There are just two weeks remaining in the 2023 college football regular season. After 11 weeks, we can assess which true freshmen have become instant stars, while for others, we’ll still have to wait and see.
While there have been a lot of impactful newcomers, many have come from the transfer portal, and freshmen who might have otherwise been put into bigger roles have had more time to develop or redshirt and gain another year of eligibility.
Then there are players such as Alabama safety Caleb Downs, USC receiver Zachariah Branch and Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa, who have seemingly started since their first day on campus.
Here’s our breakdown of what the top 50 prospects from the 2023 ESPN 300 player rankings have done this season:
2023 stats: Completed 1 of 3 passes for 0 yards in one game.
How he has fared so far: Nelson was the top recruit overall in the 2023 class, but he knew going in that he would have to sit behind Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. Nelson didn’t have an expectation that he would play right away and has played in one game, the Trojans’ 56-28 victory over San Jose State on Aug. 26. It’s not yet known if Williams will enter the NFL draft after this season, so Nelson’s future role won’t be defined until that happens.
2023 stats: Completed 91 of 175 passes for 1,344 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions in eight games.
How he has fared so far: Moore battled Ethan Garbers and Kent State transfer Collin Schlee in the preseason to take the reins of the Bruins’ offense and has shown flashes of what he’s capable of through some expected growing pains. Moore, who started five games this season before Chip Kelly went back to Garbers against Stanford on Oct. 21, was 17-of-27 for 290 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start — a 35-10 victory over San Diego State — on Sept. 9.
2023 stats: Completed 13 of 15 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns in four games.
How he has fared so far: Arnold was a perfect 11-of-11 for 114 yards and a score in a 73-0 shutout of Arkansas State on Sept. 2. After the West Virginia game, OU said it would try to redshirt Arnold, meaning he wouldn’t play the rest of the season. He has seen action in four games, which is the max number of games he can play in before burning his redshirt and preserving his year of eligibility. Dillon Gabriel is entrenched as the starter for the Sooners, but Arnold very well could be the future once Gabriel moves on.
2023 stats: 17 tackles (12 solo) with two tackles for loss in nine games.
How he has fared so far: Woods was a versatile defensive lineman out of high school, displaying speed and power, and putting up a ton of production. He had 175 total tackles and 47 tackles for loss in his final two seasons of high school. He has played in nine of 10 games this season, playing in 227 snaps, and has 17 total tackles and two tackles for loss. Woods recorded a career-high three tackles in consecutive games against Wake Forest and Miami.
2023 stats: Miami has averaged 427.6 total yards per game, fifth in the ACC.
How he has fared so far: Mauigoa earned the starting right tackle job out of fall camp and has been a part of one of the country’s best offensive lines ever since. He has played in 615 snaps over 10 games this season and has allowed four sacks on 300 pass block snaps.
2023 stats: 24 receptions for 260 yards and two touchdowns, seven carries for 70 yards and a touchdown, 22 kickoff returns for 390 yards and a touchdown and 15 punt returns for 309 yards and a touchdown in nine games.
How he has fared so far: Branch has proved to be a multipurpose player for USC this season. He is sixth on the team in receptions and fifth in receiving yards. He caught a 25-yard touchdown pass and had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Trojans’ 56-28 win over San Jose State on Aug. 26. He has accounted for 699 return yards and two scores on special teams.
2023 stats: 11 tackles (four solo) with two tackles for loss and one sack.
How he has fared so far: Hicks had Oklahoma, Miami and a few other big programs after him late in the process. He chose Texas A&M and has made an appearance in nine games this season. Hicks recorded a career-high three tackles and 0.5 sack in a 20-13 loss against Tennessee on Oct. 14.
2023 stats: 11 knockdown blocks in 507 snaps in 10 games.
How he has fared so far: Proctor earned the starting left tackle position coming into the year and has held the job all season. Alabama’s OL paved the way for a rushing attack that had 288 yards and six scores on the ground against LSU.
2023 stats: 83 tackles (53 solo) with 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 10 games.
How he has fared so far: Downs, who earned the starting job at strong safety out of fall camp, leads Alabama in tackles with 83 and is fifth in the SEC in that category. He tallied a career-high 13 tackles and pulled down an interception in Alabama’s 40-17 win over Mississippi State on Sept. 30.
2023 stats: Four catches for 13 yards and five kickoff returns for 94 yards in seven games.
How he has fared so far: Lemon was high school teammates with Nelson, so the two already had a connection coming into USC. The Trojans have some experienced receivers on the roster, so it didn’t seem likely that Lemon would make a huge impact coming into this season. He does, however, give the offense a good option at the position for the future, especially if Nelson eventually takes over at quarterback. Lemon had three receptions for 13 yards in a 66-14 victory over Nevada on Sept. 2, but has limited playing time outside of that.
2023 stats: Six tackles (three solo) and one tackle for loss in eight games.
How he has fared so far: McClain, a heralded flip for Deion Sanders after initially committing to Miami, did not play much at the start of the season and Sanders called out his practice habits. McClain has bounced back since and started in Week 11 against Arizona. McClain had two tackles apiece in losses to Oregon and Oregon State.
How he has fared so far: Wilson flipped his commitment from Michigan to Georgia out of high school and was the highest ranked commitment for the Dawgs in the class. He tallied his first career sack in the Bulldogs’ 51-13 victory over Kentucky on Oct. 7, and has registered at least one tackle in seven games this year.
2023 stats: 47 tackles (28 solo) with five tackles for loss, three sacks and two passes defended in 10 games.
How he has fared so far: Hill was an important commitment for Steve Sarkisian and his staff in the 2023 cycle. He was the No. 1 inside linebacker in the country, but he was also the No. 3 prospect in the state of Texas. The Longhorns needed help on defense and Hill has already made an impact. He’s third on the team in tackles, had six tackles and two sacks in a 34-24 victory over Alabama on Sept. 9, and has played in all 10 games this season.
2023 stats: 29 tackles (17 solo) with four passes defended, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and two blocked punts in 10 games.
How he has fared so far: Bowen’s journey to get to Oklahoma was a wild ride as he originally committed to Notre Dame, flipped to Oregon and then signed with Oklahoma all within a matter of days. The Sooners struggled on defense in the 2022 season and needed defensive help. Landing Bowen was a big win for the staff and the former five-star earned a starting job at safety coming into the year. He leads the team with four passes defended and after blocking punts in wins against both SMU and Iowa State, he recorded five tackles and forced a pivotal fumble in the Sooners’ 34-30 victory over Texas on Oct. 7.
2023 stats: 33 tackles (15 solo) with five tackles for loss, 3 ½ sacks and one pass defended in 10 games.
How he has fared so far: Perkins, who’s tied for second on the team with 3 ½ sacks, had two sacks in a 24-10 loss against Alabama on Sept. 30. He has played in all 10 games this season for Ole Miss and took home co-SEC freshman of the week at the end of October.
2023 stats: Six tackles (three solo) with three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 10 games.
How he has fared so far: Adebawore recorded 2.5 tackles for loss in a 66-17 victory over Tulsa on Sept. 16. He has appeared in 10 games so far this season and saw praise from head coach Brent Venables for his work ethic prior to the season starting.
2023 stats: Seven carries for 22 yards in two games.
How he has fared so far: Young ran for 18 yards in a 56-7 win over Middle Tennessee State on Sept. 2. He was the No. 1 running back in the 2023 class and signed with Alabama alongside the No. 2 back, Justice Haynes. Despite their lofty rankings, Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams have taken most of the carries for the Crimson Tide this season. Young has appeared in two games so far and hasn’t had many opportunities to put together many impactful stats.
2023 stats: Completed 7 of 14 passes for 97 yards and one TD.
How he has fared so far: Iamaleava led a scoring drive in a 49-13 victory over Virginia on Sept. 2 and saw more action in the Nov. 4 game against UConn. He had 86 yards passing and a score in that one. He came into Tennessee knowing that Joe Milton was the starter for the Volunteers and that he would have limited opportunities.
2023 stats: 16 carries for 95 yards in nine games.
How he has fared so far: Haynes rushed for a career-high 29 yards in a 56-7 victory over Middle Tennessee State on Sept. 2. Haynes signed with Young in the 2023 class, but has had more carries this season than his fellow freshman. Haynes has appeared in nine games so far and while he is behind McClellan and Williams, he has shown the ability to impact the run game in the future.
2023 stats: Completed 34 of 60 passes for 403 passing yards with three touchdowns and one interception in two games.
How he has fared so far: Rashada earned the starting QB job out of fall camp but hasn’t played since the first two weeks while dealing with an injury sustained in high school. He went 18-of-31 for 236 yards and two touchdowns in a season-opening victory over Southern Utah.
How he has fared so far: Toviano had seven tackles (five solo) in a 42-28 loss at Alabama on Nov. 4 and then followed that up with a career-high 10 tackles during a 52-35 victory over Florida on Nov. 11.
2023 stats: 13 tackles (nine solo) with one interception and three passes defended in nine games.
How he has fared so far: Mathews came down with an interception in a 63-10 victory against Western Kentucky on Sept. 16. He stepped in after Denzel Burke got hurt and played 47 snaps against Penn State.
2023 stats: 70 carries for 232 yards and two touchdowns and eight receptions for 83 yards and eight kickoff returns for 154 yards in 10 games.
How he has fared so far: Owens ran a career-high 18 times for 40 yards, tallying a touchdown, in a 30-17 victory over South Carolina on Oct. 28. His 232 yards places him third on the Aggies in rushing.
2023 stats: Seven tackles (five solo) with a half-tackle for loss and one interception in 10 games.
How he has fared so far: Johnson had two tackles in a 73-0 victory over Arkansas State on Sept. 2 and recorded his first career interception in a 59-20 victory over West Virginia on Nov. 11.
Just minutes after Kyle Larson crossed the finish line on the most dominating victory ever for a Hendrick Motorsports driver, his team rushed his 9-year-old son to the winning Chevrolet.
Owen Larson was placed on the window, half in the car, half out, as his dad drove a victory lap around Bristol Motor Speedway with his son holding the No. 1 finger in the air. He later joined his dad atop the car during Saturday night’s victory lane celebration.
“We had a little boys’ weekend here this weekend,” Larson said. “We’ll bring some hardware home tonight, too.”
Larson dominated the first elimination race of NASCAR’s 10-race playoff portion of the season by leading all but 38 of the 500 laps at the track in Bristol, Tennessee — the most laps led ever in a race by a Hendrick driver. It easily moved him into the second round of the playoffs, while former NASCAR champions Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr., as well as Ty Gibbs and Harrison Burton, were eliminated from the 16-driver field.
“I’ve had a lot of good cars since I’ve come to Hendrick Motorsports, but man, that was just great execution all weekend by the team,” Larson said. “We dominate a lot of races but we might not close them all out, so it feels really good to close one out here.”
The first of three elimination races in the 10-race playoffs began with Denny Hamlin, Truex, Keselowski and Burton all below the cutline and facing elimination from the 16-driver field.
Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner with four career wins at Bristol, was never really worried and finished fourth.
“My aspiration was winning,” Hamlin said. “It’s as good as what we’ve been here the last couple times. It’s all offense from this point forward.”
Burton, who used a surprise win at Daytona last month to qualify for the playoffs in the final few weeks before he loses his seat with Wood Brothers Racing, was doubtful to recover enough to advance and finished 35th. Keselowski, the 2012 Cup champion, and 2017 champion Truex had a better shot at salvaging their playoffs but both came up empty.
Truex was penalized for speeding on pit road, taking him out of contention to advance, and Keselowski just didn’t have the pace. Joe Gibbs Racing had two of its four cars eliminated from the playoffs as Ty Gibbs was also penalized for speeding.
“That was just unfortunate there,” said Gibbs, who finished 15th. “Speeding penalty is on me. It’s my fault.”
Keselowski finished 26th and lamented the lack of speed in his RFK Racing Ford.
“Didn’t have the pace we wanted. We ran as hard as we could, there just wasn’t anything there,” Keselowski said. “Just got to be faster.”
Truex is retiring from full-time racing at the end of the season.
“That kind of screws up your whole season,” Truex said of the speeding penalty. “It’s on me. It was my mistake. Just really sad for my guys. We had a really good car. I hate I screwed it up, would have at least tried to see what we could do.”
Larson, meanwhile, led 462 of 500 laps, the most since Cale Yarborough led 495 laps in 1977. Larson’s laps led is the most by a Hendrick driver and marked the fifth win of the season for the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet.
It’s an impressive stat considering the Hendrick team has fielded cars for Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Terry Labonte and Dale Earnhardt Jr., among others.
“That’s pretty awesome because there’s been some legendary Hall of Famers race for Hendrick Motorsports, and we’ve all grown up watching Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson dominate,” Larson said. “So pretty cool to get my name on another record at Hendrick Motorsports.”
Daniel Suarez, who finished four laps down in 31st, squeezed out the final spot into the second round of the playoffs by 11 points over Gibbs.
Hendrick’s entire four-car Chevrolet lineup advanced, as did all three Ford drivers from Team Penske. But Toyota lost a pair of JGR entries, and Ford lost two cars in Keselowski and Burton.
LaJoie’s final rideCorey LaJoie had already been told by Spire Motorsports it was not bringing him back next year, which gave him the rest of this season to finish out strong.
Then Spire threw him a lifeline with an unusual driver swap with Rick Ware Racing that will move Justin Haley into the Spire No. 7. LaJoie will replace Haley at RWR starting next week at Kansas Speedway.
While Haley’s deal guarantees him the seat in 2025, LaJoie will have to earn the RWR ride. But in the meantime, he wanted one final good finish with Spire. He qualified ninth and was running 11th when he was involved in a crash that essentially ended his career with Spire.
Up next: NASCAR opens the second round of the playoffs at Kansas Speedway, where Reddick won last fall and Larson won in May. Bell takes a six-point lead over Larson into Kansas.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Cole Custer won the final race of the Xfinity Series regular season to seal the regular season championship, as well.
Custer’s win Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway gave him the driver championship over Justin Allgaier and bonus points to carry into the playoffs.
“Huge gift of momentum because our confidence was really going down the last month,” Custer said of his second win of the season.
Custer is the reigning Xfinity Series champion and although Stewart-Haas Racing is closing at the end of the season, team owner Gene Haas is keeping one Cup Series charter to run Custer next year.
Sheldon Creed finished second for the 11th time in three seasons as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver remained winless in his Xfinity Series career.
Chandler Smith finished third and was followed by Jesse Love, Ryan Truex and Sam Mayer.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., in what might be his final NASCAR national series race until at least 2026, had an issue with the radio in his headset the entire first stage. He had no access to team communication and needed to pit for four fresh tires “and a new helmet” when Earnhardt made his stop.
The helmet exchange was far from smooth — Earnhardt’s eyeglasses were pulled off his face inside the first helmet and handed to the crew without anyone realizing he didn’t have his spectacles. And, his radio fell, which caused a volume adjustment that was so loud the Hall of Famer told his spotter it was hurting his ears.
At least he doesn’t have to do it every week.
Earnhardt’s deal with sponsor Hellman’s Mayonnaise for JR Motorsports requires him to run an Xfinity Series race a year and Bristol on Friday night fulfilled the obligation. The clause doesn’t exist in 2025, and Earnhardt, who turns 50 later this year, doesn’t expect another Xfinity Series race before 2026.
Alex Bowman, who just two weeks ago was desperately trying to debunk rumors his seat was in danger, will start the first elimination race of NASCAR’s playoffs from the pole.
Bowman turned a lap at 126.720 mph Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee to earn the fifth pole of his career. Bowman heads into Saturday night’s elimination race ranked fourth in the Cup Series standings — best of all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers.
Bowman made the playoffs by winning the street race at Chicago in a victory that probably saved his seat in the No. 48 Chevrolet. Now in the playoffs, he’s untouchable and under contract at Hendrick through 2025.
Even so, he has been dogged by rumors he’ll be out of a seat at the end of the year, which Hendrick vehemently denied ahead of the start of the playoffs.
In qualifying, Bowman bested all three of his Hendrick teammates. Kyle Larson qualified second and will start Saturday night next to Bowman. William Byron qualified third.
The bottom four in the standings headed into elimination are Hamlin, Keselowski, Truex and Burton. The loss of three-time Daytona 500 winner Hamlin or 2012 champion Keselowski and 2017 champion Truex would take some of NASCAR’s top names out of the title chase.