Lynch leads locals shining in college
It’s been a big year of college football for players from Central Florida, further proving that local talent is getting better and better.
It’s a source of pride for Orlando-area prospects like Ellsworth (Iowa) Community College quarterback Jujuan Young-Battle, who had a tremendous season this year and is looking for his next big opportunity.
“I want everyone to succeed and go to big-time schools and make a name for themselves so the youth can come up and have the opportunity, just like Miami [players] and those schools down south. ... And I hope Orlando can produce more talent,” he said.
Young-Battle has thrown for more than 3,000 yards and has 25 touchdowns and completed 63 percent of his passes this season. The next level awaits.
Some players have already gotten their shot at the FBS level, and capitalized on it early. NC State freshman Riley Nicholson of Kissimmee Osceola joined fellow linebacker Jarod Fernandez in Raleigh and he has come on strong.
During a rout of Syracuse Saturday, Nicholson led the Wolfpack with eight tackles and he keeps improving, all with the help of Fernandez, who was named a Freshman All-American last season.
Fernandez has 37 tackles, while Nicholson has 27. NC State is 7-4 overall and 3-4 in the ACC.
Perhaps the biggest and best Central Florida-bred break-out star has been Paxton Lynch at Memphis. The quarterback who played at little Deltona Trinity Christian got his big break when someone alerted Memphis coach Justin Fuente that Lynch stole the show at the 2013 Central Florida All-Star Game.
Before Memphis suffered three consecutive losses to Navy, Houston and Temple, the Tigers and Lynch were the darlings of the college football world, sitting unbeaten at 8-0. Lynch was drawing rave reviews and is still considered among the top quarterback prospects in the NFL Draft. Lynch had the offense clicking, averaging almost 400 yards a game before the setbacks. He tossed just one interception during the first eight games of the season. Memphis was even ranked No. 13 in the first College Football Playoff rankings.
Lynch and the Tigers may have stumbled, but his future still looks bright and the overlooked passer is more proof of the talent that awaits recruiters who choose to focus on the Orlando area.
Check out some other locals having great seasons at the college level:
■ QB Jeff Driskel, Louisiana Tech, grad student: Driskel shined this season after leaving the shadows of the Swamp. The Hagerty product transferred after graduating from UF with a year of eligibility remaining and has racked up 3,220 yards and 21 touchdowns on 62 percent passing. He has the Techsters sitting at 8-3 and headed for a bowl game.
■ S K.J. Dillon, West Virginia, senior: He has played without his Central Florida buddy Karl Joseph (knee injury), but he is fourth in tackles with 46 and 7.5 tackles for loss. Joseph had five picks before his injury in game four.
■ WR Deionte Gaines, Colorado State, sophomore: He has 655 all-purpose yards for the Rams and the former Dr. Phillips star has scored three TDs.
■ DT James Hamilton, USF, senior: The former Olympia standout has 33 tackles, with seven tackles for loss and three sacks.
■ LB Ro’Derrick Hoskins, FSU, sophomore: The former Evans athlete is ranked third among the Seminoles with 52 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss.
■ DE Trent Harris, Miami, sophomore: Harris, a Winter Park product, ranks No. 3 among the Hurricanes in tackles with 42. He also has five tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
■ DE Trey Hendrickson, FAU, junior: He leads the Owls with 9.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 35 tackles. The former Apopka Blue Darter forced the fumble that led to overtime at UF on Saturday.
■ RB, Daquan Isom, Southern Illinois, freshman: An FCS Freshman All-American candidate, the former Dr Phillips and Apopka star leads the Salukis in all-purpose yards with 1,424 and has eight touchdowns.
■ S Drico Johnson, UCF, junior: The former Agape Christian star is the second leading tackler for the Knights with 64 tackles and 4 tackles for a loss.
■ WRs Garrett Johnson and Jeff Badet, Kentucky, sophomores: Johnson and Badet are the second- and third-leading receivers for the Wildcats this season. Johnson, out of West Orange High, has 44 catches for 643 yards and two touchdowns. Badet, of Orlando Freedom, has 29 catches for 430 yards and two scores.
■ RB JoJo Kemp, Kentucky, sophomore: Kemp, of DeLand, is UK’s second leading rusher with 558 yards and six touchdowns on 93 carries.
■ LB, Matt Milano, Boston College, junior: The Former Dr. Phillips star ranks fifth among B.C. tacklers with 56 stops. He has 15 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
■ WR Ronnie Moore, Bowling Green, junior: The wideout is going through a tribute season to his late father Ron Moore and has had a good one. He has 59 catches for 763 yards and five TDs.
■ WR Charles Nelson, Oregon, sophomore: The former Daytona Beach Seabreeze star has almost 1,000 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns.
■ S Keanu Neal, Florida, junior: “Kiki,” out of South Sumter, is third among the Gators in tackles with 68 stops. He also has a sack and an interception.
■ LB Nate Ozdemir, FAU, sophomore: Former West Orange star is one of the leading tacklers for the Owls with 55 stops.
■ RB Jacques Patrick, FSU, freshman: In relief of Heisman Trophy candidate Dalvin Cook against Syracuse, the former Timber Creek star ran for 162 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.
■ RB Trey Rodriguez, FAU, freshman: The former Daytona Beach Mainland and Seabreeze star has had a nice breakout year with 419 yards and five TDs on 70 carries.
■ DL Corey Vereen, Tennessee, junior: The former West Orange star is one of top tacklers for the Vols with 33 stops, nine tackles for a loss and three sacks.
■ WR Kermit Whitfield, FSU, junior: Little Kermie, the Orlando Jones speedster, had his second straight two-TD performance against Chattanooga and shares the team lead with 51 catches for 690 yards and six TDs.
And let’s not forget the hogs. They get no glory, but Orlando’s big men have been key producers this season. Start with Apopka’s Ty Darlington, a graduate student who now who leads the way at center for 10-1 Oklahoma.
FIU has four Orlando players who were instrumental this season on the offensive line in senior Aaron Nielsen (LT), and junior Joseph Dieugot (LT) both from Freedom; redshirt freshmen Chris Miller (LG) of First Academy; and Daquane Wilkie (LT) of Oak Ridge.
Wayne Scott (LG) of Daytona Beach Mainland starts as a junior at Kent State.
And then there are the kickers. FSU kicker Roberto Aguayo from South Lake is once again a Lou Groza Award semifinalist. He won the award in 2013 and this year has made 13-of-17 field goals, with a long of 43. Temple kicker Austin Jones of Boone has had a big year as well, making 16-of-21 tries with a long of 41.
UF’s punter isn’t too shabby. Former Boone star Johnny Townsend is a Ray Guy Award semifinalist and has averaged 43.8 yards on 61 punts this year. Another punter who had a good season was Sean Kelly at South Carolina. The former West Orange QB/K/P has averaged 43.7 yards on 50 kicks.
There are plenty of others contributing to college teams, making it clear Central Florida football is bigger than ever.
chays@orlandosentinel.com