Wilson grew up in Brooklyn, which isn't a recruiting hotbed, but his massive size and athleticism made him a target for coaches all over the country. The top-20 overall prospect signed with Georgia but wound up redshirting his first year in Athens. Wilson came out strong the next season, starting all 14 games at right tackle and earning Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman accolades. He continued to show great promise in his sophomore season, though an ankle injury limited him to 11 games played with 10 starts. Wilson was still named a second-team Associated Press All-American despite the missed time. While he was in high school, The New Yorker magazine spotlighted Wilson's love for SpongeBob SquarePants (he wore a SpongeBob backpack) in its annual "Reasons to Love New York" feature.

Fulton was called "K-Baby" by older teammates when he arrived in Baton Rouge as one of the top 30 prospects in the country in 2016. The 2015 New Orleans Advocate Defensive Player of the Year played in just three games as a true freshman (two tackles), however, and then found himself in real trouble after the season. Fulton received a two-year suspension from the NCAA for having someone else provide urine for a PED test sample. Fulton said he had used marijuana two days prior, thought he would be caught, and then tried to tamper with the test. Fulton sat out all of 2017, practicing with the team, but was reinstated before the 2018 season after an NCAA interpretation panel reviewed the case. He started 10 games for the Tigers that year (25 tackles, one interception, nine pass breakups), missing the final three games with an ankle injury. Fulton played well during LSU's undefeated national title run, starting all 15 games and posting 38 stops, one for loss, an interception, and a team-high 14 pass breakups.

Like many Appalachian State players before him, Evans has outplayed his two-star recruiting ranking. He was named Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2019 after ranking in the top 10 nationally with 1,480 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 255 carries (5.8 per). He also caught 21 passes for 198 yards and five scores in 14 starts. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the SBC Championship Game and New Orleans Bowl. Evans was a first-team all-conference pick as a sophomore, as well, starting eight of 13 games played and racking up 1,187 rushing yards (179 carries, 6.6 per, seven TDs; also 12-87-7.2, one TD receiving). The Oak Hill, Florida, native contributed on offense as a freshman (48-217-4.5) and then had to redshirt the 2017 season due to a knee injury. Evans was a strong kickoff returner during his career (56-1,439-25.7 in three years), housing one return for a touchdown each season.

Murchison started his collegiate career at Louisburg College, about two hours north of his home in Elizabethtown, North Carolina. He was an honorable mention junior college All-American and a top-50 JUCO recruit after his second year at Louisburg (17.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks). Murchison redshirted his first season with the Wolfpack and then earned the team's Defensive Lineman of the Year award as a 13-game starter in 2018 (34 tackles, eight for loss, four sacks, one interception, two pass breakups). He stepped up his game as a senior, garnering second-team All-ACC honors after leading his team with 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks (48 total tackles, two pass breakups in 12 starts).

Ever since former head coach June Jones took over the Rainbow Warriors in the late 1990s, there has been a steady stream of able passers leading the offense. Timmy Chang, Colt Brennan, Bryant Moniz, Dru Brown (now at Oklahoma State), former Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich and McDonald have helped put up points through the air for UH. After redshirting in 2016 and playing in six games as a reserve the following year (5 of 9, 55.6 completion percentage, 22 yards, one touchdown), McDonald beat out Brown for the starting gig in 2018. He was the team's Offensive MVP and an honorable mention All-Mountain West pick after starting 12 of 13 games played as a sophomore and ranking in the top 10 in passing yards and touchdowns (285 of 484, 58.9 completion percentage, 3,875 yards, 36 touchdowns, 10 interceptions; 134 carries, 359 yards, 2.7 ypc, four touchdowns). The California native starred in his junior campaign, ranking third in the FBS with 4,135 passing yards and eighth with 33 touchdowns (326 of 511, 63.8 completion percentage, 14 interceptions; 101 carries, 383 yards, 3.8 ypc, seven touchdowns) in 14 games (12 starts). He was a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and a second-team all-conference selection for his 2019 efforts.

Marshall landed a strong player out of Florida in Jackson, an all-state receiver and two-time state champion in the 110-meter hurdles. He enrolled a semester early, which allowed him to start all 12 games and become a member of the Conference USA All-Freshman team (41 tackles, four for loss, two interceptions, nine pass breakups). Jackson was an honorable mention all-conference selection as a sophomore, leading the Herd with three interceptions and 10 pass breakups (with 62 tackles, 2.5 for loss, in 11 starts). In 2018, Jackson was a second-team All-C-USA pick after tying for ninth in the FBS with 15 pass breakups. He also recorded 61 tackles and an interception in 13 starts. He was a first-team all-conference selection in 2019 after recording a team-high 11 pass breakups in 11 starts (also made 25 tackles, one interception).