Scanning his mind for quarterbacks who dominated college football despite lacking experience, Southern Miss coach Will Hall landed on Trevor Lawrence and Bryce Young.
There are plenty of other examples available, too. Ohio State's CJ Stroud and his 4,435 passing yards a year ago springs to mind. At the Group of Five level, Coastal Carolina's Grayson McCall was the top player in the Sun Belt as a redshirt freshman in 2020.
Hall has a talented young starting quarterback of his own in Ty Keyes, and while Hall doesn't need awards or accolades or superstardom from the redshirt freshman who started three games last season – he does need progress.