By: Cole Mantell (@ColeMantell)
Through four weeks, we have an idea of who will contend for the awards at the end of each season. While there are sure to be arguments abound on who deserves what, let’s take a look at three players for each of the five on-field awards that are likely contenders through half of Season 18’s regular season. Players who are in contention for multiple awards will only be listed once but will be noted which other awards they could win in their pieces.
Freshman of the Year
Florida State QB Zeus Claydon is the runaway favorite at this point for one of the most interesting CFSL awards in trying to see the next generation of stars. Entering Week Five, Claydon is third in the CFSL in QB Rating and leads the CFSL with 19 passing touchdowns. It’ll be a battle between him and a few other elite QBs for the Offensive Player of the Year Award as well. Florida State has never had a player win Freshman of the Year.
Eastern Michigan HB Terrell Collins is having an excellent campaign as a freshman leading the Eagles running game. So far, he leads the MAC with 355 rushing yards and is fifth overall in the CFSL. He’ll need to improve on just two rushing touchdowns, but if a QB doesn’t win this award for the first time since Season 13, Collins is a good bet to be that guy. No Halfback has won this award since Cain Robinson for USC in Season 6, the first season this award was given out officially.
Alabama WR Lincoln Martin is also looking to be the first non-QB winner of this award since Season 13 when Washington WR August Alexander won. Martin leads all freshmen with 584 receiving yards and is fifth in the CFSL overall in the category. His biggest downside is sharing an offense with Titus Price, which might give him less yardage overall in what is otherwise one of the CFSL’s best offenses this season. QB Ryan Ravenhill is the last and only Alabama player to win this award, winning in Season 14.
Most Outstanding Senior
Clemson QB Loki Gunderson was in the running for multiple awards last season and has picked up right where he left off this season. The Senior QB with the highest QB Rating is almost always a strong contender for Most Outstanding Senior. Loki is that guy through four weeks, sporting a 178.0 QBR. That’s second-best in the CFSL. If Gunderson can power this offense to a deep playoff run, this is his award to lose. Dane Jones in Season 10 is the only other time a Clemson player has won this award.
North Carolina TE Cadbury Wellington is one of the more unusual award candidates in recent memory. But when you are so far above the rest of your tight-end class, you’ll start to generate some buzz. Through four seasons in Chapel Hill, Wellington is by far the most accomplished Tight End in the CFSL. At midseason, he is second among all players with 649 receiving yards. The next best TE in this category is Florida State’s Perry Pushkaryov in 11th. “Beef” Wellington would be the first-ever Tar Heel and Tight End to win this award.
Oklahoma State DT Ezra Rogalski is another candidate with a more unusual case. While he leads the CFSL in sacks, this candidacy is going to come down to one number as of Week 5: 16. That’s how many sacks he needs to tie Isaac Frost and Iman Porter for the CFSL career sack record. If he can do that, not only is he likely to win this award, but put him in the running for Defensive Player of the Year as well. Rogalski would be the second Oklahoma State defensive lineman to win this award in three seasons, following former teammate Les McAdoo in Season 16. Rogalski would join only Isaac Frost as being the second-ever true DT to win this award as well.
Most Improved Player
Notre Dame QB Del Toro will be a strong contender for this award. Usually, the jump from the MAC to Power 2 competition means you’ll have a tougher time at the most important position. Toro seems to not only be adjusting well but instead has decided to take the league by storm over the first four weeks. With already over 2000 passing yards and 16 passing touchdowns, Toro is on pace to be in contention for Offensive Player of the Year as well. All after last season sporting a QB Rating in the bottom half of the CFSL. This season? He’s #1 at 181.0 in midseason. Toro would be the first winner of this award for Notre Dame since Leo Asiata in Season 7.
Clemson HB Duke Peterson is on pace to shatter his personal bests. While the era of halfbacks leading offenses is long over, it is rare for a team in this much of a pass-heavy offense to keep going strong. Peterson, if he keeps this pace up, will have a good shot at breaking 1,000 rushing yards this season assuming Clemson can win a playoff game or two. He’s 4th overall in rushing yards this season in the CFSL, with all three guys ahead of him either in the MAC or in much heaving rushing offenses. Peterson would be the 2nd Clemson player to win this award, after Deedrick Law in Season 8. He’d also be the first halfback to win this award since Jordan Hammer in Season 15.
West Virginia CB Jordan Holt is an underrated candidate to keep an eye on. As a freshman, Holt had 16 tackles and just 1 interception all year. This season? At the midpoint, he has 14 tackles and 4 interceptions, all coming in the last three weeks. If Holt can stay hot and get his hands on some more interceptions, not only will Holt be in contention for this award, he’ll break the West Virginia school single-season record for interceptions of 6 easily. Holt would be the first Mountaineer to win this award since Jerry Filbin in Season 14.
Defensive Player of the Year
Kent State MLB Maverick Rivers is looking to become the first MAC player to win this award. With 51 tackles (leading the CFSL) through the first four games and on pace to finish his career this season in the Top 10 all-time in CFSL career tackles, Rivers is the heart and soul of Kent State this season. Only one sack so far might hurt his chances, but if he can find some tackles behind the line of scrimmage, Rivers will be well on his way to making history.
Eastern Michigan MLB Kirby Sierra is no stranger to Power 2 offenses, having previously been a Georgia Bulldog. Sierra will have to continue to wreck said offenses in the postseason to be in contention for this award. At 49 tackles this season, he already is off to a great start. If Eastern Michigan continues to play well and makes the postseason, Sierra will have a chance to finish first in tackles in the CFSL and will be a contender for this award for sure. Like Rivers, Sierra is seeking to be the first ever MAC defensive player to win this award.
Florida OLB Tymundus Bell won this award last season, and the voters have a history of giving players this award multiple times. Jedidiah Longtree (Season 9 and 10) and Isaac Frost (Season 12 and 14) are recent examples. Bell is second in the CFSL with three interceptions and has 30 tackles as well. That combination might get him in the running, but the Florida linebacker will need to have an excellent second half and postseason (again) to separate himself from the crowded award-seekers in this group.
Offensive Player of the Year
Illinois HB Josiah Henry has blown away expectations of him since transferring this offseason over to Illinois. While we talked about Duke Peterson earlier in this article, Henry has a real shot of winning both Most Improved Player and Offensive Player of the Year if he breaks 1,000 rushing yards on the season. Henry has powered the Fighting Illini to some of their highest week-to-week rankings in team history already, and a long playoff run might all but seal this award for him this season. Illinois has never had a player win Offensive Player of the Year, and Henry would be the first HB to win this award since Ohio State’s Frost Carlson in Season 6.
Georgia WR Brandon Oliver is another candidate for multiple awards this season, most notably this one. After four games, Oliver leads the CFSL with 711 receiving yards and is tied for 5th in the CFSL with 4 receiving touchdowns. If a QB does not win this award, historically it goes to a Wide Receiver having an excellent season. Oliver fits the profile so far this season. Oliver would be the first-ever Georgia Bulldog to win this award and the first WR to win the award since Texas WR Anthony Delano in Season 15.
Florida State WR Quinn James is the other WR breaking out this season and is a contender for this award as well. While James has a QB that could win this award too throwing to him, James himself is the best red zone threat so far this season in the CFSL. He leads the league with 9 receiving touchdowns and needs three more to break the Seminole school single-season record of 12. He will need to break that record and more to win this award. The CFSL single-season record of 21 in this category might be the number James has to match to win said award, but getting close will make his case. James would be the 2nd Florida State player to win this award, joining Jim Carr from Season 14’s National Championship winning squad.
