Ten players that didn't live up to big expectations in 2019
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
The college football season is over save for the bowl games and many teams and players have impressed. However there are also some players expected to have big seasons who disappointed as well. Here are 10 of them.
HIT OR MISS: Did Rivals rank these standouts correctly in HS?
The skinny: Benjamin initially committed to Iowa but re-opened his recruitment during his senior season. After trimming his new list down to Arizona State, Utah and Michigan, he committed to the Sun Devils at the Army All-American Bowl.
Plenty was expected from Benjamin this fall, after he rushed for 1,642 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2018, but this season has proven to be much more of a struggle. He has still rushed for 1,083 yards and 10 touchdowns, but his 4.3 yard per carry average is significantly less than last years 5.5 average. So overall it was a productive season, but not the under-the-radar Heisman type season that some were predicting.
Farrell’s take: Benjamin has had a solid season but not what I expected. I was looking for a 1,500-yard season and a run at the first round of the NFL Draft and now his stock is falling. Yes, Arizona State has had offensive line problems and the Sun Devils started a true freshman quarterback this season, but Benjamin still should have had a better year.
The skinny: Delpit committed to LSU over Alabama, Clemson and Florida in August while at The Opening.
Coming off an All-American caliber season, when he finished with 74 tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss, five sacks, five interceptions and nine pass breakups, Delpit’s 2019 season has been much more pedestrian than expected. With many of the big plays missing from last season and questions getting louder and louder about his tackling, Delpit currently has 56 tackles, three tackles for a loss, one sack, two interceptions and six pass breakups.
Farrell’s take: Delpit is still a potential first-rounder and fought injuries this year, but more was expected from him. I liked him a lot out of high school as his instincts were off the charts. When he wants to be, he can be great, but some think he turned it off and on this year.
The skinny: Eason committed to Georgia, but then seriously considered many other options, including Florida, after then-coach Mark Richt was fired. Kirby Smart made Eason a priority and he ended up sticking with the Bulldogs. After losing the starting job to Jake Fromm, Eason decided to transfer to back home to Washington where big things were expected from the former five-star this fall.
Overall his performance in 2019 was solid, but never reached the levels that many in Seattle were hoping for. He completed 64 percent of his passes with 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions and averaged 244 passing yards per game. With the Huskies going 3-4 during their final seven games, his leadership and talents also couldn’t right the ship.
Farrell’s take: There was some first-round NFL Draft talk in regards to Eason heading into this season, but the former five-star had a less than stellar year. He wasn’t bad he was just not as good as expected. Eason has a lot more talent than he has shown and hasn’t lived up to that five-star ranking he had in high school.
The skinny: Ehlinger committed to Texas during the summer before his junior season and never wavered on his word.
The Longhorns had much higher expectations than their 7-5 regular season finish. And while Ehlinger’s statistics as a whole look favorable comparable to last season, his performance during the final five games of the season left a lot to be desired. During that stretch the Longhorns went 2-3 while Ehlinger totaled eight touchdowns, six interceptions and completed less than 60 percent of his passes.
Farrell’s take: On the surface Ehlinger had a solid season, right? But down the stretch he didn’t deliver and he’s a big reason why Texas disappointed this year. Ehlinger was a four-star coming out of high school and he’s played like one for the most part, but we expected more this season.
The skinny: Fromm initially committed to Alabama, but then flipped to Georgia during the spring after his junior season. Having passed for 2,761 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 67.4 percent of his passes in 2018, nobody expected an aerial assault in Athens this fall. However, the lack of production on the offensive side of the ball for Georgia this fall has been surprising.
Completing only 62 percent of his passes and averaging only 7.6 yards per attempt, compared to 9.0 yards the last two seasons, Fromm’s performance during the last five games has been especially disappointing while completing only 47 percent of his passes.
Farrell’s take: Fromm was a five-star for the intangibles — leadership, moxy, making big plays in the clutch — as well as his passing skills but he’s regressed a bit. Is that because he had fewer weapons this year? Who knows but it all falls on him regardless. He’s been a disappointment.
The skinny: Lewerke trimmed his list of top schools down to Michigan State, Arizona State, Duke, Florida and Michigan before committing to the Spartans during the spring. An unofficial visit to East Lansing in April seemed to seal the deal for Michigan State.
After a disappointing 2018 season, 2019 was thought to be a revitalization season for the Spartans and Lewerke. Instead both floundered throughout. Lewerke especially struggled during a mid-season five-game losing streak, completing only 52 percent of his passes while throwing three touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Farrell’s take: Lewerke has been the definition of erratic and much more was expected especially as he showed promise as a young college player. Decision-making has been a problem we didn’t foresee.
The skinny: Martinez initially committed to Tennessee, but when the Vols went through a coaching change, Nebraska quickly swooped in. New coach Scott Frost made him an immediate priority, and after an official visit to Lincoln, Martinez flipped to the Huskers.
After a promising true freshman season, it is possible that expectations were a bit too unrealistic for Martinez this fall. He struggled throughout, finishing the season by completing only 59 percent of his passes for 1,955 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Farrell’s take: Martinez, a four-star I liked a lot out of high school, was on some early Heisman lists this preseason and had a disastrous sophomore season. This is a regression that I didn’t see coming and I see a big bounce back season next year. Am I crazy?
The skinny: An early commitment to Baylor, Mond reopened his recruitment and ended up picking Texas A&M over Auburn in the summer before his senior season. During his time at Texas A&M, Mond showed glimpses of stardom but never fully put everything together. That continued this fall as the he finished the regular season with 2,802 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions through the air for the 7-5 Aggies.
Farrell’s take: Mond was a five-star simply because I felt he would play like one and so far I’ve been wrong. He’s been a capable quarterback and has had good games against some tough opponents but he’s been way too inconsistent.
The skinny: Patterson initially committed to Arizona before re-opening his recruitment and committing to Ole Miss over LSU. NCAA sanctions against the Rebels resulted in Patterson’s transfer to Michigan.
Coming into the 2019 season, expectations by many were that this would be the season that the Wolverines would make a run to the CFB Playoffs. One reason for this was the veteran leadership of Patterson. Instead he completed only 57.3 percent of his passes, down from 64.6 in 2018, was much less productive on the ground and produced an 18-for-43 performance against Ohio State.
Farrell’s take: Patterson was a five-star coming out of high school and was supposed to be can't-miss. He’s been solid, but this was supposed to be the year he broke out. With a new offensive coordinator and an offense that was supposed to play to his strengths, this was the year, but it didn’t happen. He has not lived up to the high school or preseason hype.
The skinny: With Arizona promising that he could play quarterback, instead of an athlete, Tate committed to the Wildcats in mid-March of his junior year. A big senior season brought plenty of new suitors, but he stuck with Arizona. Tate burst onto the national scene in 2017 by passing for 1,591 yards and rushing for 1,411 yards. After a disappointing 2018 season, many expected that 2019 would bring about a revival for Tate.
However, that never materialized. While he has passed for 1,950 yards, he threw 11 interceptions to go along with 14 touchdown passes and rushed for only 413 yards and three touchdowns.
Farrell’s take: Where did the old Tate go? Clearly Kevin Sumlin ruined him, right? Whatever you believe, Tate was a four-star talent coming out of high school who has become a very average quarterback after an amazing start.