True freshmen standouts from Week Twelve of college football

Week twelve of college football saw several highly-ranked teams in tight games, with a few going down. We also saw a number of true freshmen make big plays in the regular season’s penultimate week of action. A true freshman running back at Ohio State shined when pressed into duty, a SEC receiver put an exclamation point on a great freshman season against the nation’s top team, a Notre Dame corner had another huge game and a former Five-Star Plus+ prospect made a splash.

Here’s five true freshmen standouts from the weekend.

RB Dallan Hayden – Ohio State

Injuries to Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson forced Ohio State to turn to true freshman Dallan Hayden in what was a tighter than expected game on the road against Maryland. Hayden stepped up in a big way, rushing for 146 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries in the 43-30 win. The Memphis native’s first touchdown came early in the third quarter and marked Ohio State’s first lead of the game. Hayden was later featured prominently on a key touchdown drive in the third quarter, carrying the ball nine times before scoring on a short touchdown run. He later put Ohio State up by two scores with a 13-yard score in the fourth quarter.

This marked Hayden’s third 100-yard rushing game of the season, with the prior two coming against Toledo and Indiana. The 5-foot-10, 195-pounder has been decisive and shown contact balance in running through arm tackles. Hayden ranked as a four-star prospect according to the 2022 On3 Consensus.

WR Barion Brown – Kentucky

It was difficult for Kentucky to get much going on offense against No. 1 Georgia, but true freshman wide receiver Barion Brown was certainly a bright spot for the Wildcats in a 16-6 loss. Brown continued his strong true freshman campaign, by catching 10 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown against the defending national champions. His eight-yard touchdown catch on a slant route accounted Kentucky’s lone points. The 145 receiving yards were also the second-most by a true freshman wide receiver in school history.

Brown made an early splash as a dynamic return man but the former On3 Conensus Top 100 prospect is showing continual progress as a wide receiver. His 41 catches and 560 receiving yards are already the most in school history with a few games remaining.

WR Matthew Golden – Houston

Houston’s offense clicked in a big way in a 42-3 drubbing of East Carolina. True freshman Matthew Golden played a key role in the conference road win, hauling in eight passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns. The Houston area native scored on 26-yard receptions on back-to-back drives to start the third quarter, essentially putting the game out of reach. Golden’s first touchdown catch came on a 3rd and 8 play where quarterback Clayton Tune rolled out before finding the true freshman in the end zone who finished with a diving grab. The second score came on a play where Golden beat an East Carolina corner on a vertical route.

Golden was a prolific pass-catcher at Klein Cain in the Houston area and ranked as the No. 125 overall prospect in the 2022 On300.

CB Benjamin Morrison – Notre Dame

Benjamin Morrison had a monster game for Notre Dame for the second time in three weeks. The Irish defender followed up his two-interception game against Clemson with a three more picks in Notre Dame’s 44-0 romp of Boston College. The 6-foot-0.25, 179-pounder has made opposing quarterbacks pay for throwing in his direction and Saturday was no different. In addition to the three interceptions, Morrison surrendered just one catch on six targets.

The former On3 Consensus four-star prospect from Phoenix Brophy College looks like a budding star for Marcus Freeman’s improved Irish squad.

ATH Travis Hunter – Jackson State

Travis Hunter made his long-awaited return from injury a few weeks back after missing a good chunk of the season. The former Five-Star Plus+ prospect wasted little time making an impact on both sides of the ball in Jackson State’s 24-13 win over Alcorn State. The freshman from Suwannee (Ga.) Collins Hill first showed his elite ball skills and playmaking ability with a pick-six in the second quarter. Hunter jumped a pass and weaved through would-be tacklers for the score. He found the end zone again in the fourth quarter, coming down with a remarkable contested catch against double coverage on a fade pass from Shedeur Sanders.

Both plays are representative of the unique two-way skills that made Hunter the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2022 On3 Consensus.

Travis Hunter Jr. can do it all‼️

He notched a pick-six and an insane toe drag TD for @GoJSUTigersFB in a 24-13 road win 🙌

The ‘22 @UANextFootball All-American is a star in the making ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/PPG1RUoLG3

— The Underclassman Report (@TheUCReport) November 21, 2022