Texas A&M wide receiver Christian Kirk continues to wow the A&M faithful in his freshman season. Here is a look at the true freshmen, including Kirk, who are making a mark on their program four weeks into the college football season.
WR Christian Kirk (5’11”, 200), Texas A&M (4-0, 1-0 SEC) — The A&M coaching staff involve “Captain Kirk” in the Aggie offense in just about any way imaginable. They line him up in slot receiver or H-back positions, have him return punts and kicks and even toy with setting him in motion prior to the snap to receive a touch pass on end-around plays. As a result, Kirk owns five touchdowns and 805 all-purpose yards on the season. His average of 201.25 all-purpose yards per game leads the Southeastern Conference and ranks fifth overall in the nation.
QB Josh Rosen (6’4”, 210), UCLA (4-0, 1-0 PAC-12) — In four games starting under center for the Bruins, Rosen has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 964 yards and seven touchdowns. These statistics tie for 59th, 32nd and 29th respectively in the country. More importantly, Rosen has engineered an undefeated record and national top-10 ranking for the Bruins. If he keeps this up, he can live up to the hype of being dubbed the “Rosen” one.
QB Lorenzo Nunez (6’3”, 210) South Carolina (2-2, 0-2 SEC) — In week four, Nunez took over the reigns for the quarterback-ailing Gamecocks. The former three star prospect rose to the occasion, passing 12-for-22 for 184 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Additionally, he led his team in rushing with 123 yards on 18 attempts and South Carolina defeated the University of Central Florida 31-14. With dual-threat ability, Nunez could be the quarterback of the future that head coach Steve Spurrier seeks in Columbia.
RB Saquon Barkley (5’11”, 222) Penn State (3-1, 1-0 B1G) — Barkley does not start, but he leads his team with 373 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. In week three, Barkley carried the rock 21 times for 195 yards and two scores as the Nittany Lions defeated Rutgers 28-3. Barkley’s 8.88 yards per carry on the season ranks second in the nation.
Honorable Mentions — Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien passed 24-for-35 for 321 yards and three touchdowns and led the Broncos to a 56-14 victory over Virginia University in his starting debut last Friday. University of Florida receiver Antonio Callaway hauled in the game-tying 63-yard touchdown pass against Tennessee last Saturday. Callaway leads the Gators in receiving yards. The University of Texas’ starting middle linebacker, Malik Jefferson, leads the Longhorns with five quarterback hurries and is second on his team with 29 tackles.
Keep an eye out for these “Fantastic Freshmen” and how Christian Kirk will stack up against them.
