True freshmen who stood out in Week 1 in college football
Week one of college football saw a number of true freshmen earn significant playing time and make big plays. Some top prospects from the 2021 cycle made key plays and contributions in some of the weekend’s biggest games. Several top performers were included in On3’s Preseason True Freshman All-America Team, which was released last week.
Let’s highlight some true freshmen who stood out on college football’s opening weekend. (This will be a weekly feature, released on Mondays; we pushed it back this week because of the games Sunday and Monday nights.)
QB Seth Henigan, Memphis
The lone true freshman quarterback to earn a start in week one, Henigan was 19-of-32 for 265 yards and one touchdown in a 42-17 victory over FCS opponent Nicholls. It makes sense that the stage didn’t appear to be too big Henigan (6-3, 200 pounds): He played big-time high school football in Texas and led his Denton Ryan team to a state title as a senior. Henigan was competing for the starting job with Arizona transfer (and fellow Texan) Grant Gunnell, who is out with an injury.
RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
On3’s No. 1 running back prospect in the 2021 cycle made his presence felt at a key moment in Ohio State’s win over Minnesota. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day dialed up a swing pass to Henderson on a critical third down in the fourth quarter. Henderson proceeded to outrun the defense for an electric 70-yard touchdown, putting Ohio State up by two scores.
Henderson finished with just three touches — the long touchdown and two carries for 15 yards. Given his talent level and showing on Thursday, we should expect to see his workload increase.
Henderson, from Hopewell (Va.) High, near Richmond, ranked No. 20 overall in the 2021 On300. He had a huge junior season in 2019, rushing for 2,424 yards and 45 touchdowns while averaging 12.2 yards per carry.
TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
He was an offensive bright spot amid a defensive slugfest. Bowers finished as Georgia’s leading receiver in the 10-3 win over Clemson. Bowers, a five-star prospect from Napa (Calif.) High, caught six balls for 43 yards. With some injuries at receiver and tight end, Bowers served as a primary target for quarterback J.T. Daniels. In doing so, we got to see some of the athletic ability that made him the top tight end and No. 32 overall prospect for On3.
DL Shemar Turner, Texas A&M
Another former five-star recruit, Turner flashed in the Aggies’ win against Kent State. Turner, from DeSoto (Texas) High, had 1.5 sacks, including an explosive play behind the line in the red zone.
Turner (6-4, 285) already has earned significant playing time on one of the SEC’s deepest defensive lines. He’s an explosive pass rusher on the interior with violent finishing ability. He was the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2021 On300.
CB Duce Chestnut, Syracuse
Chestnut was one of several On3 Preseason True Freshman All-Americans to show out Saturday. From Camden (N.J.) High, Chestnut had a strong camp and locked down a starting role at corner. He played 64 snaps in a win over Ohio and allowed just 13 yards on 8 targets. The highlight play came on a one-handed interception in the fourth quarter.
Chestnut was the highest-graded player on Syracuse’s defense, per Pro Football Focus.
S Andrew Mukuba, Clemson
Mukuba earned the start at safety against Georgia and was noticeably comfortable on the big stage. Mukuba, from Austin (Texas) LBJ, flew around the field and finished with eight tackles and one pass breakup. In all, he played 60 snaps, the second-most of any Tigers defender.
On Tuesday, Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables praised Mukuba at length saying, “He’s cold-blooded when he’s out on that field. He’s got ice in his veins.”
Mukuba looks to have solidified a starting role and is capable of playing multiple spots within various sub packages. He was ranked as the No. 43 overall prospect and No. 2 safety in the 2021 On300.
S Calen Bullock, USC
USC’s senior safety Isaiah Pola-Mao was ruled out of Saturday’s game against San Jose State because of health and safety protocols. The Trojans turned to Bullock, from Pasadena (Calif.) John Muir, and he responded with a strong debut. He led the team with eight tackles and played the most snaps on the Trojans’ defense (59).
Bullock was an ascending player through USC’s preseason camp, impressing with his toughness and consistency. That climb continued with his showing against San Jose State, the defending Mountain West Conference champs.