Sons of football legends to look out for in 2023

College football will have some extremely familiar names running around in 2023

When watching college football there are always the discussions of "remember when". Two words that allow for fans, players, and media members alike to think of their favorite college player growing up, and to discuss the legends that have come and gone throughout the years.

While many names could be brought up whether it's Tavon Austin, Brian Bosworth, John Elway, or even Vince Young a handful of your favorite players now likely are old enough to have sons in college. As we look ahead to the 2023 season there are a slew of players that once dominated the sport, whose son will now be looking to follow in their dads footsteps. This could very well make you feel old, but with that in mind let's take a look at the sons of former college football and NFL stars that will be taking the field in 2023. 

Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

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Father: Deion Sanders

Shedeur Sanders dominated at the FCS level throwing for nearly 7,000 yards and 70 touchdowns over the past couple seasons at Jackson State, but now he is looking to carry that success over to his new program, Colorado. Sanders transferred to Colorado, where his dad Deion, who coached him at Jackson State is now the head coach.

Shilo Sanders, DB, Colorado

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Father: Deion Sanders

Similar to his brother Shedeur, Shilo recently announced his decision to transfer to Colorado. Unlike his brother, he takes after his father and plays on the defensive side of the ball in the secondary. In 2021 he earned second-team all-SWAC, and will look to compete for a starting role with the large group of transfers the Buffs took in this offseason. 

Luke McCaffrey, WR, Rice

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Father: Ed McCaffrey 

After starting his career as a quarterback at Nebraska, Luke McCaffrey found a new home and a new position. The younger brother of Christian McCaffrey and son of Broncos legend Ed McCaffrey is now a receiver at Rice where he absolutely shined for the Owls a year ago. He hauled in 58 catches for over 700 yards, and six touchdowns, and has proved to be quite the dynamic weapon.

Cole Pennington, QB, Marshall

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Father: Chad Pennington 

A three-star quarterback out of the class of 2022, Cole followed in his fathers footsteps and will play his college ball at Marshall. He redshirted this past season seeing action in just the first game of the season. Heading into the 2023 season he will look to win the starting job. 

Jackson Sirmon, LB, Cal

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Father: Peter Sirmon 

After a great career at Washington that saw him lead Washington in tackles a couple seasons ago, Jackson earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors. He opted to transfer to Cal prior to this past season where he is coached by his dad Peter who spent time in the NFL as a linebacker. He racked up over 100 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a pick this past season for Cal. He also is returning for what will be his sixth season in 2023. 

Frank Gore Jr., RB, Southern Miss

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Father: Frank Gore

Similar to his father, Frank Gore Jr. is a running back that gives defenses plenty of trouble when it comes to bringing him down. He can hurt you on the ground as he rushed for 1,382 yards last season with nine touchdowns on 6.1 yards-per-carry, caught 20 passes for over 200 yards, and he also threw for three touchdowns this past season. He has been generating a ton of NFL buzz this offseason. 

Eden James, RB, Howard

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Father: Edgerrin James

Another son of a running back that also plays running back, the younger James had a very productive season a year ago for the Bison. In his lone season at Howard he rushed for 400 yards and two touchdowns. 

E.J. Smith, RB, Stanford

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Father: Emmitt Smith 

Keeping the trend going, E.J. Smith followed in his father's footsteps as a running back, but elected to go to Stanford instead of Florida. While he has the potential to be one of the best running backs out West, injuries have plagued his time at Stanford. He played in just two games last season before he went down with a season ending injury. In his two games last season he rushed for over 200 yards and three touchdowns on 6.9 yards per carry. He also added eight catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. 

E.J. Warner, QB, Temple

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Father: Kurt Warner 

The son of NFL legend Kurt Warner, E.J. Warner was one of the lone bright spots for the Owls this past season. The freshman quarterback threw for over 3,000 yards and 18 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. His performance this past season saw him win conference rookie of the year, and also impressed his father. Warner is looking to build off his strong freshman season in 2023. 

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. LB, Clemson

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Father: Jeremiah Trotter Sr. 

Another father-son duo that played the same position, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. may be having more success at the college level than his old man. The Clemson standout very well could be the best linebacker in all of college football, and exploded this past season. He racked up 89 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, and also had two interceptions, one of which he returned for a score. 

Antonio Gates Jr., WR, Michigan State

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Father: Antonio Gates 

After redshirting during his first season in East Lansing, Antonio Gates Jr. is looking to carve out a role for himself in 2023. He did record a touchdown catch during the Spartans' spring game a couple months ago. 

Brenden Rice, WR, USC

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Father: Jerry Rice 

Brenden Rice has big shoes to fill being that he is one of maybe three or four players on this list whose father is the best to ever play their position. After a stint at Colorado he transferred to USC this past season, and was quite productive for the Trojans. He recorded a career high 39 catches for 611 yards, and also hauled in a career high four touchdowns. 

Mason Taylor, TE, LSU

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Father: Jason Taylor 

A youngster that didn't follow in the footsteps of his father position wise, Mason Taylor sure made a name for himself this past season as a freshman. The younger Taylor hauled in 38 catches for over 400 yards and three touchdowns, with one of his catches being a game winning two point conversion against Alabama. 

Christian Driver, DB, Penn State

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Father: Donald Driver 

Following his father being a star receiver in the NFL , Christian Driver is looking to make a name for himself as a member of the Penn State secondary. As a freshman this past season he appeared in four games. 

Christian Harrison, DB, Tennessee

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Father: Rodney Harrison 

As a freshman Christian Harrison who like his father is a member of the secondary, played in eight games for the Volunteers. He recorded nine total tackles, and even added .5 a tackle for a loss. 

Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State

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Father: Marvin Harrison 

Marvin Harrison Jr. and his father have their position in common, and they also could have the fact that they are first round draft picks in common too after this season barring an unforeseen issue. The younger Harrison is arguably the best player in college football regardless of position, and realistically could sit out the 2023 season and still be a top-10 pick in next year's NFL Draft. This past season he grabbed 77 passes for nearly 1,300 yards receiving, and 14 touchdowns. He is widely regarded as one of the best receiver talents that college football has seen in a decade if not longer.