The best seasons by freshman non-QBs of all time

Shaw would become a quarterback for the rest of his career, but as a freshman at Oregon he played defensive back. Shaw picked off 13 passes in 10 games for the Ducks. Eventually he'd be the top overall pick in the NFL Draft. 

The future Hall of Famer had a fantastic first year at Pitt, rushing for 1,686 yards and 13 touchdowns. His freshman season was so great that it took just three games into his sophomore year to break the school's all-time rushing record. Dorsett was the first freshman to be named All-American in 29 years. 

In his freshman season, Green recorded 12 sacks and had 15 tackles for loss. He forced five fumbles, recovered three fumbles and intercepted a pass. In his first college game, he had two sacks, 11 tackles and a blocked punt. 

Down to Tennessee in the opener, Vince Dooley put Walker in and the Bulldogs never looked back. Georgia would go undefeated and win the national championship on the back of Walker's 1,616 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. In the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame, Walker played with a dislocated shoulder yet still ran for 150 yards and scored Georgia's lone two touchdowns.

Dupree was a star who may have shined too bright. He didn't start for the Sooners until midway through the season but still amassed 1,393 yards and 12 touchdowns on only 163 carries. In the Fiesta Bowl, Dupree was out of shape and struggled to stay on the field yet still ran for 249 yards. 

The Boz had a sensational redshirt freshman season. He recorded 128 tackles including three sacks and even got an interception. He also became a cult hero as a rebellious linebacker with his haircuts and personality. 

Smith didn't start the first two games of the season, but once he got his opportunity he took advantage of it. His first start was in Tuscaloosa where Smith ran for 224 yards in the Gators upset of Alabama. The national Freshman of the Year rushed for 1,341 yards and 13 touchdowns for a team that limped to a 6-6 record. 

Faulk gave us a taste of what he would become with a 1,429 yard rushing season his freshman year with 23 total touchdowns. In his second game as an Aztec, he gained 386 yards against Pacific which was then an FBS record. 

How is this for a first year linebacker in the Big Ten: 85 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 12 sacks (including three in the Rose Bowl), 10 pass deflections, three forced fumbles and one touchdown. Add in the sight of Katzenmoyer's huge shoulderpads and long facemask, and his freshman season is legendary in Columbus.

Bly had one of the best freshman seasons for a defensive back in college football history. Bly intercepted 11 passes (second all time for a freshman) and returned one of those picks for a touchdown. That year's Gator Bowl was the fourth game that season Bly picked off at least two passes in one game. He was named to various first team All-American teams.

Dayne had one of the highest rushing outputs of any freshman in history. Dayne carried the Badgers with his 2,109 yards and 21 touchdowns (which includes his 246 yards he gained in the Copper Bowl). He also caught 14 passes for 133 yards that year.

Williams had a tremendous freshman season at Southern Cal, catching 81 passes for 1,265 yards and 14 touchdowns. Against Oregon he caught 13 passes for 226 yards and two scores. Williams is best known for declaring for the NFL Draft after his true sophomore season, even though he wasn't eligible to be drafted for another season.

Clarett had a fantastic freshman season in Columbus. Fighting injuries, he ran for 1,237 yards and 18 total TDs and was a huge part of the Buckeyes winning the national championship. In one of the greatest games in college football history, Clarett scored the game-winning score in overtime against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. That would be the final game he'd play for Ohio State.

As a freshman, Thomas won the Sun Belt Player of the Year Award and led the nation in rushing. He also set the freshman record with five games of at least 200 yards rushing. He ended the season with 1,801 yards and 17 TDs. 

A.P. had an incredible freshman campaign. He ran for a freshman record 1,925 yards while piling up 15 touchdowns. He also set a freshman record by rushing for at least 100 yards in each of his first nine games. Against Oklahoma State, he had 161 yards in the third quarter alone. 

Maclin was a receiver, punt returner and kick returner for the Tigers and had a huge freshman season. As a receiver, he caught 80 passes for 1,055 yards and nine TDs. As a rusher, he ran 375 yards and four TDs. As a kick returner, he gained 1,039 yards and a TD. As a punt returner, he gained 307 yards and two TDs.  So let's put all that together: 2,776 total yards and 16 touchdowns.

As a redshirt freshman, Crabtree caught an unreal 134 passes for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns. His 22 scores crushed the previous freshman record of 14. He had 11 100-yard receiving games and eight 10-reception games.

Lewis had an electrifying freshman season in Pittsburgh. He ran for 1,799 yards and 17 touchdowns. (He caught another touchdown.) Against Cincinnati, he carried the ball a school-record 47 times for 194 yards and three TDs. 

Kuechly got to start as a freshman because another legendary Eagles linebacker Mark Herzlich was missing the season due to being treated for cancer. Kuechly finished second in the nation with 158 tackles and also had a pick-six. 

Watkins' freshman season was so good he was just the fourth freshman to be named to the AP All-America First Team. Watkins caught 82 passes for 1,219 and 12 touchdowns for the Tigers. He even returned a kick for a touchdown. 

Statistics doesn't do Clowney justice. It is rare a defensive lineman who can walk on the field as a true freshman and be so physically dominant. He had 12 tackles for loss, eight sacks and five forced fumbles. He was named the SEC's Freshman of the Year.

Yes, a place kicker gets a spot on this list. Why? Well he was 94-for-94 on extra points and 21 of 22 on field goals for a team that won the national champion...setting a record for a kicker. And what kicker forgoes his senior season and enters the NFL Draft? Roberto Aguayo does. 

Perine exploded as a freshman at Oklahoma with 1,713 yards and 21 touchdowns rushing. His best game was setting the single-game rushing record of 427 yards against Kansas, breaking the record that was set just one week earlier by Melvin Gordon.

Chubb was a backup until Todd Gurley was suspended for the remainder of the season. Despite starting only the final eight games of the season, Chubb ran for 1,547 yards and 16 total touchdowns earning All-SEC honors and SEC Freshman of the Year.

Taylor came out of nowhere to have one of the top freshman seasons ever. He began his Badgers career fifth on the depth chart but ended the year rushing for 1,977 yards and 13 touchdowns. His second career game, he rushed for 223 yards and three TDs against Florida Atlantic. His 2017 season is the third-best rushing season for a freshman (behind Ron Dayne and Adrian Peterson).