With college football in full swing, let's look to the game of the week and its top players.
Both Alabama and Florida State boast loaded rosters, led by key defensive stars and returning starters at quarterback.
[divider]PREDICTIONS: Top 25 | Big Ten | Pac-12
PODCAST: Week 1's Big Game, Rankings & More
CHURCHILL: Preseason Heisman Watch
COMPARE: Jalen Hurts vs. Nick Fitzgerald[divider]
10. Tarvarus McFadden, CB — Florida State
SOPH
6-1/198
McFadden runs a sub-4.5 40-yard dash despite carrying 200 pounds on a sizable frame for a corner. He's not draft eligible until 2019 but already has made his mark, picking off eight passes as a freshman earning First-Team All-America honors and winning the Jack Tatum Award for the best defensive back in college football.
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9. Da'Shawn Hand, DL — Alabama
SR
6-4/288
Hand is an athletic defensive end who will see a lot more time this season after Jonathan Allen left for the NFL. He enters the season as a potential first-round pick and one of the premier DE prospects in the 2018 draft class.
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8. Calvin Ridley, WR — Alabama
JR
6-1/190
Ridley is the top receiving threat for the Tide after catching 72 balls for 769 yards and seven scores a year ago. With a more experienced quarterback, the numbers should improve. As a prospect, Ridley is lauded for his route running, hands and body control and he plays bigger than his true size indicates.
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7. Rashaan Evans, LB — Alabama
SR
6-2/232
Evans, recruited as an OLB, moved to the inside before last season and showed flashes of top-end ability in pursuit and pass rushing. He's not Reuben Foster but he resembles the athletic linebacker Nick Saban loves, one with speed and power.
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6. Minkah Fitzpatrick, S — Alabama
JR
6-0/200
Fitzpatrick remains from the Tide's vaunted 2016 secondary that produced two high draft picks. He's run in the 4.4s and has the size and strength to play either safety spot and recovery speed and suddenness to play corner. Fitzpatrick is one of the better players in college football and is primed for a huge 2017 and a sure bet to come off the board very early next April as the top free safety.
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5. Josh Sweat, DE — Florida State
SOPH
6-4/255
Sweat is a speed rusher who posted seven sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss a year ago as a freshman, and all seven of his sacks came in the final eight games. He could be a perfect fit as a 3-4 OLB in the NFL and could be a high pick in 2019.
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4. Bo Scarbrough, RB — Alabama
SOPH
6-1/232
Scarbrough is a power runner with terrific in-line speed for a 235-pound back. He breaks arm tackles with ease and his 4.5 top-end speed gives him big-play ability. He's among the top backs in the country this season and is among the top prospects in the class of 2019.
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3. Deondre Francois, QB — Florida State
SOPH
6-0/215
Francois flashed brilliance a year ago, led by toughness, arm strength and a willingness to stand in the pocket and deliver. He took care of the ball and showed leadership skills. He's not an elite NFL prospect due to size but he has everything else going for him, including speed to extend plays.
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2. Jalen Hurts, QB — Alabama
SOPH
6-1/215
Hurts was fantastic as a freshman and another step forward puts him in the Heisman conversation. He can run, has plenty of arm strength and is as mentally tough as Scarbrough is physically. Don't be shocked if Hurts dominates a few games this season.[divider]
1. Derwin James, S — Florida State
SOPH
6-2/215
James is a playmaker with 4.45 speed, ball skills and the ability to hit and hit hard. He could be the next great safety in the NFL. Until then, he's a force from all angles for the Seminoles; he will force and/or recover fumbles, scare receivers from coming over the middle, play elite run support, knock down passes or pick them off. He hasn't played a lot of college ball yet after tearing his ACL last fall, but the nation is about see what one of the top talent in college football has to offer.
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