True Freshmen Mountain 2020: December 9 Update
The True Freshmen Mountain is our way of tracking the impact college football’s newcomers are having. It’s like the game, King of the Mountain, the player on the top is King, and everyone else is doing their best to knock him off the peak. We will update the list every week adding in the performances from that week. The mountain is based on a players performance for the season. We are judging players based on their production, the level of competition they performed against and the eye test. To see last week’s true freshmen mountain click here.
King Of The Mountain
Malachi Moore – Alabama
Stats: 40 Tak 4 TFL 6 PBU 3 Int 1 FF 1 FR 1 TD
Alabama had little trouble with LSU this weekend as the Crimson Tide rolled to a 55 – 17 win. Moore was solid in coverage again for Alabama and pitched in 6 tackles against LSU. He did not force any turnovers this week which is the exception for Moore this season. He is having a strong first season in Tuscaloosa and is still the King of the True Freshmen Mountain.
Top Challengers
Myles Murphy – Clemson
Stats: 35 tackles 9.5 TFL 3.5 Sacks 3 fumble forced, 1 QB Hurry
Clemson pulled away from Virginia Tech for a 45 – 10 win. Murphy made a big impact from his defensive end spot, recording 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and a fumble forced. Murphy has been at or close to the top of the mountain every week and is clearly one of the most impactful true freshmen in the country.
Peter Skoronski – Northwestern
Stats: 5 starts at Left Tackle
Northwestern had an unexpected bye week because Minnesota had to cancel their game due to Covid. Skoronski has played well enough to maintain his spot on the mountain this week.
Closing In On The Top Group
Noah Sewell – Oregon
Stats: 31 Tak 5 TFL 2 Sacks 1 FF
Sewell has made his presence felt in every game this season for the Ducks. Oregon came up short against Cal, 21 – 17 but Sewell played another strong game. He was a tackling machine, tallying 8 tackles on the day. Sewell has quickly emerged as a leader for the Oregon defense and should be a force to reckon with for the next couple years.
Will Anderson – Alabama
Stats: 35 Tak 6.5 TFL 3 Sack 8 QB Hurries
Anderson has been getting hurries for a while now, but recently started finishing with sacks and tackles for loss as well. The explosive edge defender has been a menace in the opposing backfield. He recorded 8 tackles and 2 sacks against LSU this week, continuing his strong play of late. Anderson has gotten all three of his sacks in the last two games. Anderson gives Alabama another excellent defender up front.
Jordan Addison – Pittsburgh
Stats: 57 rec 652 yds 4 TD / 8 Car 55 yds / 2 PR 15 yds / 2 KR 39 yds
Pittsburgh was off this past weekend, but Addison’s body of work is strong enough to stay on the mountain.
On The Slope
Jalen Berger – Wisconsin
Stats: 45 car 267 yards 1 TD / 2 rec 13 yards
Berger was one of the few positives on offense for Wisconsin against Indiana. He ran for 87 yards on 15 carries and probably should have gotten more touches. The freshman has established himself as the best running back in Wisconsin’s backfield and should continue to play a key role for the Badgers.
DJ Uiagalelei – Clemson
Stats: 78/116 883 yds 5 TD 0 Int / 28 car 60 yds 4 TD
Uiagalelei has not gotten much playing time since Trevor Lawrence returned to the lineup. He was excellent in his short stint as the starter and gave a glimpse of his bright future.
Stats: 76 car 520 yds 3 TD / 13 rec 159 yds
Robinson has flashed over the course of the season, but against Kansas State he showed just how explosive he can be. The talented tailback had 9 carries for 172 yards and 3 touchdowns and also caught 3 passes for 51 yards. In 12 touches he was able to go over 200 yards and score three times. Robinson should get more touches for the Longhorns going forward.
Near The Base
Offense
Deuce Vaughn (RB) – Kansas State: 123 car 642 yds 7 TD / 25 rec 434 yds 2 TD
Jahmyr Gibbs (RB) – Georgia Tech: 89 car 460 yds 4 TD / 24 rec 303 yds 3 TD
Chip Trayanum – Arizona State: 27 car 192 yds 2 TD / 1 rec 5 yds
Tank Bigsby (RB) – Auburn: 112 car 642 yds 5 TD / 11 rec 84 yds / 13 KR 306 yds
Marvin Mims (WR) – Oklahoma: 29 catches 482 yds 7 TD / 1 car 17 yds
Chris Tyree (RB) – Notre Dame: 67 car 459 yds 3 TD / 3 rec 21 yds
Arik Gilbert (TE) – LSU: 35 catches 368 yards 2 TD
Seth McGowan (RB) – Oklahoma: 57 car 297 yds 3 TD / 10 rec 131 yds 1 TD
Lavell Davis Jr – Virginia: 17 rec 440 yds 5 TD
Michael Mayer (TE) – Notre Dame: 30 catches 337 yards 2 TD
Rakim Jarrett (WR) – Maryland: 12 rec 213 yds 2 TD
Jermaine Burton (WR) – Georgia: 21 rec 360 yds 3 TD / 4 car 50 yds
Shane Illingworth (QB) – Oklahoma State: 41/70 554 yds 4 TD 1 Int / 12 car -18 yds
Defense
Khari Coleman – TCU: 28 Tak 13.5 TFL 3 Sacks 2 QB Hurries
Eli Ricks – LSU: 17 tak .5 TFL 4 PBU 3 Int 1 TD
Clarence Lewis (CB) – Notre Dame: 27 Tak 1 TFL 6 PBU 1 FF
BJ Ojulari (DE) – LSU: 15 Tak 5 TFL 4 Sacks 1 FF 3 QB Hurries
Akheem Mesidor (DE) – West Virginia: 29 Tak 6.5 TFL 5 Sacks
Bryan Bresee (DT) – Clemson: 16 Tak 4 TFL 3 Sacks 2 PBU 1 FF 2 QB Hurry 1 Blk
Nick Herbig (LB) – Wisconsin: 11 tak 5 TFL 1 Sack 1 PBU 2 QB Hurries
Jalen Carter (DT) – Georgia: 11 Tak 3 TFL 5 QB Hurries
Stefon Thompson (LB) – Syracuse: 36 Tak 7.5 TFL 2 Sack 1 FF 2 QB Hurries
Rob Hanna (S) – Syracuse: 55 Tak 2 TFL 1 Int
Jordan Burch (DT) – South Carolina: 19 Tak 2.5 TFL 1 FR
Ruben Hyppolite (LB) – Maryland: 18 Tak 2 TFL 2 Sack
Gervon Dexter (DT) – Florida: 12 Tak 2 TFL 0.5 Sack 1 Int 1 QB Hurry
Alfred Collins (DT) – Texas: 17 Tak 1.5 TFL 1 Sack 2 PBU
The season is winding down and plenty of freshmen have had opportunities to make an impact. With a few weeks to go it will be interesting to see if new players can make enough of an impact to make their way up the list. We will revisit the true freshman mountain weekly to update the rankings as the season moves forward.
For our recap of the past weekend in college football click here.
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