College Football's Early Top 50 Players for 2020

The 2020 college football season is still months away, but the start of spring practice is inching closer for all 130 teams (some have already begun), so it’s never too early to look ahead at the upcoming year and rank some of the top players returning to the gridiron. As expected, quarterbacks top the rankings for 2020. Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State's Justin Fields were easy selections for the first two spots, with North Carolina's Sam Howell and Texas' Sam Ehlinger bringing up the next tier. Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell ranks No. 3, followed by a pair of LSU standouts in cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and receiver Ja'Marr Chase to round out the top five.

With rosters largely set for 2020 and teams beginning to start spring practice, a better picture of how all 130 teams stack up has started to form. Using career accomplishments so far, projected performance next season, positional importance and overall talent, Athlon Sports has ranked the (early) top 50 players for 2020. This list will look a little different by the fall, but there is no shortage of big names coming back or players poised to take a huge step forward next season. Keep in mind: This is not a list of accomplishments so far. Instead, we are projecting ahead, weighing overall talent/importance to their respective team and how the player has performed so far in their career. A list of players that just missed the top 50 or was considered is also listed below.

College Football's Early Top 50 Players for 2020

50. Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Memphis

An injury to Patrick Taylor in the season opener against Ole Miss opened the door for Gainwell to emerge as one of the top all-purpose threats in college football in 2019. The Mississippi native used a run of six consecutive games with 100 or more rushing yards to finish with 1,459 yards on the ground and 13 touchdowns. He also caught 51 passes for 610 yards and three scores. Gainwell finished the 2019 campaign ninth nationally (147.8) in all-purpose yards per game.

49. Kylin Hill, RB, Mississippi State

New coach Mike Leach is known for producing high-powered passing games, but Hill is going to see plenty of opportunities in the new offense. The senior is simply too talented to ignore, as he paced the Mississippi State offense with 1,350 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Hill also led SEC running backs by averaging 103.9 rushing yards a game and chipped in 18 catches – a number that's likely to increase significantly under Leach in 2020.

48. Jaret Patterson, RB, Buffalo

Thanks to a strong offensive line and deep backfield, the Bulls leaned on their ground attack by averaging just over 50 rushing attempts a game last season. Patterson anchored the powerful Buffalo running game with 312 carries and 1,799 yards. He also scored 19 times, averaged 5.8 yards per carry and gashed Bowling Green for 298 yards in late November last year.

47. Hamilcar Rashed, LB, Oregon State

Rashed had a breakout year in his third season with the Beavers and excelled at creating havoc for an improved defense. The Arizona native recorded 62 stops and led all Pac-12 defenders with 22.5 tackles for a loss. Rashed registered the most sacks (14) of any Pac-12 player, with 11 coming in conference play.

46. Richard LeCounte, S, Georgia

LeCounte should become the leader for Georgia's secondary after J.R. Reed finished his eligibility and is one of the top players on a defense that should rank as one of the best in college football. The Georgia native started all 14 games for the Bulldogs in 2019 and recorded 61 stops (4.5 for a loss), four interceptions, two forced fumbles, and three pass breakups.

45. Gregory Rousseau, DL, Miami

Rousseau set the bar high for 2020 after recording 19.5 tackles for a loss, 15.5 sacks, and 54 overall tackles as a freshman last fall. Rousseau notched 12 of his sacks in ACC games, including four versus Florida State and two against Pitt. He should team with Temple transfer Quincy Roche to form one of the nation’s top defensive end combinations in college football for 2020.

44. Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU

TCU’s defense has a few holes to fill at cornerback this offseason, but coach Gary Patterson won’t be starting completely from scratch in the secondary. The duo of Ar’Darius Washington and Moehrig should form one of the better safety combinations in the nation. Moehrig recorded 62 stops, 11 pass breakups, and four interceptions and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last season.

43. D’Eriq King, QB, Miami

Miami utilized three quarterbacks last season, but the carousel under center will end with King coming to Coral Gables after transferring from Houston. Dynamic is the best way to sum up King’s career with the Cougars from 2016-19. The Texas native received playing time as a receiver in 2016 before moving back to quarterback in '17. King accounted for 1,639 total yards that year and delivered a monster all-around campaign the following season. Over 11 appearances for Houston, King accounted for 3,656 total yards and 50 overall scores. King took a redshirt season after playing in four games in 2019.

42. Chatarius Atwell, WR, Louisville

The Cardinals were drastically better in coach Scott Satterfield’s debut, with a much-improved offense leading the way for a six-game jump in wins from the previous year. Atwell was a breakout star in Satterfield’s offense after only catching 24 passes as a freshman in 2018. The Miami native grabbed 70 receptions for 1,276 yards and 12 touchdowns last year and his per-catch average of 18.2 ranked fourth among ACC receivers. He also had six receptions of 50 yards or more in 2019.

41. Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech

Farley bounced between receiver and cornerback early in his career but settled into a defensive role after using a redshirt year in 2017 to recover from a knee injury. Farley had a solid freshman season in 2018, recording 36 tackles, two picks, and seven pass breakups over 13 appearances. However, Farley took a major step forward in his development last fall. Farley earned first-team All-ACC honors after recording 12 pass breakups, four picks, and 36 total tackles.

40. Carlos Basham, DL, Wake Forest

Basham might be one of the most underrated defenders in college football and should rank among the top linemen in the nation after passing on the NFL draft. As a junior last fall, Basham dominated the line of scrimmage by recording 18 tackles for a loss and 11 sacks. He also forced three fumbles, collected 57 tackles and earned first-team All-ACC honors.