True freshmen standouts from Week Four of college football

Week four of college football saw a bunch of true freshmen had breakout games across the nation. Two true freshmen helped West Virginia seal a win over Virginia Tech on Thursday night. Saturday saw several running backs have big showings, along with a game-breaking SEC wide receiver and one of Texas A&M’s many heralded newcomers.

With that said, let’s highlight some of those true freshmen who stood out on week four of college football.

RB Jadyn Ott – Cal

Jaydn Ott had a huge game in California’s 49-31 win over Arizona on Saturday. The true freshman from Norco (Calif.) High made his presence felt early, breaking off a 73-yard touchdown run on the game’s second play from scrimmage. He found the end zone again in the third quarter, emerging from a scrum for an unlikely 18-yard score. Ott later broke loose for a 72-yard touchdown scamper, flashing an easy, long stride in the open field while outrunning Arizona’s secondary. By the time the dust settled, Ott had run for 274 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. The 6-foot, 205-pounder has accounted for 526 yards from scrimmage along with six touchdowns in four games.

Ott was an On3 Consensus four-star prospect and ranked as the top prospect in Cal’s 2022 recruiting class.

RB Quinshon Judkins – Ole Miss

Quinshon Judkins continued the strong start to his freshman season, finishing as Ole Miss‘ leading rusher in the Rebels’ 35-27 win over Tulsa. The Pike Road (Ala.) High product took advantage of an expanded workload, with fellow running back Zach Evans seeing limited in the second half due to injury. Both of Judkins’ touchdown runs game in the first half – he scored from nine yards out in the first quarter and again from one yard midway through the second quarter. Judkins is now Ole Miss’ leading rusher on the season, with 429 yards (6.13 yards per carry) and five touchdowns on 70 attempts. The true freshman has impressed with his physicality, balance and instincts. He’s already forcing missed tackles at a high rate, which is highly encouraging for a young running back.

WR Barion Brown – Kentucky

Barion Brown continues to light it up early on in his freshman season at Kentucky. The Nashville native is back as a True Freshman Standout for the second time this season. Brown had his best game yet as a true receiver, accounting for 102 yards and two touchdowns on four catches in the Wildcats’ 31-23 win over Northern Illinois. The former track star got things going on Kentucky’s first drive, taking a tunnel screen in for a touchdown from 15 yards out. Brown found the end zone again on the Wildcats’ first drive of the second half, flashing his electric speed in the open field on a 70-yard catch-and-run.

🏎💨 @BarionBrown

📺 – ESPN2 📲 – https://t.co/ft7zbraxRj pic.twitter.com/0v5ek3mrt3

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 25, 2022

The 6-foot-1, 166-pound speedster appears to be getting more and more comfortable within Kentucky’s offense. We wouldn’t be surprised to see him finish as one of the top true freshmen pass catchers by season’s end. Brown was ranked as the No. 88 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus.

DL Shemar Stewart – Texas A&M

Many of the blue-chip signees from Texas A&M‘s historic 2022 recruiting class saw key snaps in the Aggies’ 23-21 win over No. 10 Arkansas. Shemar Stewart, Anthony Lucas, Lebbeus Overton, Walter Nolen, Denver Harris and Bryce Anderson saw significant snaps for the defense, while Evan Stewart and Donovan Green were the Aggies’ top two pass catchers on the day. Stewart gets the nod here, as the former Five-Star Plus+ prospect made an impact as a pass rusher. The Opa Locka (Fla.) Monsignor Pace product generated four pressures on 15 pass rush attempts, according to Pro Football Focus. His biggest play of the day came when he came down with a sack on a double-pass attempt.

Stewart ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect in the 2022 On3 Consensus.

CB Jacolby Spells – West Virginia

No high school program has turned out more NFL defensive backs in recent memory than Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage. The program boasts recent top draft picks like Patrick Surtain II, Tyson Campbell and Marco Wilson, among others. Another American Heritage product Jacolby Spells was making plays on Thursday night in West Virginia’s 33-10 win at Virginia Tech. The true freshman was targeted by the Hokie passing game and came up big. Spells allowed just one catch for five yards on five targets per Pro Football Focus and blew the game open with a pick-six in the fourth quarter.

The On3 Consensus four-star prospect was the highest-rated high school signee in West Virginia’s 2022 recruiting class. Spells is not the only Mountaineer freshman making a big impact. C.J. Donaldson made the conversion from high school wide receiver and tight end to running back and is the team’s top rusher. Donaldson also had a big game on Thursday, rushing for 106 yards on 23 carries.