After a turbulent offseason that saw USC gain recruit after recruit through the transfer portal, the rising Trojans will be a force to be reckoned with in 2022. Not to be outdone, the Oregon Ducks will attempt to make a College Football Playoff run themselves.

The 2022 College Football Preview Magazine is a PDF download made available to ALL PFF SUBSCRIBERS that includes more than 250 pages of analysis, player grades and advanced stats. You can download it now for as low as $7.99 with a CFB Grades+ subscription or $9.99 with an EDGE subscription.

Subscribe HERE or download HERE if you're already a PFF subscriber.

Editor's note: This analysis focuses on non-quarterbacks. 

Arizona Wildcats

Offensive Spotlight Player: WR JACOB COWING

Only six FBS wide receivers earned a PFF grade above 90.0 in 2021, one of which was UTEP's Jacob Cowing, as the 5-foot-11, 170-pound slot receiver has been a prominent deep threat for the Miners in his three years with the program. His 32 receptions from passes thrown over 20 yards downfield since 2019 are the second-most in the FBS over that span. Numerous Power Five programs sought out Cowing’s services when he entered the transfer portal, but Arizona came out on top. Now, Cowing will partner with Washington State transfer quarterback Jayden de Laura to help turn the Wildcats program around.

Defensive Spotlight Player: CB CHRISTIAN ROLAND-WALLACE

Roland-Wallace has been a dependable outside corner for three straight seasons. Since 2019, the 6-foot, 194-pound corner has produced a 79.7 coverage grade — a top-10 mark among qualifying Pac-12 corners over that span. He may not make many plays on the ball, but he’s not going to allow a ton of big windows to throw into. Not to mention, he’s a reliable tackler — he’s missed just nine tackles on 118 attempts. Roland-Wallace’s reliability is not likely to change in 2022, but the question is: Can he be more than that and take a big leap forward?

Arizona State Sun Devils

Offensive Spotlight Player: G LADARIUS HENDERSON

Henderson has “late bloomer” written all over him, as he didn’t pick up the sport until his junior year of high school before immediately producing eye-popping results to make him a three-star recruit. Despite being relatively raw and just 17 years old as a true freshman, he took over the starting left tackle spot in 2019. To no surprise, Henderson struggled and finished the year with a 43.5 PFF grade. Fast forward to now, and he looks like one of the best guards in the Pac-12 with even further room to grow, as Henderson ranked eighth among 32 qualifying Pac-12 guards in pass-block grade last season.

Defensive Spotlight Player: DI NESTA JADE SILVERA

ASU was gutted by transfers, and their biggest loss was arguably defensive lineman Jermayne Lole; however, the good news is that the Sun Devils replaced him with former Miami Hurricane Nesta Jade Silvera. The 2018 No. 54 overall recruit is a higheffort, nimble big man who can shed blocks with ease. Over the last two seasons, the 6-foot-2, 306-pound interior defensive lineman ranked top five among those at the position in the ACC in both run defense and pass-rush grade.

California Golden Bears

Offensive Spotlight Player: OL BEN COLEMAN

DOMINATE FANTASY FOOTBALL & BETTING WITH AI-POWERED DATA & TOOLS TRUSTED BY ALL 32

Unlimited Fantasy League Sync

Fantasy Start/Sit Line-Up Optimizer & Waiver Wire

WR-CB & OL-DL Matchups, PFF Player Grades, & Premium Stats 2.0 Tools

Nathan Jahnkes Rankings - #1 Most Accurate Last 70 Weeks

PFF Best Bets, Player Props, & Power Ranking Tools

NFL Mock Draft Sim with Trades & Draft Grades

Subscribe now

Already have a subscription? Log In