Around The Pac 12 North: The Biggest Shoes To Fill In 2020

Every year star players move on from college to the pros or transfer from one school to another. The players move on and advance their careers but they leave a giant pair of shoes to fill for their college teams. In this series we will look at the biggest shoes to fill on each team and attempt to guess who will fill them in 2020.

Washington State

Anthony Gordon

Anthony Gordon only started for one year at Washington State but it was a remarkable season. After throwing only 5 passes in 2018, Gordon went off in 2019 completing 71.8% of his passes for 5,579 yards and 48 TD against 16 Int. Gordon outperformed his predecessor Gardner Minshew in just about every category. To make the transition to a new quarterback even tougher, Mike Leach and his quarterback friendly offense are gone to Mississippi State. Gordon leaves a big pair of shoes to be filled in 2020.

Possible Replacements

Cammon Cooper was a four star recruit from Utah in the 2018 recruiting class. He redshirted in 2018 and did not attempt a pass in 2019, but none of the contenders in the quarterback room at Washington State have attempted a collegiate pass. Cooper has been in the program two years and has had time to get stronger and adjust to the college game (albeit on the practice field). Cooper is a left handed passer with excellent size, functional mobility in and around the pocket, and a good arm. He has the physical skills to be a good quarterback at the power five level.

The problem is that no one has seen him do it at this level. While physical tools and size are wonderful things, plenty of quarterbacks with those abilities are unable to adjust to the college game. For what it’s worth Cooper did appear to be the backup quarterback for Leach by the end of the year. New coach Nick Rolovich will have an open competition but we feel Cooper is in the best position to emerge as the starter come September.

If Cooper struggles that will leave the door open for Gunner Cruz and Jayden de Laura. Cruz was a three star recruit in the 2019 recruiting class and is built similar to Cooper. He redshirted in 2019, but does have a year in the program under his belt. De Laura is a 2020 recruit and is smaller than the other two, but is the more mobile quarterback. A running quarterback adds an extra element the defense will have to defend which could allow de Laura to emerge if Cooper struggles. Cooper is the odds on favorite going into fall camp and has the tools to be a good quarterback for the Cougars, but Cruz and de Laura will be waiting if he should slip up.

Washington

Hunter Bryant

Hunter Bryant was a tremendous threat in the passing game for the Huskies. He accumulated 52 catches for 825 yards and 3 TDs last season. Bryant declared for the NFL Draft but surprisingly went undrafted this April. The Huskies lost Bryant and second leading receiver Aaron Fuller, and will need to find production at tight end and receiver to make up for the loss of Bryant.

Possible Replacements

Cade Otton got a lot of playing time in 2019 which is both good and bad for the purposes of this article. The good news is he is experienced and has proven he can be a threat at the college level, the bad news is he produced last year, so even if he were to fill Bryant’s shoes someone would have to replace Otton’s production. First things first, Otton is the likely number one tight end and is a quality player in his own right (#17 TE in our rankings). He had 32 catches for 344 yards and 2 TDs last year and should get more playing time and more production this year with Bryant gone. While he won’t make up the entire gap alone he can at least bridge the gap some.

With Otton starting someone will have to step up and provide depth and a second option at tight end in 2020. That job will likely fall to Jack Westover or Mark Redman who we featured as a true freshman to watch. Westover caught 3 passes for 9 yards and 1 TD in 2019, and is not yet a proven commodity. Redman has a lot of potential and could become a major contributor the way Otton was last year. One or both of these players will need to step up at tight end to give the Huskies a chance to make up for the departure of Bryant.

Lastly, the tight ends will need help from the receivers, Bryant was a rare talent and contributed so much as a downfield receiving threat. Expect junior Terrell Bynum and sophomore Puka Nacua to take big steps forward in 2020 as receiving threats. Their growth coupled with contributions from newcomer Jalen McMillan (also a true freshman to watch) will go a long way towards filling Bryant’s shoes in 2020. We expect Otton to be a quality tight end this year and the Huskies have a lot of young talent at receiver that should help make up for the loss of Bryant.

Stanford

Colby Parkinson

Colby Parkinson was a standout tight end the last two seasons for Stanford. In 2019, he made 48 catches for 589 yards and 1 TD. He was the second leading receiver on the team and presented matchup problems for defenses every week with his size and athleticism. He was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Parkinson will be creating mismatches in the NFL this season, but Stanford will need to replace a big weapon on offense.

Possible Replacements

Stanford does not have any proven pass catching tight ends on the roster. Scooter Harrington has a total of 9 catches in the last three seasons combined. Tucker Fisk has caught 5 passes in the last two seasons combined. Both are big veteran tight ends who are good blockers but neither has proven to much of a threat in the passing game. To replace Parkinson in the passing game, Stanford will likely turn to Bradley Archer. Archer only played in two games as a true freshman in 2019 but will be needed in 2020.

Archer is also a good blocker at the tight end position, but he has the tools to be a receiving threat as well. While he may not be the explosive threat Parkinson was, he is a reliable target who uses his body well. Archer has the ability to create separation in the middle of the field and help the offense move the chains. He did not play much in 2019 so he will have to prove he can perform as a receiver and blocker this season. He will be the tight end Stanford looks to get involved in the passing game rather than Harrington and Fisk.

If Archer cannot carry the load Stanford may have to turn to true freshman Lukas Ungar. Ungar is a good athlete and should develop into a receiving threat fairly quickly in his career but its tough to project that as a true freshman. Ungar will need to get stronger and be a reliable blocker to get on the field for Stanford. We expect Archer to lead the tight ends in catches but all three of Harrington, Fisk and Archer to share time at the position. They will not match Parkinson’s production but if Archer can provide some production it will help the team as a whole make up for the loss of Parkinson.

Oregon State

Isaiah Hodgins

Isaiah Hodgins had a stellar 2019 campaign in which he caught 86 passes for 1,171 yards and 13 TDs. He was a big play receiver who also provided consistency on a week to week basis. Hodgins was drafted in the sixth round by the Buffalo Bills. He was the clear top option at receiver for the Beavers and accounted for more than 1/3 of the teams receiving yards.

Possible Replacements

There is no one like Hodgins on the roster for the Beavers. Replacing him will have to be a group effort, with Trevon Bradford spearheading that effort. Bradford was limited by a foot injury in 2019 and ended up taking a redshirt. In 2018, he had 56 catches for 649 yards and 6 TDs as the third leading receiver for the team. If Bradford is healthy, he has proven he can be a productive receiver at this level and could be ready to elevate his game.

Bradford has good speed, hands and is an efficient route runner. He is a diverse weapon on offense. He has rushed for 196 yards on 15 carries over the course of his career at Oregon State. He does not have the size Hodgins had, nor does he have the track record for making big plays, but Bradford has proven he can be a consistent receiver at the college level. If he is healthy he will likely be the primary option in the passing game for the Beavers. With his speed and ability to make plays with the ball in his hands he could develop into more of a big play threat.

If Bradford is not healthy or is unable to fill the number one receiver role in 2020 the Beavers will likely turn to a combination of Kolby Taylor and Jesiah Irish. Taylor will be a junior this year and had 22 catches for 219 yards and 1 TD in 2019. Taylor will need to take another step forward in his development in 2020 if he is to be a major contributor for the Beavers. Jesiah Irish was a redshirt freshman is 2019 and caught 4 passes for 85 yards and 1 TD. He will have to improve on his production from last season but showed promise in his limited opportunities. None of these players is the physically imposing threat that Hodgins was but some combination of these three players will have to fill his shoes in 2020.

Oregon

Justin Herbert

Justin Herbert led the Ducks’ offense the last three seasons. It will be odd to see another quarterback behind the center but change in inevitable in college football. Herbert had an excellent season in 2019 completing 66.8% of his passes for 3,471 yards and a 32/6 TD/INT ratio. After the season he was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. For the first time since 2017 Oregon will be looking for a new quarterback to lead the team.

Possible Replacements

There are two leading candidates to replace Herbert. Tyler Shough served as Herbert’s backup in 2020 and was highly thought of as a recruit. He got a little playing time in 2019 and completed 12 of 15 passes for 144 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions. Anthony Brown is a graduate transfer from Boston College who has had some success but has also battled injuries throughout his career. In 2019, he completed 59.1% of his passes for 1,250 yards and a 9/2 TD/INT ratio. He also had 128 rushing yards and 2 TDs on the ground. Before Brown’s transfer, Shough was the presumed starter, but Brown probably didn’t grad transfer to be a backup at Oregon in 2020.

Anthony Brown is a dual threat quarterback, making plays with his legs as well as his arm. While Brown has had success at Boston College over the last three years, there is cause for concern as well. Brown has not completed more than 60% of his passes in any of the last three seasons. In 2019, 65 FBS quarterbacks completed over 60% of their passes, this is not a difficult threshold to reach. On the positive side, Brown has improved his completion percentage year to year from 51.9% to 55.4% to 59.1% from 2017 to 2019. At the same time his yards per attempt have also improved from 5.3 to 7.4 to 9.1. If these trends continue, Brown could be headed for a big year in 2020, if he stays healthy.

Tyler Shough is a taller more traditional quarterback but does have some functional mobility as well. He has a big arm and delivers an accurate, catchable ball to all levels of the football field. He redshirted in 2018 and was the second string quarterback in 2019. With two years in the system, he has the practice experience and just needs the game reps to show what he can do. In his small sample size he has done a good job but there just isn’t enough playing time to make any assumptions. Shough has the tools to be a quality quarterback in college, but he needs the chance to show he can get the job done.

We expect Brown to have the edge as he is a graduate transfer, but Shough deserves a chance to play as well. Brown will need to hit the ground running and be healthy otherwise Shough may step in and take the job. Oregon has two good options at quarterback and that’s a good spot to be in.

California

Ashtyn Davis and Jaylinn Hawkins

The Bears lose both starting safeties so we will present this as two pairs of shoes that need to be filled. Davis and Hawkins started at safety for California in 2019 and both performed well. Davis was drafted in the third round and Hawkins in the fourth round. In 2019, Davis had 57 tackles, 4 PBU and 2 Int while Hawkins had 56 tackles 4.5 TFL and 3 Int. Replacing both safeties is a tall order especially when they are as talented and productive as Davis and Hawkins.

Possible Replacements

Davis missed Cal’s bowl game in 2019 and was replaced by Daniel Scott. Scott will be a junior in 2020, and finished last season with 16 tackles and 1 Int. He appears to be the next safety up and will get his chance to play more in 2020. Scott’s gotten minimal playing time so far in his career but did have 3 tackles and a QB Hurry in his one start. He was the first safety in after Davis and Hawkins and will likely get the first chance to fill in at safety in 2020.

Next to Scott look for Elijah Hicks to take over at the other safety spot. Hick’s started at corner in 2019 but the latest roster from the University lists him as a safety. We doubt Cal would move him off the starting corner position to be a backup safety. Last season, Hicks had 44 tackles, 2 TFL and 5 PBU at the corner spot. Hicks was one of the Bear’s top recruits in the 2017 class and will be a senior in 2020. He has gotten a good amount of playing time the last three seasons and will be counted on to put it together for one big senior season.

The combination of Hicks and Scott brings experience and a veteran presence that is desirable on the last line of defense. If one of the two were to struggle, former Penn State transfer Isaiah Humphries may be in line to get his shot. Humphries redshirted at Penn State in 2018 before sitting out 2019 after transferring to Cal. While Humphries has not played at the collegiate level yet he was a highly regarded recruit in the 2018 recruiting class. He is a physically gifted athlete who could grow into a quality safety at Cal, the big question is will he be ready in 2020? We expect Scott and Hicks to be the replacements for Davis and Hawkins in 2020, but look for Humphries to pick up valuable experience for the first time as well.

For our previous installment of Around The PAC 12 North click here.

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Untitled image taken by Amy Meredith is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.