Fireworks galore: The most explosive players in college football in 2022

On3 imageby:Mike Huguenin07/04/22

MikeHuguenin

It’s July 4, and fireworks are as much a staple as hot dogs, beer and a day at the beach/lake/by the pool.

In honor of the fireworks we’ll all see Monday night, here’s a look at the most explosive players in the nation in 2022. (The numbers for long runs and long catches come from cfbstats.com, a site that can keep a devoted fan busy for hours.)

20. UAB RB DeWayne McBride

The skinny: DeWayne McBride was 15th nationally in rushing with 1,371 yards, and his 6.72 yards per carry was fourth-best nationally among the 92 players who had at least 150 carries. He had six 100-yard outings, nine runs of at least 30 yards and two runs of 60-plus yards.

19. Michigan State WR Jayden Reed

The skinny: Spartans RB Kenneth Walker III was a big-play guy in 2021, and so was Jayden Reed. Reed averaged 17.4 yards per catch on his 59 receptions, and his 10 TD catches averaged 30.7 yards. More than a third of his receptions (21 of them) went for at least 20 yards.

18. Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs

The skinny: Jahmyr Gibbs didn’t have much room to run at Georgia Tech last season, finishing with 746 yards and a 5.22 yards-per-carry average. But he led the ACC with two runs of at least 60 yards. Gibbs also had a 98-yard kickoff return for a TD and averaged 6.8 yards per touch on his 179 touches. He had two 100-yard games on the ground and also had a 100-yard game as a receiver. His explosiveness will be put to better use with the Crimson Tide.

17. Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman

The skinny: Cedric Tillman emerged during the second half of the 2021 season as a dangerous weapon for the Vols. He averaged 16.9 yards on his 64 catches, and his 12 TD receptions averaged 31.7 yards. Tillman had eight receptions of at least 40 yards, which was tied for seventh nationally.

16. Kansas State RB Deuce Vaughn

The skinny: Deuce Vaughn averaged 144.0 total-purpose yards per game, and he touched the ball on 284 plays (11th nationally). He averaged 6.6 yards on those touches, which was the highest average in the nation for the 25 players with at least 250 touches. Vaughn averaged 5.97 yards per carry on his 235 rushing attempts and had 18 rushing touchdowns. He also had four receiving touchdowns and averaged 9.55 yards on his 49 receptions. He had two runs of at least 60 yards and five of at least 40.

15. USC WR Jordan Addison

The skinny: Jordan Addison was one of the most prolific receivers in the nation last season at Pitt, when he won the Biletnikoff Award. Now he’s at USC, playing in another high-powered passing attack. Addison had 100 catches for 1,593 yards (15.93 per reception) and 17 TDs. Those 17 TD catches averaged 28.7 yards. He had eight 100-yard games and had five touchdowns of at least 46 yards. Addison had 10 catches last season of at least 40 yards, which was fourth nationally.

14. Texas WR Xavier Worthy

The skinny: Xavier Worthy averaged 15.82 yards on his 62 receptions and finished 19 yards shy of 1,000 for the season. But he had 12 TD receptions and those averaged 31.2 yards. He had four receptions of at least 50 yards – and all four went for TDs.

13. Alabama WR Jermaine Burton

The skinny: Jermaine Burton was underutilized at Georgia in his first two seasons, with just 53 total receptions. But he was a legit deep threat for the Bulldogs last season, averaging 19.1 yards on his 26 receptions. His five TD catches averaged 42.0 yards. Presumably, he can fill the Jameson Williams role for the Crimson Tide this season.

12. Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen

The skinny: Braelon Allen certainly has the build of a typical bruising Badgers running back at 6 feet 2 and 240 pounds. But he’s deceptively quick; he can run over you or by you. He averaged 6.82 yards on his 186 carries, had eight 100-yard games and scored 12 TDs. Allen had nine runs of at least 30 yards, tied for fourth-most in the nation.

11. Texas A&M RB Devon Achane

The skinny: Devon Achane rushed for 910 yards last season as the Aggies No. 2 back behind Isaiah Spiller. He averaged 7.0 yards per carry on his 130 attempts, which was No. 1 nationally among the 133 players with at least 130 attempts. He tied for the SEC lead with two rushes for at least 60 yards and was second with 11 runs of at least 20. Achane had four 100-yard outings and four games in which he rushed for two touchdowns.

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Oklahoma’s Marvin Mims didn’t get many opportunities in 2021, but he still proved to be one of the most explosive players in the nation. His opportunities should increase greatly this season. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

10. Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims

The skinny: Marvin Mims wasn’t overly busy last season, when he had just 32 receptions. But those catches went for 705 yards – 22.03 yards per reception. And his five TDs covered 231 yards – 46.2 per catch. Three of his five TDs covered at least 52 yards. New Sooners QB Dillon Gabriel throws a nice deep ball, which means Mims should be much more of a big-play guy this fall.

9. Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson

The skinny: TreVeyon Henderson made an immediate impact as a true freshman last season, rushing for 1,255 yards and 15 touchdowns and averaged 6.82 yards per carry. His per-carry average was the same as fellow true freshman Braelon Allen of Wisconsin, and they tied for first nationally among the 54 players with at least 180 rushing attempts. Henderson had eight rushes of at least 30 yards, six of at least 40 and four of at least 50.

8. Virginia WR Dontayvion Wicks

The skinny: Dontayvion Wicks had 57 receptions for 1,203 yards – a healthy 21.1 yards per reception. His per-catch average was the highest in the nation among the 172 players with 50 receptions. Wicks had nine TD catches and the average length was 34.7 yards. Almost 50 percent of his receptions (27 of them, or 47.4 percent) went for at least 20 yards.

7. East Carolina RB Keaton Mitchell

The skinny: Keaton Mitchell rushed for 1,152 yards and averaged 6.5 yards per carry last season. That per-carry average was fifth-best nationally among the 76 players with at least 160 carries. Mitchell led the nation with four rushes of at least 60 yards and had five of at least 40. He also had nine rushing TDs.

6. Arizona WR Jacob Cowing

The skinny: Jacob Cowing toiled in relative anonymity at UTEP last season, even though his numbers proved he was one of the most explosive players in the country. He had 69 catches for 1,367 yards and seven touchdowns. His per-catch average was 19.81 yards and his per-catch average on his TDs was 40.1. Cowing had eight 100-yard games and had nine receptions of at least 40 yards, seven of at least 50 and two of at least 70.

5. Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

The skinny: Jaxon Smith-Njigba provided both quantity and quality for the Buckeyes last season. He led the team and was 10th nationally with 95 receptions and led the team and was third nationally with 1,606 receiving yards. Smith-Njigba averaged 16.91 yards per reception and had nine touchdowns. The average length of his TD catches: 34.1 yards, with three of at least 50. His per-catch average was the best nationally among the 27 players with at least 80 receptions.

4. Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry

The skinny: A.T. Perry was an ultra-productive receiver for the Demon Deacons last season. Only two wide receivers finished 2021 with at least 70 catches, 15 touchdown receptions and an average of better than 18 yards per catch – Perry and Jameson Williams. Perry had 71 receptions for 1,293 yards (18.2 per catch) and 15 touchdowns. And he didn’t have many cheap TDs: The average length of his TD catches was 32.7 yards. Overall, he had 13 catches of at least 30 yards, eight of at least 40 and five of at least 50.

3. USC QB Caleb Williams

The skinny: Caleb Williams threw for 1,912 yards and 21 TDs and also rushed for 435 yards and six scores last season; in the seven games he started, he showed off a special playmaking ability and a ton of sheer athletic talent, especially for a quarterback. He had six rushes of at least 40 yards (second-most in the Big 12) and two of at least 60. One of the bigger storylines this season will be how he does in his second year in Lincoln Riley’s offense.

2. FIU WR Tyrese Chambers

The skinny: Tyrese Chambers put up huge numbers last season, especially when you consider he played for a team that finished 1-11 and ended the season on an 11-game losing streak. He had nine TD receptions and averaged a staggering 51.6 yards on those TDs. Overall, Chambers had 45 receptions for 1,074 yards (23.9 yards per catch). He had 10 catches of at least 40 yards and six of at least 50. Three of his TD receptions covered at least 68 yards, five covered at least 59 and seven covered at least 31.

1. Alabama OLB Will Anderson Jr.

The skinny: The ultimate game-wrecker. Will Anderson led the nation with 17.5 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss (11.5 more than anyone else) last season. He had a tackle for loss in every game except two – and those were the only games the Tide lost. He had least three tackles for loss in six games and had multiple sacks in four games.