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Ranking the 50 best college football players for 2016

By Connor Muldowney

Nov 7, 2015; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama won 30-16. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2015; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama won 30-16. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 7, 2015; Evanston, IL, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs the ball during the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2015; Evanston, IL, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs the ball during the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports /

It’s not often you see so many young guys make a “top players in college football list” like this one, but that’s just how the 2015 season went. There were a ton of freshmen who stood out as stars and Penn State running back Saquon Barkley was one of them.

Barkley broke Penn State’s freshman rushing record with 1,076 yards and seven touchdowns on a 5.9 yards per carry average. That’s even more impressive when you think about the kind of defenses he went up against in his first collegiate season.

Heck, in Barkley’s first Big Ten game ever — granted, it was against Rutgers — he rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns on 9.3 yards per touch. In his next conference game against Ohio State, he tallied 194 yards on 26 carries.

The freshman running back failed to break the 5.0 yards per rush mark over the next four games but finished the season strong with 103 yards on 17 carries against a stingy Michigan State rushing defense on the road.

James Franklin is bringing in one of the nation’s best running back prospects in Miles Sanders to back up Barkley, putting a little extra pressure on the All-Big Ten candidate, but he’s going to build on a strong start to his career.

Next: 40. C.J. Beathard

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