These true freshmen could play for Nevada football this season
If you're a freshman on Jay Norvell's team, you better be ready to play.
Unlike some coaches who like to redshirt true freshman during their first season on campus, Norvell has shown in his first two years at Nevada he's not only willing but likes playing rookies. He played 10 true freshmen in 2017, his first year with the Wolf Pack, and upped the number last season when the NCAA allowed teams to play true freshman up to four games while using their redshirt season.
Asked during fall camp which true freshmen he believes could play this season, Norvell highlighted a few players.
“I really like Henry Ikahihifo," Norvell said. "Just a physical kid with a lot of route running ability as a tight end. He’s really looked good. Breylon Garcia has looked good on defense. We have so many defensive backs who have done a good job. Kieran Clark, Avery Carrington, Cam Stephens have all shown bright spots. Special teams will be a huge thing. They have to compete on special teams and that’s probably the fastest way they’ll make the team.”
Here's a look at some true freshmen who could play for Nevada this season.
* WR Melquan Stovall: This one is basically guaranteed. Stovall has worked his way onto the Wolf Pack's depth chart and as a spring enrollee has a good grasp of the offense. He's only 5-foot-8 but has a well-built body and good speed. A slot receiver, Stovall has stiff competition ahead of him in Kaleb Fossum and Ben Putman, two seniors, but he could earn a role in the return game and will get reps with the offense. Long term, he looks like a valuable weapon.
* WR Justin Lockhart: Lockhart, whose uncle is Shaquille O'Neal, was Stovall's high school teammate at Junipero Serra High in Southern California. Unlike Stovall, he's a tall and lanky kid (6-2, 195 pounds) rather than a short and stout one, so he plays on the outside. He's not as high on the depth chart as Stovall right now but has the potential to get onto the two-deep.
* WR Charles Ross: Norvell has played five true freshmen receivers in his two seasons as Nevada's head coach (more than any other position), so Ross could see the field this season, too. The Wolf Pack isn't especially deep in pure numbers at receiver with 11 scholarship players at the position, which is a little low for an Air Raid team, which could press Ross into action.
* TE Henry Ikahihifo: Nevada has been high on Ikahihifo since he committed to the school as one of the top West Coast tight ends in the 2019 class. Despite running the Air Raid, the Wolf Pack values the tight ends position (it has a position coach specifically for those five players). Reagan Roberson and Crishaun Lappin are quality blocking tight ends, but Ikahihifo brings a different element as a pass-catching tight end, which Nevada has lacked since Jarred Gipson graduated in 2016.
* DL Breylon Garcia: Most true freshman do not look like Garcia, who checks in at a chiseled 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds. The East Texas native is a physical specimen and has good bloodlines (his father, Desmond, played college football at Arkansas). If he can get into the backfield with regularity in practice, he's going to find his way onto the field. As a high school senior, Garcia had 64 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks. He could help replace some of the pass rushing lost with the graduates of Korey Rush and Malik Reed.
* DL Javasia Brunson: This is Nevada's second pair of true freshmen high school teammates as Brunson played with Garcia at Lufkin High. Brunson is lower on the depth chart than Garcia but is equally impressive from a physical standpoint (6-2, 270 pounds). He's more likely to play on the interior of the defensive line than Garcia. Nevada has medium depth on the defensive line, so an injury or two could press this East Texas duo into action.
* QB Austin Kirksey: Norvell has said he wants to play Kirksey this season, but I'm not sure that will happen. Even last year in a couple of blowout situations, Carson Strong, then a true freshman, only appeared in one game and he was a more ready-made prospect than Kirksey. Nevada could get Kirksey into a series or two over the course of the season, but if he's seeing extended playing time something has gone terribly wrong from an injury standpoint.
* DB Cam Stephens: And now, the run of defensive backs. Nevada added five players in the secondary in the 2019 class and I'm going to list them all because this is the most uncertain and thinnest position on the team. Stephens was the highest-rated player in Nevada's 2019 class, so he's an advanced player with decent size (5-11/160) and the opportunity to step in and get some meaningful reps at cornerback this season.
* DB Avery Carrington: Carrington is a safety (6-2/205) with outstanding length. The Wolf Pack's safety position is the most inexperienced on the roster, so while he's behind some older players on the roster, Nevada will likely use a number of athletes at safety as it figures out a rotation.
* DB Kieran Clark: Clark wasn't highly rated (he had the fifth-lowest grade, per 247Sports.com in the 2019 class), but he's been impressive in fall camp. For a lot of these defensive backs, the path to get onto the field as true freshmen is probably through special teams, and if you prove yourself there, you can get some reps on defense.
* DB Jayce Godley: A 5-11, 200-pound safety, Godley put up big stats in high school: 200 tackles, four interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns, 15 pass breakups and eight tackles for loss. His father played for TCU.
* DB Kacee Williams: A three-year letterwinner and all-state honoree from Texas, Williams (6-2/195) is a tall and long safety in the mold of Carrington. His father played for Tennessee at Chattanooga as Williams is one of a number of second-generation college players in Nevada's 2019 class.
I asked David Lockwood, who oversees the Wolf Pack's secondary, which true freshmen he sees getting some reps this season.
“I don’t know yet," Lockwood said a week ago. "Those young puppies are swimming. They have about one nostril up above the water, and it’s probably a half nostril. They’re swimming a little bit, and we’ve thrown a lot at them. Just like anything, it’s new stuff, new technique and they just have to relax. I think they’re thinking too much and trying to be perfect instead of seeing the ball and just going to the football. With those guys right now, it’s hard to tell.”
While few teams want to play true freshmen a lot of snaps, Nevada could be in that situation with some players this season. If Norvell's first two years is an indicator, Nevada could have up to a dozen true freshmen on the field in 2019.