Our 3rd annual 30 players in 30 days where we countdown our list of the 30 best current Flames’ football players. While we don’t know if there will be a 2020 season yet or when the first game will be played, we began our ranking last week with players 30-21 and today we move to 20-11.
Each year this ranking brings its unique subplots, but the 2020 season sets out to be a year of transition for the Liberty football roster. Gone are the mainstays on the list in the likes of Antonio Gandy-Golden, Buckshot Calvert, Jessie Lemonier, Dontae Duff, Frankie Hickson, and Damian King.
In total, 17 of the 30 names on our list did not make our ranking last year, but that doesn’t mean Liberty doesn’t have some talent on this team. In fact, the Flames have more talent on the 2020 football roster than ever before, the talent is just young and mostly inexperienced.
Be sure to check back next week for the top 10!
20. Ben Alexander (Last year: N/A)
Alexander has followed a very similar career path as Elijah Benton. Both entered the program as walk-ons at secondary, first making impacts on special teams before rising to the top of the depth chart and excelling near the end of their careers.
As a redshirt-senior, Alexander enters the 2020 season atop the depth chart at free safety after starting the last two games of the season in 2019 against New Mexico State and Georgia Southern. He had the best game of his career in the Cure Bowl win over the Eagles, finishing with 8 tackles and 2 pass breakups.
He’s one of the few returners at safety with extensive playing experience at Liberty. Could he finish his career in the same way as Benton and have a standout senior campaign and draw the looks of NFL scouts?
19. Juawan Treadwell (Last year: N/A)
JUCO transfer Juawan Treadwell joins the program out of Independence Community College. He’s originally from Crete, Illinois and is the younger brother of NFL star Laquon Treadwell who played for Hugh Freeze at Ole Miss. Treadwell joined Liberty over offers from Akron, Old Dominion, SMU, South Alabama, Southern Miss, and Temple.
He participated in spring drills with the Flames after joining the program in January. Treadwell earned both all-conference and all-american honors at Independence.
With two seasons of eligibility remaining, Treadwell is expected to come in and make an immediate impact at safety.
18. Noah Frith (Last year: N/A)
After two seasons in the program, Frith looks to see his production and playing time increase significantly in 2020. The 6’4″ wide receiver redshirted in 2018 and played in the final 9 games of the 2019 campaign after missing the first four games of the season due to injuries. He finished last season with 15 receptions for 291 yarda nd 3 touchdowns.
Frith will be one of the main receivers counted on to help ease the loss of Antonio Gandy-Golden at receiver. Whether he’s labeled as a starter at the top of the depth chart or not, he will be on the field more than he’s not. He’s already shown his ability to be a playmaker and he could step into a much more prominent role this season.
17. Javian Lofton (Last year: N/A)
The 6’2″ Lofton was at the top of Liberty’s recruiting board this past recruiting cycle coming out of Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, California. He also received offers from MTSU and Western Kentucky, finishing his two seasons at Chaffey with 1,584 receiving yards, 72 receptions, and 20 touchdowns.
Wearing jersey #11, Lofton will get glances from Liberty’s fan base as the Flames move on after the best wide receiver in school history has departed for the NFL. Lofton will be one of the main receivers Liberty looks to to help soften that blow. How quickly can he learn the new offense and adjust to life with his new teammates will determine the level of impact he makes in 2020.
16. Elijah James (Last year: 19)
At 6’5″ and 295 pounds, James has the potential to get on some NFL teams’ radars with a solid senior season. In his first year with the program last season, James played in all 13 games finishing with 19 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry as he played primarily in a reserve role after transferring in from Iowa Western Community College.
James had offers from Kentucky and Chattanooga before settling on Liberty. In his second season in JUCO, James finished with 57 tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and a pass breakup.
In 2020, James will be counted on to help anchor the interior of Liberty’s defensive line. If he remains healthy, he could have a massive season.
15. Shedro Louis (Last year: 29)
Louis came in as a true freshman last year and immediately left his mark in the return game. He ranked No. 13 in the country in average kickoff return yardage and had the 6th best single-season in program history with 662 total kickoff return yards. Louis also took one back to the house with a 97-yard touchdown return against Maine, one of just 39 FBS players nationally to return a kickoff for a touchdown in 2019. He also saw limited playing time as a slot receiver, finishing with 4 receptions for 33 yards.
During the offseason, Louis moved from wide receiver to running back. While he will continue to make an impact in the return game, Louis could also work his way into the rotation at running back this season. Behind Joshua Mack and Peytton Pickett, Louis is fighting with Troy Henderson and Frank Boyd to be part of the top 3 backs. With Mack and Pickett both seniors, Louis could quickly move into a much more prominent role in the offensive backfield in the near future.
14. Demario Douglas (Last year: N/A)
The redshirt-freshman Douglas makes a huge jump on this list despite only playing in 4 games in 2019. He was limited to those 4 games specifically to preserve his season of eligibility. As a slot receiver, Douglas finished the year with 9 receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown.
In 2020, Douglas will see much more playing time, and he could quickly become an impact offensive weapon. He is very explosive and is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball. Coach Freeze and the offensive staff will make it a point to see that Douglas gets his fair share of opportunities this season.
13. CJ Yarbrough (Last year: N/A)
A third straight member of the 2019 recruiting last making a debut on this list, Yarbrough has been praised by Freeze throughout the past year as being Liberty’s next potential breakout star at receiver. Like Douglas, Yarbrough played in 4 games in 2019 to preserve his redshirt season. He finished the year with 6 receptions for 124 yards, including 5 for 83 at Virginia.
Yarbrough did have a Jones fracture in his right foot that required surgery this offseason. He just got out of his cast in recent days and is currently rehabbing. Depending on how the 2020 schedule looks, Yarbrough could miss some time, but it sounds like Freeze is hopeful he will be able to return for at least some of the season.
If he’s healthy, Yarbrough will be expected to become one of the team’s top targets and better receivers.
12. Johnny Huntley (Last year: 18)
Huntley joined the program in January 2018 after transferring to Liberty from Colorado. He was required to sit out the 2018 season due to the NCAA’s transfer policy. Last season, he played in 12 of 13 games and led Liberty tight ends with 196 receiving yards including a 57-yard touchdown catch during Liberty’s win over Georgia Southern in the Cure Bowl.
This season, Huntley enters training camp as Liberty’s top tight end, and it is expected the Flames will continue to feature the tight ends in the passing game increasingly more in Coach Freeze’s system. As the team’s top receiving tight end, Huntley could become a huge weapon in Liberty’s 2020 season.
11. Austin Lewis (Last year: 5)
Suddenly a junior, the 6’6″ Lewis has put some extra weight on his frame. He’s seen playing time in 24 games during his first two seasons on campus, being named the VaSID Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. He fought his way through injuries to play in 12 games last season, finishing with 33 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
Each year Lewis has been part of the program, the Flames’ have concentrated on building depth at defensive line. Last season, Lewis was used primarily on early downs while TreShaun Clark was brought in on obvious passing situations. It will be interesting to see how defensive line coach Josh Aldridge utilizes all the talent and depth he suddenly has up front.
