Notre Dame will have their hands full with these five playmakers in 2016.
The side effect of playing a tough schedule year in and year out is that you’re going to run into some of the best players in the country, and this year is no different for the Irish. They’ll run up against some of the best players in college football this upcoming season. From the big names like Christian McCaffrey to the lesser knowns such as Travon McMillan of Virginia Tech, the Irish schedule is loaded with offensive playmakers.
In the past couple of years the Irish have gone up against the likes of Jameis Winston, Keenan Reynolds, Leonard Fournette and DeShaun Watson. The Irish are have seen and should be used to playing against some of the very best players in college football. This year they will see a Heisman favorite, a potential top pick in the NFL Draft and a Biletnikoff favorite. So without any further ado, here are the five best offensive players Notre Dame will play in 2016.
Next: Travon McMillian
Coming out of high school McMillian was not that highly rated. By most recruiting sites he was just a three-star recruit, but that didn’t stop him from having a breakout freshman season in 2015. So far he’s been the perfect example of how recruiting rankings don’t really mean squat.
In 2015 he ran 1,042 yards at 5.2 yards per carry and seven touchdowns. The most impressive thing of his stats are that he didn’t become the Hokies’ main back until the second half of the season. In the first six games of the year he averaged just 7.1 carries and 53.1 yards. In the last seven games McMillian averaged 22.4 carries and 103.2 yards. It’s easy to imagine his numbers will be even better in 2016 as he’ll be the “go-to” back all year.
At 6’0″ 198 lbs. McMillian is a bigger back, but with that being said he still has a pretty good speed, not breakaway speed, but still pretty good speed. In terms of tools he is a complete package at running back with his combination of speed and power. To throw out a comparison I would say he’s like C.J. Prosise, but without the blazing speed.
McMillian is poised for an even bigger year in 2016, as he should flourish in new head coach Justin Fuente’s high power spread offense.
Next: LJ Scott
With the departures of Ezekial Elliot and Jordan Howard many are pegging Scott as the best back in the Big Ten, and for good reason too. Much like McMillian, Scott had a great freshman year for the Spartans in 2015. Last season he ran for 699 yards and 11 touchdowns. Scott put the exclamation point on his freshman season in the Big Ten Championship game, where he scored the game winning touchdown to beat Iowa. Scott’s numbers should only go up as he will become one of the focal points to the Michigan State offense due to the losses of Connor Cook and Aaron Burbridge.
By no means does he have break away speed, he gets it done with brute strength and power. Scott fits the mold of great Michigan State running backs from the past. He’s a big body, with a downhill, bruising style of running. He has a great knack of using his big body to shed would-be tacklers. He kind of reminds me of a few former Spartan greats in T.J. Duckett and Le’veon Bell.
In the Mark Dantonio era, the Spartans have relied on a duo or trio of backs. For example last season Michigan State had three backs rush for over 500 yards with Scott, Gerald Holmes and Madre London. Even with this being true, Scott should receive a bulk of the carries because he is the best of the bunch.
Next: Brad Kaaya
Kaaya is perhaps the best quarterback the Irish will face this season. He’s coming off two very impressive seasons in 2014 and 2015. As a freshman in 2014 Kaaya threw for 3,198 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Last season he showed improvement as he threw for 3,238 yards, 16 touchdowns, five interceptions and completed 61% of his passes.
Kaaya is not shy of the big game either. On the road against then No.3 Florida State in 2014, Kaaya threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns in a near upset of the Seminoles. Last season against Florida State Kaaya threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns. The Notre Dame game will be one of, if not the biggest game on Miami’s schedule.
At 6’4″ 210 lbs. Kaaya is a prototypical pro-style quarterback. According to WalterFootball.com Kaaya is the second best quarterback prospect behind only Deshaun Watson. Barring injury he’s going to be a top ten draft pick. He has a big strong arm, and uses it so effortlessly. He’s not the most mobile quarterback as he’s been sacked for -250 yards in his career. While he does lack speed, he does navigate the pocket pretty well. He’s looking to have an even bigger year under new head coach Mark Richt, who was a QB at Miami himself.
Next: Juju Smith-Schuster
The former Notre Dame recruit is arguably the most explosive athlete on the schedule. Smith-Schuster has great speed, size and hands. He’s the complete package at wide receiver. Smith-Schuster had a huge sophomore season as he was top five in the nation in receiving yards with 1,454. He also chipped in with 10 touchdowns. Last season we saw Smith-Schuster burn the Irish for six catches, 139 yards and a touchdown. The most impressive thing about his 2015 campaign was that he played the last seven games with a broken hand and still put up big numbers. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to having a new quarterback throwing to him this season.
Our friends at Reign of Troy are saying Smith-Schuster has a real possibility of breaking USC’s all-time receiving yards and catches records, and for good reason. Smith-Schuster is just 1,447 yards away from that from Marquise Lee’s receiving yards record and 109 catches away from Robert Woods catches record. Those are some lofty numbers for Smith-Schuster to chase, but as talented as he is its not out of the realm of possibility.
Most early mock drafts have Smith-Schuster going in the first round and in the top ten. Most also have him as the best wide receiving prospect in the 2017 draft. He’ll be the best receiver the Irish face all season.
Next: Christian McCaffrey
Is there really anybody else worthy of No.1? The answer is NO. McCaffrey had an all-world year last season. Last season he ran for 2,019 yards, eight touchdowns, caught 45 balls for 645 yards and five touchdowns. He was a menace in the return game as he brought back one punt and one kick for touchdowns. Hell, he even threw for two touchdowns. He literally did it all last season for the Cardinal. It was truly a historic season for McCaffrey as broke Reggie Bush’s Pac-12 record and Barry Sanders’ NCAA record for all-purpose yards in a single season with 3,864. This year he’s back for more as he’s an early favorite to take home the 2016 Heisman Trophy.
Next: First Thoughts on Stanford
Smith-Schuster may be the most explosive athlete the Irish will face, but McCaffrey is most certainly the best all-around football player the Irish will see. His ability to run, catch and sometime throw the ball makes it tough for teams to gameplan for him. The Irish did a decent job of bottling up McCaffrey last season as he only rushed for 94 yards on 27 carries. Notre Dame loaded up the box with seven or eight defenders and thus exposed their weak secondary. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Irish do something similar this season. Last year they took their chances on an experienced QB like Kevin Hogan to beat them, which he did. This season Stanford will have a new inexperienced signal caller. If I’m the Irish I’m taking my chances with whoever that may be than with McCaffrey.