By Jack Follman, SuperWest Sports
June 30, 2022
Every year I like to count down who I think the 50 best players in the Pac-12 are going into the season.
We will be publishing in batches of 10. You’ve seen all of these players in our individual position rankings and it’s always fun to see how they stack up regardless of position.
Let’s get started with the players who just barely missed the cut.
60. Gary Bryant Jr., Wide Receiver, USC
59. Jack Plummer, Quarterback, Cal
58. Lu-Magia Hearns, Cornerback, Cal
57. Kyle Soelle, Linebacker, Arizona State
56. Tuli Letuligasenoa, Defensive Tackle, Washington
55. Emory Jones, Quarterback, Arizona State
54. Eric Gentry, Linebacker, USC
53. Carson Bruener, Linebacker, Washington
52. Jake Levengood, Guard, Oregon State
51. Matthew Cindric, Center, Cal
And now let’s dive into the Top 50!
50. Tanner McKee, Quarterback, Stanford
Here’s a really hard player to project. He is as talented as anyone in the Conference and has serious NFL buzz.The only question is if he can put it together with a struggling Stanford program.
49. Michael Penix Jr., Quarterback, Washington
Penix was electric at times at Indiana. Problem is, he has been constantly hurt. There is massive potential here for Kalen Deboer and his offensive system if he can get and stay healthy.
48. Bo Nix, Quarterback, Oregon
Nix was mostly solid for three years as a starter at Auburn. It’s unlikely he will be anything below solid at Oregon.It’s possible he could get new life in a new system at Oregon and step up in the Pac-12.
47. Van Fillinger, Defensive End, Utah
Standout defensive ends seem to grow on trees in the Utah program and Fillinger looks like their next All-Pac-12 defensive end.He looked really good as a freshman last year and should continue to develop in 2022.
46. Justin Flowe, Linebacker, Oregon
Here’s another player that’s hard to peg. He’s one of the highest-rated recruits in the Conference (if not the highest-rated). He’s just been hurt for years.He could easily be a Top 10 player if he’s healthy and lives up to expectations.
45. Ryan Walk, Guard, Oregon
Walk is the kind of tough veteran who has been the cornerstone of the Oregon program for years.His experience and skill in the interior of the line makes him one of the best guards in the Conference.
44. Kyon Barrs, Defensive Tackle, Arizona
A lot of people might not know about Barrs since Arizona struggled so much in 2021 but he made second-team All-Pac-12. He earned the honors with nearly 10 tackles for loss and five sacks.
43. Jayden de Laura, Quarterback, Arizona
I thought de Laura would become a star at WSU. Now he’s at Arizona, and I think he will do the same, just at a different location. He’s a pure playmaker.
42. Chance Nolan, Quarterback, Oregon State
An underrated hand for the Beavers, Nolan is one of the veteran starters at QB in the Pac-12 now. He doesn’t feel like he’s going to break out into a star, but he should be solid at worst.
41. Cam Ward, Quarterback, Washington State
The buzz for Ward has been building since he decided to transfer to WSU. He was a star at FCS and he could be even better than de Laura, which is a huge gain for the Cougars.
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