Marvin Harrison Jr., Harold Perkins highlight most interesting non-QBs in college football

Many times in football, discussion about the most important players starts and ends at the quarterback position. This year in college football is no different as players like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jordan Travis are among the most notable players in college football this season.

But there is also a surplus of talented non-quarterbacks across the college football landscape. On3’s Andy Staples and Jesse Simonton discussed their most intriguing non-quarterbacks for the 2023 season on Monday’s episode of Staples’ podcast.

Staples got it going by bringing up Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

“I think the list starts for me — and it’s weird that it’s not a lineman because usually it is for me — but in this case it’s Marvin Harrison Jr, the wide receiver from Ohio State,” Staples said. “I feel like DeVonta Smith broke the seal on the idea of a receiver winning the Heisman again. Marvin Harrison Jr., if you watched him last season, he’s so important to the Buckeyes. You saw it in the Peach Bowl how important he was when he went out. This is a guy who could be that secret sauce for their offense.

“Plus, we’ll see who winds up playing quarterback. It could be Kyle McCord, who was Harrison’s high school quarterback. It could be Devin Brown. We think it’s going to be McCord. But it could be a situation where it’s like in 2020 when Mac Jones was having a great year. But when it came time to vote for the Heisman, voters decided Smith was the better choice and the more important person in that offense. I think Marvin Harrison Jr. could be that guy.”

Harrison had 77 catches in 2022 for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was named a unanimous All-American and won the Richter–Howard Receiver of the Year as the Big Ten’s top wideout.

Simonton then flipped the discussion to the other side of the football and picked arguably the biggest nightmare facing quarterbacks this season in LSU linebacker Harold Perkins.

“I have Harold Perkins Jr.,” Simonton said. “Marvin Harrison probably is the net is the best non-quarterback in all of college football. But Harold Perkins Jr. could emerge as the best individual defensive player in the country. This is an LSU team that we know has generated a ton of offseason hype. They’re looking to win the West in back-to-back years.

“If Matt House’s unit is going to make a big leap in Year 2, it’s going to be on this phenom. The dude’s a freak. You and I have both talked about it. He was not at SEC Media Days and yet he probably was the most discussed individual player. Maybe he’s not necessarily overlooked but in terms of his importance as a non quarterback, he’s got to top the list for me.”