Predicting College Football's Most Clutch Performers in 2024

It isn't everybody who has the "clutch gene." Some wilt under pressure, fall to the wayside or look for somebody else to carry the load with the game on the line.

Others, however, want the ball with the clock ticking down and relish the key moments. Everybody wants a dude like that on their team, and in college football, it's no different.

The sport lost plenty of those guys to the NFL from the 2023 season, such as rival quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. (Washington) and Bo Nix (Oregon), Alabama kicker Will Reichard and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

But there are others ready to carry that baton in 2024. In all these cases, they've already displayed being a match for the moment and having a flair for the phenomenal.

Here are a handful of college football players who have already shown glimpses and worthiness to be considered this season's most clutch guys with the game on the line.

Every quarterback desperately needs a go-to receiver when things get sweaty late in games. Missouri's Brady Cook has the best in the sport in rising junior Luther Burden III.

When coach Eli Drinkwitz lured the former 5-star prospect to stay home and attend Mizzou out of the 2022 recruiting class, he knew he was getting a potential star. Burden has blossomed into arguably the sport's biggest star at the position, and he has shown he wants the ball coming to him with the game on the line.

In two years at CoMo, Burden has 1,706 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns and also has a punt return TD.

His big-play acumen will serve him well this year and down the road. He's a dynamic talent, who just has "it."

Historic Heat Checks:

• With Missouri clinging to a 7-3 lead in the fourth quarter of the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State, Cook found Burden for a 7-yard score to put the game out of reach. How big was the win? It has the potential to elevate the program to new heights.
• Burden scored twice in a 30-27 win over Kansas State in which the Tigers needed a last-second field goal to win. His final TD with 8:24 left put Mizzou ahead.
• According to Pro Football Focus, Burden's 725 yards after the catch ranked him third among all FBS receivers in '23, and his 314 yards after contact were fourth-most. He also caught 56.5 percent of contested catches. Nobody wants it more.

"I guess it is kind of just grooming, just being around the guys and feeling comfortable for them to let me lead them," Burden told SI.com's Chase Gemes on taking a leadership role. "You have to earn the trust and put in the work to show them I can be a good leader for this team."

Key 2024 games that could warrant clutch moments: Oct. 5 at Texas A&M; Oct. 19 vs. Auburn; Oct. 26 at Alabama; Nov. 9 vs. Oklahoma

For such a small running back, Blake Corum cast a considerable shadow as Michigan's star running back throughout his career. But the Wolverines have a stellar star who is set to emerge and step into the forefront.

We know this because Donovan Edwards has been there, done that.

Heading into his senior season, Edwards already has been asked to carry the load out of necessity in big-game situations, and he always rises to the occasion. Even after a pedestrian 2023 campaign, he made some of his loudest noise on the biggest stage. There are a couple of huge reasons to put him here.

From a leadership perspective at the running back position, Sherrone Moore's Wolverines are in good hands.

Historic Heat Checks:

• Despite a season high of just 52 yards on the ground entering the national championship win over Washington in January, Edwards exploded with a massive game. He finished with six carries for 104 yards and broke the game open early with two long touchdowns (41 and 46 yards) to give Big Blue an early 14-3 lead on the way to a cakewalk win. He became the first player in CFP National Championship Game history to run for multiple touchdowns of 40-plus yards.
• Early in the fourth quarter of a win over Ohio State, Edwards completed a trick-play pass to tight end Colston Loveland to set up a field goal that give the Wolverines a 27-17 lead.
• In a battle of unbeatens in 2022, he carried Michigan to a 41-17 win over Penn State with 173 rushing yards on 16 carries and scored twice in the romp.
• With Corum injured against Ohio State in '22, Edwards helped the Wolverines pull away with touchdown runs of 75 and 85 yards on his way to a 216-yard effort as Michigan exorcised the demons and upset the Buckeyes, 45-23.
• He followed that performance up with a 185-yard effort and MVP honors in a rugged 27-14 win over Iowa in the '22 Big Ten Championship Game to send Michigan to the playoffs.
• As a true freshman against Iowa in the '21 Big Ten championship game, he threw a 75-yard touchdown pass (yes, as a running back).

Key 2024 games that could warrant clutch moments: Aug. 31 vs. Fresno State; Sep. 7 vs. Texas; Sep 21 vs. USC; Oct. 5 at Washington; Nov. 2 vs. Oregon; Nov. 30 at Ohio State

The Oregon Ducks are losing one quarterback with ice water flowing through his veins in Bo Nix, but coach Dan Lanning just went to the transfer portal and replaced him with another veteran who has plenty of big-game experience.

Dillon Gabriel is heading to Eugene for his final season after previous stops at UCF and Oklahoma, and if he can beat out talented sophomore Dante Moore for the starting job, you'd better believe Gabriel has the poise under pressure needed to win big games.

How can you not go with all that experience when you are hoping for a national title run like the Ducks? They have all the pieces in place, and maybe Gabriel's clutch gene is the missing ingredient to bring it all together.

Historic Heat Checks:

• There's no bigger win in Gabriel's career than what he accomplished in last year's Red River Rivalry win over Texas. After the Longhorns kicked a field goal to go up three with 1:17 left, Gabriel completed all four of his passes for 58 yards, finishing with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Nic Anderson with 15 seconds left to give the Sooners the win.
• Training by six in the fourth quarter against his old UCF team the following week, Gabriel found Drake Stoops for an 11-yard scoring strike to pull the Sooners ahead by one in an ultimate 31-29 win. He threw for 253 yards and a couple of scores in the victory.
• Despite making several early mistakes to put them in a 21-point hole, Gabriel threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns to help his UCF team topple Boise State 36-31 in Gus Malzahn's debut back in '21.
• Oh by the way, he has more than 14,000 career passing yards.

Key 2024 games that could warrant clutch moments: Sep. 28 at UCLA; Oct. 12 vs. Ohio State; Nov. 2 at Michigan; Nov. 16 at Wisconsin; Nov. 30 vs. Washington

The nation's top returning running back and the defending Doak Walker Award winner is just now cementing his legacy as a game-breaking runner. But, honestly, is there anything Ollie Gordon II can't do?

If so, we haven't found it.

He's the greatest Oklahoma State running back since Chuba Hubbard, and he is a great guy to carry that torch of all those quality players at the position during the Mike Gundy era. It's really shocking he decided to come back to Stillwater for another year after last year's amazing campaign and the short NFL shelf life of backs.

A season ago, he ran for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns on a 6.1 average and really carried the load for a Cowboys offense that could be one-dimensional at times. He added 330 receiving yards and another score.

Historic Heat Checks:

• When the Cowboys needed it most last year, they went to their star. In a double-overtime ulcer-inducer with the Big 12 title game appearance on the line, Gordon ran into a wall of defenders heading left, turned back right and catapulted over a couple defenders at the goal line to give the Cowboys the game-winning score in a 40-34 double-overtime thriller over BYU. It was his fifth TD of the day. "If that's not Doak-worthy, I don't know what the hell is," OSU offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn told the Oklahoman's Scott Wright. "You wanna talk about a moment, that was clutch for the Cowboys."
• Gordon scored three second-half touchdowns to erase a four-point halftime deficit and help the Cowboys beat Houston, 43-30.
• A touchdown run capped a humongous eight-play, 97-yard scoring drive to put Oklahoma State up for good midway through the fourth quarter of a 27-24 victory over hated rival Oklahoma in Bedlam. This gave the Cowboys bragging rights for who knows how long, with the Sooners heading for the SEC in '24.
• In a 39-32 win over Kansas, Gordon flashed his do-it-all skills, accounting for 284 yards from scrimmage. According to the Associated Press, he became the first Oklahoma State player since Gerald Hudson in 1989 to have at least 100 yards rushing and receiving in a game and the first Oklahoma State running back since Rafael Denson in 1992 to gain at least 100 yards receiving.

Key 2024 games that could warrant clutch moments: Sep. 7 vs. Arkansas; Sep. 21 vs. Utah; Sep. 28 at Kansas State; Oct. 5 vs. West Virginia; Nov. 9 at TCU; Nov. 23 vs. Texas Tech

Out of all the thrilling, magical moments Washington gave the college football world on its way to a national runner-up finish in 2023, one stood out above all else, and it wasn't even on the field.

Following his game-winning field goal against Washington State (more on that later), walk-on kicker Grady Gross was awarded a scholarship by coach Kalen DeBoer.

Why not? On a team full of heroes, the steady-if-not-spectacular Gross certainly warranted being in the conversation as one of the most valuable players. For the year, he made 18-of-22 field goals and didn't miss any of his 63 extra points.

Were there better kickers? Yes. Texas' Bert Auburn actually has a strong argument for being on this list, too, and neither of those two were finalists for the Lou Groza Award. Were there guys with more range? Definitely. But Gross hit some hand-wringing kicks, and he's back for another year.

Historic Heat Checks:

• Let's start with the biggest. You can never go by the line in the Apple Cup game between Washington and Washington State. It's such a big rivalry, it doesn't matter who is favored. He lined up and nailed a 42-yard field goal as time expired to give the Huskies a 24-21 win and cap an unbeaten regular season. He'd missed one earlier in the game, but he shrugged that off.
• Gross hit all three of his attempts (including a 40-yarder) to keep Texas at arm's-length in the national semifinal in what ultimately became a 37-31 win to propel the Huskies into the national championship game.
• In one of the biggest what-the-heck-is-happening games of the year, the Huskies were struggling with Arizona State back on October 22, but Gross hit a pair of field goals—including a 47-yarder early in the fourth quarter—to keep the Huskies within a point of the upset-minded Sun Devils. Following a Mishael Powell 89-yard pick-six to put Washington ahead, Gross hit another field goal to secure a 15-7 win.
• Tied at 42-all early in the fourth quarter against USC, Gross hit a 43-yarder to pull the Huskies ahead, and Dillon Johnson added a late TD for a 10-point win.

Key 2024 games that could warrant clutch moments: Sep. 14 vs. Washington State; Oct. 5 vs. Michigan; Oct. 12 at Iowa; Nov. 2 vs. USC; Nov. 9 at Penn State; Nov. 16 vs. UCLA; Nov. 30 at Oregon

It seems like Grayson McCall has been in college football forever, and after he led the biggest feel-good story of the stunted 2020 college football season when we all needed it, he's going to be playing for a new team this year.

It's going to be weird not seeing him in a Coastal Carolina uniform after four years with the Chanticleers, including the magical '20 run under Jamey Chadwell. He is transferring to North Carolina State for his final season, where he'll lead Dave Doeren's team.

McCall will continue on a bigger stage after a mid-major career that saw him win three Sun Belt player of the year awards, throw for more than 10,000 yards and run for 1,113 more.

He's got some serious talent around him with the Wolfpack. While none of his big moments came in '23, remember Tim Beck's pro-style offense wasn't his forte. He hasn't forgotten how to play.

Historic Heat Checks:

• With 6:25 left in the game and Coastal inexplicably trailing Gardner-Webb back in '22, McCall calmly led a 10-play, 84-yard drive that culminated with a game-winning touchdown pass to Jacob Jenkins.
• In a wild 34-30 win over Georgia Southern in '22, McCall went 23-for-34 through the air for 335 yards and three touchdown passes and rushed 10 times for 34 yards and a touchdown. He led the Chanticleers 82 yards in 1:23, converting a pair of third downs along the way, to set up CJ Beasley's go-ahead score with 38 seconds remaining.
• Back in 2021, McCall ran untouched for a 25-yard touchdown scamper on the first play of overtime as the Chants beat South Alabama, 27-21.
• The following game was the Cure Bowl, and McCall was brilliant once again, accounting for four touchdowns and 315 passing yards, finding Braydon Bennett on a 34-yard fourth-quarter strike to give the Chants a 47-41 bowl win.
• With everybody watching back in '20 due to the pandemic and Coastal's undefeated run, McCall staved off a monumental upset against Troy when he threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Jaivon Heiligh with 35 seconds left to erase a deficit and propel his team to a 42-38 win.

Key 2024 games that could warrant clutch moments: Sep. 7 vs. Tennessee (in Charlotte); Sep. 21 at Clemson; Oct. 19 at California; Nov. 21 at Georgia Tech; Nov. 30 at North Carolina

The term "possession receiver" gets thrown around with a bit of a stigma, but when they are the best at what they do and so dependable, every team would be fortunate to have one. They may not be the game-breakers, but they're the drive-makers.

There's nobody better in college football than Miami receiver Xavier Restrepo. Even though he isn't going to be the flashiest, he's elite because he just has a knack for getting open.

Are there more talented pass-catchers? Yes. But with Cam Ward under center for the Hurricanes in 2024, Restrepo is going to become his best friend really quickly.

With the game on the line, you're looking for No. 7. That speaks volumes. He hasn't produced any game-winners yet, but Restrepo is the go-to guy, and he's the best in the country at it. The belief here is he has some massive moments on a better Miami team in '24.

Historic Heat Checks:

• Pro Football Focus calls Restrepo the "ultimate security blanket," because he was third among returning Power Five receivers with 53 catches that went for either a first down or touchdown. When the 'Canes need a play, they go to Restrepo.
• With Miami clinging to a five-point lead early in the fourth quarter against Texas A&M last year, Tyler Van Dyke found Restrepo for a 7-yard corner route on 3rd-and-6 to get to the 3-yard line and set up the breathing-room score in a 48-33 win. 
• In a late-season loss to Louisville, Restrepo had his best game, catching eight passes for 193 yards and a key touchdown, despite losing 38-31. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, Restrepo made the huge play at game's end, catching Tyler Van Dyke's Hail Mary, but he was brought down short of reaching the goal line.

Key 2024 games that could warrant clutch moments: Aug. 31 at Florida; Sep. 21 at South Florida; Sep. 27 vs. Virginia Tech; Oct. 19 at Louisville; Oct. 26 vs. Florida State; Nov. 9 at Georgia Tech

A gruesome, late-season injury in 2022 cost Utah star quarterback Cam Rising the entire '23 season, but he is coming back to Salt Lake City for a seventh season this year, and everybody is hoping he is as good as new.

One of the reasons is Rising was the epitome of "gamer" every time he stepped on the football field.

There were better, more talented signal-callers than Rising, but nobody wants it more. He sacrifices his body every time the ball is in his hands, and that's why great things follow. It's no wonder Kyle Whittingham's team took a tumble last year with its leader back.

The Utes need him.

Historic Heat Checks:

• No bigger, more dramatic memory comes to mind than the 2023 epic showdown with USC in the regular season where Rising had two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Then, with the game on the line and Utah down 42-41, he called his own number on a two-point conversion to run it in and give the Utes a one-point win. For the game, he completed 30-of-44 for a career-high 415 yards and two touchdowns, adding 11 rushes for 60 yards and a career-best three rushing touchdowns
• By the way, in the rematch with the Trojans in the Pac-12 title game, the Utes rolled to a 47-24 win and Rising was the MVP, torching USC.
• During Utah's first ever Rose Bowl appearance following the '21 season, Rising was brilliant against Ohio State, completing 17-of-22 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 92 more yards and a score. The Utes had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter when he went down with injury and lost, 48-45.
• Trailing No. 18-ranked Arizona State by 14 points back in '21, Rising put the team on his shoulders and led them to a 35-21 win. He was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and Manning Award Player of the Week for that showing.

Key 2024 games that could warrant clutch moments: Sep. 21 at Oklahoma State; Sep. 28 vs. Arizona; Oct. 19 vs. TCU; Nov. 23 vs. Iowa State

Say what you want about Shedeur Sanders' flash and swagger, but there's no way you can question his toughness or talent. He may rub some people the wrong way because of his cockiness, but the kid is an elite playmaker.

He also has proven he is a gamer.

Unfortunately for the Colorado Buffaloes, they haven't won a lot of games with him at the helm yet because they're in the rebuilding process, but that isn't Sanders' fault. He was essentially pummeled play after play a season ago because of a porous offensive line, but he kept getting up.

And he kept making plays. He's a clutch star-in-the-making, and the NFL will love him.

Historic Heat Checks:

• Early last season when the Buffaloes were the most buzz-worthy team in the nation, they were trailing rival Colorado State in the fourth quarter when Sanders led a beautiful 98-yard touchdown drive and two-point conversion to force overtime. When Sanders led them to a double-overtime victory, FOX analyst Joel Klatt called Sanders the "most clutch player" in college football.
• With Colorado reeling, Sanders completed 26-of-42 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown (along with a rushing score) against Arizona State. Tied late, Sanders led a five-play, 50-yard field goal drive to win the game and stifle a losing streak.
• One of the biggest upsets of the 2023 season came in the season opener when Colorado stunned defending national runner-up TCU, 45-42. Sanders was the star, completing 38-of-47 passes for 510 yards and four touchdowns, including a 46-yarder to Dylan Edwards with 4:25 left to win the game.
• Despite a losing effort, Sanders was brilliant in his final game at Jackson State in 2022. Facing North Carolina Central in the Cricket Celebration Bowl, Sanders led two fourth-quarter scoring drives, including a 19-yard pass in the end zone to Travis Hunter as time expired to force overtime. The Eagles won 41-34 in the extra session, but Sanders was great, despite ending an unbeaten season.

Key 2024 games that could warrant clutch moments: Sep. 7 at Nebraska; Oct. 12 vs. Kansas State; Oct. 19 at Arizona; Nov. 9 at Texas Tech; Nov. 16 vs. Utah; Nov. 23 at Kansas; Nov. 29 vs. Oklahoma State

We needed to throw a defensive player in here, so why not arguably the best returner in the nation? Notre Dame's Xavier Watts won the Bronco Nagurski Trophy a season ago, which goes to the nation's top defensive player.

The senior safety is back for an encore, too.

He's a huge reason why coach Marcus Freeman's Fighting Irish are a trendy pick to make the expanded playoff this year, and Watts is a big-play machine who can spearhead the effort with some game-changing plays. He can impact the game all over the field.

Last season, he finished the year with career-highs in tackles (47), tackles for loss (2.5), passes defended (11) and interceptions (seven). He also forced his first collegiate fumble.

Historic Heat Checks:

• Watts' biggest game, without question, came in Notre Dame's domination of USC. In the 48-20 onslaught, the safety set the tone with two interceptions of defending Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams in the first half. He returned the second one to the 2-yard line to set up the Irish's second touchdown to pull ahead 17-3. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown.
• Against North Carolina State, the Irish was ahead by just seven points when Watts intercepted Brennan Armstrong on the Wolfpack side of the field. The Irish parlayed that into a touchdown, went ahead by two scores and won 45-24.
• Watts intercepted Riley Leonard early in the first half in Duke territory to set up a field goal to go ahead 10-0 in a game the Irish won 21-14. By the way, Leonard now plays for Notre Dame.

Key 2024 games that could warrant clutch moments: Aug. 31 at Texas A&M; Sep. 28 vs. Louisville; Oct. 19 at Georgia Tech; Nov. 9 vs. Florida State; Nov. 30 at USC