College football kicks off in less than a month. We have a good idea of who the starters are going to be and the back-ups seem clear at most positions. Which of the freshmen could break into the top 2 and see some action this season?

1) The obvious 1st choice is top recruit Ivan McCartney. Wide receiver is a position that has a lack of depth especially on the outside. Can McCartney step in and play right away? Fellow wide receiver Brad Starks likes what he saw of young pup this summer.

“He is going to make a good impact this year,” Starks said of McCartney. “He’s been coming out there and playing, making plays, catching the ball and getting up field,” Starks continued. “He is just doing all of the things that you would want him to do. The things you would want any receiver to do.”

If “Sticks” can provide immediate depth at one of the outside receiver positions and give former high school teammate Geno Smith another deep threat option it will be a big boost to the offense.

2) West Virginia had a serious lack of depth along the offensive line in recent seasons. To fix the problem Stew hauled in 5 o-line recruits in the ’09 recruiting class.

Don Barclay, Cole Bowers, Pat Eger, Nick Kindler & Jordan Weingart all took a redshirt last season in order to add weight, build strength and prepare for the rigors of division I football. Already, we’ve lost one of the lineman to an injury (Kindler; shoulder surgery) & another has left the team (Ryan Spiker) so it just goes to show how important depth is especially at a key position like o-line.

Four starters return from last season and only the right tackle position is open. Jeff Braun appears to have a leg up on the opening, but look for all of the freshmen linemen to provide depth and fill in when injuries call.

No need to send e-mails telling me that I am crazy folks. I realize that I have listed 4 players for my 2nd choice. Hey, I’m not in the prediction business nor am I an expert on offensive line technique/talent evaluation so I don’t know who will have an impact, but I know that at least 1 of the 4 will be counted on this season.

3) There have only been a couple of practices for fall camp, but the staff is already devising a 4 man front to get their best players onto the football field. One of those players is redshirt freshman Will Clarke.

The “40″ defense will be used during obvious passing downs & on 3rd & 4th down. The 4 man front will consist of Bruce Irvin & Will Clarke as the ends and Julian Miller & Scooter Berry on the inside. Opposing quarterbacks beware!

Clarke is built like talented junior rush end Julian Miller. If Clarke can have a similar impact as Miller in rushing the passer it could alleviate pressure on the secondary and push our defense to one of the tops in the nation.

4) Brodrick Jenkins, who redshirted last year, is the first name mentioned by defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel when asked about the depth in the secondary.

Brodrick Jenkins had a great spring. Two days into camp, he’s doing the same things and putting himself in position.

Brandon Hogan & Keith Tandy both return as the starters at cornerback and Pat Miller played as a true freshman last season. But Jenkins will likely see the field a lot this season if he continues to progress at the level he has so far.

Jenkins and Miller were the top 2 corner recruits on our recruiting board from the ’09 recruiting class.

5) We are scary thin at linebacker and as a result Jewone Snow, Troy Gloster & Doug Rigg all have a chance. As we try to figure out where JUCO Bruce Irvin is a fit – defensive end or linebacker – the 3 true freshmen ‘backers are anxious to show what they can do to get on the field.

Yes, I know that I have listed 3 players again. But I believe that 1 of the 3 will see the field this year and could be counted on for more than just spot duty if there are injuries.

Other candidates for impact freshman considered for this article:
Stedman Bailey – Bailey appears to be Mr. Consistency. Always in the right spot and catches everything thrown his way.
Brunetti/Johnson – One of the quarterbacks will play this season, but neither will see much time of Smith stays healthy and is as good as advertised.
Travis Bell – Bell could have easily made the top 5. Safety depth is a concern and Bell is a talented kid.
Ismael Banks – Cornerback depth will likely prevent us from having to use Banks, but we’ve already heard the ‘he has a chance…’ line which leads me to believe that he has all of the tools to be a great corner some day.
Bruce Irvin – I didn’t list him amongst this group simply because he is a junior. There is no question that the JUCO transfer will have a big impact this fall though.

Eligibility update:
Surprisingly running back Trey Johnson gained his eligibility and is in camp already. The news was not as good for a few other recruits in the ’10 class: big lineman Quinton Spain & WR Dante Chambers are being held back by the NCAA eligibility center while they review their transcripts. Both could become eligible this year still. Avery Williams is not in camp and will try to enroll this January.