This year has been anything but normal.
However, the college football season is rapidly approaching so we must readjust and pick back up where we left off. Due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the season, several high-profile players have chosen to not participate.
On top of that, the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences are currently not expected to play altogether. The Big 12, SEC and ACC will be kicking off their seasons in less than two weeks.
Regardless of whether particular players chose to opt out or their conferences were postponed, ESPN decided to include them in their overall rankings of the top 50 college football players this season.
Of the seven Big 12 players who made the list, three were from Texas. To no surprise, Oklahoma State running back Chubba Hubbard is the highest ranked player in the conference at No. 11. Hubbard’s teammate and wide receiver Tylan Wallace is close behind at No. 17 overall. Oklahoma offensive lineman Creed Humphrey and Iowa state quarterback Brock Purdy rounded out the Big 12’s top ranked players.
Take a look at what ESPN had to say about each Longhorn on the list.
No. 25 – QB Sam Ehlinger
“The heart and soul of the Longhorns, Ehlinger has started 33 career games, and he totaled 39 touchdowns and 4,326 all-purpose yards last year, second in school history to Colt McCoy’s 2008 season. Against the eventual national champions, Ehlinger threw for 401 yards and three TDs and rushed for 60 yards plus another score.”
No. 30 – S Caden Sterns
“In 2018 as a true freshman, Sterns made the All-Big 12 first team and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. But he sustained a knee injury following the season and started just eight games last year after another knee injury, as the Longhorns’ defense struggled. Now healthy, Sterns is looking for a return to form under new coordinator Chris Ash.”
No. 41. – OL Sam Cosmi
“The 6-foot-7, 309-pound junior has 26 career starts, with a full season at right tackle as a freshman before moving to the left side last year. In 926 snaps, he allowed pass-rush pressure on just 10 plays, with only one resulting in an incompletion. He is listed as the No. 10 overall prospect in Todd McShay’s most recent 2021 NFL draft rankings.”
It certainly provides a valid argument that Cosmi is listed way too low. He’s widely considered to become a first-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. On these particular rankings, there are six offensive lineman ahead of him.