Pac-12's Pre-Spring Top 15 Player Rankings for 2015
Cody Kessler
The 2015 Pac-12 season is shaping up to be another year filled of intrigue in both division races. Oregon is the favorite in the North, but the Ducks have question marks on both sides of the ball. And the expected replacement for quarterback Marcus Mariota – Eastern Washington transfer Vernon Adams – won’t arrive until this summer. In the South Division, five out of the six teams have a strong case to be picked No. 1 in the league this year. Colorado is improving, but the Buffaloes are probably a year away from getting back into bowl contention.
With spring practice underway, it’s never too early to take a look at the top returning players in the Pac-12 for 2015.
Here’s a quick primer on the top 15 players in the Pac-12 for next season, as well as a few names to watch.
Pac-12's Pre-Spring Top 15 Players for 2015
1. Scooby Wright, LB, Arizona
2015 Year of Eligibility: Junior
2014 Stats: 163 tackles, 29 TFL, 14 sacks, 6 FF
Wright was the best defensive player in college football last season and a big reason why Arizona won the South Division and played for the Pac-12 Championship.
2. Myles Jack, LB, UCLA
2015 Year of Eligibility: Junior
2014 Stats: 88 tackles, 8 TFL, 1 INT, 7 PBU
Jack didn’t see much time on offense last season – only 28 carries – but he continued to provide plenty of punch for the UCLA defense. Jack was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection and is now the leader for the linebacking corps after Eric Kendricks expired his eligibility.
3. Cody Kessler, QB, USC
2015 Year of Eligibility: Senior
2014 Stats: 3,826 yards, 39 TDs, 5 INTs
Kessler loses standout receiver Nelson Agholor, but he opens spring practice as the Pac-12’s top quarterback after tossing 39 touchdowns to just five interceptions in 2014.
4. Su’a Cravens, LB/S, USC
2015 Year of Eligibility: Junior
2014 Stats: 68 tackles, 17 TFL, 5 sacks, 3 INT, 9 PBU
Cravens is one of the most versatile defenders in college football. The California native plays a hybrid safety/linebacker role for coordinator Justin Wilcox and has seven interceptions and 18.5 tackles for a loss in two years with the Trojans.
5. Max Tuerk, C, USC
2015 Year of Eligibility: Senior
Tuerk anchors a young and improving USC offensive line entering 2015. The California native enters spring practice with 33 career starts and earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2014.
6. DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon
2015 Year of Eligibility: Senior
2014 Stats: 81 tackles, 13 TFL, 4 sacks, 4 PBU, 1 FF
Buckner turned down the NFL for one more season in Eugene. With Arik Armstead off to the next level, it’s up to Buckner to shoulder more of the workload in the trenches this year. There’s no doubt Buckner is up to the task.
7. Jared Goff, QB, California
2015 Year of Eligibility: Junior
2014 Stats: 3,973 yards, 35 TDs, 7 INTs
Goff is one of the nation’s rising stars at quarterback and is only going to get better with another offseason in coach Sonny Dykes’ offense. Goff led all Pac-12 quarterbacks (conference-only games) by averaging 341.1 yards per contest last year.
8. Kyle Murphy, OT, Stanford
2015 Year of Eligibility: Senior
Stanford has placed a lineman on the Pac-12’s first-team unit for seven consecutive years. It’s a safe bet to pick Murphy to extend that streak to eight in 2015.
9. Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon
2015 Year of Eligibility: Sophomore
2014 Stats: 1,365 yards, 18 TDs, 16 rec., 158 yards, 1 TD
Freeman might not lead the Pac-12 in rushing due to a healthy Thomas Tyner as his backfield mate, but the sophomore might have the most overall talent of any running back in the conference.
10. Devontae Booker, RB, Utah
2015 Year of Eligibility: Senior
2014 Stats: 1,512 yards, 10 TDs, 43 rec., 306 yards, 2 TDs
Booker might be one of the nation’s most underrated players. Despite a struggling Utah passing offense last season, Booker ranked second in the Pac-12 with 1,512 yards and 10 scores. He should be the catalyst for Utah’s offense once again this year.
11. Paul Perkins, RB, UCLA
2015 Year of Eligibility: Junior
2014 Stats: 1,575 yards, 9 TDs, 26 rec., 201 yards, 2 TDs
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Perkins quietly led all Pac-12 rushers with 1,575 yards last season, which included 190 against Oregon, 194 against Kansas State and 137 over Arizona. With quarterback Brett Hundley off to the NFL, Perkins may have to shoulder even more of the workload in 2015.
12. Adoree’ Jackson, CB/WR, USC
2015 Year of Eligibility: Sophomore
2014 Stats: 49 tackles, 4 TFL, 10 PBU, 10 receptions, 138 yards, 3 TDs
Jackson is a name that could easily climb this list by the end of the 2015 season. Coach Steve Sarkisian hopes to get him a handful of snaps on offense after catching three of his 10 passes for scores in 2015. However, Jackson will be tough to remove on defense, as he broke up 10 passes and made 49 stops in 13 games last season.
13. Anu Solomon, QB, Arizona
2015 Year of Eligibility: Sophomore
2014 Stats: 3,793 passing yards, 28 TDs, 9 INTs, 291 rush yards, 2 TDs
Solomon had his share of ups and downs in 2014 but still finished with 28 touchdowns to nine interceptions in his first year as the starter. Getting Solomon back to 100 percent after a late-season ankle injury should help the sophomore take a step forward this offseason.
14. Nick Wilson, RB, Arizona
2015 Year of Eligibility: Sophomore
2014 Stats: 1,375 yards, 16 TDs, 12 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD
Wilson was the other standout freshman performer for coach Rich Rodriguez in 2014. In 13 contests, Wilson rushed for 1,375 yards and contributed 16 rushing scores. His numbers should only climb in 2015.
15. Nelson Spruce, WR, Colorado
2015 Year of Eligibility: Senior
2014 Stats: 106 catches, 1,198 yards, 12 TDs
Spruce made sure Colorado’s passing game didn’t miss a beat without Paul Richardson at receiver. The California native tied Washington State’s Vince Mayle for the Pac-12 crown in receptions (106), while Spruce tied two other players for first in touchdown receptions.
Players to Watch
Ishmael Adams, DB, UCLA
Adams was on the cusp of making our pre-spring top 15 players. The first-team All-Pac-12 defensive back could crack the list with a strong 2015 season.
Vernon Adams, QB, Oregon
Eastern Washington transfer won’t arrive on campus until this summer. Where does Adams fall in the pecking order of Pac-12 quarterbacks?
Budda Baker, S, Washington
Baker was a standout freshman for coach Chris Petersen and is only going to improve with another offseason in Seattle.
D.J. Foster, RB/WR, Arizona State
With the emergence of Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage, Arizona State plans to shift Foster into a hybrid running back/receiver role in 2015.
Peter Kalambayi, LB, Stanford
Should play a bigger role in the defense after recording 9.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks in 2014.
Gabe Marks, WR, Washington State
Marks is back in the mix for Washington State after a redshirt year in 2014. He caught 74 passes in 2013 and could push for the team lead in receptions, yards and touchdowns in 2015.
Gionni Paul, LB, Utah
Miami transfer had his 2014 season cut short by injury. However, Paul (when healthy) is an impact defender for coach Kyle Whittingham’s defense.
JuJu Smith, WR, USC
Smith is the likely replacement for Nelson Agholor after catching 54 passes for 724 yards and five scores in 2014.
Storm Woods, RB, Oregon State
Woods closed out 2014 by rushing for 128 yards against Oregon. Will he be a bigger part of the new offense under coach Gary Andersen?
