Content Source:seccountry.com
By Shehan Jeyarajah
It’s not often that freshmen contribute at a high level in the SEC. It’s even rarer that young players find themselves poised to contribute at the quarterback position.
However, with the strength of this year’s recruiting class, 2016 could be the year that changes. The SEC nabbed three of the top five ranked quarterbacks in this class, including the top two in Jacob Eason (Georgia) and Shea Patterson (Ole Miss). With uncertainty at the position, Eason even could take over as starter this season.
With players ready to make a difference right away, we are taking a look at some of the good, bad and ugly freshman seasons of the past 10 years.
THE GOOD
Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M (2012) – Far and away, this is the gold standard for freshman seasons. After redshirting his first year, Manziel took over the starting job and posted one of the great seasons in college football history. Manziel posted 5,116 total yards and 47 combined touchdowns in a monster freshman campaign. The Aggie became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy. Of course, his career has since fallen off track, but Manziel is still one of the great freshmen ever.
Photo by draftmanager.com
