True Freshman Standouts from Week 12 of College Football

At this part of the schedule, a major emphasis for several programs is to finish strong. And looking at the performances of some freshmen this past weekend, that message resonated with a bunch of youngsters. We saw first-years nab explosive returns, snag tipped-catch touchdowns, and log game-winning scampers – and that’s not even talking about anyone who made this week’s list. 

TRUE FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: EDGE Colin Simmons – Texas

#Texas freshman Colin Simmons is just so fast off the ball.

Big play against Arkansas in the 3Q to get a sack. Razorbacks OL just had no shot.#HookEm | @KXAN_News pic.twitter.com/qjsArcNh7s

— Noah Gross (@noah_gross27) November 16, 2024

The soon-to-be freshman all-American made his presence felt in Texas’ road win against Arkansas. Credited with 2.5 sacks, all of Simmons’ QB takedowns were drive-killers for the Hogs (two solos on 3rd down as well as helping trip up Taylen Green to nix a potential 2-minute drill ahead of halftime). Plus, he added 3 defensive stops; even though he missed a pair of tackles. And to that point, his 7.6% Stop Rate sits as the 2nd-best clip among all college edges that have played at least 250 snaps. Only seven in the Core4 top Simmons’s 15.8% Impact Rate exiting this weekend. According to the folks at Pro Football Focus, only two high volume first-year defenders presently boast a better grade than his 81.2 mark. 

2. WR Cam Coleman – Auburn

With Auburn’s wobbly pass game seeing little resistance in War Eagle’s rout of UL Monroe, the former top 3 recruit broke out for his first career 100-yard game. Catching all 8 of his targets, Coleman secured 3 scores. Though breaking away to paydirt on a curl and snagging a goalline fade were impressive plays, his last tuddy was easily his best highlight. On a 4th and 4 in the middle of the 3rd Quarter and the game already well-decided, the five-star plus pass catcher plucked a backshoulder fade with one hand while falling back into the endzone, showing off tremendous body control and high-level concentration skills. Though splashes haven’t been as consistent as folks on the Plains would have liked this season, Coleman’s flashes on Saturday continue to tease elite potential. 

3. WR Emmett Mosley V – Stanford

Stanford’s stunner over Louisville couldn’t have happened without the Cardinal catching some breaks… or freshman Emmett Mosley catching 13-of-14 targets for 168 yards and 3 TDs. Two of his scores came in crunch time when his team absolutely needed playmaking; first cutting UofL’s lead to 7 before his explosive equalizer tied things up with under a minute remaining in the contest. And after Stanford’s defense bowed their necks and got a clutch stop, Mosley drew a critical late hit out-of-bounds penalty that put his team into field goal range for the game-winner. In the end, only five receivers in college football totaled more output this weekend than the standout from Rancho Santa Margarita. 

4. WR Dre’lon Miller – Colorado

Colorado’s offense gets a lot of deserved attention. With a receiving corps composed of Travis Hunter, LaJohntay Wester, Will Sheppherd, and Jimmy Horn Jr, that’s a natural byproduct even without considering other star power on the roster. Freshman four-star Dre’lon Miller has mostly flown under the radar this season. But that changed in the Buffalos’ tilt against Utah. Hauling in all six of his opportunities, Miller doubled up his yearly production with over 100 yards and a TD. No question, his scoring effort was his best clip. On 3rd-and-long, he was targeted on a Hoss+Juke seam, hung onto a contested chance, and shed a pair of DBs before reaching the end zone. 

5. QB DJ Lagway – Florida

DJ Lagway

pic.twitter.com/Bnq4gSZVZS

— Steve Palazzolo (@StevePalazzolo_) November 16, 2024

Lagway was far from perfect – most first-year QBs aren’t against SEC defenses. But, his arm produced enough plays to help the Gators snap their longest losing streak to LSU. The Tigers did him a solid failing to hang onto any of his three interceptable passes, but PFF credited him with four “big-time throws”. In fact, his 11.0% such clip now leads all Core4 passers by almost four percentage points. Additionally, Florida’s phenomenal freshman maintained his place atop his conference’s standings in Deep Accuracy%. Yes, some of the fades he tossed were downright beautiful. But, my favorite was the dime post throw in the opening moments of the final stanza. Off a jet motion play action shot play – that Billy Napier’s offense enjoys featuring – Lagway stepped up in the pocket through traffic and then rifled a perfect ball 34 yards downfield to Elijah Badger to set up a go-ahead score. Plays like that hammer home why he was the consensus QB1 in 2024’s class. 

6. WR Jeremiah Smith – Ohio State

Smith comfortably sits among the top playmakers in the country, seemingly always open- and capable of scoring on any snap. Smith added to his impressive resume with his 3rd 100-yard receiving performance this fall. Passing the eye test with flying colors every single week, he now only trails Ole Miss’s Tre Harris for the honor of being the nation’s most statistically efficient pass catcher with a stellar 3.56 yards/route run. Fittingly, 3-of-his-4 catches moved the chains against Northwestern. A pure go-to, Smith is 1-of-2 Core4 receivers to amass at least 860 yards and 9 TDs exiting this weekend. 

7. WR Ryan Williams – Alabama

Another wunderkind wideout, Williams has a knack for generating splash plays and capturing points – both by land and air. Against Mercer, he only needed four touches to generate 12 points. Getting the Tide’s scoring day started with a bang, he housed a jet sweep along the right side. This is the 2nd-straight game Williams logged an explosive carry. Not bad for a pass catcher who owns a top 10 yards/route run. And about six minutes later, he again capped an Alabama drive attacking the right edge; but this time, it was on an RPO slide look. Already a pain in the butt to prepare for, Williams being featured in this manner accentuates why many believe he’s the SEC’s premier playmaker with the ball in his hands. 

8. RB Duke Watson – Louisville

Usually when a Louisville back gets shine in this piece, Isaac Brown is the subject. But this week, Duke Watson ruled the Cardinals’ backfield. Making up 72% of his team’s rushing production, the former four-star raced for 117 yards and a trio of touchdowns – including UofL’s final two scores. The first of that pair was the sexiest rep of Louisville’s losing effort. On an outside zone, an inside lane presented itself. And Watson stuck his foot in the ground, got north, and dusted several Stanford defenders on his way towards the endzone. If Saturday was a sign of things to come, the Cards might have a nice slash-and-dash freshman duo on their hands.