Top College Football Players: 2024 Midway Point Rankings

Can you believe we are halfway through the college football season? What a season it was. From Arch Manning starting a pair of games for No. 1 Texas to Army and Navy being ranked in the AP poll in the same week for the first time in 64 years, there has been no shortage of storylines in the first half .

There was also no shortage of impressive individual performances this season. With that in mind, forbes.com presents an alphabetical list of the ten best college football players at halftime. This is not a Heisman candidates list or a best players list, although it certainly has a touch of both. Rather, the overall effect on the player’s team is a decisive factor.

= On Forbes.com’s preseason best players list.

• Kelvin Banks
• Left tackle, Texas
• Junior

Born in Humble, Texas

Tributes kept coming after Texas’ 34-3 win over Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry last week. After helping pave the way for Quinn Ewers, Quintrevion Wisner and the rest of the Longhorns’ offense, Banks was named the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week for the second straight year – also at Mississippi State – on September 28th earned Outland Trophy Player of the Week honors.

The first-team All-Big 12 selection a year ago has started all 33 games he has played in his career at Texas. As the anchor of arguably the best offensive line in college football, Banks hasn’t surrendered a single sack this season while allowing just a single QB pressure.

• Tre Harris
• Receiver, Ole Miss
• senior

Born in Lafayette, La.

This week’s bye came at a good time for the Rebels. After all, the threat of injury hit Harris in the first half of its win at South Carolina two weeks ago and in the second half of last week’s overtime loss at LSU. He still totaled 10 receptions for 183 yards in the two games.

Harris is an explosive performer and reliable target for Jaxson Dart. He has recorded at least 100 yards in five of seven games and would have easily gone six of seven had he not been injured against the Gamecocks, when he had 81 yards in one half of the football. He leads the nation with 987 receiving yards (141 per game) and he has six touchdown catches.

• *Travis Hunter
• WR/DB, Colorado
• Junior

Born in Suwanee, Georgia

The hope in Boulder is that Hunter will be ready to play Saturday in Arizona after missing more than half of last week’s game against Kansas State with a shoulder injury. He left the game about six minutes before the end of the second quarter and his contributions were sorely missed for the entire duration of a 31-28 loss to a ranked conference opponent.

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• Ashton Jeanty
• Running back, Boise State
• Junior

Jacksonville, Fla.

Jeanty leads the nation in all major rushing categories, including yards (1,248), yards per game (208), yards per rush (9.9) and touchdowns (17). Although it may seem so, the “yards per rush” statement is not a typo. Neither does the fact that he was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week in each of the six weeks. That’s the result of a season in which Jeanty has rushed for over 200 yards three times so far, including a school-record 267 in the season opener at Georgia Southern.

Can Jeanty break Barry Sanders’ single-season FBS rushing mark of 2,850 yards set in 1988? At that time, bowl game totals were not included in a player’s statistical records, which changed in 2002. We’re including the Oklahoma State bowl game because we should. Sanders, who rushed for 222 yards in the Holiday Bowl against Wyoming, averaged 237.5 yards per game in 12 games. At his current pace of 208 yards per game, Jeanty would need to play 14 games (MWC championship and a bowl) to break the mark and finish with 2,912 yards.

• *Will Johnson
• Cornerback, Michigan
• Junior

Born in Detroit, Michigan.

The loss of NFL talent (Mike Sainristil, Josh Wallace) from last year’s team and Rod Moore’s torn ACL in the spring, not to mention the personnel changes, have resulted in a much different outcome than a year in the secondary. Not only have the names on the players’ backs changed, but also the level of performance. However, Johnson, one of the best cornerbacks in the country, is having another standout season following the 2023 season in which he was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection and a first-team All-American by multiple media outlets outstanding season continued.

The Michigander has two interceptions this season, both of which he returned for touchdowns. One rushed for 86 yards against Fresno State and the other for 42 yards against USC. That gave him a Michigan record three INT returns for touchdowns in his career. Johnson, who missed the Sept. 28 game against visiting Minnesota, has broken up three passes this season.

• Kyle Kennard
• Defensive end, South Carolina
• senior

Born in Atlanta, Georgia.^{The Georgia Tech transfer made a big impact on coordinator Clayton White’s defense, developing into one of the best passers in the country for a 20-man unit} Th

nationally in total defense (300 yards). The 6-foot-5, 255-yard edge recorded six sacks and 11 tackles for loss for the Yellow Jackets last season. He has already surpassed those numbers this season with 7.5 sacks, leading the SEC and fourth nationally. Kennard’s 11.5 TFLs also lead the conference and rank second nationally.

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• Kurtis Rourke
• Quarterback, Indiana
• Redshirt senior

Born in Oakville, Ontario, Canada

It’s no surprise that Canadian-born Rourke was on first-year coach Curt Cignetti’s search list. The former Ohio quarterback’s brother Nathan was with the Bobcats for five years before joining Cignetti in Bloomington. The result so far is the Hoosiers’ first 6-0 start since 1967.

While IU’s defense has been fabulous, the offense, which has scored at least 41 points in each of the last five games, ranks second nationally behind Miami, averaging 47.5 points. Rourke has thrown 14 touchdown passes with just two interceptions – the Hoosiers have turned the ball over just four times – leading the nation in pass efficiency. His 73.8 completion percentage ranks third nationally, as does his 10.9 yards per pass attempt. Rourke’s 14 TD passes are just three fewer than the total thrown by Brendan Sorsby and Tayven Jackson in 2023.

• Nic Scourton
• Defensive end, Texas A&M
• Junior

Born in Bryan, Texas

Scourton had a similar season to Kennard in that he is an experienced player who had success with a power conference team before transferring before this season. He was named second-team All-Big Ten a year ago when he recorded 10 sacks and 15 tackles for a loss at Purdue.

Scourton’s influence in College Station has helped pave the way for a defense that is allowing just 16.7 points per game, about one fewer touchdowns than last season. The 6-foot-1, 285-pounder, who grew up a few miles from Kyle Field, was a disruptive force in many ways, including 4.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, four QB hurries and one forced fumble.

• Cam Ward
• Quarterback, Miami
• senior

Born in West Columbia, Texas

Ward is a prime example of how one player can make a huge difference not only on the scoreboard, but also through the culture of a program. In fact, the No. 6 Hurricanes have been relevant nationally for one of the few times since moving to the ACC two decades ago. Firmly entrenched as the leading Heisman candidate, Ward immediately set things in the right direction with the Hurricanes’ season-opening win in Gainesville.

Ward delivered his most impressive performance when his team’s backs were against the wall. Two weeks ago, Miami traveled across the continent to Berkeley, where it trailed the Golden Bears by 20 points in the fourth quarter. Ward put the Canes on his back and set about rushing for more than 250 total yards in the final 15 minutes of a 39-38 win. The Washington State transfer leads the nation in passing yards per game (370) and total offense (397) and is tied for the lead in touchdown passes (20).

• Ryan Williams
• Receiver, Alabama
• Freshmen

Mobile, Ala.

The 17-year-old is a man among boys. That’s what it often looked like for Williams, who won’t be eligible to vote until February. The receiver, who was reclassified to participate in the 2024 recruiting cycle, is averaging 25 yards per reception, leading the nation. Few watching in person or at home will forget his game-winning 75-yard touchdown catch in a breathtaking back-and-forth fourth quarter between the Tide, which blew a 28-0 lead, and Georgia in September 28 against The Bulldogs threw for a season-high 177 yards.