10:31 AM ET Part of the charm of college football is looking for the next big thing in a sport drenched in tradition. You know, the next Herschel Walker, the next Woody Hayes or the next “The band is out on the field” finish to a game. It’s what we do as college football junkies, a way to pass the time until the next season arrives. Who knew at this time a year ago that Baker Mayfield would go from just another quarterback competing for a starting job to a Heisman Trophy candidate? Who knew Tom Herman would lead Houston to a magical season? Who knew Kevin Dodd would morph into a star in his own right? So with the 2015 season still very fresh in our minds, we take a stab at the “Next Big Things” for 2016. The next Baker Mayfield: Stanford QB Keller Chryst For a guy who just sort of showed up on Oklahoma’s campus after transferring from Texas Tech and walking on, Mayfield was terrific for the Sooners. He won the job in preseason camp and accounted for 43 touchdowns in leading OU to a Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff appearance. Nobody is predicting that Chryst is going to make a run at 50 touchdowns next season, but he has the talent, size and pedigree to give Pac-12 defenses fits. It helps that he’ll have Christian McCaffrey in his backfield, and it also helps that the 6-foot-5, 233-pound Chryst is already a better passer than Kevin Hogan was at this point in his career…
Continue Reading: Stanford QB Chryst, Ohio State RB Weber among CFB’s next big things
