College football Week 1 preview: Big names coming back from injury and freshmen to know
Week 1 is finally here. There is plenty to know going into Thursday’s 21 matchups and the games that will be played this weekend. Some notable names will make their returns after suffering major injuries last season, and many freshmen will have their first chance to show out on the field. Plus, what were coaches saying this offseason?
Utah quarterback Cam Rising is coming off of a knee injury that sidelined him last season, but don’t forget he led Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 championships. Can he do the same for the Utes in their first year in the Big 12 Conference? And can Alabama freshman cornerback Zabien Brown earn a starting role this season?
Our reporters break down records that could be broken this season, five freshmen to know and other big topics entering Week 1.
Big names who are back from injury
Utah‘s Cam Rising:
Cam Rising’s absence last season because of a major knee injury — sustained in the Rose Bowl the season before — took the Utes off track before they had a chance to really get going. Rising’s return should immediately return the Utes to the nation’s elite, given how successful they were in his previous two seasons as the starting quarterback. Remember, both of those seasons ended with trips to Pasadena.
In 2021, he was the first-team All-Pac-12 quarterback when he guided the Utes to the conference title. They repeated as champions in 2022, and although Rising was relegated to honorable mention all-conference honors, his stats — 3,034 yards passing, 26 touchdown passes, 8 interceptions — were just as good. With a talented receiving corps, Rising should go out with another productive season as Utah tries to make a name for itself in the Big 12. — Kyle Bonagura
The Weigman era in College Station has been one of promise but also frustration. He set a Texas A&M true freshman record in his first start in 2022 with 338 yards passing, throwing four touchdowns against Ole Miss before throwing two touchdowns in an upset of No. 6 LSU at the end of a 5-7 season. He began last season by throwing five touchdown passes in the opener against New Mexico.
He played three complete games last year and looked the part of the No. 27 overall prospect in the 2022 class, throwing for 909 yards, 8 TDs and 2 interceptions, but a foot injury against Auburn ended his season as the Aggies limped to a 7-6 finish. New coach Mike Elko lured Collin Klein from Klein’s alma mater, Kansas State, to revitalize the offense, and his first order of business was to fix an offensive line that has struggled to keep Weigman and his other QBs upright. Weigman said this week that he’s finally back to 100 percent and is ready to get to work. “It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “I can’t wait to be out there Aug. 31st.” — Dave Wilson
Although it wasn’t technically his final game in a Duke uniform, the Riley Leonard era in Durham unofficially ended with a final heave and a brutal tackle in a 21-14 loss to Notre Dame last September. He came back from an ankle injury to hobble through two more games, but the magic was gone.
Coincidentally, that injury led him from the losing sideline to the winning one, with Leonard transferring to Notre Dame in December. He sat out spring practice but insists his ankle is fully healed and stronger than before, which means the Irish have a potential superstar at QB. In 2022, the last season he was fully healthy, Leonard was one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, throwing 20 touchdowns and running for 13 more. — David Hale
Five freshmen to watch
Jeremiah Smith, wide receiver, Ohio State: The dynamic pass catcher will start alongside returners Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate against Akron in Week 1. For all the elite wide receiver talent at Ohio State lately, Chris Carter still holds the program’s freshman receiving records for catches (41), yards (648) and touchdowns (8), set in 1984. Could Smith — expected to be relied upon heavily by the Buckeyes — make a run at those marks in 2024?
Jordan Seaton, left tackle, Colorado: Seaton’s Year 1 transition is an intriguing layer within one of college football’s most fascinating stories. The five-star tackle is a definite upgrade on a Colorado offensive line that struggled to protect Shedeur Sanders in 2023. But like most freshman offensive linemen, Seaton probably will experience ups and downs. Can he mature quickly and minimize mistakes across a highly anticipated fall in Boulder?
KJ Bolden, safety, Georgia: The 6-foot, 185-pound defensive back has impressed as a playmaker since arriving in Athens as a midyear enrollee. Coach Kirby Smart is keeping his depth chart a secret ahead of Georgia’s Week 1 opener against Clemson, but Bolden is certain to see early playing time in the secondary, and he might be pushing for a starting role by the back half of the season as the Bulldogs’ latest standout freshman contributor.
Jayden Jackson, defensive tackle, Oklahoma: Brent Venables has compared Jackson to former Sooners nose guard Dusty Dvoracek and this month praised the first-year defender’s “different level of maturity.” It’s part of why Jackson is slated to start alongside veteran TCU transfer Damonic Williams in Week 1 against Temple. Time will tell on Jackson’s readiness to battle SEC offensive lines, but his 6-2, 300-pound frame will make him an immediate impact run defender.
Zabien Brown, cornerback, Alabama: The Crimson Tide return without six cornerbacks from last fall, needing to replace starters at both corner spots. The obvious candidates for those roles are Alabama-experienced transfers Domani Jackson (USC) and DaShawn Jones (Wake Forest). But Brown — one of the Crimson Tide’s three top-100 defensive back signees in 2024 — has wowed the coaching staff in Tuscaloosa and should feature early and often, whether or not he ends up earning starting duties somewhere along the way this fall. — Eli Lederman
Notable offseason quotes
“Honestly, every player is technically a transfer. We just signed a whole class of guys transferring from high school.” — Clemson‘s Dabo Swinney on the school’s lack of additions via the transfer portal.
“We’re paying players.” — Baylor coach Dave Aranda, on how the Bears improved recruiting.
“I don’t have bad days, man. I may have a bad moment, maybe even a bad hour, but never a bad day. I don’t. Cause I set my own thermostat.” — Colorado coach Deion Sanders to rapper Lil Wayne.
“In Hebrews it says, ‘Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.’ I’ve got all the faith in the world in the people in our building.” — Florida coach Billy Napier ahead of a critical third season with the Gators.
Records that could be broken this season
Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel has four 3,000-yard passing seasons on his résumé already, but if he could reach 4,000 in 2024 — or, more specifically, 4,353 — he would pass Case Keenum as the FBS career passing yards leader. Is that a long shot? It’s worth noting that Bo Nix, Oregon’s QB last season, threw for 4,508 yards, and if the Ducks live up to expectations, there’s a scenario in which Gabriel has 15 games to hit that mark. — Hale
The NCAA record for most wins in a season is a three-way tie at 16 between William Rhodes of Yale in 1894, Amos Alonzo Stagg of Chicago in 1899 and Yale’s Walter Camp in 1899. Teams could play 17 games this season with a regular season, a conference title game and potentially four playoff games (18 games if they play Hawai’i and get an exemption). There’s a fair bet someone could tie or surpass that mark in the near future. — Wilson
This isn’t technically tracked by the NCAA for record-keeping purposes, but there appears to be a chance that the career games played record could fall this year. Unofficially, the record stands at 69 games, a tie between Minnesota‘s Nyles Pinckney (2016-21) and the Clemson trio of James Skalski (2016-21), Will Spiers (2016-21) and Will Swinney (2017-21). UTSA‘s Oscar Cardenas enters this season with 57 games played (thanks to four games in his redshirt season, plus 12 games in the COVID-affected 2020 season), meaning reaching 70 games is feasible. He’ll have to stay healthy, of course, and UTSA will have to reach a bowl game, but the purported record is in play. It’s possible other players are in the mix, too, but participation stats are not as readily available en masse as most stats. — Bonagura
Let’s talk place-kickers. Since 1956, only three have eclipsed 90 made field goals in their career: NC State‘s Christopher Dunn (97 in 2018-22), Arizona State‘s Zane Gonzalez (96 in 2013-16) and Auburn’s Daniel Carlson (92 in 2014-17). This fall, however, Boise State‘s Jonah Dalmas is in position to reach that group, and then to pass them all. The Broncos’ fifth-year kicker enters 2024 with 80 career field goals, only 17 shy of Dunn’s career NCAA record. A two-time Lou Groza Award semifinalist, Dalmas has logged at least 23 made field goals in each of his three seasons as Boise State’s full-time kicker. There’s a good chance he’ll clear 100 career field goals this fall and close the season as the NCAA’s all-time field goal king. — Lederman
