The 25 most important college football players for the 2019 season

Before last season many people wondered how Herm Edwards would fare as the new head coach of the Sun Devils. Benjamin turned into a successful campaign with one of the best seasons in the nation. He was a workhorse, carrying the ball 300 times for 1,642 yards and 16 touchdowns. He will be relied on more this year with receiver N'Keal Harry gone to the NFL. With the Sun Devils breaking in a new quarterback, Benjamin will be counted on to literally carry the load. 

Auburn's front seven should be problems for opposing offenses, and Brown is the leader of the group. He is huge (6-foot-5 and nearly 320 pounds) and athletic and has the ability to both eat up blockers and still make plays. The Tigers go up against some high-octane offenses this year (Oregon, Georgia and Alabama are some prime examples) and Brown's ability to put pressure in the face of quarterbacks will be a huge key to Auburn's success. 

Quick: Who was the only ACC school, besides Clemson, to finish with at least 10 wins in 2018? It was Syracuse. Cisco, then a freshman, tied for the national lead in interceptions with seven last year and is back to try to scare quarterbacks in 2019. He was everywhere toward the end of the season with nine tackles and a pick against Notre Dame and nine tackles in the Orange's bowl game against West Virginia. 

Davis slid a little bit last year after having a solid sophomore season. His build is intimidating (6-foot-7, 315 lbs) and he is athletic, but he's also had some questionable moments during his Crimson Tide career. He skipped out on the NFL to return to Alabama for what the team hopes is a defining season. The lasting image in many people's minds of the Tide's defense is how Clemson rolled all over it in the College Football Playoff championship game. Davis is back to change that. 

LSU is known for having elite defensive backs, and Delpit looks to have his name mentioned among those greats. Last season he picked off five passes, recorded five sacks and forced a fumble. Not only does he possess top-level range and coverage skills, but LSU also likes to use him to pressure the quarterback. Having a talented safety like Delpit allows for the Tigers to take more risks with blitzes and coverage schemes. 

Dobbins looks up and doesn't see Dwayne Haskins handing him the ball, Parris Campbell stretching the defense or Urban Meyer calling the plays. He also doesn't see Mike Weber sharing touches with him. So it is Dobbins time in Columbus. Even with Weber in the backfield with him, Dobbins still had his second straight 1,000 yard season and his drive and effort should make for an ever bigger season.

Ehlinger burst on the scene with his outstanding performance against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry (314 pass yards, two passing TDs, 72 rush yards, three rushing TDs). Much of the rest of the season was pretty darn good too, including the Longhorns' rematch with the Sooners in the Big 12 title game (349 pass yards, four total TDs). Ehlinger enters 2019 with the mindset of being a leader and marching Texas through a difficult schedule to win a Big 12 championship. 

The Big Ten West is such a volatile division that nearly anyone can win it (see: Northwestern in 2018). Iowa is a contender because of defensive end A.J. Epenesa. Quite simply, this guy gets to the quarterback. He is tall (6-foot-6) and fast and had 10.5 sacks last year for the Hawkeyes in a somewhat limited role. He should be an even bigger factor in 2019 with his ability to disrupt passing plays and his effectiveness against the run. 

Fotu is a massive load in the middle of Utah's defensive line and a reason why the Utes were a defensive force in 2018. His size and skill helped the Utes become one of the best at limiting yards per rush between the tackles last season — which propelled Utah to the Pac-12 championship game. With the Pac-12 South division filled with programs facing lot of challenges heading into the season, Fotu looks to keep the pressure on their backfields in 2019.

Look at what Fromm has accomplished in his two-year college career: As a freshman he took over for an injured Jacob Eason and led the Bulldogs to the national championship game — nearly winning it. He then held off top recruit Justin Fields last year (forcing him to transfer after the season) and got the Bulldogs to another SEC championship game where they would lose to Alabama. His completion percentage, yards and touchdowns all improved in his sophomore year, and he finally enters a season as the unquestioned starter. 

Hall had a sensational junior season. He led the nation with 24 passes defended and established himself as one of the top safeties in college football. The ACC's Coastal Division is completely up in the air, and the Cavaliers were right in the thick of the race last year. Hall makes offensive coordinators stay up a bit later than usual, and he will be a major reason why Virginia could reach the ACC championship game. 

Herbert quite possibly would have been the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft had he declared. Instead, he stuck around for his senior season and will attempt to lead Oregon back to elite status and keep the Ducks in the hunt for a Pac 12 and a national championship. His stats don't wow you, but Oregon struggled when he missed several games in 2017 and leaned on him heavily last season. For the first time in his college career, he'll have the same head coach for a second season, which should help create continuity for him and the entire team. 

We all know Hurts past: As a freshman he was an epic Deshaun Watson effort from leading Alabama to a national championship. He got the Tide back to the title game in 2017 but was pulled at halftime and watched Tua Tagovailoa pull off a comeback win and take Hurts' job in 2018. Hurts has now transferred to Oklahoma where the last two guys who held that post there went on to win the Heisman Trophy and become the top overall picks in the NFL Draft. The Sooners have big hopes (and another suspect defense) and will need Hurts and that offense to continue to put up huge numbers if they are to get back to the College Football Playoff.

What a charmed college career Lamb has had! As a freshman, he caught 46 passes and seven touchdowns from Heisman winner Baker Mayfield. As a sophomore, he caught 65 passes and 11 touchdowns from Heisman winner Kyler Murray. Now Alabama grad transfer Jalen Hurts comes to Norman with high expectations, and Lamb is set up for another big season. His last two games (the Big 12 championship against Texas and College Football Playoff semifinal against Alabama) saw him catch 14 passes for 276 yards and two TDs. 

Did you see that College Football Playoff championship game? Lawrence, as a freshman, would have been the top overall pick in the past NFL Draft — and he still has two more seasons before he can even declare. His poise and ability to read defenses is stunning to see from someone this young. It will interesting to watch how he follows that championship performance now that he is the starter from Day 1. Clemson lost much of that elite defensive front that kept the Tigers from having to be in a shootout, so Lawrence will carry even more weight on the same shoulders that his long hair rests upon. 

Mond doesn't wow you with his stats...though they are impressive. He is a dual-threat quarterback who is entering his second year with Jimbo Fisher (the guy who had a similar talent in Jameis Winston win a Heisman for him). He showed his ability to dominate with solid games against Alabama and Clemson (both losses). The Aggies are ready to make that jump into elite status, and Mond's performance this season will go a long way to achieving that. 

A tight end who plays for Missouri usually doesn't move any needles, but Albert Okwuegbunam is a name you need to know. He's played in only 18 games since arriving to Missouri, but he's caught 17 TD passes. Drew Lock is now in the NFL, but Clemson transfer Kelly Bryant takes over and will rely on Okwuegbunam to move the ball down the field. If the Tigers want to make a move in the SEC East, then the preseason All-American tight end will be a major reason for it. 

Can Michigan beat Ohio State? That is the question that will torment this program until it does. Not only is this Wolverines team built to do that, but it also has the kind of offense that could bring home a national championship. Patterson is the best quarterback Jim Harbaugh has had in Ann Arbor, and he has a year in maize and blue under his belt. He also has elite receivers in Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones who can frustrate defenses. The normally stiff Michigan defense lost a lot of great talent, so the offense will need to carry more of the load. 

Miami is built on defense, and new head coach Manny Diaz relies on Quarterman in a variety of ways. The All-ACC linebacker is used in coverage schemes and to plug up the running lanes, though he excels at blitzing the quarterback. He is outstanding at finding space to get into the backfield and either pressures the quarterback or makes a negative play on a running back. He's the on-field coach of the 'Canes opportunistic defense. 

Heading into last season, Tagovailoa was deemed the Heisman front-runner, and many felt he would lead the Crimson Tide to consecutive national championships. It certainly looked that way before he struggled a bit toward the end of the season. Expect a motivated and an even better Tua in 2019, as he continues to learn the best way to use his talents more efficiently (scary thought). Nick Saban's teams rarely get run over like Alabama did by Clemson last season, so it could be quite a big year for Tua and the Tide. 

This time last year, many experts had Tate on their Heisman lists. After a rocky start to 2018 and some injury issues, he and the Wildcats fell off most people's radars. What you missed was Tate becoming a more impactful passer (he threw for 2,530 yards and 26 touchdowns), though his elite running prowess took a hit. He was set to transfer from Kevin Sumlin's program this spring but decided to stick it out. If there is a happy medium between Tate's running and his passing this year (plus good health), then Arizona could be a dark horse in the Pac-12. 

Taylor followed up one of the greatest freshman seasons for a running back with an even better sophomore year. He rushed for 2,194 yards and 16 touchdowns and won the Doak Walker Award despite the Badgers having an uncharacteristically off year. Wisconsin will likely start freshman phenom Graham Mertz at quarterback after incumbent starter Alex Hornibrook transferred to Florida State, which means Taylor will be relied on more than ever.

Thomas is important not just of because of who is it but also because of whom he is replacing. Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell were fixtures on the Tigers defensive line (and opposing offenses' backfields) but will be suiting up in the NFL next season. Thomas steps into some big shoes...but ones he is built to fill. Even playing behind that ridiculously talented Clemson front four, Thomas still recorded 10.5 tackles for loss. Thomas should plug right in and continue the program's defensive line dominance. 

The Illinois transfer had 1,244 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns in his first season with the Commodores and stunned some by waiting on the NFL and returning to Vanderbilt. That's a big deal to Vandy fans who lost quarterback Kyle Shurmur and know that the offense will rely on Vaughn's power running. He's a power back who is tough to bring down in space. 

Last year the Buckeyes defense didn't play as well as it should have with the talent it put on the field. The 2019 version looks to get back to that tough-minded defense, and Young will be at the forefront. Young makes plays — he had 10 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss last season. NFL scouts are salivating over him as they have over previous Buckeye D-linemen.