Arriving on campus in time for spring practice helped Smith tremendously and

position coach Peter Sirmon welcomed the former four-star prospect with open

arms knowing the defense has to replace inside linebacker Hayes Pullard, who had

been a leader for the group the last few years. Smith shined in the spring and

earned some first-team reps during fall camp, and there is no question the

Trojans intend to use him quite a bit this season. Smith's ascension came as a

bit of a surprise, especially given the presence of Porter Gustin, John Houston

and Osa Masina in the same class, but the middle linebacker has shown enough

versatility to earn meaningful reps. -- Angulo

The former Long Beach (Calif.) Poly star raised some eyebrows the moment he

stepped foot on the ASU campus, wowing the coaching staff with his size and

strength. Listed at 6-feet-3, 275 pounds, Wicker already has the frame that

should decrease the chances of him being a liability at defensive end. His

endless motor -- which might have been his most impressive trait at the high

school level -- catapulted Wicker to the top of the depth chart heading into the

season opener against Texas A&M, and the comfort level as a multifaceted lineman

will only improve as he complements ASU's 'Devil Backer' and adjusts to the

speed of the college game. -- Angulo

Amadi had one of the most bizarre endings to his recruitment of any prospect in

the 2015 class, but things worked out perfectly and he walked into an ideal

situation in Eugene. After enrolling early and impressing during the spring and

summer, Amadi is in line to see action right away. His size and skill set have

led Oregon coaches to compare him to Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, an All-American who also

played right away and is now in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. -- Southeast analyst Woody Wommack

Kaumatule is not listed on the two-deep at defensive end, but that could be a bit

of subterfuge by the Oregon coaching staff because there is a good chance the

massive 6-foot-7, 295-pounder sees a lot of the field this season. Not only is

the former high four-star prospect huge, but he moves well and he's physical, so

Pac-12 opponents are going to have their hands full trying to block him.

Kaumatule has the potential to be a special player on this Ducks' defense --

even sometime this season. -- Gorney

The Washington coaches have not named a started heading into Friday's season

opener at Boise State but Browning, who threw for a record 229 touchdowns at

Folsom, Calif., is right in the mix and is gunning for the job. Jeff Lindquist and K.J. Carta-Samuels are also in the mix but Browning has done

everything possible in fall camp to impress the coaching staff and he could

definitely win the job. Everything Browning showed in high school -- poise under

pressure, excellent control, maturity far beyond his years -- has come through

this camp and it's why he's a contender to start for the Huskies. -- Gorney