ACC NEWS

The Sports Xchange: ACC Newcomers to Watch

The Sports Xchange

August 15, 2014 at 11:38 am.

Watson's a versatile player who passed for 4,431 yards and ran for 1,057 more as a senior at Gainesville (Ga.) High. Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Clemson starting quarterback Cole Stoudt has NFL lineage and earned the nod for the Tigers at the end of spring practice.
But it might not be long before Stoudt, son of former NFL quarterback Cliff Stoudt, is feeling some heat from Deshaun Watson.

Watson is one of several ACC newcomers to watch, as identified by conference correspondents for The Sports Xchange.

Coaches also came away impressed by the freshman this spring. He’s a versatile player who passed for 4,431 yards and ran for 1,057 more as a senior at Gainesville (Ga.) High, Watson certainly will get some opportunities, despite starting the season as Stoudt’s backup.

“He’s going to play at Georgia (in the season opener),” offensive coordinator Chad Morris said. “DeShaun Watson wasn’t going to redshirt — he was that good. We knew that he was going to be special.”

One gets the sense that if Stoudt falters and the team struggles early, Watson’s playing time will increase exponentially.

Who else is knocking at the door for a big role despite newcomer status?

QB Tyler Murphy, Boston College: He’s a graduate senior and the only experienced option behind center on the roster. He didn’t play a lot at Florida but that was still the SEC. He knows what big games are all about. “I’m really thankful that this opportunity did open up and there was a chance for me to come here because I feel like I’m almost at home, it’s not too far away from here,” he said. “I can see my family and friends. I grew up watching BC as a kid so I know a little bit about the football program. I’m just really fortunate to be here.”

RB Joseph Ajeigbe, Duke — A redshirt freshman who could force his way into significant playing time, particularly if the Blue Devils go the advertised route of using a steady stream of backs as they have in the past. Ajeigbe’s strength with a 210-pound frame is one of his selling points to coach David Cutcliffe, and he’s the biggest running back contending for playing time.

RB Dalvin Cook, Florida State: It’s not clear two weeks before the season opener if Cook (6-0, 200) will redshirt, but considering the excitement surrounding his arrival in Tallahassee — it appears Jimbo Fisher feels Cook can legitimately contribute this year — the Seminoles would love to pair his talent with quarterback Jameis Winston in the backfield. Cook, an early enrollee, is one of the few coveted five-star recruits that FSU has landed in Fisher’s five seasons, and he comes highly touted from Miami Central, where he was named Mr. Florida Football in 2013 and came in as the second-ranked running back in the nation after rushing for nearly 4,300 yards in his prep career. And with there being a wide-open competition for the No. 2 running back job, Cook could easily be the one to grab it.

DE KeShun Freeman, Georgia Tech: The true freshman has a chance to start; he enrolled in school in January and went through spring practice to sparking reviews. Freeman is a strong guy who should give the Jackets a pillar at the end. It’s too early to say he could rival Jeremiah Attaochu, who was a second-round NFL draft pick, but he has excellent speed, strength and quickness.

DT Andrew Brown, Virginia: At 6-4, 305 pounds, Brown has the size to stop the run and he still has the mobility to be a solid pass rusher, a combination helped him earn Gatorade National Player of the Year honors in his final year in high school. Brown started classes at UVa in January, but he missed time in spring practice with a foot injury. He joins tackle David Dean in what could be a formidable front line for the Cavaliers.

QB Brad Kaaya, Miami (Fla.): With Ryan Williams recovering from a knee injury and redshirt freshman Kevin Olsen facing a one-game suspension, the true freshman took reps with the No. 1 unit to begin fall practice. He is competing with transfer Jake Heaps for the starting job — at least in the opener.

QB Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina: Incumbent Marquis Williams has the experience and potential to take North Carolina to bigger things sooner, Trubisky challenged the veteran in the spring, leaving Fedora to declare the position an open competition. If Williams struggles or doesn’t pick up where he left off in 2013, the task would fall to this redshirt freshman.

WR Bo Hines, North Carolina State: He enrolled in January and turned in a big-time performance in the spring game. That momentum has continued in preseason practice and he’s one of the reasons the Wolfpack looks deeper and more talented at the wide receiver position. He’s mentioned prominently in just about every in-house evaluation of the receiving corps.

RB Chris James, Pittsburgh: James rushed for 3,832 yards in high school in Niles (Ill.), a Chicago suburb. Even with starter Isaac Bennett and his backup, James Connor returning, James looks like he could be a contributor in his first season.

RB Marshawn Williams, Virgina: The freshman is waiting for the scars from a July hernia surgery to heal, but he vows to be ready for the start of the season. Only a freshman, the 5-11, 229-pound Williams is a battering ram who added a much-needed power element to the Hokies’ rushing stable in the spring. Virginia Tech has no shortage of options in the backfield, but Williams showed in the spring that he has the tools to be the No. 1 guy, especially in short yardage and red zone situations.

WR Jamal Custis, Syracuse: The big thing that Custis has going for him is, well, that he’s big. At 6-6, he’s the tallest receiver on the roster, and if he can impress in the last few weeks of practice before the season begins, it’s easy to see how the coaching staff would be eager to match him up against smaller defensive backs.

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