Forgotten to factors: College football players poised for comebacks
Pittsburgh running back James Conner's return to the field Saturday is assured of being one of the best moments of college football's full opening weekend, but he's not the only player back after missing all or most of 2015.
Conner's absence stands out because of its life-threatening nature, and because he is one of the elite players in the sport. But a number of other teams are counting on their own potentially elite players to excel in their returns from absences caused severe injuries or other reasons. And in the offseason and preseason, those teams have been given reason to believe that will happen.
You won't see Wisconsin running back Corey Clement, Georgia running back Nick Chubb or Baylor quarterback Seth Russell on this list — it is reserved for those who played very little or not at all.
One player who would fit the bill and comes with all-conference and even All-American potential is Michigan State linebacker Ed Davis, a former All-Big Ten performer who missed 2015 with a knee injury. But Davis' appeal for a sixth year of eligibility has not yet been granted, so his return is uncertain. These players' returns are not:
Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
Williams has been a go-to player for the Tigers since arriving on campus and has the school record for receiving yards by a sophomore (1,030). He even scored a touchdown on his lone drive of 2015, one that ended with him breaking a bone in his neck in a goalpost collision. Quarterback Deshaun Watson's vision helps him get the ball to every playmaker on the field, and he's getting an elite 6-foot-3 target back to add to the mix.
Matthew Thomas, LB, Florida State
Like Vanderdoes, Thomas was a five-star recruit, but shoulder injuries cost him part of the 2013 season and all of 2015. This preseason he's shown his unique and elite qualities, particular in his speed and reaction. "What I like, he’s triggering downhill, reading, making good, disciplined reads inside," Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher said Tuesady. "When we’re playing and all of sudden he’ll go make that play that others don’t — run guys down in space and track them. Really good cover skills, athletic — I mean, he’s just playing good football right now.”
Eddie Vanderdoes, DT, UCLA
When healthy, Vanderdoes has been extremely productive at his position, ranking eighth on the team in tackles as a freshman and making eight — including two for losses — in the Bruins' 2015 opener at Virginia before tearing a knee ligament in the third quarter. UCLA's defense, ransacked by injury in 2015, won't open this season at full strength either, but the return of Vanderdoes will do wonders.
James McFarland, DE, TCU
The last time McFarland appeared in a game he won Defensive MVP of the Peach Bowl. That was at the end of the 2014 season, one in which he led the Horned Frogs in quarterback sacks. McFarland's broken toe prior to the 2015 led to one of a stunning number of missing projected starters on TCU's defense last season, but he's back to full strength. How did McFarland, a preseason All-Big 12 honoree, become such a good pass rusher? Back at West Monroe (La.) High School, he went toe to toe with future Alabama OT Cam Robinson most days in practice.
Travonte Valentine, DT, LSU
Unlike the others on this list, Valentine's absence from FBS competition in 2015 was self-induced, not injury-induced. Lately he's been inducing amazed reactions from teammates and coaches. By all accounts, the one-time No. 2 defensive tackle recruit in the country has rectified himself academically, behaviorally and physically, and he pairs with Davon Godchaux to give the Tigers two All-SEC-caliber defensive tackles.
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