True Freshmen Mountain 2020: September 30 Update
Photo Credit: Georgia Tech University Athletic Department
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
Myles Murphy – Clemson
Season Stats: 9 tackles 5 TFL 2 Sacks
Clemson had a bye this week, but we felt Murphy had built enough of a cushion to keep him in the top spot at the peak of the mountain. He will get a chance to show off his talents again Saturday night, against Virginia.
Top Challengers
Stats: 33 car 171 yds 1 TD / 6 rec 86 yds 2 TD / 5 kr 137 yds
Gibbs had quite an encore performance in his second game of the season. The talented back ran 18 times for 105 yards against Syracuse to claim the first 100 yard game of his career. Gibbs again was a factor in the passing game, catching 2 passes for 26 yards and a touchdown. Gibbs has quickly seen his role grow and we expect that to continue as Georgia Tech’s season progresses.
Deuce Vaughn – Kansas State
Stats: 20 car 92 yds 2 TD / 5 rec 153 yds
Vaughn was instrumental in Kansas State’s upset win over Oklahoma. He only ran the ball 8 times but picked up 45 yards, including the 22 yard game tying touchdown. He was also lethal as a receiver catching 4 passes for 129 yards in the game. Vaughn is a small running back but he played a big game Saturday reminding us of another Kansas State running back who wasn’t very big but played big against the Sooners.
Climbing Towards The Top
Lavell Davis Jr – Virginia
Stats: 4 rec 101 yds 2 TD
Virginia finally got the season started and Davis Jr introduced himself to the college football world. The 6’7″ 210 lb receiver made a big impact catching two touchdown passes in his first game. One came on a jump ball, which should become common place for him. The second was on a mid range pass, that he caught and then bullied past defenders, rumbling into the endzone for the score. Davis is a big target and should present match-up problems all season.
Jordan Addison – Pittsburgh
Stats: 21 rec 169 yds 2 TD / 4 car 39 yds / 2 pr 15 yds / 2 kr 39 yds
Pittsburgh continues to feature Addison in the passing game and he turned in another good performance against Louisville. He made 7 receptions for 77 yards and scored a touchdown. Addison also returned a punt for 21 yards and was used as a kick returner as well. The Panthers believe in the talented receiver and intend to put the ball in his hands as much as possible.
Eli Ricks – LSU
Stats: 4 tak 1 PBU 1 Int
It was not a good day overall for the LSU pass defense, but Ricks showed plenty of ability, which should bode well going forward. He had a key interception that allowed LSU to get back in the game and made another pass break up as well. He was one of the better pass defenders on the field for LSU and should continue to see playing time even when Derek Stingley returns.
Also On The Mountain
Offense
Jaylan Knighton (RB) – Miami: 18 car 96 yds 1 TD / 4 rec 110 yds 1 TD
Seth McGowan (RB) – Oklahoma: 22 car 134 yds 2 TD / 1 rec 37 yds 1 TD
Marvin Mims (WR) – Oklahoma: 8 catches 111 yards 3 TD / 5 punt returns 65 yards
Don Chaney (RB) – Miami: 22 carries 97 yards 2 TD / 1 catch 15 yards
Chris Tyree (RB) – Notre Dame: 14 car 85 yds 1 TD / 5 KR 104 yds
Shane Illingworth (QB) – Oklahoma State: 19/26 218 yards 0 TD 1 Int / 5 carries -3 yards
Arik Gilbert (TE) – LSU: 4 catches 37 yards 1 TD
Quentin Johnson (WR) – TCU: 2 catches 50 yards 1 TD
Bryce Young (QB) – Alabama: 5/8 52 yards / 4 carries 2 yards
Michael Mayer (TE) – Notre Dame: 4 catches 43 yards
Defense
Bryan Bresee (DT) – Clemson: 4 Tak .5 TFL .5 Sack 1 PBU 1 Blk
Stefon Thompson (LB) – Syracuse: 15 Tak 1.5 TFL 1 Sack 1 FF
Alfred Collins (DT) – Texas: 6 Tak 1.5 TFL 1 Sack
Rob Hanna (S) – Syracuse: 9 Tak 1 TFL 1 Int
DeMonte Capehart (DT) – Clemson: 3 Tak 2 TFL 1 Sack
Dayon Hayes (DE) – Pittsburgh: 2 Tak 2 TFL 2 Sack 1 FF
Gervon Dexter (DT) – Florida: 1 Tak 1 TFL 1 Int
Kenneth Harris (CB) – Arkansas State: 1 tackle 2 pass breakups
More and more true freshmen are starting to get playing time and with that the mountain will grow some in the near future. Several freshmen are starting to see significant playing time, and more will as teams need depth and when the Big Ten returns to action later this month. We will update 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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