Top 100 College Football Players for 2012 Season

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BY DANIEL EVANS
@dantheman4250 (Hashtag for Top 100 rankings is #CFBTop100Players)
This is my third year ranking college football’s premiere players during the offseason. Over the last two seasons, I’ve really nailed some players that people didn’t see coming (Cam Newton). I’ve also missed on a quite a few players.

For instance, I had three players that never even suited up for their teams in my top 50 list last season: Florida CB Janoris Jenkins, Oregon CB Cliff Harris, and Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor. That’s why I’m planning on releasing a second, updated list, as the season approaches this year.

As I always note, I know I am going to get comments like: You are so biased for _____________ conference. OR How is __________ not in the top 100? OR This guy obviously has no idea what he’s talking about because he has _______________ on this list. OR I stopped reading when I saw _____________ ranked _______.

Those comments are the nature of the Internet.

One thing I hope readers realize about this list is that you could practically argue for a group of 100 more players (aside from a few guys that have to make this list) over the players I have on here and nobody could argue with you. There is a ton of talent in college football these days, so taking 100 out of the entire nation is nearly an impossible task.

Here’s a breakdown of the list:
BY CONFERENCE: SEC-28, Big 12-22, Pac 12-14, ACC-13, Big 10-12, Big East-4, Conference USA-2, Independents-2, Mountain West-1, WAC-1, MAC-1
BY POSITION: Quarterbacks-12, Running Backs-13, Wide Receivers-18, Tight Ends-1, Tackles-7, Guards-5, Centers-0, Defensive Tackles-6, Defensive Ends-13, Linebackers-11, Cornerbacks 10, Safeties-5

It wouldn’t surprise me if I counted something wrong in that list, so let me know if you see a math error or a conference error. All this conference realignment talk makes tallying conferences tougher because you have to think twice when you try to remember who has and hasn’t changed conferences.

NOTE: I did make a mistake by listing OT Clyde Aufner on this list. Aufner was listed as a junior in players I looked but he was actually a senior for Kansas State. I apologize but I have corrected the error.

TWITTER HASHTAG: #CFBTOP100PLAYERS PAST LISTS: 2011 | 2010

RANK		PLAYER	SCHOOL	POSITION	YEAR
1		Matt Barkley	USC	QB	SR
He just keeps getting better and better. When he decided to return for his senior season, USC became an instant national championship contender.
2		Tyrann Mathieu	LSU	CB	JR
Mathieu’s pass coverage skills still need more work, but he’s the ultimate ball hawk. It seems like every time the Tigers need a big play, he makes it happen.
3		Barrett Jones	Alabama	G	SR
I think most would agree that Jones is the nation’s most consistent lineman.
4		Montee Ball	Wisconsin	RB	SR
Ball had 33 rushing touchdowns last season, which pushed him into the Heisman Trophy discussion. Although he will have a tough time even getting half that number this season (17 is still a ton of TDs!), there’s no doubt that you could argue Ball as the No. 1 overall player based off his ’11 stats.
5		Robert Woods	USC	WR	JR
Woods caught 111 passes last season and scored 15 touchdowns. The crazy thing is that he has another receiver in Marqise Lee that caught 73 passes for over 1100 yards last season too!
6		Sammy Watkins	Clemson	WR	SO
Watkins was one of the breakout stars in college football in 2011. Do not be surprised if he tops this list next season. With Tajh Boyd back, Watkins should top last season’s 12 receiving touchdown mark.
7		Aaron Murray	Georgia	QB	JR
Murray still has to cut down on his interceptions number (14 in 2011), but if he can do that Georgia has a real shot to win the SEC this season.
8		Marcus Lattimore	South Carolina	RB	JR
If Lattimore can come back completely healthy, he will be a Heisman contender. Had he not tore his ACL last season, he probably would have been a finalist.
9		Brandon Jenkins	Florida State	DE	JR
Jenkins has already shown during his two seasons in Tallahassee that he’s one of the nation’s best pass rushers. Opposing ACC quarterbacks won’t be happy to see him for a third year.
10		Sam Montgomery	LSU	DE	JR
In SEC play last season, Montgomery recorded 7.5 sacks.
11		Jarvis Jones	Georgia	LB	JR
The USC transfer showed how great he can be when he recorded four sacks against Florida last season.
12		Manti Te’o	Notre Dame	LB	SR
Te’o was towards the top of this list last season. It was surprising to hear that he was coming back, but he’s easily one of the nation’s best linebackers.
13		Bacarri Rambo	Georgia	S	SR
Rambo had eight interceptions last season and returned one of them for an interception against Auburn.
14		David Amerson	NCST	CB	SO
Amerson led the nation with 13 interceptions as a sophomore. He scored huge touchdowns against Virginia and Louisville.
15		Chase Thomas	Stanford	LB	SR
Although it was frequently lost in the Andrew Luck talk, Stanford’s defense has some star power as well. Thomas was among the nation’s best linebackers in 2011 with 8.5 sacks.
16		TJ McDonald	USC	S	SR
McDonald’s decision to return for his senior season gave USC a key defensive piece back to go along with its star offensive weapons.
17		Arthur Brown	Kansas State	LB	SR
Although his brother Bryce’s transfer seemed to gather more headlines during the offseason, it was Arthur Brown that made big plays for the Wildcats last season.
18		Alex Okafor	Texas	DE	SR
Okafor became the Longhorns’ best pass rusher in 2011. With all the talent Texas has returning on defense, Okafor should have even more success this upcoming season.
19		Khaseem Greene	Rutgers	LB	SR
The Rutgers defense could be the best in the Big East if Greene has another fantastic season in 2012.
20		Landry Jones	Oklahoma	QB	SR
He took a step back last season (15 interceptions) but with three years of experience it is hard not to rank him in the nation’s top 25. Nobody would be surprised if he led the nation in passing touchdowns.
21		Corey Lemonier	Auburn	DE	JR
All Lemonier did last season was record 9.5 sacks in only eleven games played.
22		De’Anthony Thomas	Oregon	RB/WR	SO
Thomas could realistically win the Heisman Trophy in 2012. With Darron Thomas and LaMichael James gone, he will be spotlighted in the Ducks backfield. Last year, he had 18 total touchdowns (7 rush, 9 receiving, 2 return).
23		Johnthan Banks	Mississippi State	CB	SR
Banks could be the SEC’s top cornerback in 2013. Expect him to be a first round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft as well.
24		Larry Watford	Kentucky	G	SR
He continues to develop as one of the SEC’s best offensive lineman.
25		Kenny Stills	Oklahoma	WR	JR
Stills is no Ryan Broyles, but he has shown that he can make plays in the passing game without even being the Sooners’ main threat. He caught 61 passes in 2010 and 61 passes in 2012.
26		Tyler Wilson	Arkansas	QB	JR
He had an unbelievable season in 2011, but can he take the next step by playing better against Alabama and LSU? Those two teams held him to his lowest passing yard totals last season and he threw 33% of his interceptions against the Tide and Tigers.
27		Kawann Short	Purdue	DT	SR
Short should have a gigantic season in 2012. Last year, he recorded 6.5 sacks for the Boilermakers.
28		Ricky Wagner	Wisconsin	OT	SR
Wagner is looking more and more like a first round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. He’s one of the best at opening up holes in the running game.
29		Alex Hurst	LSU	OT	SR
At 6-6, 340 lbs, it’s not hard to see why it would be difficult getting around Hurst.
30		Marqise Lee	USC	WR	SO
Yes, I realize Lee is the second USC receiver in the nation’s top 30 players, but the truth is that he caught 77 passes last season and scored 11 touchdowns while playing with Robert Woods (who gets almost every pass thrown his way).
31		Tavon Austin	West Virginia	WR	SR
Austin caught 101 passes last season and scored a total of 11 touchdowns.  In the Orange Bowl rout against Clemson, he caught 12 passes and scored four touchdowns.
32		Denard Robinson	Michigan	QB	SR
On one hand, I feel silly putting a guy that has rushed for 3,229 yards and has 75 career touchdowns (pass & rush) at No. 32. On the other, this is a quarterback that recorded single digit pass completions in SEVEN of thirteen games last season. It’s a good thing he’s so fast.
33		Knile Davis	Arkansas	RB	SR
If he’s completely healthy, I think Davis could explode in 2012. I was very high on him going into last season and now a lot of experts have forgotten about him just because he missed all of last season.
34		Brodrick Brown	Oklahoma State	CB	SR
Brown was easily one of the nation’s best cornerbacks in 2011. He had 14 pass breakups and four interceptions. This season the new look Cowboys are likely to need more of the same from Brown and company in order to be competitive in the new look Big 12.
35		Collin Klein	Kansas State	QB	SR
Klein excels with his legs, scoring 27 times on the ground in 2011. Although Bill Snyder gets a lot of the credit for the Wildcats turnaround last year, the coach has to know that it never would have happened without Klein’s leadership and scoring ability. He carries the workload like a running back.
36		Kenjon Barner	Oregon	RB	SR
Barner ran for 939 yards and scored 13 touchdowns last season as Oregon’s backup running back. LaMichael James won’t be around to steal 247 of his carries this season.
37		Geno Smith	West Virginia	QB	SR
Smith had fantastic numbers last year (31 touchdowns, 7 interceptions). This is a guy that threw for 463 yards against LSU last season and then threw for six touchdowns against Clemson in the bowl game.
38		Jonathan Cooper	North Carolina	G	SR
Cooper decided to return for his senior season. He’s one of college football’s top lineman and will be likely be a high pick in the NFL Draft.
39		Oday Aboushi	Virginia	OT	SR
Aboushi was second team ACC last year but should continue to develop into one of the nation’s better tackles.
40		Marquess Wilson	Washington State	WR	SO
Wilson is quickly turning into one of the nation’s best kept secrets. In Mike Leach’s offense, he might have a Texas Tech-Michael Crabtree type season for the Cougars in 2012.
41		Lemarcus Joyner	Florida State	S	JR
Joyner intercepted four passes last season and had his best game of the season in the finale against Notre Dame.
42		John Boyett	Oregon	S	SR
Although he didn’t intercept a lot of passes last season, Boyett did have a huge impact on the opponents’ running game. He had digit tackles in four games, including 17 against Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.
43		Omoregie Uzzi	Georgia Tech	G	SR
Uzzi made Phil Steele’s All-ACC team last season.
44		Rex Burkhead	Nebraska	RB	SR
Burkhead scored a touchdown in 11 of Nebraska’s 13 games last season. Not surprising, his worst game was against Michigan (10 carries, 36 yards) and that game also resulted in the Cornhuskers worst loss of the season.
45		Keenan Allen	California	WR	JR
Allen is a large part of the Bears’ offense. Last season he caught 98 passes for 1,343 receiving yards. If he can find the endzone more in 2012, he will begin to get the recognition he deserves.
46		Jeremy Grove	East Carolina	LB	SO
This list has to be made with a little bit of potential in mind and Grove proved last season that he has all of the potential in the world. He finished 10th nationally in total tackles (122) in only eleven games played as a freshman.
47		Joseph Randle	Oklahoma State	RB	JR
Obviously, he has to thank graduated QB Brandon Weeden and NFL bound WR Justin Blackmon for some of his stats, but Randle scored 24 rushing touchdowns last season. He scored on over 11% of his carries.
48		Devin Taylor	South Carolina	DE	SR
Taylor recorded a sack in five of South Carolina’s final seven games last season. He is one of the SEC’s best rushers and his stats should finally reflect that in 2012.
49		Terrence Williams	Baylor	WR	SR
Williams wasn’t even the best receiver on his own team last season, but with Kendall Wright moving on to the next level he should shine in 2012.
50		Johnny Adams	Michigan State	CB	SR
I like that Adams is not afraid to make plays on the football (3 INTs last season) and that he never shies away from making the big hit.
51		Gabe Ikard	Oklahoma	G	JR
He’s already shown in his career that he can move from guard to center when needed. He was voted first team All-Big 12 as a sophomore.
52		Keith Price	Washington	QB	JR
It’s really scary to think about how good Price might be if he sticks around two more seasons.  In his first season as a starter, he had 8 three touchdown games in 2011.
53		D. J. Fluker	Alabama	OT	JR
It appears Fluker is finally becoming the offensive lineman Nick Saban thought he was getting when he joined the team three years ago.
54		Dominique Easley	Florida	DT	JR
Easley is quickly becoming one of the SEC’s better interior defensive lineman. Will Mushamp has to hope Easley becomes more well known for his play than his dance moves, because that was not the case in 2011.
55		Xavier Rhodes	Florida State	CB	JR
Rhodes and Joyner are going to form one of the nation’s scariest secondaries this season.
56		Barkevious Mingo	LSU	DE	JR
Mingo recorded eight sacks for the Tigers last season, including two each in LSU’s big wins over Auburn and Arkansas.
57		Robbie Rouse	Fresno State	RB	SR
Rouse ran for 1,549 yards and 13 touchdowns last season as a junior. Eight of his thirteen touchdowns came in his last six games.
58		Tajh Boyd	Clemson	QB	JR
Boyd could be a surprise Heisman Trophy contender this season. With Sammy Watkins and Andre Ellington back, the Tigers will likely have the ACC’s best offense.
59		Justin Hunter	Tennessee	WR	JR
If you want to see me stick my neck out, you’ll love this pick. Hunter was easily Tennessee’s best offensive player before his ACL injury last season. If he returns fully healthy, the trio of Bray, Rogers, and Hunter will make Tennessee’s offense hard to stop.
60		Tyler Eifert	Notre Dame	TE	SR
Eifert is the nation’s best returning tight end. He caught 63 passes last season and recorded over 800 yards receiving.
61		Gerald Hodges	Penn State	LB	SR
He recorded double digit tackles in four games last season, a number that should improve a lot this season.
62		James Franklin	Missouri	QB	JR
As a sophomore in 2011, he began to become a household name in the Big 12. Now, he enters the SEC as a run first quarterback.  Good luck.
63		James Gayle	Virginia Tech	DE	JR
Gayle recorded seven sacks in only nine games played last season. As a junior, he is expected to become one of the nation’s best pass rushers.
64		Matt Miller	Boise State	WR	SO
Again, some guys on this list have to be ranked off of potential. Miller should be fantastic with Tyler Shoemaker (who caught 16 touchdowns) gone. All Miller did last season was catch 9 touchdowns and 62 passes in his freshman season.
65		Justin Pugh	Syracuse	OT	SR
Pugh was selected first team All-Big East in 2011. He will compete for a spot in the first round of the NFL Draft.
66		Trevardo Williams	Connecticut	DE	SR
Williams finished second nationally in sacks per game last season.
67		Johnathan Hankins	Ohio State	DT	JR
At 335 pounds, Hawkins was fourth on the Buckeyes in tackles last season. If he can stay on the field at that weight, running on Ohio State will be a very difficult task.
68		Aaron Donald	Pittsburgh	DT	JR
Donald had 11 sacks last season for the Panthers. which ranked in the top ten nationally.
69		Jordan Poyer	Oregon State	CB	SR
Poyer had four interceptions in 2012 and defended 16 passes (eighth best in the nation).
70		Zach Line	SMU	RB	SR
Line rushed for 17 touchdowns in only 10 games last season. I’d feel silly if he wasn’t somewhere on this list.
71		Eddie Lacy	Alabama	RB	JR
Look, I’m not going to be the guy that looks dumb at the end of the year for not putting Lacy in the top 100. Nick Saban has already had Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson during his time in Tuscaloosa. Lacy isn’t Richardson, but he is going to have a huge impact on this season.
72		Isaiah Crowell	Georgia	RB	SO
On that same note, I’m not going to look dumb for leaving out Crowell either. If the Georgia running back can stay healthy (injury problems cost him a great year in 2011) and remain the go to guy in a loaded backfield, he could have a monster season.
73		Demetrius Hartsfield	Maryland	LB	SR
Hartsfield finished fifth nationally in total tackles last season in only nine games played. He could be the nation’s leader in 2012 if he can stay healthy.
74		A.J. Klein	Iowa State	LB	SR
Klein had four double digit tackle games last season, and two came against the Big 12′s finest. Klein had 14 tackles in the Cyclones’ upset win over Oklahoma State and 12 against Oklahoma.
75		Stedman Bailey	West Virginia	WR	JR
After catching 12 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2011, expectations for Bailey and West Virginia are through the roof. The Mountaineers have Bailey, Tavon Austin, and Geno Smith back. All three made this top 100 list.
76		William Gholston	Michigan State	DT	JR
Gholston is prime for a breakout season in 2012. He had 4.5 sacks and two 14+ tackle games during his sophomore season in East Lansing.
77		Da’Rick Rogers	Tennessee	WR	JR
Although Hunter is the receiver I think is more talented, nobody can deny that Rogers has shown flashes of brilliance as well.
78		John Simon	Ohio State	DT	SR
Simon had seven sacks during his junior season.
79		Casey Pachall	TCU	QB	JR
Pachall showed last season that he can lead TCU where the Horned Frogs want to go. His five touchdown, 473 yard passing day against Boise State was one of the performances of the year.
80		Nigel Malone	Kansas State	CB	SR
Malone developed into one of the Big 12′s best cornerbacks last season with seven interceptions.
81		Nick Harwell	Miami (OH)	WR	JR
Harwell appears ready to take on the role of being the nation’s top non BCS receiver. Let’s see if he can continue to develop after a 97 catch, nine touchdown season.
82		Tyler Bray	Tennessee	QB	JR
Bray only threw 17 touchdowns last season but he did that in seven games and he did it without his most talented receiver in the lineup for almost the entire year. He’s shown the potential to be the SEC’s next great quarterback.
83		Jake Knott	Iowa State	LB	SR
Knott and teammate A. J. Klein will form a very tough linebacking duo for the Cyclones in 2012.
84		Joe Vellano	Maryland	DE	SR
Vellano was all ACC last season and led the Terpapins with seven sacks.
85		Star Lotuleilei	Utah	DT	SR
He’s easily one of the nation’s best run stoppers. Don’t be surprised if he’s an early draft pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
86		Dion Jordan	Oregon	DE	SR
Jordan recorded at least half a sack in six of the ten games he played in last season.
87		Josh Boyce	TCU	WR	JR
Boyce was a huge target for new starting quarterback Casey Pachall last season. Now that both are juniors, TCU’s passing game should be among the Big 12′s best.
88		Carrington Byndom	Texas	CB	JR
After a breakout season in 2011, Byndom is now considered to be among the Big 12′s rising stars.
89		Chris Borland	Wisconsin	LB	JR
Borland had seven games last season where he recorded double digit tackles for the Badgers. He also intercepted two passes.
90		Silas Redd	Penn State	RB	JR
Let’s give Redd credit for carrying most of the workload for the Penn State offense in a season rocked by scandal. He should have a superb year running the ball for the Nittany Lions in 2012.
91		Matt Elam	Florida	S	JR
Elam is turning into one of the better secondary players in the SEC. In his first extensive action last season, he made plays all over the field for the Gators.
92		A. J. McCarron	Alabama	QB	JR
Not many quarterbacks could deal with the pressure situations McCarron did last season. He rose to every hostile crowd and never made a big mistake. Besides, no other quarterback can say he has a national title trophy. He could develop into one of the game’s best quarterbacks.
93		Jackson Jeffcoat	Texas	DE	JR
Over the last seven games last season, Jeffcoat recorded 7.5 sacks. If he continues to play like that, the Longhorns’ pass rush could be among the Big 12′s best in 2012.
94		Jadeveon Clowney	South Carolina	DE	SO
There aren’t many players that can record eight sacks as a freshman at a SEC school.
95		Bjoern Werner	Florida State	DE	JR
Werner recorded seven sacks last season for the ‘Noles, although six of them came in the season’s first seven games.
96		Ryan Swope	Texas A&M	WR	SR
Swope caught 89 passes for 1,207 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Let’s see if he can put up numbers without Ryan Tannehill throwing him the ball in 2012.
97		Zac Stacy	Vanderbilt	RB	SR
Sure, this could be Cierre Wood, Henry Josey, Stepfan Taylor, or John White, but all of those teams already have a player on this list. Why not give Stacy a little credit at 98? He ran for 1,193 yards and 14 touchdowns at Vanderbilt last season.
98		Quandre Diggs	Texas	CB	SO
Diggs led Texas in interceptions last season. If everything works out, he and teammate Carrington Byndom will become the Big 12′s best cornerback duo this season.
99		Darrin Moore	Texas Tech	WR	SR
If Moore had not injured his ankle last season, I think he’d be a no-doubt candidate for this list, but because he was not healthy most of the season this will come as a shock for some. I’ve got to stick my neck out somewhere.
100		Robert Lester	Alabama	S	SR
Lester is one of the more experienced secondary players in the SEC. Alabama will use his experience early as a young defense finds its way.