College Fantasy Football: Week 8 Freshman Standouts

Devy Fantasy Football: Top Week 9 Freshman Performances 

Any big-time performance by a true freshman in college football is always exciting. Aside from the fact that you're watching a teenager not far removed from prom excel in a sport where 5th and 6th-year college seniors are the norm, there's the tantalizing promise of what said freshman can develop into and bring to his program years down the line. 

It's always worth keeping an eye on big freshman performances for college and devy fantasy football leagues alike. Check out our fantasy football devy rankings page for more on players to target in these league formats. With that, let's get into some of the top performances of Week 8 by freshmen across the country.

College Football Week 8 Freshman Quarterback Standout Performances

[LOGO QB Will Hammond, Texas Tech vs. Arizona State

Texas Tech fell from the ranks of the undefeated in Week 8, losing to Arizona State. Still, backup quarterback Will Hammond — starting in place of the injured Behren Morton — played admirably in extended action. He tossed for 167 yards and two touchdowns, also picking up 47 yards and a score on the ground. There are some areas that need work; under 60 percent completion and an interception can both be improved upon. Still, the gunslinger displayed a certain intangible toughness and moxie in his first career start, the kind that gets you excited for the future.

QB Brad Jackson, Texas State vs. Marshall

Jackson was already off to a tremendous start in 2025, catching eyes as perhaps the most promising young arm in the Sun Belt. His talent was no secret, but his production against the Thundering Herd finally began to match the raw ability we've been seeing week in and week out. Jackson tossed for a whopping 444 yards and two touchdowns with 48 rushing yards and a score as well, directly accounting for nearly 500 yards of offense. The Bobcats have flown under the radar amidst a 3-4 season and an 0-3 mark in conference play, so Jackson remains one of the sneakier young talents in the sport. 

QB Cutter Boley, Kentucky vs. Texas

QUICK LINKS

Sync a League

Your path to victory starts here

DFS Optimizer

Build hundreds of lineups in seconds

Top Picks

See the best picks & player props

Kentucky narrowly fell to Texas in a game many believe it should've won, but the Wildcats learned something important in the process: they have a legitimate quarterback in redshirt freshman Cutter Boley. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound gunslinger is mobile and has a strong arm with a clean, satisfying release. He put that all on display against the Longhorns, tossing for 258 yards on 80 percent completion while rushing for 45 yards and a touchdown. Boley, for what it's worth, out-dueled Arch Manning in the process. Though he may not get the national attention he deserves with 2-4 Kentucky, Boley's physical talent pops off the screen and if the Wildcats can't keep him in Lexington this offseason, plenty of other big-time schools should come calling. 

College Football Week 8 Freshman Running Back Standout Performances

RB Rodney Fields, Oklahoma State vs. Cincinnati

Sure, the Cowboys fell to 1-6 overall and 0-4 in the Big 12, but Fields was an important bright spot for Oklahoma State in a season in which they've been hard to come by. The tailback's 163 rushing yards were a career high, and with three catches for 27 yards, he came close to a 200-yard outing. The redshirt freshman is now clearly the top back in Stillwater after taking 35 handoffs the past two weeks combined. It's anyone's guess what Oklahoma State's roster will look like after they hire a new head coach, but whoever takes over for the Cowboys would be wise to do everything in his power to retain Fields. 

RB Daniel Bray, Utah vs. BYU

Utah lost to BYU in the Holy War, but the Utes had a true freshman tailback break out in the process. Bray essentially came out of nowhere Saturday night, as prior to the BYU game, the most action he'd seen was five carries. He doubled that against the Cougars and wound up with 121 rushing yards and a score, aided by a 49-yard touchdown scamper in which he simply ran right past BYU's defense, putting his blazing speed on display. Utah would be wise to keep him involved, as he clearly possesses game-breaking potential whenever he touches the ball with green grass ahead of him. 

RB Tory Blaylock, Oklahoma vs. South Carolina

The true freshman Blaylock is the Sooners' leading rusher by a wide margin, and he logged the second 100-yard outing of his career in a win over South Carolina. He took 19 handoffs and ran for 101 yards, both career highs. Pop on the highlights, and it's easy to see why this Oklahoma staff has let him assume the lead tailback role so early in his career. Blaylock is a mature, decisive runner, and he's very quickly become one of the centerpieces of this offense, especially with newly healthy starting quarterback John Mateer still limited as a runner. 

College Football Week 8 Freshman Wide Receiver Standout Performances

WR Malachi Toney, Miami (FL) vs. Louisville

Toney has been featured here plenty, but the kid just continues to put together better and better performances. In Week 6 against Florida State, he put together a career day, hauling in 107 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In Week 8, even in the loss to Louisville, he topped that yardage output with 135 yards through the air and 14 on the ground, including a 12-yard touchdown run. Toney seems to improve each week, and no defense has succeeded in slowing him down. Every time he touches the ball, you hold your breath. He's arguably the most exciting receiver in college football six games into his career. 

WR Ashton Bethel-Roman, Texas A&M vs. Arkansas

The redshirt freshman Bethel-Roman has certainly been a factor in this Aggies' offense — he entered Week 8 against Arkansas with 18 targets but just five grabs for 86 yards. Against the Hogs on Saturday night, however, he caught every ball thrown his way, including a 24-yard touchdown to open the scoring for the Aggies and a 37-yard completion down the sideline on a jump ball. On both plays, he was tightly covered, but he simply made a contested catch. For a true freshman wideout with a 6-foot frame, that's mightily impressive. He's likely earned more opportunities in this Texas A&M offense moving forward. 

WR Harold Mack, Eastern Michigan vs. Miami (OH) 

In what was just his second career game, Mack made a statement even as the Eagles fell to Miami. The 5-foot-8, 158-pound receiver caught six of seven targets for 179 yards and two touchdowns. He also took a handoff, which only went for one yard, but needless to say, the EMU coaching staff is high on what the true freshman can do with the ball in his hands. Despite his late emergence, Mack could easily assume a sizable role in this passing game, as seven different Eagles players have double-digit catches this year. The ball is getting spread around in Ypsilanti, and Mack just proved he deserves plenty of targets.