The Folsom Five Stars

1 – Kansas QB Jalon Daniels (vs. Fresno State)

18/20 ~ 176 yards ~ 3 TDs / 8 carries ~ 47 yards

Anyone who’s followed me for a few years knows how high I am on Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels. I had picked him to win the Heisman in a previous season but unfortunately the dual threat signal caller has dealt with multiple injuries during his career that’s slowed the hype. On Saturday, Daniels flashed his ability in the Jayhawks 31-7 win over Fresno State. It was by no means a heroic effort as Kansas never trailed, but his steady hand (90% completion percentage) and legs got Kansas out front by 17 heading into halftime before taking it easy in the second half. Daniels will have to work on taking less contact if he wants to play a full season, but the potential is still clearly there for Daniels to be a top five quarterback in college football.

2 – Hawaii QB Micah Alejado (vs. Stanford)

27/39 ~ 210 yards ~ 2 TD / 10 carries ~ 36 yards

While Daniels performance wouldn’t be characterized as heroic, the same can’t be said of Rainbow Warrior quarterback Micah Alejado. The redshirt freshman didn’t light up the scoreboard, but he battled through hobbling injuries in a tight contest against an ACC team to help deliver Hawaii its first win over a power conference opponent since 2019. Late in the fourth quarter and down 20-17, Alejado would lead two separate drives from inside his own territory to score field goals (more on that later) that would earn a major 23-20 win for a program that’s been battling adversity for half a decade.

3 – Western Kentucky QB Maverick McIvor (vs. Sam Houston)

33/51 ~ 401 yards ~ 3 TD / 7 carries ~ 7 yards ~ 1 TD

If the name rings a bell, it’s because McIvor was the quarterback for Abilene Christian last season when they took Texas Tech to the wire in a 52-51 overtime loss to open the season. McIvor transferred in to Western Kentucky this offseason to help fix a quarterback position that’s been iffy to say the least since Bailey Zappe went to the NFL. If you missed air it out Hilltopper football then this game was a great sign as McIvor threw the ball over 30 times in the first half alone before finishing with 51 attempts, and if he continues to build on this performance then Western Kentucky will be a hard out in the lowly CUSA conference race.

4 – Kansas State DE Tobi Osunsanmi (vs. #22 Iowa State)

4 tackles ~ 2 sacks

I typically reserve Five Star awards for players on the winning side, but with a small Week 0 slate I wanted to find a spot for Osunsanmi. The Ireland Farmageddon matchup was a slop fest for the most part on offense, but on defense Osunsanmi gained some early season recognition for his two sack performance. The junior pass rusher only registered 4.5 sacks in his first few seasons with the Wildcats. Kansas State has produced some good pass rushers in recent years, and if Osunsanmi can build off of this performance he could easily become the next one considering his prototypical size (6’3″ 250).

5 – Hawaii K Kansei Matsuzawa (vs. Stanford)

3/3 FG ~ 2/2 XP ~ 11 points

Matsuzawa is an incredible story that can only really be found in the world of college football. The Japanese soccer player moved to America and took up placekicking for NJCAA Hocking College in Ohio before eventually transferring to the Islands in 2023. In 2024 he earned starting honors for the Rainbow Warriors, converting 12/16 field goal attempts. He’s been an all-Mountain West academic recipient both seasons and entered Saturday as a relative unknown to the nation. Alejado drove the Rainbow Warriors down twice at the end of the fourth quarter, but it was Matsuzawa who drilled a 37 yarder with 2:01 remaining and a 38 yarder with time expiring to seal Hawaiis opening weekend victory.