College football is back.
Seemingly all of it—the tailgates, pageantry, sold out venues and even Week 1 rivalries. So are the on-field intricacies that make the sport great, from questionable play calls, quarterback changes and postgame interviews that aren’t executed all that well (Brian Kelly).
Also returning to the tongues of the country’s most passionate fans is the mid-game, Who is that? From No. 1 Alabama through the Group of 5 ranks, true freshmen throughout the sport splashed in their first chance to impress in their new colors. While redshirt freshmen like quarterbacks Bryce Young (Alabama), C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) and Hudson Card (Texas) are commanding powerhouse programs, there were strong debuts from freshmen who enrolled at their programs this year, too.
Staying at the game’s most important position, Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan was relatively sharp in his first college action, starting against Nicholls State in a 42–17 win. Henigan completed 19 of 32 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown, without throwing an interception. The son of a coach—one who he helped to a Texas high school state championship in January—Henigan winning the Memphis job after enrolling in the summer is one of the potential college football story lines of the year.
Georgia Southern also started a freshman quarterback for its opener against Gardner-Webb in Cam Ransom. The Florida native was efficient, completing the first seven passes of his career and allowing the Eagles to counter their run-heavy approach. He threw a touchdown in the second quarter of the debut, finishing 8 of 13 for 90 yards on the afternoon. Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy also threw for an eye-popping score in his debut, though it came in mop-up duty in the Wolverines’ blowout win over Western Michigan.
Freshmen protecting the passer earned starts and/or played in a heavy rotation in some of college football’s biggest games. Blake Fisher started for Notre Dame at the game’s second most important offensive position, left tackle, and held his own against a stout Florida State pass rush before a knee injury cut his career debut short. Among others, Marcus Tate saw considerable time for Clemson at left guard and Wyatt Milum debuted at right tackle for West Virginia in its shootout loss to Maryland.
At running back, freshmen made waves all week long, beginning with Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson, who dazzled on a 70-yard catch and run late in Ohio State’s win over Minnesota. The No. 1 running back in the 2021 SI99 rankings looked the part on two carries, too, totaling 15 rushing yards in the win. Jarquez Hunter was even better, at least from a numbers standpoint. The Auburn newcomer tallied 110 yards on just nine carries vs. Akron, including a 9-yard score to wrap up Bryan Harsin’s first win as Tiger head coach. Clemson’s Will Shipley and Michigan’s Donovan Edwards also saw playing time in their first game.
Henderson scored a key touchdown to help Ohio State put away the Golden Gophers.
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY Network
Among pass catchers, many fans likely spent Saturday evening googling Brock Bowers. The Georgia freshman tight end was thrust into duty following injuries at the position and became J.T. Daniels’s security blanket in the heavyweight bout with Clemson. The California native led the Bulldogs with six receptions for 43 yards in the narrow victory. Others broke through for an important reception and/or occasional flash, like Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, Alabama slot Jojo Earle, LSU flex tight end Jack Bech, Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson, Kentucky tight end Jordan Dingle, Mississippi State wide receiver Rara Thomas and Florida State wideout Malik McClain.
First-year standouts had nearly as much impact on defense, including several starters among the nation’s highest-ranked programs. Andrew Mukuba started at safety for Clemson and contributed mightily, flashing speed and physicality while making eight tackles and breaking up one of Daniels’s passes. Ohio State’s Denzel Burke also saw time in the Buckeye secondary, starting at cornerback and making his presence known against the Gophers with four tackles and three passes broken up, while Texas A&M’s Shemar Turner logged 1.5 sacks against Kent State.
Calen Bullock was a late addition to USC’s starting lineup with Isaiah Pola-Mao unavailable, and all he did was lead USC in tackles against San Jose State. The first Trojan to start at safety in nearly a decade, Bullock has put on 20 pounds since arriving on campus and helped the Trojan defense hold SJSU to just seven points in the opener—capping the program’s best defensive performance since 2016.
The most impactful true freshman defender, though, was Syracuse defensive back Darian “Duce” Chestnut—who quite literally wrapped up a win for the Orange when he made a one-handed (and bobbled) interception at the goal line to end Ohio’s chances at a late comeback. Before that point, he tallied eight tackles, including one for loss, as well as a fourth-down pass breakup to turn the Bobcats over in the third quarter.
The unexpected shootout in Norman, Okla., featured droves of newcomers making big plays. Billy Bowman and Jadon Canady got the start in the secondary for Oklahoma and Tulane, respectively, in their close clash. Bowman worked at nickel and registered four tackles while Canady made an acrobatic interception of Spencer Rattler in the first quarter in addition to his six tackles. No. 1 2021 recruit Caleb Williams and No. 1 slot receiver Mario Williams (no relation), each scored touchdowns in their Oklahoma debut, points Lincoln Riley’s squad needed in the 40–35 win.
Elsewhere, defensive back Devin Kirkwood shined for UCLA in its upset of LSU, tallying a pair of stops and breaking up a pass in the end zone for a key third-quarter stop. The Tigers also utilized a prized recruit in Maason Smith along the defensive line in one of Week 1’s best games. Against Alabama, Miami’s Kamren Kinchens stepped in for veteran safety Bubba Bolden after his targeting ejection, making seven tackles and forcing a fumble in his debut (though he became a part of a meme soon after as the recovery was awarded to Alabama after review, hence the Hurricanes’ turnover chain going back in the box).
Lastly, let’s not forget about the kicking game. Miami’s Andres Borregales was one of the team’s few bright spots in its blowout loss on Saturday, making each of his field goal attempts as well as his sole extra point try. There’s a silver lining there, Hurricanes fans, if you look hard enough.Â
