Replacing The Stars: Where teams will turn in 2018 season

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

There are many college football stars headed off to the NFL as we saw at the NFL Combine. Who will replace these stars? Here is Part I of Replacing The Stars, led by the heir apparent to a certain Penn State running back.

RELATED: Spring football predictions

The skinny: This goes without saying, but it is highly unlikely that any running back on the current Penn State roster will be able to duplicate Barkley’s accomplishments this fall. With that said, Miles Sanders is the most obvious first option. While he has only totaled 56 carries during his first two seasons with the Nittany Lions, he has averaged 6.7 yards a carry during his opportunities. Behind Sanders look for true freshman Ricky Slade and redshirt freshman Journey Brown to both get an opportunity this season. Both have game-breaking abilities and will likely find a role on special teams and/or as a third-down back.

Farrell’s take: The depth at Penn State at running back is good as Sanders was our top all-purpose back coming out of high school, Brown has a nice skill set and Slade was highly regarded this past ranking cycle. No one will replace Barkley completely but Penn State has the horses to be very successful.

The skinny: Notre Dame showcased a revitalized running attack last fall, but now the Irish will have to replace two of the main reasons for that success. Replacing McGlinchey wil be the easier of the two tasks, with Liam Eichenberg sliding in at tackle opposite Robert Hainsey. Finding Nelson’s replacement will likely be a process that will take the spring and summer to figure out. Alex Bars, Tommy Kraemer and Josh Lugg all have potential, but which one will take the bull by the horns? Also keep in mind that the Irish lost elite offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, so the position as a whole is going through a great deal of change.

Farrell’s take: The loss of Hiestand is a tough one but Notre Dame should be just fine here as there is a lot of talent on the roster ready to plug and play. The interior is tougher oddly because Nelson was so good and was the lynchpin of the offensive line but between Bars, Kraemer and Lugg there are adequate bodies. They could also shuffle some things around if needed.

The skinny: Even for Alabama, replacing Fitzpatrick will be nearly impossible. His combination top-level play, versatility and leadership isn’t something that just comes around on an annual basis. Plus with safety Ronnie Harrison also making his move to the NFL, the Tide have to revamp much of their secondary. However, there is no reason to cry for the Tide, as Deionte Thompson and Xavier McKinney have both shown a great deal of potential during their time on the field, so look for both of them to become major contributors in 2018. Also keep an eye on incoming JUCO Saivion Smith, who has star potential.

Farrell’s take: There will be a bit of a drop off here as Fitzpatrick was the best defensive player on the ‘Bama team, but Thompson has shown flashes, McKinney has talent and Smith was a former five-star out of high school at one point. With Nick Saban in charge, you know the defensive backs will be a strength so I wouldn’t be too worried if I’m a Tide fan.

The skinny: This should be one of the more interesting positional battles around the country during the spring and summer. Devon Modster brings experience, including throwing for 295 yards and two touchdowns in the Cactus Bowl, but with Chip Kelly now in charge, two other options may be more intriguing. Grad-transfer K.J. Carta-Samuels possesses a skillset that is more suitable for Kelly’s offense, while incoming freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who won’t arrive until the summer, could be a potential star in the future. Look for Modster to win the job, but it will be more interesting to see who finishes the season at quarterback.

Farrell’s take: Will Modster be a fit in what Kelly wants to do? That’s the big question but even if he isn’t, help is on the way and Thompson-Robinson is a great fit for a Kelly offense. Modster has a good skill set, but he’s a far cry from Rosen here.

The skinny: Matt Fink beat out Jack Sears last year for the back-up job, so it would be reasonable to think that he is the likely starter in 2018. However, he only attempted nine passes in 2017, so the cupboard is pretty bare when it comes to experience. More intrigue will arrive during the summer when JT Daniels comes to campus. Daniels, who re-classified from 2019 to 2018 only a few months ago, possesses an incredible amount of talent, but it is likely too much to ask him to be a serious contender to become the starter this fall.

Farrell’s take: Can Daniels insert himself into this discussion early? Sears has more natural talent than Fink, so I would think he would win the job, but it’s concerning that neither has a ton of on-field experience. Like at UCLA, there is a large drop off in talent when it comes to who’s ready now.

The skinny: Austin Kendall has an opportunity to push for the job, but it would still be considered a stunner if Kyler Murray isn’t the signal caller when the Sooners open the season in September against Florida Atlantic. Murray, who transferred from Texas A&M, completed 18 of 21 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns in mop-up duty for Mayfield in 2017. While this isn’t a huge sample size, it is enough for Oklahoma fans to be excited.

Farrell’s take: I’m not sold on Murray’s passing ability, never was out of high school, but the kid is a dynamic athlete and can kill you with his legs. The Oklahoma offense will be changed a bit to suit his strengths and I don’t think Kendall has much of a chance here. Murray should be electric but a far cry from Mayfield.

The skinny: While James will obviously be missed, due to the injuries he dealt with in Tallahassee, his replacement already has an abundance of experience. A.J. Westbrook has actually started 13 games over the last two seasons, totaling 80 tackles and 10 pass break-ups during that span. The Seminoles also have young safeties like Cyrus Fagan and Hamsah Nasirildeen, who both should make an impact in 2018.

Farrell’s take: While there is a step down in athleticism and talent, there is experience here to replace James, who was the key to the FSU defense in many ways last season. Westbrook should be a steady replacement with younger and more talented guys on the way to help as well.

The skinny: The Wolfpack only return three starters on their defensive unit, with Chubb obviously being the biggest loss. Despite this huge transition, Darian Roseboro and Eurndraus Bryant do bring experience to the position. Roseboro is the most likely to grab this opportunity, as he has totaled 13.5 sacks during his collegiate career despite only starting two games. He has the speed and natural ability to make a big impression this fall.

Farrell’s take: I liked Roseboro a lot out of high school and he should step his game up, but replacing Chubb as well as BJ Hill and Kentavius Street will be tough. They’ll need a huge year from Roseboro and others to make the pass rush go.

The skinny: Trying to replace Smith might be the biggest question that the Bulldogs have to answer during this off-season. Natrez Patrick is the most likely candidate, but he has had multiple off-the-field incidents that cast some doubt regarding his future. At this time he is enrolled for the spring semester, so as long as he can stay out of trouble he could fill a huge hole for the Bulldogs. Three youngsters are also worth keeping an eye on, as Monty Rice, Nate McBride and Jaden Hunter all have the potential to make a statement during the spring and summer.

Farrell’s take: Smith could be the toughest player on this list for any team to replace, that’s how much he meant to the defense. There is talent there for sure as Patrick is a heckuva player and I really like McBride and Hunter especially as youngsters. But the drop off from Smith could be very significant.

The skinny: There are a few interesting options for the Longhorns. Elijah Rodriquez actually missed the entire regular season, but then showed potential while starting in the Texas Bowl. JUCO Mikey Grandy will be relied on to contribute immediately, so his performance during the spring will be an important to watch. And finally there is Calvin Anderson, a grad-transfer from Rice who has yet to select his final destination from amongst Texas, Michigan, Auburn, TCU and Texas A&M. The Longhorns are in a good position for Anderson, who is originally from Austin and could slide right into Williams’ position this fall.

Farrell’s take: Williams missed a lot of last season so they’ve already been without him so his loss won’t be felt that badly. However, Williams was elite when healthy and there seems to be a drop in talent level no matter who wins the job.