True freshmen standouts from Week Thirteen of college football

Week thirteen of college football saw a number of true freshmen make key impacts throughout rivalry games over the course of the holiday weekend. A true freshman quarterback led an upset of top five team, a running back with NFL bloodlines had a strong outing in a rivalry game, a SEC defensive lineman proved highly disruptive, a Penn State true freshman continued to look like one of the top young defenders in the Big Ten and a touted Michigan corner held his own against the nation’s top receiver corps.

Here’s five true freshmen standouts from the weekend.

QB Conner Weigman – Texas A&M

It’s been a forgetful fall in College Station, but that didn’t stop Texas A&M from rallying to upset No. 5 LSU. True freshman quarterback Conner Weigman got the start for the Aggies and played efficiently leading the 38-23 upset that effectively knocked the Tigers out of the College Fooball Playoff. Weigman completed 12 of 18 pass attempts for 155 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The first touchdown came in the second quarter, with Weigman completing a high-difficulty throwback pass to fellow true freshman Donovan Green. The true freshman signal caller threw another touchdown with a well-placed vertical pass to Moose Muhammad III who finished the play with a fantastic one-handed grab. Weigman’s clean play was buoyed by a 215 yard and two touchdown performance by junior running back Devon Achane.

Weigman and Green weren’t the only true freshmen from Texas A&M’s ballyhooed 2022 recruiting class to make significant impacts in the upset win. Former Five-Star Plus+ defensive tackle Walter Nolen and fellow true freshman safety Bryce Anderson had strong outings.

RB Trevor Etienne – Florida

Trevor Etienne capped off a productive November with the strongest game of his true freshman season in a 45-38 loss to Florida State. The Louisiana native rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries against the Seminoles. Etienne’s biggest play came on a game-tying 45-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter. The true freshman back has shown an advanced feel and vision at the position and has performed well with added touches. Etienne has eclipsed 100 yards rushing in two of Florida’s last three games and is second on the team in rushing with 705 yards and six touchdowns on 110 carries.

The younger brother of former Clemson star and current Jacksonville Jaguar Travis Etienne, Trevor ranked as a four-star prospect according to the 2022 On3 Consensus.

DL Deone Walker – Kentucky

Kentucky has seen a number of true freshmen make large impacts over the course of the season, including defensive tackle Deone Walker. The Detroit native turned in one of the best games of his freshman season on Saturday in the Wildcats’ 26-13 win over in-state rival Louisville. Walker tallied six tackles, one sack, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble over the course of the game. The 6-foot-6, 330-pounder’s rare blend of size and athleticism created constant issues for the Louisville offensive line.

Walker was rated as a four-star prospect and ranked as the No. 264 overall prospect in the 2022 On3 Consensus.

LB Abdul Carter – Penn State

Abdul Carter continued to look like one of the top true freshman defenders nationally. The 6-foot-3, 233-pounder had yet another big game in Penn State’s 35-16 win over Michigan State. Carter chalked up six tackles, two sacks and a quarterback hurry against the Spartans. His size, physicality and high-end closing speed are evident on a weekly basis, so much so that he’s already earning some comparisons to former Nittany Lion Micah Parsons.

Carter leads Penn State in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (10.5) and is right behind LSU standout Harold Perkins in both categories. The Pennsylvania native ranked as the No. 129 overall prospect in the 2022 On300.

CB Will Johnson – Michigan

No. 3 Michigan came away with the win in Saturday’s biggest game defeating rival No. 2 Ohio State 45-23 inside the Horseshoe. The Wolverines received some major contributions from several true freshmen in the big win, including cornerback Will Johnson. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder logged 73 snaps on the afternoon according to Pro Fooball Focus. Johnson played the third most snaps on Michigan’s defense that limited Buckeye quarterback CJ Stroud to one of his worst games of the season. The true freshman corner surrendered 67 yards in coverage and had nine tackles on the afternoon while facing what is considered the nation’s top wide receiver group. Johnson performed particularlywell when lined up against Ohio State standout wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., using his size and physicality to create an edge. Fellow true freshmen tight end Colston Loveland and defensive lineman Mason Graham also made key contributions. Loveland scored Michigan’s first touchdown of the second half on a 45-yard catch and run.

Will Johnson rated as a five-star in the 2022 On3 Consensus, finishing as the No. 16 overall prospect.