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College football 2019 season preview: Ranking the Top 100 players – SEC dominates

By Nicholas Ian Allen

BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 08: LSU Tigers safety Grant Delpit (9) celebrates during a game between the LSU Tigers and Southeastern Louisiana Lions at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on September 8, 2018. (Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 08: LSU Tigers safety Grant Delpit (9) celebrates during a game between the LSU Tigers and Southeastern Louisiana Lions at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on September 8, 2018. (Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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ATHENS, GA – SEPTEMBER 29: Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm (11) passes during the Tennessee Volunteers v Georgia Bulldogs game on September 29, 2018 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. The Georgia Bulldogs won the game 38-12. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Arizona State running back Eno Benjamin accounted for 64.38 percent of the carries taken by the Sun Devils in 2018 – the highest percentage of any player in the country. Benjamin, who turned his 300 rushing attempts into 1,642 yards and 16 touchdowns, is in line for another heavy workload following the departure of quarterback Manny Wilkins and wideout N’Keal Harry.

Michigan State led the nation in rushing defense (77.9 yards allowed per game) last season and also ranked in the top 10 nationally in both scoring defense (17.2 points allowed per game, No. 8) and total defense (303.2 yards allowed per game, No. 10). Joe Bachie was the most productive player for the Spartans, on paper, racking up eight Production Points on the strength of 102 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three forced fumbles, and five passes broken up.

One of the most productive pass rushers in the Pac-12, Utah defensive end Bradlee Anae accounted for eight sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, and added 18.5 run stuffs as a junior. Anae also contributed three pass breakups and two forced fumbles for the Pac-12 South champs.

Following a season in which Cal ranked in the top four in the Pac-12 and top 40 nationally in the four major traditional defensive categories (including a conference-leading and No. 9 ranked pass defense), the Golden Bears could have the best defense in the Pac-12 in 2019. Linebacker Evan Weaver was a huge piece of that success, thanks to a whopping 158 total tackles, which ranked second nationally, as well as nine TFLs, 4.5 sacks, 17 run stuffs, two interceptions and six pass breakups.

His contributions didn’t also show up in the box score in 2018, but LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton played a huge roll for the Tigers. Targeted often because he played opposite All-American Greedy Williams, Fulton accounted for 25 tackles, nine pass breakups, one interception and one tackle for loss in just 10 games. With Williams gone, Fulton will likely be treated with more respect by opponents in 2019.

Houston quarterback D’Eriq King comes in No. 25 on our list of the Top 100 players in college football, and No. 1 among players from a Group of Five conference. It’s fitting that King has a 100 VGR+ rating because he posted video game numbers as a junior in 2018, including 2,982 passing yards and 36 touchdowns (to just six interceptions) and 674 rushing yards and 14 TDs in only 11 games. King’s 50 combined TDs led all FBS players before he was sidelined because of an injury.

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger raised his national profile in 2018 with an excellent sophomore season in which he accounted for 3,296 passing yards and 25 touchdowns (and just five interceptions). A highly effective runner as well, Ehlinger added 482 rushing yards (677 not including sacks) and led the Big 12 with 16 rushing touchdowns. He also raised a lot of eyebrows by declaring Texas officially “back” following a Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia.

Defense has been the weak link for Arizona, and the Wildcats finished No. 98 in the country in scoring defense (32.6 points allowed per game) and No. 92 in total defense (432.0 yards allowed per game) in 2018. However, Colin Schooler has emerged as one of the best and most productive linebackers in the nation. Last year, Schooler led the Wildcats with 119 total tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and 23 run stuffs. He tied for the team lead with 3.5 sacks and chipped in with two interceptions, four pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Ohio State has benefitted greatly from having both J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber in the backfield over the last two season, but with Weber off to the NFL, Dobbins might have an opportunity for an even greater workload – and potentially higher-level accolades – in 2019. Last year as a sophomore, Dobbins ran for 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns on 230 carries, and he added 263 receiving yards and two scores as a receiver out of the backfield.

Far from a simple game manager, Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm has beaten out multiple five-star prospects to become the unquestioned starter for the Bulldogs and one of the top signal callers in college football. In 2018, Fromm completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 2,761 yards and 30 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He ranked fifth nationally with a 171.22 rating, ninth with 9.0 yards per pass attempt. Most importantly, Fromm led the Dawgs to the SEC East title for a second straight season, and within one score of a second straight playoff appearance.