Top 10 impact freshmen in college football

Video: Top 10 Impact Freshmen in College Football
JT Daniels led Mater Dei to a national title in high school and could do the same in college for USC.

Adrian Peterson, Herschel Walker, Ron Dayne, Luke Kuechly, Dan Marino, Terrelle Pryor, and Jamelle Holieway are just some notable true freshmen to have a major impact during their first season of college football.

Expect these 10 guys to do the same.

The Trinity League in Southern California claims to be the best in the country and judging from this list it's hard to disagree. Three of the 10 players selected are SoCal guys.



One high school claimed multiple players and seven different states were represented with California leading the way with three. While guys like Xavier Thomas, Eyabi Anoma, Jeremy Ruckert, James Cook, Justin Fields and a handful of others will have their time to shine on Saturdays, they just missed the cut because they are a little further back on the depth chart because of upperclassmen at their respective positions.
MaxPreps Top 10 Impact True Freshmen

10. Rondale Moore — Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) — Purdue
We saw exactly how explosive Moore is going to be last night on ESPN. He set a new Purdue school record with 313 all-purpose yards. He scored two touchdowns, including an incredible 76-yarder to the house. Expect him to be one of the best playmakers in college football this year. During his final two years at Trinity he played a major role in leading them to back-to-back 6A state titles and the Shamrocks went 30-0 during that span. Last year, he finished his senior season with over 2,000 total yards and 23 touchdowns.

9. Brevin Jordan — Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) — Miami
The Bishop Gorman standout is going for the next three or four years. The University of Miami announced him as its starting tight end for a reason earlier this week. Don't be shocked when he is a factor on Sunday night on ABC against No. 25 LSU. Jordan finished his senior season at the Las Vegas power with 63 receptions for 1,100-plus yards and 13 touchdowns. The thing that jumps off the charts for Jordan is that whenever Gorman played on a national stage against an out-of-state team he put up numbers.

8. Trevor Lawrence — Cartersville (Cartersville, Ga.) — Clemson
Lawrence would be higher on the list and most likely at No. 1 if he'd been named the starter, but Dabo Sweeney elected to go with the veteran, Kelly Bryant, to start the year at quarterback. Don't be surprised though when Lawrence gets his chance to shine at some point during the season. He was the No. 1 rated player overall from the Class of 2018 for a reason. He ended his high school career as Georgia's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns surpassing a former Clemson star — Deshaun Watson. He's hoping he can do the same thing Watson did and bring home a National Championship to Death Valley.

7. Patrick Surtain Jr. — American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) — Alabama
Alabama has been known for producing big-time defensive backs and Patrick Surtain Jr. could very well be the next great one. His dad, Patrick Surtain, played in the NFL for 11 years and was a three-time Pro Bowl cornerback. The scary thing is his son has the potential to be even better. He played for his dad at American Heritage for the final two years of his high school career and they never lost, going 28-0 and winning back-to-back 5A Florida state championships. Surtain Jr. was the No. 1 rated cornerback from the Class of 2018.

6. Amon-Ra St. Brown — Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) — USC
Earlier this summer St. Brown said he wants to win the Heisman three times. So you know he has the confidence in himself to be a big-time playmaker for Clay Helton and the Trojans. He put on a show during USC's fall camp with his former high school quarterback, JT Daniels. Expect him to be a factor lining up in the slot on offense and returning punts. He is one of the most versatile wide receivers on the Trojans' roster — you can line him up anywhere. He has amazing hands, his footwork is off the charts, he's a big-time playmaker and is the best route- runner out of any wide receiver from the Class of 2018. He had 132 receptions for 2,549 yards and 41 touchdowns during his final two years at Mater Dei. He also took three punt returns to the house.



5. Micah Parsons — Harrisburg (Harrisburg, Pa.) — Penn State
The former 5-star recruit from Pennsylvania was one of the most explosive and versatile players in high school football. Expect him to be an impact player for James Franklin during his first year in Happy Valley. During his senior season Parsons put up numbers on both sides of the ball. He rushed for nearly 1,500 and 27 scores to go with 10 sacks and nearly 20 tackles for loss. Even though Parsons is listed on the depth chart behind Koa Farmer at outside linebacker expect him to see the field a lot during his freshman season. He's too explosive of a player to have on the sideline. Another Penn State freshman who should make an impact this year too is former South Brunswick (Monmouth Junction, N.J.) 5-star wide receiver Justin Shorter.

4. Jaiden Woodbey — St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) — Florida State
Woodbey surprised a lot of people when he left the West Coast to go to Florida State. It looks like he made the right move. He was named the star ting linebacker earlier this week and expect Willie Taggart to use him everywhere on defense during his freshman season. He helped lead the Braves to a state title during his junior season and has all the tools to be a big-time playmaker in college. Don't be surprised when he makes a couple of big plays on Monday night against No. 20 Virginia Tech on ESPN. Woodbey will be the first true freshman to start Week 1 for the Seminoles' defense since Xavier Rhodes did in 2010.

3. Caden Sterns — Steele (Cibolo, Texas) — Texas
The Class of 2018 could go down in history as the one who brought Texas Longhorns football back and it all starts with former 5-star safety Sterns. With the departure of DeShon Elliott, expect the former Steele star to be an impact player right away for Tom Herman. He has a knack for finding the ball and was one of the most instinctive players during his high school career. He had 11 interceptions during his four years at Steele and took three of them back to the house. He showcased his talent in the US Army All-American Bowl against the best competition in the country and earned the Defensive MVP honors. Texas football has been waiting to be relevant since Mack Brown left and Sterns along with BJ Foster, Anthony Cook and Keaontay Ingram could be the Class to get them back to the big stage.

2. Brendan Radley-Hiles — IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) — Oklahoma
Do not be shocked when Radley-Hiles becomes the first defensive back since 1997 (Charles Woodson) to win the Heisman. When it comes to instincts no one was better than "Bookie" — a big-time playmaker who lives for the big moment. He will be starting at the nickel for Lincoln Riley and expect him to be a major factor during his first season playing on Saturdays. Radley-Hiles proved himself at three major high school programs during his high school career — Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), Calabasas (Calif.), and IMG Academy. You are going to hear "Bookie" and Radley-Hiles a lot this year anytime you are watching the Oklahoma Sooners.

1. JT Daniels — Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) — USC
JT Daniels joins Matt Barkley as the only true freshmen quarterbacks in USC history to start the season opener. The former Mater Dei star finished his three-year career with over 12,000 yards passing and had 152 touchdowns to only 14 interceptions. During his last year of high school, the Monarchs went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the country and never trailed at any point during the season. The former 5-star quarterback is one of the smartest players in the country and when it comes to game-planning he has some Peyton Manning in him. He always knows where to go with the ball, he has good arm strength and is very accurate. Expect the most recent Gatorade Athlete of the Year award winner to put up big numbers during his first season at USC.