Leadoff: Two UGA players ranked among nation’s top 50

Jake Fromm was born July 30, 1998. Fromm's first moment at the national level came in the 2011 Little League World Series. Fromm led Houston County High to the third round of the state football playoffs as a senior. A 4-star recruit, Fromm committed to Alabama before changing his mind and later signing with Georgia. Fromm's college debut came as a freshman, on Sept. 2, 2017 against Appalachian State, after starting QB Jacob Eason was injured. Fromm's first start for UGA came at Notre Dame, directing the B

Two Georgia Bulldogs made ESPN's forecast this week of college football's 50 best players of 2018.

Sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm was ranked No. 30 and sophomore running back D’Andre Swift No. 33.

Fromm “has been somewhat overshadowed by (Alabama quarterback Tua) Tagovailoa’s emergence in the (national) title game and No. 1 recruit Justin Fields’ arrival on campus,” ESPN.com wrote, “but Fromm deserves to stand on his own.”

Swift was described as a “breakout” candidate ready to take his “turn in the spotlight” after the departures of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.

The list is topped by Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver and includes five players apiece from Alabama and Clemson. See the list here.

Also of note locally: The opposing quarterbacks in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game in Atlanta on Sept. 1 are both ranked in the top 15: Auburn's Jarrett Stidham at No. 10 and Washington's Jake Browning at No. 15.

* * * 

TODAY’S LEADOFF LINKS 

> Falcons running back Devonta Freeman is happy, healthy and fully expecting to run afoul of the new NFL rule governing helmet contact. Read Steve Hummer's story here.

> The Braves lost the first game of a doubleheader to the Nationals on Tuesday, but rebounded with an impressive win in the second game. See Gabe Burns' reports here and here.

> What does the switch to Adidas gear mean for Georgia Tech punter Pressley Harvin? Read Ken Sugiura's story here.