Every college football season is full of surprises, from teams (hello, Vols and Horned Frogs) to coaches to individual players who seemingly come out of nowhere and become stars. The things and people we don't see coming often become the best stories.
When the 2021 season kicked off, how many saw Stetson Bennett quarterbacking Georgia to its first national title since 1980? Kenneth Walker III had been a solid running back at Wake Forest, but he became the best ball-carrier in the country for Michigan State. Kansas State's Felix Anudike-Uzomah had three tackles and a sack as a true freshman in 2020, but then emerged as one of the nation's best pass-rushers, piling up sacks and forced fumbles to earn first-team All-Big 12 recognition.
This season has provided its share of surprise players, and with two months of games in the books, it's time to recognize 25 of them. The goals of the list are to have a nationally representative sample, selections from different positions, and to identify those who have impacted their teams in ways few predicted back in August. I surveyed some coaches and my ESPN colleagues to put together the group.
Players who truly stood out in 2021 -- think league or national honors, team records -- aren't on the list, so while Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker doesn't appear below, his top receiving target surely does. I also didn't include impact true freshmen such as Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins, as I wanted to compare evidence from the previous college season.
The list skews toward skill players, but I tried to highlight a few others, too.
Here they are in alphabetical order.
Pitt RB Israel Abanikanda | Junior
2022 numbers: 1,086 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns, 183 carries, 2 receptions, 11 receiving yards
2021 numbers: 651 rushing yards, 7 touchdowns, 123 carries, 24 receptions, 197 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi hasn't hid his feelings about the team's aversion to running the ball last season, even though the Panthers won the ACC. But an offensive coordinator change from Mark Whipple to Frank Cignetti Jr. has re-emphasized Pitt's rushing attack, allowing Abanikanda to blossom and lead the nation in all-purpose yards (177.9 ypg), rushing touchdowns (16) and total touchdowns scored (17). Abanikanda ranks fifth nationally in rushing yards per game (135.8).
"This guy could have done it last year, too," Narduzzi told ESPN. "We just never ran the ball. It's not a surprise to me because we had success when he did run it, and when he gets inside, he pops through and he's gone. He's just explosive, strong, he's physical, he's a great-looking kid. No surprise because I knew once the guy gets going, he's different."