus Bowl between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Penn State Nittany Lions on January 01, 2019, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Key returners: Tommy Stevens, KJ Hamler, Micah Parsons, Yetur Gross-Matos, John Reid, Garrett Taylor, Robert Windsor, Kevin Givens, Jan Johnson
Key departures: Trace McSorley, Miles Sanders, Shareef Miller, Connor McGovern, Koa Farmer, DeAndre Thompkins
Coaching change: None

This was a tough one for me to judge seeing as the Nittany Lions will be losing so much production, but they have yet another top-10 class coming in and there never seems to be a drop in talent under James Franklin who recruits at such a high level.

Replacing all-everything quarterback Trace McSorley won’t be an easy task, though. Tommy Stevens has patiently awaited his turn, but he only had 24 completions in his Penn State career for 304 yards and four touchdowns. The lack of production under center returning is concerning for the Nittany Lions, but don’t sleep on redshirt freshman Sean Clifford.

Moreover, incoming freshman Michael Johnson Jr. could take over as a dual-threat and contend for that starting job — anything could happen in 2019.

Miles Sanders will also be gone as he declared for the NFL draft but Ricky Slade is more than capable of taking over as the lead back. He could be a star in the Big Ten for years to come, so don’t expect a big backfield drop-off.

Lastly, the defensive side of the ball will miss Shareef Miller and Koa Farmer, but getting Micah Parsons, Yetur Gross-Matos and a wealth of others back will be huge. Expect this side of the ball to be much better than it was this year.

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