There’s no perfect way to recognize individual achievement in college football. Last fall Lamar Jackson improved upon his numbers from a Heisman Trophy–winning 2016 season but played out the final few games of his Louisville career in relative obscurity as the Cardinals limped to a middling finish. Baker Mayfield earned every ounce of last year’s postseason hardware, but this fall we may get another reminder that the awards circuit will never give defensive superstars the same attention it gives stat-stuffing quarterbacks like him. Luckily, no matter where your team finished in ’17, the dog days of the college football offseason are a time for optimism and extrapolation, where even one player’s breakout performance is enough to sustain hopes of a surprise bowl bid, conference contention or a playoff run.
Top 100 College Football Players of 2018: Nos. 100–51
