One of the challenges with publishing a football preview magazine in college – and I personally know that since I’ve been a contributor to Athlon Sports for 17 years and still continues – is that information needs to be gathered by early April to the issue of supermarket shelves until June was raised.
The danger is that things can change. With the transfer portal, they can change drastically.
With that in mind, Lindy’s new checklist offers a list of the top 10 Pac-12 players that caught our eye. This is a fairly representative list of a few surprises. Although it will not be acknowledged that two people will never agree to compose something like this, we immediately noticed a few inevitable omissions. We can also agree not to agree with some of the other names.
TOP 10 OF LINDY
1) Noah Sewell, LB, Oregon
2) Clark Phillips, CB, Utah
3) Tanner McKee, QB, Stanford
4) Zach Charbonet, RB, UCLA
5) Zion Tupuola-Fetui, ER, Washington
6) Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
7) Justin Flow, LB, Oregon
8) Kyu Blue Kelley, CB, Stanford
9) Merlin Robertson, LB, Arizona
10) Andrew Voorhees, OT, USC
Lindy’s roster is curiously devoid of quarterbacks and line players, offering only one each. Maybe the players in these positions are just not that good. It’s refreshing that the magazine didn’t leave three or four USC players just to do it.
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However, here is another attempt to highlight the elite players of the conference with the time of our country and attached comments:
RALLYTOP 10
1) Jordan Addison, WR, USC “He was in Pittsburgh when the magazines were ready to print.” It carries 100 receptions for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns in Los Angeles as a transfer and is widely considered the best pass catch in the nation.
2) Noah Sewell, LB, Oregon – He is the best defensive player of Pac-12 and returning to the first team, a selection of all conferences. The ducks hit the mother with the Sewell family, uniting around Noah, after they lined up behind his brother Penai, an offensive line player who is now in the NFL.
3) Zach Charbonet, RB, UCLA – The former Michigan quarterback and powerful runner is out of a season in which he published 7 games per 100 yards, including 167 against USC, 131 against UW and 117 against LSU
4) Zion Tupuola-Fetui, ER, Washington – This attacking pass was the most dominant defensive player in the league before he tore his Achilles tendon and it took him time to fix it again. He must be ready to return to the form that brought him 7 sacks in 4 games in 2020.
5) Clark Phillips, CB Utah – The Ute defender is out of the season for second team All-Pac-12, in which he provided coverage for blocking, catching a pair of passes and returning one for the result.
6) Jaxson Kirkland, OL, Washington – Looking for a sixth season and missing a deadline to make it happen, Kirkland did not meet the conditions for participation in the NCAA, when the magazines called it the end. He is now back as the league’s top offensive striker, a two-time pick from the first team of the All-Pac-12.
7) Jaden de Laura, QB, Arizona – Lindy named Tanner McKee of Stanford the best QB in the league. We believe that this is de Laura, who won the Pac-12 freshman of the year awards and used his arm and leg to lead the state of Washington to a historic clash against the Huskies. Arizona will build around it. McKee was treated by the Huskies.
8) Kyu Blue Kelley, CB, Stanford – Another talented corner, he was also a second-team pick from the entire conference after breaking 10 passes and two, and returning one against USC.
9) Caleb Williams, QB, USC – You can never have too many quarterbacks in the top 10. Second team from the All-Big 12 from Oklahoma, Williams threw 1912 yards and 21 touchdowns, while starting only seven games.
10) TJ Bass, OL, Oregon – The strong teenager from Deming, Washington, who is at the heart of Mount Baker, has started the last 20 games for the Ducks. If Kirkland is not the best in the league ahead, this man is.
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