Replacing The Stars: Where teams will turn in 2018 season

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

Many college superstars are now cashing NFL paychecks and making big news in the NFL. But who will replace them? Here’s a look at some big names and who is left to take over.

RELATED: Five redshirt freshmen to watch as the 2018 season begins

The skinny: One running back will not be expected to replace Saquon Barkley this fall, and luckily for Penn State, it has a few candidates that will likely have the opportunity to fill the huge void. The most obvious first option continues to be Miles Sanders, who has averaged 6.7 yards per carry during his first two seasons. As a change of pace option, also look for Mark Allen and true freshman Ricky Slade to make an impact in 2018. Slade also has the potential to make an impact in the return game, just as Barkley did during his time in Happy Valley.

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, Allen 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: The Irish saw two offensive linemen get drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, so finding suitable replacements will be a tall order. Liam Eichenberg has already cemented himself pretty firmly as the replacement for Mike McGlinchey, but replacing Quenton Nelson has proven to be a bit more of a challenge. Tommy Kraemer, who started 12 games last season, has established himself to be the most versatile of the candidates. While it may have seemed more logical to keep him as a tackle on the right side, he is likely making the move to guard. It could also be Alex Bars who takes Nelson’s spot. The wildcard in the group is Robert Hainsey, who should also see plenty of action throughout the season and could be a starter as well.

Farrell’s take: The loss of Harry Hiestand as offensive line coach 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 linchpin of the offensive line but between Bars, Kraemer and Josh Lugg there are adequate bodies. They could also shuffle some things around if needed.

The skinny: Replacing Minkah Fitzpatrick as a player will be difficult enough for Alabama, but replacing him as a team leader will be nearly impossible. On top of that, the Tide also lost several other important parts of their secondary, so the unit as a whole will have plenty of fresh faces. Deionte Thompson and Xavier McKinney bring the most experience to the position, but a couple of new candidates will make this more interesting. Shyheim Carter has had an exceptional off-season and has positioned himself to receive substantial playing time. JUCO Saivion Smith, true freshman Patrick Surtain Jr. and Trevon Diggs are others to keep an eye on, as it will likely be a group effort to try to replace Fitzpatricks accomplishments on the field.

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, Carter and McKinney have 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: In Chip Kelly’s first season at UCLA, there have been questions surrounding the quarterback position since he accepted the job. With Josh Rosen gone, Devon Modster returns with the most game experience at UCLA, including throwing for 295 yards and two touchdowns in the Cactus Bowl. And with true freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson now on campus, if Modster faltered in the system, you can be sure that he would be looking over his shoulder. However, in a mild surprise, former Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight got the nod as the opening day starter. This should be interesting.

Farrell’s take: Will Modster be a fit in what Kelly wants to do and make a push at Speight? Can Speight run an up tempo offense? Those are the big questions but even if neither answers the bell, help is on the way and Thompson-Robinson is a great fit for the Kelly offense. Modster has a good skill set and Speight has experience but they are a far cry from Rosen here.

The skinny: Baker Mayfield was the heart and soul of the Oklahoma offense but Kyler Murray is no slouch. Murray brings more of a dual-threat skillset to the offense and will start for the Sooners against FAU. Confidence is high in Austin Kendall as well if Murray gets hurt or falters.

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 if Murray stays healthy. Murray should be electric but a far cry from Mayfield as a passer.

The skinny: With Derwin James playing all over the secondary, this is another situation where multiple players will likely have to fill the void. The good news for the Seminoles is that because of the substantial amount of games that James missed due to injuries over the last two seasons, a player like A.J. Westbrook has plenty of experience at the safety position. While Westbrook is the veteran that the Seminoles need in the secondary, it is true freshman Stanford Samuels who has already turned heads in Tallahassee. Moved over from corner to safety in the spring, Samuels will start at the position opposite Westbrook. He brings the athleticism and play making abilities that will allow him to roam the field, similar to James. Hamsah Nasirildeen is also a candidate to play a role to replace James.

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 Florida State 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: While the Wolfpack lost a majority of their defensive unit, they do bring back some impressive talent at important positions. One of these is Darian Roseboro, who is set to try and replace Bradley Chubb. Roseboro has shown glimpses of stardom during his time in Raleigh, but seems to have been somewhat buried in the deep and talented defensive line depth chart during the last two seasons. Now will be his time to shine and prove himself as the elite defensive playmaker many expected him to be when he arrived at NC State.

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. NC State will need a huge year from Roseboro and others to make the pass rush go.

The skinny: Coming into the spring, this looked to be more of an open competition between several candidates, but after an impressive showing in April, Monty Rice looks in line to replace Smith. Rice saw minimal playing time as a freshman last season, but after a 14 tackle performance in the spring game, he opened plenty of eyes. Luckily for the Bulldogs, if Rice falters, they also have Natrez Patrick, Juwan Taylor and Tae Crowder in the stable ready to prove themselves on the field.

Farrell’s take: Smith could be the toughest player on this list for any team to replace, that’s how much he meant to Georgia defense. There is talent there for sure as Patrick is a very nice player but the drop off from Smith could be very significant even with Rice showing promise.

The skinny: One of the more intriguing position battles of the summer was in Los Angeles with the Trojans. With star freshman JT Daniels finally on campus and ready to compete, Matt Fink and Jack Sears did their best to hold him off but failed. Daniels has big shoes to fill for sure, but he’s talented enough to make an impact very early and allow USC to not miss a beat on offense.

Farrell’s take: Daniels has a great future ahead of him but the big question is this – how effective can someone who was supposed to be in high school this season be in college? Daniels could hit the ground running or struggle a bit but I think he has the tools to keep the offense rolling especially with so much talent on the roster.