When one flower blooms, spring awakens everywhere.

- John O’Donohue, writer

This iteration of the spring game recap series includes notes from spring games that occurred on April 18.

These teams include: App State, Ball State, East Carolina, Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Texas, Oklahoma, Southern Miss, Liberty, Duke, Michigan, Old Dominion and Texas A&M.

Next article: Troy, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Virginia Tech, California, Memphis, San Jose State, Oklahoma State, Utah Tech, Delaware, Ohio, San Diego, Texas, Virginia, and Wake Forest.

You can find the previous version here:

One thing to note is that the quality of intel coming out of these games highly varies per program. Some plamaces have a lot of coverage, and some don’t. And even when intel is available, some coaches use these games primarily to see what young players are capable of, whereas others prefer to treat it like a pre-season game which is more informative.

Nonetheless, I’ve found that throughout the years there is always at least one interesting nugget that turns out to be useful from these spring game reports.

Also, now that we can embed tweets into Substack articles again these are going to be so much better going forward. Cheers.

FYI—I AM CURRENTLY RUNNING A DISCOUNT ON ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS (until end of April):

Claim 40% Off

Paid subs have full access to all content including RB depth charts that I update monthly, camp info, spring game summaries, rankings, and other paid exclusive articles (plus a subscriber chat on substack).

APP STATE

QB:

With no tackling allowed Saturday and many plays continuing after backfield pressure from quarterback-pursuing defenders, the 11-on-11 scrimmage sessions included two touchdowns that capped 75-yard drives: Henry Hasselbeck's 18-yard touchdown pass to Doopah Coleman and Malachi Singleton's 6-yard touchdown pass to Chris Lofton.

Red-zone sessions were highlighted by Singleton's 13-yard touchdown pass to running back Jaquari Lewis and Tommy Ulatowski's 11-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Grier.

Singleton and Hasselbeck combined to complete more than 70 percent of their throws, with Singleton gaining 31 yards on one scramble and Hasselbeck covering 27 yards on another.

NOTE on RB Kanye Roberts:

Kanye Roberts is also back in hybrid rehab mode, but wasn’t active for the spring game.

BALL STATE

QB:

Ball State football QB competition remains a close race

Ball State will have a new quarterback under center in 2026, and the competition has narrowed itself down to two strong candidates — Texas State transfer Keldric Luster and Concord (D-II) transfer Tyler Mizzell. Both redshirt juniors rotated first-team reps and took some lumps during the defense-dominated spring showcase — Luster threw an interception in 7-on-7s and Mizzell threw one in 11-on-11 work — but they also flashed some of the abilities that make them each enticing potential starters.

At 5-foot-10, 248 pounds, Luster is built like a tank. A former 3-star recruit and track star in high school, he has plus-athleticism and showed some good mobility on Saturday. Passing-wise, Luster attacked the middle of the field and executed the redzone offense well. The opportunity to compete for a starting role was a priority for Luster when he entered the transfer portal, and he is firmly entrenched in that conversation in Muncie.

Mizzell offers a more traditional quarterback build at 6-1, 176 pounds. He doesn't quite have Luster's athletic ability but still has flashed some good movement and willingness to tuck it and run. Mizzell was very accurate throwing outside the numbers and seems to be a more aggressive downfield passer than Luster, though he did take longer to go through progressions and make a decision at some points during the showcase.

WR:

Isaiah Thacker in line for breakout season at wide receiver

Both quarterbacks seem to have developed a strong rapport with one particular wideout. Isaiah Thacker has been making plays throughout spring practice and put his strong hands and crisp route running on full display Saturday. A former standout at perennial Indiana high school football powerhouse New Palestine, Thacker first joined the Cardinals as a member of the 2023 recruiting class and has stuck around for three seasons.

Thacker redshirted as a true freshman and has only logged five total touches in the two seasons since, but he seems like Ball State’s best candidate for a breakout season after the spring and has the support of the coaching staff.

“After our season last year, Coach U talked to me about how I’m going to be a starting guy, the main guy for next season,” Thacker said. “That really helped me stay. I really trust this coach and staff. I feel like we don’t really change stuff around next year, so that’s really why I stayed.”

For a team that added four transfer wide receivers, Ball State’s returning wideouts really stood out Saturday. In addition to Thacker, redshirt sophomore Donovan Hamilton took a majority of first-team reps as the X-receiver after breaking out down the stretch last season. Redshirt senior Jamarion McDougle also took a large share of the first-team reps and showed some great route running and deep threat ability. Among the transfers, CJ Nelson from Eastern Illinois was the biggest standout and had one of the highlights of the day, dragging his feet in-bounds to secure a sideline catch on a 20-yard out delivered by Mizzell.

Thacker believes the explosiveness of the receiver room — and the offense as a whole — will help the Cardinals take a big offensive leap from a year ago.

“I’m really happy to have a very explosive offense,” Thacker said. “We’re going to have a lot of explosive plays come week one. I feel like that’s my favorite part about the offense.”

EAST CAROLINA

QB:

Plenty of attention was obviously on the quarterback position on Saturday. Mitch Griffis and Emory Williams both got equal reps, as each rotated with the first-team personnel.

Griffis led the offense immediately down the field on the first series of the day, scrambling on a few plays, and then finding a wide open Tyler Johnson, and dropping the ball in the bucket to him down the sidelines to spark what would become a touchdown drive, capped by Ashton Gray‘s 7-yard touchdown run.

Griffis had a few other series, including one in the red zone, where the offense picked up one first down. Then, he just missed Ray Ray Joseph in the back corner of the end zone while rolling to his right. That led to a field goal, instead of a touchdown. But Griffis put the ball in the only place Joseph could catch it on third and goal, and didn’t risk a turnover.

As for Williams, he started a bit more slow, before getting more comfortable as the scrimmage went on. A few sacks derailed his drives, but he showed promise with good poise, and strong throws, from the pocket. Williams isn’t necessarily fleet of foot, but he did have a nice scramble at one point, escaping the pocket to his right, and running for five yards. So it’s not necessarily like he’s incapable of running.

Williams also had a good showing in the red zone in his lone series in that phase, throwing a 25-yard strike to Joseph on a nice read for an easy touchdown.

Overall, comparing the two quarterbacks isn’t easy, at least in terms of who is the better long-term fit. I think you can make an argument both ways. I do think Griffis is a tick ahead right now. He looks like he’s thinking less out there, and just playing. He has increased mobility, and throws a better deep ball more consistently.

But Williams is better at standing in the pocket, and making the short and intermediate throws. When it comes to getting the ball out quick and on time, Williams looks very comfortable. And Williams should continue to improve with his decision-making as he keeps learning the offense. I think he will look more comfortable over time when it comes to operating the system.

I do think ECU can win with both. They both show poise in the pocket and looked relatively comfortable in the offense, though Griffis is playing a bit faster right now. Another big key is neither turned the ball over on Saturday. That had been a problem at times this spring.

The quarterback battle will roll on into the summer, and preseason camp.

RB:

Read more

That’s not a knife... THIS is a knife.

- Mick Dundee, Crocodile Dundee (1986)

A converted safety who played WR in high school, what better profile could you ask for in a collegiate RB prospect? You get the physicality with the pass-catching profile—win, win. Furthermore, at 6’1, 225 pounds and playing in the world renowned Mid-American Conference, who among us is saying no to this?

And if all of that weren’t enough, the kid is playing under one of the greatest collegiate running backs of all time in Eddie George who is the head coach. The player I’m speaking about, of course, is Bowling Green’s Austyn Dendy.

Dendy became a well-known name in the CFF community around late October/early November this past fall when he began—seemingly out of nowhere—handling grown man work out of BGSU’s backfield. Starting on Oct. 25 vs. Kent State, after previously not appearing in any games prior in the season, Dendy saw 20 carries, accumulating 93 yards and one score in the process. He then averaged over 20 carries per game during the next four games to close out the season. Pretty good stuff.

I don’t know how or what it took for BGSU to retain Dendy’s services this offseason, but whatever they did I think we all need a little bit of that magic in our lives. Maybe it was just the promise that if he returned for one full season with another offseason of RB training, that the offers he’d be getting next winter would be vastly superior to whatever interest he garnered this past offseason.

Who knows? For now, all we know is that he’s back for 2026, and ready to stunt on those unsuspecting nerds in the Mid-American. It’s swirly time, you feel me? And Dendy is the big man on campus.

For some reason, every time I see his name I think about the movie Crocodile Dundee, which I think is just because the names are similar. If he wants to start rolling with the nickname Austyn “Crocodile” Dendy then I hope he at least directs some kick backs from his NIL earnings into the VP fund. Frankly, it would be the least he could do. “MR. UNLIMITED” works as well, though not as specific to the individual.

Coming back to how BGSU retained him, maybe the vision from George—an OSU alum—was that with a full year under his belt, Dendy could potentially be the RB1 at Ohio State in 2027 just like George was? That would be fucking epic. I know they have Bo Jackson, but he already flirted with the portal once, so who’s to say he won’t do it again next year?

Or even Texas? Dendy comes from the SEC footprint and was already in an SEC program for one year (Mizzou) before transferring to the MAC. And the Horns will likely be in the market again for a transfer once Hollywood and Raleek move next offseason.

Anyways, let’s do the thing that we usually do and take a look at the staff/system.

COACHING & SYSTEM: I wouldn’t focus on this too much

If you’re a reader of this publication, then you already know my modus operandi and perhaps you too are a subscriber to the ‘follow the volume’ doctrine yourself. Most of the time to prognosticate volume, and therefore production, we focus on systems.

In this case, however, I think that the player supersedes the system and is likely going to be pummelled with carries (and hopefully targets) until the cows come home. The head coach, Eddie George, knows a thing or two about this:

Here’s hoping he pays it forward from his 1995 season and unloads a similar volume of touches onto his protégé (fingers crossed).

Anyways, since we’re here, we might as well take a look at the staff. The first thing to know is that while there was a head coaching change last offseason, Eddie retained the OC, Greg Nosal, from the previous three seasons.

Nosal has been with BGSU since 2019, first joining as the TE coach, and then being promoted to OC in 2022. Below is a summary of his RB1/2s between 2022 and 2024:

Obviously, there’s nothing particularly impressive there. But the kicker is that we already saw him and Eddie #PIG Crocodile Dendy late last year, and it just seems unlikely—after discovering fire via this greek god runner from the transfer portal—that this staff will change up the plan in 2026.

One of the things that is most appealing about the MAC is that because it’s by far the worst FBS conference talent-wise, it is the closest thing we have as CFF managers to high school football, which is ideal because that’s a format where the best players dominate and routinely put up massive numbers. Mostly because there’s a large talent discrepancy.

The closer a conference is to the NFL—with high levels of talent and uniformity across the league (e.g., the SEC)—the worse it is for CFF purposes, in my (and I think in a lot of others’) opinion.

Austyn Dendy (6’1, 225)

Dendy was a transfer from Missouri in the 2025 offseason. The redshirt sophomore was listed as an ATH/WR prospect in high school, with a versatile projection including positions of RB, S, and WR. Dare I say, the BGSU staff convincing him to return after his late-season finish last season may be one of the greatest coups of 2026.

He enrolled as a safety prospect at Missouri, but did not make an appearance, redshirting in 2024. Ultimately, he appears to have landed at RB playing for BGSU, and if his final five games are any indication for 2026, he’ll be a focus in this system under head coach Eddie George.

I imagine George’s presence was probably a selling point for Dendy, and also part of how BGSU managed to retain him this offseason, which is nothing short of a miracle in my opinion.

Dendy wears #14 currently, but it would be pretty gangster if he swapped to Eddie’s old number (while also playing in Ohio, go figure).

Of course, like many MAC programs, there was a lot of attrition for the Bowling Green Falcons during 2026’s great migration. RBs Cameron Pettaway and Mar’Kel Porter saw the writing on the wall and defected to Iowa State and Northwestern, respectively. That leaves Nakai Amachree as the primary competitor for touches out of the backfield.

Elsewhere, QB Lucian Anderson transferred to South Carolina. WR RJ Garcia to FAU. TE Jacob Harris to Wisconsin. Other receivers like Caleb Goodloe are still in the portal.

Unfortunately, like most MAC programs, BGSU opens the season with somewhat of a murderer’s row (relatively speaking): Nebraska, Iowa State and USF round out the September schedule after opening against FCS school Tarleton State, who are usually one of the stronger teams in the lower division.

After that, however, the flood gates should open. Thinking about some of the most productive RBs that originated from the MAC in recent years, Peny Boone’s 2023 output of 1400 yards, Carson Steele’s 1556 yards in 2022, and Lew Nichols’ legendary run in 2021 that netted him 1800+ yards round out the most prolific runners since COVID.

On average, the MAC produces 4.6 RBs per season that hit 1000+ rushing yards, though the top rusher has been less productive lately relative to the earlier 2020s. Sieh “Bang Man” Bangura led the way in ‘25 with 1300 yards, and his predecessor Anthony Tyus did so in 2024 with 1200 yards.

The redshirt freshman Austyn Dendy averaged just shy of 100 rushing yards per game in his five appearances in 2025, and a rushing TD per game. Extrapolate that out to 12 games and the picture looks bright.

Coincidentally, Eddie George also scored five rushing TDs in his (true) freshman season. Though, in Eddie’s case, this proved not to be an antecedent for a breakout performance the following season. It wasn’t until his junior year when he hit 1353 yards rushing and 12 scores on 261 carries, while also catching 16 passes for an additional 117 yards over the course of 12 games.

That was Eddie’s third season in CFB, a symmetry that maps neatly onto this piece should Dendy follow a similar path nearly 30 years later, entering his own third collegiate season in Fall 2026.

So, with that in mind, I’m going to make a bold prediction: I think Dendy will outpace the previous two MAC leaders in rushing and hit ~1400 rushing yards in 2026. He’ll average over 100 yards rushing per game just like Eddie did, and finish the season with a similar workload figure.

The RB room cleared out around him, and there should (hopefully) be enough juice in the passing game to move the chains and keep defences honest to provide necessary space in the run game. BGSU should be able to move the ball well enough versus USF and Tarleton, maybe even versus ISU, and then the MAC schedule awaits.

I also believe that we will see a more advanced receiving profile from Dendy in 2026. His final three appearances previewed an ability to provide value in this regard, catching passes of 11, 27, and 16 yards. As was mentioned previously, this player occupied many roles in HS including WR, so there should be good clay for Eddie to sculpt.

It’s never reasonable to predict that a player will hit 1800+ rushing yards and another 300+ in receiving like Lew Nichols did in 2021, but that is the upper bound of my vision for what Dendy could be. I think 1400-1500 is well within the range of outcomes. ◾

Reminder—I AM CURRENTLY RUNNING A DISCOUNT ON ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS (until end of April):

Claim 40% Off

Paid subs have full access to all content including RB depth charts that I update monthly, camp info, spring game summaries, rankings, and other paid exclusive articles (plus a subscriber chat on substack).

If you enjoyed this content and would like to read more, I recommend joining the Pigpen, a community of thousands of degenerate college football fans:

Share

When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest.

- Ernest Hemingway, writer

This iteration of the spring game recap series includes notes from spring games that occurred on April 17 and 18.

These teams include: Georgia State, Louisville, Army, Eastern Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Texas Tech, Tulane, Miami FL, Houston, Kentucky, UAB, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Ohio State, Toledo, UTEP, and West Virginia.

You can find the previous version here:

One thing to note is that the quality of intel coming out of these games highly varies per program. Some plamaces have a lot of coverage, and some don’t. And even when intel is available, some coaches use these games primarily to see what young players are capable of, whereas others prefer to treat it like a pre-season game which is more informative.

Nonetheless, I’ve found that throughout the years there is always at least one interesting nugget that turns out to be useful from these spring game reports.

Also, now that we can embed tweets into Substack articles again these are going to be so much better going forward. Cheers.

FYI—I AM CURRENTLY RUNNING A DISCOUNT ON ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS (until end of April):

Claim 40% Off

Paid subs have full access to all content including RB depth charts that I update monthly, camp info, spring game summaries, rankings, and other paid exclusive articles (plus a subscriber chat on substack).

GEORGIA STATE

QB/WR:

Cameran Brown was the sole quarterback for Blue, coming up with the highlight play of the day with a long touchdown run to open the scoring with 9:51 left in the 1st quarter.

Redshirt freshman TJ Stanley and Merrimack transfer Ayden Pereira split the QB duties for White and it was under Pereira's leadership in the second half that they mounted their comeback.

Skill players:

Kyle Washington won a one-on-one down the sideline for a big gainer and Brown hit Grant Hollier in the corner of the end zone shortly after to double Blue’s advantage with 10:35 to go in the first half. Johnson Jr’s interception also led to points for Blue right before the break, when Washington scored on a touchdown reception of his own.

Shorter transfer running back Lanear McCrary Jr had a pair of long runs to move them into business past midfield and then Owen Dupree, a new wide receiver from West Georgia, got White on the board with a nice snag of a 50-50 ball in the end zone.

DJ Riles got a receiving touchdown with three seconds left in the third quarter.

LOUISVILLE

QB:

As Louisville began spring practice in mid-March, head coach Jeff Brohm expressed confidence with his group of quarterbacks and each individual’s ability to help the program in 2026.

Highlighted by Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz, who was brought in to “take the reins” of the offense, the group also includes West Georgia transfer Davin Wydner, Elite 11 true freshman Briggs Cherry and former walk-on Ryan Zimmerman.

Kienholz displayed an ability to run, while going 10 of 16 for 91 yards in his debut, but had little opportunity to work the ball deep.

Wydner led all passers with 194 yards and two big-play touchdowns. His first touchdown throw was a 77-yard connection with Gavin Waddell. Later, Wydner found Florida State transfer Lawayne McCoy for a 40-yard touchdown along the sideline.

“We’ve got some good arms,” Brohm said during the team’s first day of work. “We have a good mix of guys that I think can help us win.”

“I don’t think Lincoln was given a whole lot of opportunities to make some plays up the field, so we can game plan better for that,” Brohm said after the final scrimmage. “I think we know what he does well. He can throw on the move. He can throw on the run. He can scramble and make plays. He can run the ball. Yes, we got to polish up the end of pocket stuff, but we also got to do what he does best as well once he gets to game time.”

While Kienholz didn’t have a highlight-reel outing in the spring game, his ability and effort throughout spring has Brohm pleased.

“I feel comfortable because he works really hard,” Brohm said. “He’s got a great attitude.”

“Davin, has done a good job. He’s a big, strong quarterback. He’s more athletic than you think with his size. He can throw it vertically. Did a good job today. He’s had really good practices, so I think he’s done a solid job.”

Briggs Cherry threw for 142 yards and connected with freshman DJ Williams for a late score. Ryan Zimmerman contributed 123 yards and a touchdown pass to DeVaun Jones.

RB:

Louisville rushed 26 times for 99 yards with the leading running back being Braxton Jenningswith six carries for 18 yards. Isaac Brown played but didn't have a carry.

WR/TE:

Freshman wide receiver Gavin Waddell made a nice impression with five catches for 118 yards and one touchdown. He caught passes from all three U of L quarterbacks, including a 77-yard TD catch from Davin Wydner for the first TD of the game.

Another freshman target had a nice night - Julius Miles. The freshman tight end lined up as a tight end and also on the outside, catching four passes for 40 yards.

ARMY

Outlook for 2026:

While the “young Black Knights” may be more talented and athletic than some of their predecessors, experience matters and we believe the defense will struggle, especially early in the 2026 season.

In order for the Black Knights to succeed the offense will need to carry the defense until they get enough live reps to become more competent. Expect the defense to play tough but they will probably make mental errors common for inexperienced players. The offense will need to chew clock, put up points, and maximize possessions until the defense gets enough game experience.

QB:

The QB position looks solid. As opposed to 2025 when Army had to replace Captain America, Bryson Daily, with an inexperienced Cale Hellums and De’Wayne Coleman, the 2026 QB room is stacked and Coach Monken hinted at a QB competition in Fall Camp.

While the experienced “leader in the clubhouse” Cale Hellums is the odds-on favorite to win the starting job, especially with his improvements in footwork, fundamentals, and reads in the off-season, Bryson Luter and Ethan Washington will apply pressure for the starting job.

If Hellums isn’t at his best, expect Luter to take the reins. Coach Monken spoke glowingly about Luter’s athleticism, speed, running ability and arm. He ran the scout team offense in 2025 and gave Army’s experienced defense fits.

"I was pleased with how we played for the Black team,'' Hellums said, praising his offensive line. Hellums had six carries for 4 yards and completed five of six throws for 71 yards. His most-heralded completion came on a recently designed play that found rising sophomore Kofi Eduful for a 47-yard gain

Luter was 4-for-9 passing for 17 yards and had 13 carries for 52 yards. Rising junior Nehemiah Vann completed two throws, including a 20-yard gain on the final snap of the game

RB:

Among the running backs, Godspower Nwawuihe led the way with eight carries for 28 yards, a pair of first downs and a slicing 4-yard run through a large hole on the left side for the lone touchdown of the full, timed scrimmage - that came on Hellums’ second series of the contest, a nine-play, 78-yard drive.

“I thought that was a well put-together drive,’‘ Hellums said. “I thought GP (Godspower) played amazing.’‘

“I feel like I made steps in the right direction,’‘ said Nwawuihe, who converted from quarterback to running back last season. “I still have a long ways to go in the fine details of being a back at this level, but this spring definitely helped me get more comfortable in the position, get more comfortable in the offense and just gain some trust in my team and my coaches.’‘

OL:

The offensive line will be solid. I asked Brady Small if he thought the offensive line had the chance to be as special as the 2024 O-line and while he didn’t give me a definite yes, you can tell he’s “Bullish” about the strength of the 2026 “MOB.”

EASTERN MICHIGAN

Read more

Fresh on campus, it's the Birdman Junior. Money too long, teachers, put away your rulers.

- Lil Wayne, musician

FRESH ON CAMPUS in Baton Rouge is Wisconsin transfer, Dilin “GO DJ” Jones, formerly a four star-rated RB from Olney, Maryland.

First of all, I have to say that it’s very Wisconsin-esque to sign one of their only four-star prospects at the RB position. Not a lot of top-150 players make their way over to Madison. They mostly recruit three-stars, save for two positions: OL and RB.

Indeed, if you navigate over to Wisconsin’s 247 archive and subsequently scroll south to the bottom of the page, you’ll notice that most of their highest-rated historical prospects are either offensive linemen who signed recently, or players who signed in like, 2005.

In fact, with a composite score of 0.9364, Jones likely ranks within Wisconsin’s top 30 all-time recruits signed on 247 Sports.

Jones became a name to know around this time last offseason when he was working his way up the depth chart with the Badgers. Most of the CFF community had assumed that fellow sophomore Darion Dupree would take the reins as the Wisconsin RB1, when it became apparent that Jones might have usurped him.

A similar storyline is unfolding on LSU’s campus. Incumbent starter Caden Durham returns, and former five star in-state signee Harlem Berry also chose to return and play under the new regime Kiffin brought from Ole Miss. Naturally, most of us gravitated towards both of those names when assessing the LSU backfield this offseason.

Lost in the shuffle was the name Dilin Jones, who, beyond just being one of many LSU transfers, was a bust in the CFF context last season. Understandably, most of us had soured on him a bit.

But the term ‘post-hype sleeper’ exists for a reason. Think of a guy like Cam Cook, for example. Yeah, he sucked ass at TCU in 2024. Then he led the FBS in rushing and crushed as a CFF asset in 2025 with JSU. Shit happens, you feel me?

And literally, all I’m seeing on my timeline these days are positive reviews coming out of LSU camp on Dilin Jones. It’s starting to feel like Groundhog Day.

And here’s an interview with the player himself for good measure:

Ok, ok, that’s a lot of hype for sure. But, respectfully, beat writers are oftentimes wrong with their perspectives of what is happening in camp. So let’s see what the head coach himself is saying… here is Lane Kiffin re: Jones’ ascension:

"He looks really good. He has come in and been good in protection, with his vision, with his feet, and running the ball, and has really been a bright spot. For a guy that wasn't a headliner, he's played like it. And that's really critical, because that spot is extremely critical to have somebody or a number of people that again, just like the quarterback spot, makes the plays."

And now Jones himself:

“I think, really, I feel like I can do it all,” Jones said when asked about his skill set. “So, a do-it-all back. It’s a tempo offense, so having to do a lot of substitutions will slow it down. And I feel like I can stay in all four downs. I can pick up blocks. I can run the ball. I can catch out of the backfield. My speed is also there, too.”

I never really thought of it that way, but it’s true: teams that want to run up-tempo can’t really afford to substitute often, including at RB, and thus a volume-pig RB emerges more or less by necessity.

Though, to be fair, there have been non-pig seasons under Kiffin, despite his preference for an up-tempo offence. Evidently, we can only work with the ingredients we have, right?

But maybe Jones indeed fits the bellcow prototype Kiffin is looking for. Part of the problem with him is that he’s only appeared in 10 games in two years, so we don’t have a lot of data on him.

Well, what did he do last year? That’s a good question. I actually thought he showed some good things when he was healthy. Obviously it was not what any of us had hoped for, including him (probably). Wisconsin’s offence in general was poor. The offensive line was uncharacteristically poor. It was sort of like watching another team that had Wisconsin-coloured jerseys on.

And the only games that he seemed to be healthy for were Wisconsin’s toughest opponents: Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, and Alabama. This dude was running into some heavy traffic. No wonder he didn’t make it out in one piece!

Though it should be said that two of his highest rushing totals came against Michigan and Iowa:

Again, I can’t hold the YPC averages against him because the offence was pretty much a one trick pony consisting of running the backs into stacked boxes. Nothing was really working for the Badgers last fall and the RB production suffered accordingly.

One thing that doesn’t seem to be addressed by anyone thus far, though, is the fact that Kiffin’s last porcine bellcow, Kewan Lacy, caught several passes per game at Ole Miss, whereas Jones didn’t seem to have the same profile during his time at Wisconsin. It doesn’t mean he can’t be used that way at LSU of course, but we also don’t have any evidence currently that he can be used that way either.

Also, since we’ve been speaking about head coach Lane Kiffin and his up-tempo offence, it’s fair to ask: just how good has his system been for the RB position anyway?

COACHING & SYSTEM

RB1 PPG AVERAGE — HC: 17.9 — OC: 17.4

The short answer is—it’s pretty good, though maybe not as good as some might have expected. Below is a summary of every RB1 statistical output dating back to 2009 from every team Kiffin either OC’d or HC’d.

Lane Kiffin RB1 — Full HC + OC Career Fantasy Production

Scoring: 0.1/yd rush, 6/rush TD, 1/rec, 0.1/rec yd, 6/rec TD

The Ole Miss years were up and down. Early on in Kiffin’s tenure, they ran a platoon with Jerrion Ealy as the RB1A. Later, when QJ arrived, they began unloading massive amounts of volume into that one player. They attempted to do the same with Henry Parrish Jr., but his body could not withstand the workload, and he broke down by October.

And then of course, Kewan Lacy in 2025, who obliterated Kiffin’s previous carry leader at Ole Miss with 306 (in 15 games).

The four year period of 2015-2018 spanning between Alabama and FAU were probably Kiffin’s high point in the context of this article. I don’t know how much credit I can give to Kiffin for Derrick Henry’s Heisman season, given that DH has been a workhorse everywhere he’s gone. Devin Singletary at FAU was pretty legit, though.

Also, what are the odds that two separate Ole Miss runners would finish with the exact same yardage (1567) in the span of four years (QJ in 2022, KL in 2025)? That’s kind of crazy.

The OC, Charlie Weis, has been with Kiffin every year since 2018 save for a two-year period during the pandemic (2020-21), so his track record is basically identical.

In terms of pace of play calling, Kiffin’s offence is often described as ‘up-tempo’, but just how fast is it? Last year, his Rebels ranked 14th and 13th in seconds per play (23.5) and plays per game (73.4), respectively. Kiffin’s three-year average of 21.9 seconds per play would rank him squarely in the top ten of teams each season. So it is a fast offence.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

The spring hype in favour of Jones is great. But we as experienced CFFers have seen this story many times before, too. Many a spring ball hero has faded into obscurity once the lights come on. In fact, Jones himself is one such example from last season.

As mentioned, it was a tough situation at Wisconsin last season. I don’t think this was a case of Jones simply being a spring-ball hero (read: better practice player). What I’m more interested in is seeing how the rotation shakes out with a returning starter and a five star rated sophomore also in the mix, among others. If Jones does indeed win the starting job, I’m happy to go back ‘in’ on him as a CFF asset despite the disappointment last year.

As these camp updates proliferate through the CFF community, I’d imagine that we will start to see Jones get selected in current bestball drafts. I doubt he has a lot of ADP data so far this offseason (none on Campus2Canton), so he’ll be a riser over late spring/early summer.

I don’t think it’s wise to go all in on a player like this with the current info we have. Drafting him is one thing, taking him early in drafts (like I know a few of you sickos will probably do) is another matter entirely. No need to get too aggressive here, fellas.

Let the camp updates continue to roll out and in the meantime take a few fliers on Dilin Jones where appropriate (he’s got no ADP, so let’s assume late in drafts?). And there’s nothing to say you can’t swing back and grab Durham and Berry later on, or at some other point in the draft too. That’s always a good move in a situation like this. ◾

FYI—I AM CURRENTLY RUNNING A DISCOUNT ON ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS (until end of April):

Claim 40% Off

Paid subs have full access to all content including RB depth charts that I update monthly, camp info, spring game summaries, rankings, and other paid exclusive articles (plus a subscriber chat on substack).

If you enjoyed this content and would like to read more, I recommend joining the Pigpen, a community of thousands of degenerate college football fans:

Share

God is on the side with the best artillery.

- Napoleon, former military general

I know, I know, we are decidedly PAST Q1 on the calendar. I was dragging my feet with this one. I have titled it as ‘Q1’ for accounting purposes only as I’ll be making a second iteration of this one along with the other positions in May/June in which I will appropriately name it ‘Q2’.

In the end, most of the intel I’m basing these rankings on is from Q1 period information anyways, so, you know, it still works. Sort of.

FYI—I AM CURRENTLY RUNNING A DISCOUNT ON ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS (until end of April):

Claim 40% Off

Paid subs have full access to all content including RB depth charts that I update monthly, camp info, spring game summaries, rankings, and other paid exclusive articles (plus a subscriber chat on substack).

You can find the previous rankings articles here (WR, RB):

1. Brad Jackson (TXST) — I mean, who else but the returning PPG leader for the top spot, right? I know, I know, we’re ranking with 2026 in mind and not just measuring who was the best in 2025, but it’s hard not to default to Jackson given his body of work last season. Knowing the game of CFF, it almost certainly means he WON’T be the literal QB1 in PPG or total points scored in 2026, but as you all know I like to rank based on who I think has the best chance of at least being ‘good’, and in the case of QBs that generally means around 24-26 PPG depending on the scoring format. He has all the attributes we want in a CFF QB (dual threat, returning staff, returning WRs), and he even plays in the G5, so there’s a lot going for him.

Read more

鹰翔四月，春风借翼。

(When the eagle soars in April, the spring wind lends its wings.)

— Ancient Chinese Proverb, anonymous

You can expect depth chart orderings and notes on all 137 FBS programs for the RB position in this document.

You can find the player’s stats and profile information by clicking on their names. The ordering of the charts are determined using a variety of sources, including beat reports and third party services such as Rotowire and . In the absence of concrete information, a best guess is made based on last year’s rotation (it’ll be clearly indicated if this is the case in the ‘note’ section).

The recruiting ranking of each player is derived from ON3 or 247Sports.

Note on injury designations:

• Probable — Player suffered an injury but is practicing or expected to return soon.

• Questionable — Player suffered an injury and is expected to miss significant time in spring/fall camp and/or has yet to return from injury.

• Out/OFS — Player is out indefinitely.

PPG: I have provided with each program the head coach’s and OC’s PPG average for their RB1s (half PPR). This average pulls from a sample of data between 2018 and 2024, so keep in mind that for some coaches who only have one year in that sample, the numbers could skew very high or low. Data is provided by Joe from .

OL: Measure of returning snaps on the offensive line. These figures are provided by CFBWinningEdge.

The PPG and OL numbers relate to the OL and coaching staff who coached the team in 2025. These numbers will be updated later in the offseason when the smoke clears.***

BTW—I AM CURRENTLY RUNNING A DISCOUNT ON ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS:

Claim 40% Off

Paid subs have full access to all content including these RB depth charts that I update monthly, spring camp info, spring game summaries, and other paid exclusive articles (plus a subscriber chat on substack).

Alabama

(HC / OC) PPG: 15.3 / 16.6 — OL: 65%

Daniel Hill | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | MS
Kevin Riley | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | AL

Note: Alabama struggled to run the ball in 2025, in part due to a problematic OL, but also lack of playmakers at RB. Notes out of the spring game were not encouraging on either fronts. Crowell is in a boot currently (April 13).

Akylin Dear | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | MS
Traeshawn Brown | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Khalifa Keith | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Ezavier Crowell QUES | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | AL

Key departures:

• Richard Young | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL

• Jamorian Miller QUES | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | TX

• Dre’lyn Washington | 2021 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Air Force

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.5 / 14.5 — OL: 55%

Owen Allen | 2023 | TX
Travis Wood (FB) | 2024 | ⭐⭐ | CA

Note: AF runs a triple-option offence that utilizes both a RB and a FB. It’s typically the FB position that dominates the rushing production in this offence. Service academies are particularly challenging to track eligibility and should have more info as offseason continues. 2026 Spring roster shows most of the 2025 room cleared out, excluding Owen Allen and Travis Wood. Kemper Hodges is still on the team but listed a QB. Players listed with (FB) are designated fullbacks on the roster.

Oswaldo Morales | 2025 | TX
Rocco Conti | 2023 | OH
Jalen Rashad Turner | 2023 | GA
Omar Elias (FB) | 2024 | KS
Jacob Doyle (FB) | 2025 | IA
Cade Palmer (FB) | 2025 | CO
Gage LaDue (FB) | 2024 | TN
Luke Ruah (FB) | 2024 | OK
Price Davis (FB) | 2025 | TN

Key departures:

• Dylan Carson | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | WA

• Kade Frew | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

• Kemper Hodges | 2023 | FL

• Terrence Gist | 2021 | SC

• Kaden Cloud | 2021 | AZ

• Connor Mathews | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Akron

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.3 / NA — OL: 36%

Jordan Gant | 2022 | FL
Sean Patrick | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH

Note: Sean Patrick started the year as the RB1, but Tennessee State transfer Jordan Gant took over when he was injured and never looked back. Gant is Akron’s first 1000 yard rusher since 2008, and (as of writing this) is still on Akron’s roster for 2026. Curry looks to have preserved his redshirt.

Marquese Williams QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | PA
Taven Curry | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Chris Gee QUES | 2023 | TX
Luke Reed | 2025 | OH

Key departures:

Appalachian State

(HC / OC) PPG: 13.8 / NA — OL: 26%

Jaquari Lewis | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Kanye Roberts QUES | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC

Note: True freshman Jaq Lewis took over as the bellcow late in the year and enters ‘26 as the expected starter. Roberts missed 2025 with an ACL injury and will return in 2026.

Max Guest | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC
Treyaun Webb | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL
J’Marion Burnette | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | AL

Key departures:

• Rashod Dubinion | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | GA

• Khalifa Keith | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL

• Jaylon Calhoun | 2023 | GA

• Khamani Alexander | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Arkansas

(HC / OC) PPG: 12.8 / 10.5 — OL: 56%

Sutton Smith | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA
Braylen Russell | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | AR

Note: Sutton Smith followed new head coach Ryan Silverfield from Memphis. Russell is now full go in practice (as of April, 2026). Sutton Smith was seen catching passes from QB AJ Hill in spring practice. Silverfield recently said this about him: “Sutton is someone our staff is very familiar with. He’s a dynamic runner.”

Jasper Parker | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MI
Markeylin Batton | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Cam Settles | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AR
TJ Hodges | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | AR

Key departures:

• Mike Washington | 2021 | ⭐⭐ | NY

• Rodney Hill | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA

• AJ Green | 2018 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | OK

Arkansas State

(HC / OC) PPG: 10.1 / 10.8 — OL: 55%

Kenyon Clay | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MS
Devin Spencer | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Note: Cross suffered a season ending knee injury in 2025, and is now in the portal. Clay was interviewed with the head coach earlier in April as part of spring ball updates. Sounds like he and Spencer will split most of the work.

Ezell Jolly | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Nasir Allen | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Damon Sisa | 2024 | TN
Corey Reddick | 2022 | FL
Solomon Baggett | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MS

Key departures:

• Ja’Quez Cross QUES | 2021 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AR

• Tyler Williams | 2022 | AR

• Cedric Hawkins QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AR

Arizona

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.8 / 13.2 — OL: 50%

Kedrick Reescano QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Quincy Craig QUES | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | CA

Note: Reescano and Craig were both recently interviewed as an update on spring ball. This is a good indicator that they are expected to be the starters.

Wesley Yarbrough | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Cornelius Warren | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Mike Mitchell QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Antwan Roberts | 2023 | TN

Key departures:

• Ismail Mahdi | 2023 | TX

Arizona State

(HC / OC) PPG: 20.4 / 18.9 — OL: 67%

Kyson Brown | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Marquis Gillis | 2022 | DE

Note: Kyson Brown opened the year as the starter but fell to injury. Raleek Brown took over, but has since transferred to Texas. Avit and Gillis are promotions from lower divisions. Gillis has apparently been impressive in spring camp, as has freshman Cardae Mack.

David Avit | 2024 | MD
Demarius Robinson | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OK
Jason Brown | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | WA
Cardae Mack | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Key departures:

• Kanye Udoh | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NJ

• Raleek Brown | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | CA

Army

(HC / OC) PPG: 10 / 13.2 — OL: 43%

Jake Rendina | 2023 | MT
Carson Smith | 2024 | MD

Note: Service academies roster a lot of ‘RBs’ and are the most difficult to track beyond the top two or three starters. Nwawuihe does not currently have RB eligibility on Fantrax (listed as QB). He had a big bowl game as a runner. I’m tentatively listing him here for now, but it is not clear what position eligibility he’ll get. Army rosters RBs and ‘SBs’ that also operate as runners out of the backfield.

Godspower Nwawuihe* | 2025 | TX
Briggs Bartosh QUES | 2023 | MO
Demani Stewart | 2025 | TX
Jayden Walker (SB) | 2024 | TX
Brady Mott (SB) | 2023 | CA
Lloyd Benson (SB) | 2023 | LA
BJ Alleyne (SB) | 2025 | DE
Chase Knox (SB) | 2024 | DE

Key departures:

• Noah Short | 2021 | ⭐⭐ | CA

• Hayden Reed | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

• Jack Kayser | 2024 | TX

• Trey Morris | 2024 | OH

• Trey Tremba | 2024 | PA

Auburn

(HC / OC) PPG: 13.9 / 16.5 — OL: 88%

Jeremiah Cobb | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Bryson Washington QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Note: Cobb returns after playing the starting role in 2025. Davenport transferred from USF. B. Washington was a star at Baylor, and will form what is likely to be a committee with Cobb, Davenport and Mabsen in ‘26.

Nykahi Davenport | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA
Omar Mabsen | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Tae Meadows | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Alvin Henderson | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Justin Jones | 2021 | AL

Key departures:

• Damari Alston PROB | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | GA

• Durell Robinson | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MD

Ball State

(HC / OC) PPG: 10.9 / NA — OL: 17%

Jalen Bonds | 2025 | ⭐⭐ | IN
Johnny Thompson Jr. | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | CA

Note: Thompson transferred from Kansas. Starter Q. Ashley remains in the portal as of April 15.

TJ Horton QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | KY
Elijah Jackson | 2022 | IN
Jalen Alexander | 2024 | IN
DJ Williams | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH

Key departures:

• Qua Ashley | 2022 | GA

Baylor

(HC / OC) PPG: 15.9 / 14.0 — OL: 76%

Caden Knighten | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OK
Micheal Turner | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Note: Watson converted from WR to RB. Sounds like all of the injured RBs (Knighton, Turner, Pendergrass) are back full go now. The RBs coach spoke about each of the RBs here.

Dawson Pendergrass | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Jacorey Watson | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Ryelan Morris | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | TX
HD Davis | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Key departures:

• Bryson Washington | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

• Joseph Dodds | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Boise State

(HC / OC) PPG: 35.1 / 31.2 — OL: 79%

Dylan Riley | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | CA
Sire Gaines | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | CA

Note: The PPG average is skewed by one season of data and does not incorporate 2025 yet. Goff joins from Pitt, Stewart from Kansas. Spring reports suggest both Riley and Gaines will share RB1 duties this offseason.

Juelz Goff | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | PA
Harry Stewart | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Ethan Mikita Ques | 2022 | ID
Keilan Chavies | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Mariyon Sloan | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | CA

Key departures:

• Malik Sherrod | 2020 | ⭐⭐⭐ | CA

• Jambres Dubar PROB | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

• Greg Ard | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Boston College

(HC / OC) PPG: 16.8 / 11.9 — OL: 52%

Evan Dickens | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA
Nolan Ray | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MI

Note: Dickens transferred from Liberty after a very productive season. Ray from Maryland. Star RB Turbo Richard transferred to IU.

Jordan McDonald | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA
Bo MacCormack | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MA
Mekhi Dodd | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MA
Sedric Addison | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA

Key departures:

• Turbo Richard | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | SC

• Vaughn Pemberton | 2022 | ⭐⭐ | IL

• Alex Broome Ques | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TN

Bowling Green

(HC / OC) PPG: NA / NA — OL: 74%

Austyn Dendy | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AR
Nakai Amachree QUES | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MI

Note: Dendy became the bellcow in November.

Leo Kemp | 2023 | CA
PaSean Wimberly PROB | 2020 | OH
Tristin Blackmon | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL

Key Departures:

• Cameron Pettaway | 2024 | MI

• Mar’kel Porter | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

• Kaderris Roberts | 2021 | FL

• Chris McMillian | 2022 | GA

Buffalo

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.8 / 15.0 — OL: 60%

Terrance Shelton | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | WI
Messiah Burch | 2023 | NY

Note: Henderson is out of eligibility. Not a lot of updates out of UB camp yet.

James McNeil Jr. | 2024 | NY
Nino Hill | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH
Devare Mathis | 2022 | NY
Chase Enlow | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NJ

Key Departures:

• Al-Jay Henderson | 2021 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NJ

• Lamar Sperling | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH

BYU

(HC / OC) PPG: 13.6 / 15.6 — OL: 54%

LJ Martin PROB | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Sione I Moa | 2024 | CA

Note: Star RB LJ Martin is still recovering from shoulder surgery in 2025, not participating in early spring drills, but has been upgraded to PROB from QUES. Sione Moa is back full go.

Pokaiaua Haunga | 2024 | UT
Cale Breslin | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NV
Kingston Keanaaina | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | CA
Devaughn Eka | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | UT

Key Departures:

California

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.9 / 16.5 — OL: 20%

Adam Mohammed | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AZ
Ashten Emory | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Note: A lot of turnover in this room. Mohammed joins from UW and is early betting favourite to assume RB1 role. Emory came from UTEP. Mohammed was recently singled out by QB JKS in an interview.

LJ Johnson QUES | 2021 |⭐⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Jamaal Wiley | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Carter Vargas | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | CA
Dean-Taylor Chapman | 2023 | CA
Anthony League | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | CA
Jayden Parker QUES | 2024 | CA
Victor Santino | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Key Departures:

• Kendrick Raphael | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

• Brandon High | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Central Florida (UCF)

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.1 / NA — OL: 25%

Duke Watson | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA
Landen Chambers | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Note: Chambers promoted from FCS. Watson, Chambers, and Swint are the top three players mentioned out of spring ball.

Tavion Swint | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Agyeman Addae | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Kaj Baker | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Arthur Lewis | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Key Departures:

• Jaden Nixon | 2021 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

• Stacy Gage | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

• Myles Montgomery | 2021 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Central Michigan

(HC / OC) PPG: 5.8 / NA — OL: 53%

Vaughn Blue | 2023 | SC
Brock Townsend | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MI

Jakivion Calip QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH
Germanuel Tanelus | 2022 | FL
Nahree Biggins QUES | 2020 | NJ
Mekhi Jenkins | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MI
Jayel Harris | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH
Traverse Moore | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MI

Key departures:

• Trey Cornist | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH

Charlotte

(HC / OC) PPG: 15.4 / 15.9 — OL: 23%

Jariel Cobb QUES | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC
Henry Rutledge QUES| 2021 | NC

Note: Gainey transferred to LSU. Perteet is a late transfer from CCO. In 2024, he ran for 1223 yards and 13 scores on 5.3 yards-per-carry (230 touches) in JuCo.

Khamani Alexander | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
D’Mariun Perteet | 2023 | MS
Tre McLeod | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | PA
Chance Williams | 2022 | LA

Key departures:

• Rod Gainey | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

• CJ Stokes | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | SC

Cincinnati

(HC / OC) PPG: 12.5 / 13.7 — OL: 36%

Zion Johnson | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA
Zylan Perry | 2022 | LA

Note: Satterfield indicated that Zion Johnson will open spring as the starter. Another writer said that in his opinion, the most likely to start is Perry.

Cole Tabb | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Gi’Bran Payne | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | OH
Cade Wolford | 2024 | ⭐⭐ | OH
Jayzon Thompson | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TN

Key departures:

• Tawee Walker | 2022 | NV

• Evan Pryor QUES | 2021 |⭐⭐⭐⭐ | NC

• Chance Williams | 2022 | LA

• JaKorion Coffey | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH

• Manny Covey | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Clemson

(HC / OC) PPG: 18.7 / 15.5 — OL: 82%

Gideon Davidson | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | VA
Chris Johnson | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Note: HC Dabo Swinney recently stated that SMU transfer Chris Johnson has gained around 10 pounds since joining the team. He praised his work ethic in the weight room after arriving to the program looking “like a guy that ain’t been serious about being great.” I’d (VP) still give the odds to Davidson to be RB1, with CJ as a change of pace option behind him as things currently stand.

David Eziomume | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA
Jay Haynes QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Jarvis Green QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | SC

Key departures:

• Adam Randall QUES | 2021 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | SC

• Keith Adams | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | UT

Coastal Carolina

(HC / OC) PPG: 11.3 / 9.0 — OL: 72%

Daelen Alexander | 2023 | TX
Jaden Allen-Hendrix | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | SC

Note: Alexander joins from Rice. ARK transfer Rodney Hill no longer on the spring roster.

Dominic Knicely | 2025 | VA
Jevon Edwards | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | SC

Key departures:

• Matt Pack | 2021 | SC

• Ja’Vin Simpkins QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

• Jalen John | 2020 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OR

• Rodney Hill | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA

• D’Mariun Perteet | 2023 | MS

Colorado

(HC / OC) PPG: 13.0 / 6.6 — OL: 49%

Damian Henderson | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | CA
Micah Welch | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA

Note: Henderson, the former CSU/Sacramento St. RB led the team in rushing during the spring game.

Richard Young | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL
DeKalon Taylor | 2022 | TX
Jaquail Smith | 2025 ] CA
Cam Newton | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Key departures:

• Dallan Hayden | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | TN

• Simeon Price | 2021 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Colorado State

(HC / OC) PPG: 11.6 / 11.6 — OL: 44%

Mel Brown | 2022 | GA
Durell Robinson | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MD

Note: Mel Brown was praised by the head coach Jim Mora during the spring game. Sounds like he’s in poll position for RB1 duties.

Read more

Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.

- Mark Twain, writer

There are several key elements at the foundation of every ‘three-down RB’. Many believe it is just a matter of running ability. This couldn’t be any farther from the truth. Understanding one’s assignment, running routes, and—perhaps most importantly—pass blocking prowess round out the list of job requirements for any runner hoping to secure bellcow status.

This is part of what makes identifying potential CFF producers at RB ahead of time so tricky. Many players have the raw ability to do a lot of damage with the ball in their hands, but they simply won’t receive the requisite workload from their coaching staff to make a mark in the game of CFF.

That may or may not be the case at UConn this year under new head coach Jason Candle. What we do know for a fact ahead of time is that his track record at Toledo suggests he would like to have one runner handle the majority of snaps at that position.

Whether it be names earlier in his tenure like Kareem Hunt and Terry Swanson, or my man Bryant Koback in 2021, or even this past season with erstwhile OSU/ASU/UK runner Chip Trayanum, Candle’s Rockets routinely lean on one weapon of choice out of the backfield per season.

Looking closer at each season (Table 1. below), and including receiving volume now too, we can see that on average the RB1 under Candle handles approximately 210 touches, and outputs around 1300 total yards. Furthermore, the RB1 dating back to 2012 averages double digit rushing TDs per season. That’ll work.

But who might Candle’s preferred runner be this season in a transition year with a new program? I wasn’t expecting to get a lot of information out of camp (indeed, I don’t remember getting a lot out of Toledo when Candle was there, and UConn is similarly not a program with a ton of coverage); but, to my pleasant surprise, we did receive a very positive update on one player from UConn’s spring game. Here is a beat writer who covers the program:

Get used to the name: Trey Cornist

There wasn’t any tackling on Saturday, but one look at running back Trey Cornist would suggest he’d be hard to bring down anyway. The 6-foot, 215-pound transfer from Central Michigan will be used in a number of different ways from short-yardage situations to runs outside the tackles; he even caught a handful of screen passes.

“Trey’s a big-bodied back that does a great job in pass protection, catches it pretty well out of the backfield for his size,” Candle said. “Look, I’m not here to coach guys on what to do after they get the ball in their hands when they go run with it, so he’s good at that too. He could be a three-down back.”

The quotes from the coach are much more important than anything from the beat writers. A specific mention of a ‘three-down back’ possibility for Trey Cornist is a big event in my mind.

Even more so when considering that Candle only brought one player from Toledo with him and it was Kenji Christian, who did not do much last season. Furthermore, Candle would have had familiarity with Cornist from his time in the MAC given that Trey played with CMU last season. Sure, he only took three carries for 8 yards when he played Candle’s Rockets, but it’s better than nothing.

Cornist was someone I was mildly interested in last year following his move from Tulane (2023-2024) to CMU, given that the Chippewas were replacing their top two runners from 2024, but the vision didn’t materialize.

At 6’0, 215 pounds, Cornist certainly has the size profile to be an every down runner at the collegiate level. The question is more-so about his skillset, especially given that he doesn’t have a huge sample of snaps to evaluate.

He was a three-star-rated prospect in the class of 2023 who committed to Willie Fritz’ Tulane program. He stuck around with Jon Sumrall in 2024, before transferring closer to home in the MAC.

He failed to appear in any games as a freshman, but did play in six games as a sophomore with the Green Wave. In those appearances he accumulated 149 rushing yards and one score on 22 rush attempts. He also caught two passes on two targets for 21 yards.

Last year with the Chippewas was by far his most productive campaign to date. Cornist received 105 carries, of which he took for 470 yards and one score (~4 PPG in CFF). He was targeted on one pass, but did not catch it.

CLOSING THOUGHTS + OTHER PLAYERS TO CONSIDER

First of all, I want to give a shoutout to the esteemed John Laub (aka the Gridiron Scholar). I’ve been writing for three years now and this is the first time I’ve had the chance to feature a player from his favourite program. I also hope it will help persuade him in finally joining the Golden Pig Invitational—and I do think that it will. I believe this is finally the year that I will bag the elephant 🤞.

Back to the topic at hand—the head coach specifically mentioning Cornist’s name along with some positive language like ‘three-down back’ is very encouraging. However, there are other players in the room who are also notable.

Dashun Reeder (6’0, 190) had some moments last season with Northwestern, including an 11 carry, 79 yard performance vs. ULM. He’s a transfer down as far as competition level, so he’s definitely a guy to worry about in my opinion.

There is also the aforementioned Kenji Christian, who Candle brought with him from Toledo. Christian was an FCS transfer in 2025, who accumulated almost 1000 yards total as a freshman in 2023 at that level.

WVU transfer Cyncir Bowers is of the Reeder mold in that he is a transfer down who starred at times for his former club last season. I expect he will make some noise at some point this offseason.

In fact, admittedly, of all the names brought in this offseason, Cornist was really not near the top of my list of who I assumed might take over as the bellcow. Nonetheless, as always, I default to the quotes from the horse’s mouth. If the head coach says he likes Cornist, then I like Cornist too.

Clearly, based on the system track record, every CFF drafter should be dialled in on what the word is out of this camp because there is likely to be a valuable runner coming from this program in 2026. Hopefully we continue to get updates out of this camp in late spring and summer. ◾

If you enjoyed this content and would like to read more, I recommend joining the Pigpen, a community of thousands of degenerate college football fans:

Share

If they can't use an Auburn man for the job they should shut the damn place down.

- Shug Jordan, former football coach

When current Alabama wide receiver Ryan (Coleman) Williams set the receiving record at Yellowhammer state powerhouse Saraland High, I imagine he probably thought that record would stand for at least the duration of his collegiate career. Furthermore—in the unlikely event that someone else would come along and break the record held by the first ever back-to-back Alabama Mr. Football—I’d imagine he didn’t think it would be a RB who would do it.

Incoming Auburn freshman Deshawn Spencer is fresh off his 2025 senior campaign with Saraland, where he produced 1709 receiving yards, passing Williams’ previous mark of 1641. Not only that, but he did this in just his second season ever playing the wide receiver position, and in one less game than Williams had.

Here is what 247 Sports writer Hudson Standish had to say about Spencer coming out of high school:

Former running back who made the switch to slot receiver and blossomed into one of Alabama's top pass catchers as a junior. Verified around 5-foot-10, 160 pounds with a good top-end gear and impressive short-area quickness.

Named a top performer at the loaded Under Armour Atlanta regional camp after a one-on-one session that saw him create separation at all three levels against some of the Deep South's top defensive backs. Smooth mover who can accelerate and decelerate with ease before and after the catch. Can struggle at times when jammed off the line of scrimmage, which could be a result of the recent move to wideout.

Profiles as a versatile offensive skill player who can move around the formation and factor into both the rushing and receiving attack. Should be viewed as a high-floor slot receiver with a unique skillset and the athletic tools to merit NFL Draft consideration.

Understandably, Spencer was highly coveted around the country, including the former USF staff. And given that Spencer hails from the state of Alabama, retaining the relationship was a no-brainer once the staff made their way over to Auburn:

When Kodi Burns knew he was making the move from USF to Auburn with Alex Golesh, one of the first things he did was get on the phone with speedy wide receiver Deshawn Spencer from Saraland (Alabama) High. A talented player that put up huge numbers as a senior for coach Jeff Kelly, Spencer was being recruited by the Bulls to come to South Florida but was headed to Duke before Auburn came calling.

“I thought he was always one of the better slots in the country,” Burns said earlier in the spring. “I had an authentic relationship with him and his whole family. We thought we had a real chance. And we honestly did, at the end, at USF. Obviously, just the timing of everything where we get the job Sunday, right before Signing Day — and he’s here, and it makes sense, right?

“Because he wanted to be in this system that we run, this offense, but it’s obviously hard to turn down the SEC. Super excited to be able to work with him. Uber-talented. Comes from an incredible program at Saraland that just puts players out. Long time ago, we had Velus Jones at Tennessee, who I coached for a year and then he went in the third round. They’re all kind of that same mold.”

Burns’ resolve to bring Spencer into his WR room may be paying dividends sooner than expected, as the former Saraland product appears to be transitioning to college fairly seamlessly:

Making the flip and signing with the Tigers, Spencer is someone that came into the program prepared to play and it has shown up on the practice field this spring. On Thursday night he backed up that play in the first spring scrimmage for the Tigers and Golesh said he’s earning the right to get more reps as they work towards the A-Day game in two weeks.

As a senior he caught 94 passes for 1,709 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also added 489 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 54 carries. Those numbers in a college system at Saraland prepared him for the moment. Golesh said he hasn't backed away from his opportunity.

“A name that has really stood out that I really didn’t know what to expect, I would say Deshawn Spencer,” Golesh said. “He’s a natural football player. Really smart, tough. He’s put on 10 pounds since he’s been here. Obviously he comes from a great program. He’s been coached extremely well. It’s not really surprising, but I guess I didn’t really know if it would translate this quickly. He has taken it and run with it.”

Something CFFers should immediately be making a note of is that Spencer is tabbed as a slot receiver in this program (not surprising given his physical profile), which as we’ll see in the next section is important.

COACHING & SYSTEM: We ❤️ Slots

WR1 PPG AVERAGE — HC: 14.5 — OC: 13.1 (half ppr)

Former USF head coach Alex Golesh is a disciple of the Josh Heupel coaching tree, serving as his OC at Tennessee in 2021 and 2022. He made his way onto my radar in a big way during the 2022 season when his protégé in the slot, Jalin Hyatt, torched CFB and won the Biletnikoff Award.

His primary OC (and QBs coach), Joel Gordon, joined Golesh’s staff in 2023 after serving as the pass game coordinator and QBs coach at ISU from 2018 to 2022.

Kodi Burns is listed as a co-OC and WRs coach. He was in the same position with USF in 2025, and prior to that the WRs coach at NFL team New Orleans Saints (2022-2024) and Tennessee (2021), so there was a prior relationship there with Golesh. However, this will not be Burns’ first stint on the Plains. He was also the WRs coach (2019-2020) and co-OC (2016-2018) with the Tigers.

I don’t have PPG numbers for Burns, but of the Auburn teams he was associated with when he occupied a play calling title, the highest receiving output was Ryan Davis (5’10, 180) with 84(!) receptions, 815 yards and five scores. The other two seasons were not good statistically.

As can be seen in Table 1 below, the slot receiver position is the preferred option in this system. Between 2022 and 2024, the slot receiver led the team in target share for three straight seasons.

And not captured in the table is Marlon Williams’ 2020 season. Williams finished the shortened COVID campaign with 1039 yards and 10 TDs on 71 receptions from the slot position; and yes, he was UCF’s WR1 by target share.

That being said, we can see via Singleton this past season, and Cedric Tillman in 2021, that the outside guys can get some love too if they’re worthy.

Unsurprisingly, as a Heupel Air Raid disciple, Golesh’s teams move very fast. His average hovers around 20 seconds per play, which means his offences are in the top 5-to-10 FBS programs in regards to pace each season.

The number of plays per game of the teams he’s been associated with never falls below 72, with a career high of 79 plays per game in 2023. That scaled back to only 72 plays per game in 2024, and 73 per game in 2025 (part of the reason for the lower plays this season was the amount of blowouts USF was in).

However, what may surprise the reader is that Golesh’s offences lean more heavily into the run. His average over the last four seasons is a 56/44 split, and a 55/45 split at USF. Even when Jalin Hyatt had his career year in 2022, Tennessee’s split was 55/45 in favour of the ground game.

OUTLOOK FOR 2026: DESHAWN SPENCER

Part of the USF import when Golesh took over included bringing many of his top receivers over from his former program, so there is a bit of a logjam on the depth chart currently.

Golesh’s WR1 last year, Keshaun Singleton (6’3), is also making his presence known within the program this spring and it would be a surprise if he’s not one of the starters. He’ll most certainly be on the boundary, though.

Jeremiah Koger (6’3) is the other one from USF who is likely to occupy a boundary role in the starting rotation.

At slot receiver there are a few names competing; Chas Nimrod was the starter under Golesh at USF last season when healthy. He is who I have pencilled in as the default starter until further notice. Christian Neptune would probably be my expected #2 in the slot behind him.

That being said, there is often two slots on the field in this offence, so both will effectively start, leaving more room for a slot receiver behind them to come in and get reps as the second string (potentially someone like Spencer, for example).

Bryce Cain, who was at Auburn last season, is also back this year and will be competing with the aforementioned names for reps in the slot as well.

All that to say, it’s going to be tough sledding for Spencer to get on the field regularly as a true freshman this year. Encouragingly, however, he is apparently taking reps with the 2s in camp as we speak (as of early April):

“He has taken reps with the twos and has kind of worked his way up,” Golesh said. “Slowly but surely he’s earning reps. He’ll get reps with the ones the next couple of weeks.

Christian Neptune has been out the last couple of practices and it allowed a guy like Deshawn to step up. Last night the moment wasn’t too big for him, which was impressive to watch.”

As suspected, Nimrod and Neptune are the two default starters in the slot, and if one goes down (i.e. Neptune), then Spencer appears to have positioned himself as the next guy up.

That’s encouraging for his longterm outlook, but it is still an unlikely profile to be profitable in CFF this upcoming season.

File this one away as a C2C/Devy/Dynasty asset for now. I don’t think we’re at the point of interest from a pure CFF context yet. ◾

If you enjoyed this content and would like to read more, I recommend joining the Pigpen, a community of thousands of degenerate college football fans:

Share

You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.

- Pablo Neruda, poet

Friends, we’re firing up this series once again. The first iteration includes notes from all spring games that occurred from March up until April 11.

These teams include: Clemson, Nebraska, USC, Rice, Nevada, Mississippi State, Bowling Green, Colorado State, Colorado, Florida, Purdue, South Alabama, WKU, Alabama, Temple, Tennessee, UConn, Pitt, FIU, Marshall and Syracuse.

One thing to note is that the quality of intel coming out of these games highly varies per program. Some places have a lot of coverage, and some don’t. And even when intel is available, some coaches use these games primarily to see what young players are capable of, whereas others prefer to treat it like a pre-season game which is more informative.

Nonetheless, I’ve found that throughout the years there is always at least one interesting nugget that turns out to be useful from these spring game reports.

Also, now that we can embed tweets into Substack articles again these are going to be so much better going forward. Cheers.

CLEMSON

QB:

Vizzina the Guy Heading Into Summer

Chris Vizzina is the clear-cut No. 1 coming out of the spring. The rising redshirt junior went 10-of-18 for 95 yards and a touchdown throw. He wasn’t overly impressive, but he was solid. It was a pretty vanilla game plan of offense. His back-shoulder touchdown pass couldn’t have been thrown much better.

Clear-Cut No. 2?

It appears the Tigers have settled on a backup quarterback. After taking all the second team reps in the media viewing window on Monday, freshman Tait Reynolds was once again clearly QB2 on Saturday. Chris Denson, who was expected to be a factor in the battle for the starting job, was not even seen in the first half.

Reynolds was 6-of-8 passing for 68 yards and he ran one in for a score.

If anyone in that room is going to challenge Vizzina in the summer and fall, it is going to be the true freshman.

WR:

Freshman Wideouts

While Naeem Burroughs and even Connor Salmin got a lot of the 2026 recruiting hype, it was Gordon Sellers who stood out on Saturday. He had three catches, including a back-shoulder touchdown grab from Vizzina that was a thing of beauty.

NEBRASKA

QB/WR:

A major talking point, no surprise here, was the quarterback competition this spring. Though returnee T.J. Lateef started the game, Anthony Colandrea played with the first team, finishing with 12 pass completions on 19 attempts for 80 yards and the game’s first two touchdowns, 6 yards to Jacory Barney Jr. and 8 yards to Quinn Clark. Colandrea threw one interception, to Donovan Jones. Colandrea is a transfer from UNLV who also played at Virginia. He didn’t play during the second half.

RB:

Jamal Rule is a true freshman from Salisbury, N.C. He carried three consecutive times to begin the spring game and finished as the game’s leading rusher, gaining a combined 121 yards on 10 carries, aided, of course, by the 75-yard run. Even though the Huskers appear to have a deep running back room, Rule has worked his way into the mix. “Jamal’s certainly, certainly, certainly preparing to play this year as a freshman,” Coach Matt Rhule said post-game.

OL:

Nebraska has “a lot of good depth” in the offensive line room, according to Rhule. He feels good about the “first five, first eight,” he said. The first five include three transfers: guards Brendan Black (Iowa State) and Paul Mubenga (LSU) and tackle Tree Babalade (South Carolina). They join tackle Elijah Pritchett, an Alabama transfer last year, and center Justin Evans, a team leader. Rhule also mentioned Sam Sledge, Tyler Knaak and Gunnar Gottula, who has been out this spring.

USC

USC opted to skip a formal spring game, instead having a closed practice. These were some notes from USC’s final spring practice:

QB:

There are some concrete areas where USC quarterback Jayden Maiava can improve. We watched Luke Huard emphasize throwing on the move as well as in-pocket footwork all through spring camp drills. We also saw Maiava and the quarterbacks work on red-zone passing, the toughest place on the field to perform for a quarterback.

Statistically, however, Maiava could put up the same gaudy numbers as he did last season, and they might not indicate a move in either direction. He’s in a different situation than he was last season. Headliners Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane are gone. The veteran presence of an old head like Lake McRee is also off the roster.

Maiava has to do more than just deal the cards as he did last season. The real crucible for him is going to be leading the Trojans through the tough moments as the player the whole team expects to set the tone. Riley left pleased with where Maiava broke camp in this regard.

“He’s just had a fantastic spring,” Riley said. “He’s just been much, much better than he has been in any practice period that we’ve had. His comfort level, combined with he’s having to do it with a lot of new skill guys. Pretty much everybody but King [Miller], he hasn’t played with. To be able to come out and produce and be consistent like he’s been the entire spring. Hasn’t had bad days. He’s taken care of the ball, he’s commanded.

“His confidence in leading. Knowing that some of these other guys that were leaders are gone, and the team and offense are looking at him to be a leader and to have that presence. He’s growing right in sync with his game. It’s just more confidence and more personality, more swagger, more attitude. And our team, our guys feed off that.”

Pass catchers:

This position group was never really a major concern despite the losses of Lemon and Lane to the NFL. We even called it a “fake problem” early in spring. Still, the new USC wide receivers had work to do onboarding Riley’s offense and establishing chemistry with Maiava. The odds were very good simply based on all the talent we observed this spring. From veteran transfer Terrell Anderson to freshmen Trent Mosley, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Luc Weaver and Tron Baker, it was clear this room didn’t lack for playmaking potential.

Riley felt the same. He went right to Dennis Simmons and Chad Savage‘s guys as the group giving him the most encouragement heading into summer.

“I would put receiver in that category, just because there was so many new bodies,” Riley said. “And then not having Tanook [Hines] able to go this spring. Interested to see what that would look like. The whole room, really other than Corey Simms and a little bit of Romero Ison. The whole rest of the room was completely new. So that group has performed, and we’ve got some playmakers in there.”

The pass-catching flowers didn’t stop with the wide receivers. USC’s tight end group has a presumed headliner in freshman Mark Bowman, but nearly all of last year’s production was gone from that room as well. Taniela Tupou was really the only player in the room to make even a modest appearance in last year’s stats. Riley was uncertain what he had collectively in Savage’s other room, but he felt much better about the group by the end.

“I would probably put tight end in that very similar category for similar reasons,” Riley added. “Obviously, losing Lake, who performed so well, so consistent for us over the last few years. Interested to see how that room would step up, and definitely been encouraged there.”

RICE

The only notes I could find were paywalled, but it sounds like QB Jacurri Brown was a notable headliner in the game (“Welcome to town, Jacurri Brown”)

NEVADA

QB/RB

The Silver team dominated the padded scrimmage, intercepting blue-team quarterback and UCLA transfer Luke Duncan three times and getting the night's only two touchdowns on the ground with running back and Feather River transfer Janerious Jackson scoring twice.

AJ Bianco led Silver's offense and accounted for the night's longest play - a huge throw down the left sideline for Southeast Missouri State transfer Donnie Cheers.

Quarterback Carter Jones did not play after suffering a minor elbow injury during practice.

KENNESAW STATE

No notes.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

QB:

Kamario Taylor threw two touchdown passes, a 38-yarder to Anthony Evans III and a 9-yard pass in a tight window to Sanfrisco Magee.

Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby after the Spring Game on Kamario Taylor:

"He has continued to get better. He works hard. There are two he wants back from today. We can’t have them and he knows that, immediately. I love his urgency, his chase to get better every day. This was not a setting conducive what he is from a four quarter, every down standpoint."

"This guy when he turns live is different. It’s good for him to be in situations that are controlled where he has to continue to develop in the pocket and do some things that weren’t natural at the beginning. Proud of where he’s at"

The offense scored two other touchdowns while Taylor was at quarterback, including running back Fluff Bothwell throwing a 75-yard touchdown to Magee on a trick play.

OL:

Lebby said he was pleased with the starting offensive line unit, which consisted of Miles McVay, DJ Chester, Cannon Boone, LJ Prudhomme and Jakheem Shumpert-Perkins. Blake Steen rotated in at guard, too. Lebby particularly lauded Shumpert-Perkins as a spring breakout who has solidified one of the starting tackle spots.

BOWLING GREEN

No notes from game. Found this from final scrimmage:

The final practice was open to the public and featured individual and positional drills, as well as an 11-on-11 scrimmage session.

“We did our best to get things on the right track, and I think we did just that,” BGSU head coach Eddie George said. “We’ve had a full offseason to install an offense, a defense, special teams, make tweaks within the staff, get a class — our first full [recruiting] class. That was huge for us to build the foundation.”

Position battles still remain a key topic as the offseason continues. The most notable of those is at quarterback, where George has liked the unit’s growth in offensive coordinator Greg Nosal’s system.

QB:

Austin Novosad, a junior transfer out of Oregon, mentioned all four signal callers are focused on competing each day, seeking improvement in the film room and on the field.

“I think the biggest takeaway is just, everyone’s got to work,” Novosad said. “So find that thing that you need to get better from spring ball and just continue to come out here with player-led stuff and get better on your own.”

No matter which quarterback emerges, new offensive weapons will have to step up. The Falcons will be without their top six receiving yard leaders from a year ago and are looking to replace the production.

WR:

Standout names over the spring included freshmen Pauly Sadler and Joseph Saffold (WR). Fifth-year Falcon Trey Johnson (WR) is also expected to make an impact.

Both Sadler and Saffold are out of Glenville High School in Cleveland. George has been impressed with their catching and route running abilities, although the duo still lacks collegiate experience.

TE:

For tight ends, Carsen Melvin and Jeremiah Scoby were named as players to watch. Melvin converted to the position after previously playing quarterback, and Scoby is entering his sophomore season with improved pass catching and blocking, according to George.

Both are expected to get expanded opportunities.

RB:

The running game features Austyn Dendy, Nakai Amachree, and Ke’Marion Baldwin. Two returners, Dendy and Amachree, are among those welcoming new players to the team after an offseason with substantial roster overhaul.

“We make sure, outside of the football field, to have hangouts with all the new guys. We welcome them in,” Amachree said. “It’s bigger than football at the end of the day. It’s all about relationships. If you have relationships off the field, everything clicks better, and you can get the job done.”

COLORADO STATE

Not from spring game but from a good quote from early spring practice hinting about the philosophy Mora and co. may have regarding volume distribution on offence this upcoming season:

“What we need to come out of spring with is an identification of who our playmakers are, who we can count on, who we can trust, who is dependable to us as a staff and who is dependable to their teammates”

Spring Game—

QB:

Hauss Hejny and K’saan Farrar, quarterbacks

OK, made you wait until the end, but it’s very clear that the QB battle is one of the most fascinating plots heading into the fall.

Hejny is the Oklahoma State transfer and former four-star prospect. Farrar followed Mora from UConn. It is truly a battle and CSU’s first legitimate QB competition since Todd Centeio and Patrick O’Brien battled ahead of the 2020 season.

Hejny is shorter (listed at 6-foot at Oklahoma State) but an electric athlete with blazing speed and quick cutting ability who could be a lethal running threat. He has a strong arm, and the ball comes out with force.

Farrar is taller (listed at 6-foot-3 at UConn) with a strong, smooth passing motion. He’s also a good athlete who can run well.

Whoever wins the job, the QB mobility will be part of the offense.

“I grew up a defensive coach and there was nothing more menacing than a quarterback who could extend plays with his legs but still remain a passer,” Mora said. “They have an ability to get out of the pocket and remain passers so they’re still a dual threat even when they get out of the pocket. As a defensive coordinator, you pull your hair out.”

While both have big talent and potential, they’re also young and inexperienced. Farrar played in two games as a true freshman last season at UConn. Hejny was hurt in the first half of his first college start last season at Oklahoma State.

There could be some of the up-and-down play of young quarterbacks, but both have high ceilings. It’s a very real and intriguing QB competition.

RB:

Mel Brown, running back

Brown may be the front-runner from spring to be CSU’s No. 1 back. He’s not a big back (listed at 5-foot-9 at UConn) but quick, strong and versatile.

He looks like a quick and powerful runner but also an able kick returner. Brown should be a fun player for CSU.

Brown had a couple big plays in the spring game that showed his potential.

“That’s who Mel is and that’s why I’m happy he’s here with us,” Mora said.

WR:

Terrence Smith Jr., receiver

Read more

Pyong on the Yamaha, chromed out 11 hundred. What I'm doing? Getting money.

- Lil Wayne, musician

The Tulane football program has been a productive progenitor of future NFL RBs since the days of Matt Forte and head coaches Chris Scelfo & Bob Toledo. More recently, under the careful watch of Willie Fritz, RB Tyjae Spears dashed for over 1500 yards and 19 scores during the 2022 season. Then came Makhi Hughes, who saw over 200 carries in back-to-back seasons between 2023 and 2024.

In 2025, CFFers were hoping another name would emerge under former head coach Jon Sumrall, who coached Hughes in 2024, and had the FBS’ carry leader in 2023 via Troy RB Kimani Vidal. In the end, it wasn’t meant to be.

But it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Earlier on in the season the Green Wave sought to find the answer through true freshman Javin Gordon, but he struggled with injuries and inconsistency. Ditto for Louisville transfer Maurice Turner.

In November, however, Sumrall and co. found an unlikely engine for their offence. Second year player Jamauri McClure finished the year with five straight games of double digit carries, averaging 5.5 YPC or better in every appearance during that span (including a blowout loss vs. Ole Miss in the CFP).

Here is a note from last December about McClure before Tulane’s CFP game:

McClure, an uber-talented redshirt freshman from Goshen, Alabama, has gone from a fifth-string afterthought in September to the Green Wave’s bellwether back entering its College Football Playoff first-round game at Ole Miss on Saturday.

During the last third of the season, [McClure] has been impressive. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound speedster remains one of the keys for the Green Wave offense.

Unfortunately, he had an offseason procedure on his shoulder which has limited him during spring camp. Though the good news is it sounds like he is at least back on the field in a limited capacity currently—from spring practice on April 4:

Some good news today: last year's breakout running back, Jamauri McClure, was participating in Spring practice for the first time since off-season shoulder surgery. Hold on. Don't get ahead of me: no pads, no contact, but it was good to see McClure get non-contact reps with the offense early in practice. He actually ran through a few holes during offensive drills and was seen during team drills at the end of practice watching from the field.

As mentioned above, McClure was quite effective once he became the primary bellcow late in 2025, and is apparently one of the more elusive returning runners in CFB:

Of course, just like YPC, it’s probably easier to have a ‘higher’ elusiveness rating on a smaller sample of carries, hence why none of the top five players listed in the graphic above are prototypical bell cows with over 200 carries in 2025. In fact, three of the five were well-defined RB2s behind a starter.

Nonetheless, McClure’s YPC and elusiveness rating at least paint a picture of a player who could be great in 2026 with a steady workload. Some players in CFF get a lot of volume and they suck with it. They’re still effective because of the input volume, but they are what we call ‘plodders’. Other players are extremely effective but don’t get the volume (these are always the most unfortunate case studies).

Those in the sweet spot have high-end ability and receive the requisite porcine workload to make some CFF magic happen.

Of course, there is a new staff calling plays this year following Jon Sumrall’s exit to Florida. Former Southern Miss head coach and Tulane’s 2025 pass-game coordinator Will Hall was promoted from within. He was also formerly the OC at Tulane 2019-2020. Ironically, Tulane’s new OC comes from Florida in sort of a coaching swap this offseason—Russ Calloway, who was the OC in 2025, co-OC in 2024, and TEs coach for the Gators in 2023. Besides 2024-2025, Calloway doesn’t have any other play-calling experience.

Let’s take a closer look at what to expect from this new cast of characters in the Boot.

COACHING & SYSTEM

As mentioned, new head coach Will Hall spent several seasons as the head coach of Southern Miss (2021-2024). During that time, his RB1 Frank Gore received over 220 carries in 2022 and 2023. In 2021, Gore received 179 carries, and in 2024 he was no longer with the team and the Golden Eagles deployed a committee approach with the lead runner finishing with 124 carries.

During Hall’s first two years as the OC with Tulane (2019-2020), the Green Wave deployed committee approaches.

Looking at the OC’s limited sample size of play calling data, we really only have 2024 and 2025 Florida. Last season was a success in this context given that Calloway fed RB Jaden Baugh 220 carries over the span of 12 games. The 2024 team split was not as encouraging—Baugh still led the squad but with only 133 carries. I chalk that up to him being a true freshman at the time and the staff not wanting to put too much on his plate.

Overall, like a lot of coaches, I’d say that this staff doesn’t seem to have an intractable preference either way, but they have demonstrated a propensity to ride the right kind of player when the opportunity presents itself.

Unfortunately, while Tulane were able to miraculously hold onto McClure (who flirted with the portal), they will not be returning a lot of experience on the OL (rank 118th in the FBS in returning OL snaps).

Jamauri McClure (5’10, 190)

2025 STATS: 83-540-2 (5.2 PPG)

Stylistically, one thing working against McClure is that he is a different type of commodity compared to OC Calloway’s former RB1, Jaden Baugh. Where the Gator sophomore was a big and bruising back, McClure is more of an elusive, protean runner.

Though he proved over a small sample of five games that he can handle a heavy workload when called upon, and I imagine Will Hall, now the head coach, probably had some hand in the shaping of the offence around McClure last November while Sumrall interviewed for other positions.

I could be wrong about that, but I don’t think I am (lol). What I don’t like and was slightly disappointed with is that McClure was barely used as a receiver. Oftentimes with these speedy players you hope that they also have the receiving profile because that can serve as rocket fuel for their CFF profiles. The bigger guys who aren’t as explosive aren’t as likely to break off a huge catch and run. A player like this on the other hand…

Well, there’s no use in letting my imagination get away from me here—the player either does it or they don’t. In this case, we don’t have any evidence to suggest that McClure is going to be a PPR monster even if he’s the bellcow. Disappointing for sure.

As for his career so far, he really didn’t do much in the first 1.5 years of his CFB tenure. As a true freshman, he appeared in only five games, with a notable performance of 10 carries for 84 yards, one score, and a catch for 24 yards vs. UAB (17.8 full PPR points).

Then in 2025, he was the fifth stringer to open the year, and then randomly starting on November 15 he began seeing double digit carries every game. What can I say, this is why we love the game of CFF, am I right fellas?

He does not have anything particularly notable in his high school profile—a three star rated prospect out of Alabama in the class of 2024—he originally committed to Southern Alabama, but flipped to Tulane later in his process.

Overall, I think it’s telling that Tulane prioritized retaining McClure of all players this offseason during their transition between staffs.

I think of a player like Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson last season, who had a similar strong finish to his previous season (2024) under an interim OC, and then carried the momentum into the next campaign (2025). Of course, EJ’s profile was better because he was used heavily as a receiver, but the vision remains the same for McClure in that hopefully he can carry his momentum over as well.

The ceiling won’t be as high without the receiving work, but if he sees 220+ carries, that can still serve just fine. Hopefully the figure is even higher than that.

It’s a loaded RB group this year, so I don’t think McClure is a guy you want to really reach for, but he is a player that is worth thinking about in the mid-rounds of CFF bestball drafts currently. His health is a question mark, but assuming he eventually gets back to 100%, I view him as the default favourite to be the starter unless we hear otherwise. ◾

If you enjoyed this content and would like to read more, I recommend joining the Pigpen, a community of thousands of degenerate college football fans:

Share

This is the first of (hopefully) many for the future. Like with anything, the more I do the better it will get. The journey starts now! I hope you enjoy.

Cheers,

VP

The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.

Injury & Suspension News

• Texas A&M wide receiver Terry Bussey suffered an apparent lower-body injury in practice. No update on return timeline yet.

• UF WR Dallas Wilson (foot) is out for the spring but expected to recover for the fall, Pete Nakos of On3.com reports.

• LSU transfer QB Colin Hurley is no longer with the Michigan program.

• UCF QB Alonza Barnett (undisclosed) was held out for UCF’s first practice.

• Syracuse has announced WR Calvin Russell II suffered an injury in practice and will be out for an "indefinite period of time."

• USC head coach Lincoln Riley said Waymond Jordan had to have a cleanup in his ankle, so he will be not be available the rest of the spring, but he is expected to be good to go in the summer.

• FAU QB Caden Veltkamp (shoulder) will be limited during spring.

• FAU head coach Zach Kittley announced that Eason Messer (hamstring) is close to returning, FAU Owls Nest reports (Mar. 24)

• Texas Tech RB Quinten Joyner has reportedly returned to practice after a season-ending knee injury sustained in 2025:

• UAB WR Kaleb Brown (lower body) is out for UAB’s spring camp but expected to recover before August.

• UVA QB Chandler Morris’ preliminary injunction against the NCAA was denied Thursday, leaving him ineligible for the 2026 season.

• Texas WR Ryan Wingo (wrist) took part in the entire practice session the Longhorns had March 28 and should be ready to go for the season.

• Texas WR Kaliq Lockett (lower leg) recently underwent surgery and is expected to be back in the summer, On3 reports.

• Arkansas WR Jamari Hawkins (undisclosed) is healthy for Arkansas’ spring camp, Jackson Fuller of the Fort Smith Southwest Times Record reports.

• Louisville WR Kris Hughes withdrew from the transfer portal and will play for Louisville in 2026, On3 reports.

• FSU TE Desirio Riles (undisclosed) is expected to miss some time during spring practice, Pete Nakos of On3 reports.

• UW RB Jayden Limar (ankle) is expected to be out for the reminder of spring, per Aaron Coe of Emrerald City Spectrum.

• OU WR Trell Harris underwent surgery and will be sidelined for several weeks of spring ball, per Colton Sulley of The Oklahoman.

• OU RB Troy Blaylock (undisclosed) will be out for the entirety of the spring, per Colton Sulley of The Oklahoman.

• ND RB Kedren Young (knee) is looking to return to action by the summertime, per Eric Hansen of On3.

• ND RB Aneyas Williams (elbow) will be limited in the spring, Tyler Horka of On3 reports.

• ND TE Cooper Flanagan (Achilles) is healthy for Notre Dame’s spring camp, Drew Mentock of 247Sports.com reports.

• ND WR Jaden Greathouse (hamstring) will be available for the spring, Mike Berardino of the South Bend Tribune reports.

• ND WR Quincy Porter (knee) is out for Notre Dame’s spring practice, Angelo Di Carlo of SportsMachiana.com reports.

• KU RB Jalen Dupree isn’t partaking in Kansas’ spring practice after undergoing surgery this offseason, per Matt Tait of the Perpetual Sports Network.

• KSU TE Garrett Oakley (undisclosed) will be a limited participant in the Wildcats’ spring practice period, per Wyatt Wheeler of CJOnline.com.

• AU RB Kedrick Reescano (undisclosed) is limited in Arizona’s spring practice period, per Justin Spears of the Arizona Daily Star.

• QU RB Quincy Craig (undisclosed) will be limited in Arizona’s spring practice period, per Justin Spears of the Arizona Daily Star.

• CU WR Hykeem Williams (undisclosed) is sidelined for the remainder of Colorado’s spring practices, per Pete Nakos of On3.com.

• LSU QB Sam Leavitt (foot) went through individual drills during a late March practice, Glen West of 247Sports.com reports.

• PSU WR Chase Sowell will not get spring reps because of an undisclosed injury, Onward Sports reports.

• PSU QB Rocco Becht (shoulder) will not take live reps over the spring, Joe Smeltzer of Nittany Sports Now reports.

• UTSA QB Owen McCown (undisclosed) is recovering from offseason surgery but doing at least some work during UTSA’s spring practice, Greg Luca of the San Antonio Express-News reports.

• Syracuse QB Steve Angeli (Achilles) announced that he is progressing well in his recovery, Michael McAllister of 247Sports.com reports.

Spring Camp News

• Florida State QB Ashton Daniels impressed Mike Norvell on Day 1 with his throwing and command, but it’s a legit two-man race. Sources told On3 that after the first scrimmage, redshirt freshman Kevin Sperry is pushing Daniels — “We’re going to have two QBs that can go in and win games,” one source said. (247Sports/Noles247, On3)

• Some more notes out of FSU spring practices (247Sports/Noles247, On3):

  • The overall quarterback play at Wednesday’s practice was described as ‘up and down’ by a source.

  • “They all looked pretty similar. Some good throws, some late or underthrown. It just looked like a new group. Nobody seemed like the clear leader,” the same source said.

  • The running back group looked ‘good’ according to an onlooker. Another source told Noles247 that Texas running back transfer Tre Wisner is the ‘real deal’ and described him as one of the best running backs they’ve had under Mike Norvell.

  • Ousmane Kromah is reportedly turning heads in spring practice, per On3.

  • A source said that they thought the wide receiver group was solid on the day but that not many balls got completed due to either great coverage, or late throws.

• Pittsburgh WR Bryce Yates has impressed his coaching staff during spring practices, Nate Breisinger of On3.com reports.

• Maryland WR Chris Durr has been impressing in camp.

• New Maryland OC Clint Trickett called sophomore QB Malik Washington “the most talented thrower of the football I’ve ever seen.” And Trickett made sure to note he played with three 1st-round QBs (Jameis Winston, Christian Ponder, EJ Manuel) at FSU.

• Some notes on Maryland’s offence for 2026:

  WRs Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding and Chris Durr Jr. are two of the intended fixes. Both were top receivers at their previous G6 schools, and both should be easy favorites to lead the passing attack.

  The third starting wide receiver is less clear.

  Ejani Shakir also joined via the portal, but he comes from the JUCO ranks. For reference, Jordon Scott, last year’s JUCO addition, only made one catch all season.

  Former Tennessee receiver Kaleb Webb, who also transferred in before last year, seems like the top candidate for the third spot. He was sixth on last year’s team with 318 yards and two touchdowns on 22 catches.

  DeJuan Williams as the most likely choice to lead a very young RBs room. Williams averaged 3.9 yards per carry last year and also had the second-most receptions (45) as a frequent checkdown target.

  Also in the mix are USC transfer Harry Dalton III, sophomore Iverson Howard, and redshirt freshmen Bud Coombs and Solomon Foye. Howard is the only one who had significant carries (39) before.

  The offensive line kept three of five starters from last year, but one of them might not be who you expect. Isaiah Wright was granted a medical redshirt for 2024, allowing him to remain at left guard.

  The tradeoff is Aliou Bah making the move to Baton Rouge, while Tellek Lockette comes in from Texas State to replace him at right guard.

  Right tackle isn’t quite as certain, but former Elon (FCS) starter Carlos Moore is the most experienced option to replace the graduated Alan Herron.

  Additionally, former Terp Preston Howard returns to challenge Dorian Fleming for snaps at tight end, and four-year Kent State QB Devin Kargman adds experienced depth behind Washington.

• Texas A&M held their sixth of 15 spring practices with QBs Marcel Reed and Brady Hart taking the lion’s share of team reps, while freshman QB Helaman Casuga is getting developmental work.

  • Freshman WR Aaron Gregory and Alabama transfer WR Isaiah Horton turned heads in goal-line drills.

  • RBs Rueben Owens II, Jamarion Morrow, and Tiger Riden Jr. are all in the mix, with TE transfers Richie Anderson (Fresno State) and Houston Thomas (UTSA) joining the pass-catching group. (247Sports/GigEm247)

• Texas A&M WRs coach Holman Wiggins recently replied to a comment from WR Ashten Bethal Roman about the Aggies offence looking like an “air raid” system:

  Hopefully that was a misnomer, because everything that we do is going to start with the run.

• An A&M beat writer provided some notes from a public scrimmage:

  RB Jamarion Morrow had three impressive runs during team.

  Freshman WR Madden Williams had a great toe-tap catch on the boundary during 2-minute drill.

  QB Marcel Reed’s best throw of the day was a fade to the back corner of the end zone for Rueben Owens II during red zone.

  Freshman WR Jayden Warren had the best contested catch on a deep throw by Marcel Reed.

• Liberty OC Newland Isaac recently highlighted RB Jaylon Coleman in an interview:

  “J-Cole is a dude,” said Liberty offensive coordinator and running backs coach Newland Isaac. “The only thing he needed to do was gain weight. He checked every box for us in the recruiting process. You knew what y ou were going to have in him. The one thing you didn’t know throughout the recruiting process is how tough and physical he was.

  He walked in here 150 pounds, but he will go in there and throw his body on the line on an iso block, throw a defensive end on a split zone, and you’re just like, ‘Wow.’ He’s got the right makeup. He’s got the right mindset. He has the right skillset. He checks all of those boxes for you. The one challenge was gain weight, that’s all you got to do. You get him to the weight that you need him to be, there’s no reason (he) should ever come off the field.”

• Ohio State head coach Ryan Day recently said this about freshman WR Chris Henry:

Read more

Throw flames, Liu Kang, the coach ain't help out, so I call my own shots.

- J. Cole, musician

Pigs, it’s that time of the year again. A period when quotes start emerging out of spring camp and new names begin to permeate the sphere of CFF relevancy. One such name this offseason appears to be Liberty ‘A’ Back Jaylon Coleman, who was recently singled out in an interview by OC Newland Isaac (and no, he’s not talking about the rapper):

“J-Cole is a dude,” said Liberty offensive coordinator and running backs coach Newland Isaac.

“The only thing he needed to do was gain weight. He checked every box for us in the recruiting process. You knew what you were going to have in him. The one thing you didn’t know throughout the recruiting process is how tough and physical he was.

He walked in here 150 pounds, but he will go in there and throw his body on the line on an iso block, throw a defensive end on a split zone, and you’re just like, ‘Wow.’ He’s got the right makeup. He’s got the right mindset. He has the right skillset. He checks all of those boxes for you. The one challenge was gain weight, that’s all you got to do. You get him to the weight that you need him to be, there’s no reason (he) should ever come off the field.”

I don’t know exactly what Mr. Coleman weighs now, but the way Isaac is speaking about him suggests he’s no longer 150 pounds. He’s currently listed at 5 foot nine inches tall, so he has the frame to become a legitimate every down back if the listed specification is correct (admittedly, a dubious assumption).

Obviously, those of you who partook in the game of CFF last season will remember that Liberty’s former RB1 Evan Dickens had a very productive campaign. He moved on to Boston College, and many of the other names in the room behind him also cleared out, prompting the Flames (#LIUKANG) to bring in several transfers.

Among those names includes former south Georgia four star Kam Davis, who’s been at FSU the last few seasons, Justin Marshall from Colorado State, and a former CFF producer in Kanye Udoh from ASU/Army.

That’s a lot of beef, bruv. Initially, I was most interested in Udoh given his pedigree from when last he was in the G5 (ran for over 1000 yards with the Black Knights). But it’s hard to deny the quotes from the horse’s mouth.

Anyways, let’s take a quick look at the staff before diving deeper into Coleman’s background.

Coaching & System

RB1 PPG AVERAGE — HC: 15.9 — OC: 16.71 (half ppr)

Head coach Jamey Chadwell has been with the program since 2023. Prior to that he was the head coach of Coastal Carolina between 2019 and 2022. In general, his system has been pretty solid for RB1 production (as can be seen in Table 1. below).

When asked about his Liberty RB room for 2026, Chadwell had this to say:

“Typically when you lose a decent amount of production, you have a freshman or redshirt freshman that’s been in your program that can bump up. Obviously, he left too. It is brand new. This will be a first for us when we’ve lost so many and not had anything left that has been there. There’s an exciting time for that, as well.

They have all spring to learn. They get to make their name for themselves. There’s a positive in that. You hope you don’t have to do that all the time, but that’s the world we’re in. If I’m a running back across this country though, this is a place I’d want to come because you get an opportunity to really showcase what you’re about. Our last couple ones have done really, really well.”

In addition to Davis, Marshall and Udoh, Liberty also brought in Duke’s Peyton Jones, and Terron Kellman, formerly of Wyoming and UNCC.

While that’s a lot of bodies in the mix, the reader may find some comfort in the fact that the Flames utilize a two RB system with something called an ‘A’ Back and a ‘B’ Back. The A-Backs are typically smaller players, such as the 5-9, 155 pound Coleman, and the B-Backs are a bit beefier.

A recent report from aseeofred.com listed out the players competing for each role:

A-BACK
0 JAYLON COLEMAN, 5’9″, 155 LB
29 JUSTIN MARSHALL, 5’10”, 190 LB (COLORADO STATE)
26 JAYLIN BELFORD, 5’8″, 175 LB

B-BACK
4 KAM DAVIS, 5’10”, 224 LB (FLORIDA STATE)
6 KAYNE UDOH, 6’1″, 220 LB (ARIZONA STATE)
7 PEYTON JONES, 5’10”, 195 LB (DUKE)
11 TERRON KELLMAN, 5’8″, 210 LB (WYOMING)
23 CAM WOOD, 5’8″, 195 LB

Admittedly I’m not sure in hindsight which role Dickens occupied, he’s listed at 5’11, 195 pounds, which could go either way judging by the sizes of players included above.

Behind head coach Jamey Chadwell is OC Newland Isaac (I believe Willy Korn has moved on).

You’ll notice that Isaac has been with Chadwell at each of his last two stops, so effectively these are the same entities when it comes to play calling pedigree.

Charting back to 2019, Chadwell’s RB1 has seen 200 or more carries in a single season three times out of a possible five full seasons (excluding 2020), and four out of six if we include 2025.

Even some of the RB2s have had decently productive campaigns (Braydon Bennett in 2021, for example, who coincidently I just wrote about here).

Not captured in the tables is Evan Dickens’ 2025 season, where he handled 229 carries for 1339 yards and 16 scores, in addition to receiving five passes for 61 yards and another score (22 PPG).

As far as system characteristics, if it wasn’t obvious by the fact that they deploy a two-RB set, these guys are very run-heavy. Chadwell and Isaac have averaged ~63% run plays since 2018. They are on the slower-end in both seconds per play (~28) and plays per game (~68).

Jaylon Coleman (5’9, 155)

2025 STATS: 11-79-0 (4 PPG)

From what I can tell, Coleman appeared in seven games as a true freshman last year, so he will be officially listed as a sophomore this year. Formerly a four star rated prospect from Louisiana, his impact was minimal as a true frosh, rushing only 11 times for less than one hundred yards.

I’m not too pressed about year one numbers, given that most of these guys don’t do diddly as true freshmen. In fact, as any CFF wiseman knows, most of them end up redshirting the year anyways. So who fucking cares.

And I’ll be honest with you, I had no idea who this was until I saw the quotes from the OC, Newland Isaac. But they were quite alarming, and immediately put me on notice with Coleman.

The more prescient problem I have with diving headfirst into the hype train with a player like this is that—as an experienced CFFer—I’ve seen this story many times and it often doesn’t end well for the drafters. Every offseason it seems there are some unbelievable quotes coming out of somewhere random like Liberty about an equally random player, only for us to never hear about said player ever again.

I’m thinking about a player like erstwhile Utah State Aggie Robert Freeman, for example (remember him?). Yeah, I think we’ve all been trying to forget.

Nonetheless, we must pay attention when there are extremely positive quotes because sometimes it ends up portending a fruitful campaign. Even better when they’re about a seemingly unknown commodity that you can currently draft virtually for free in most (probably all) CFF drafts, right?

What is actually noteworthy is that despite only carrying the rock 11 times through seven appearances, Coleman saw 11 targets, of which he caught 10 for 100 yards—a pretty tidy average of about 10 yards per reception. A potential signal that a nascent PPR monster could be lying in the weeds right here.

That was one issue with his predecessor, Dickens, who did not catch a lot of passes. It ended up working out fine for him (22 PPG is not too shabby), but the more you can do the better. Especially when the player is undersized.

For the sake of completeness I’ll attach 247’s notes on Coleman coming out of high school:

Also plays basketball and runs track.

Averaged 10.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.6 steals on varsity basketball as a freshman in Winter 2021-22.

Recorded several sub-11.00 100-meter times as a freshman in Spring 2022, including a 10.40 PR and a 10.91 into a slight headwind that earned a top five finish at the Louisiana 4A state finals. Ran a 10.74 at district and a 10.55 at regionals to earn the state berth.

Also earned a top five finish in Louisiana 4A's 200-meter state finals (22.07) and ran a 21.75 at regionals. Member of Vandebilt Catholic's 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams, which both qualified for regionals.

I must admit that I was surprised to see Coleman rated as a four star by 247 Sports’ internal ranking. I don’t believe Liberty often receives commitments from players rated higher than three stars coming out of high school. Good for them.

To conclude, I think Coleman makes for an interesting spring season late-round dart throw in bestball drafts. Hopefully there’ll be more supporting evidence to make his case come the summer, at which point we will re-evaluate our sentiment here. ◾

If you enjoyed this content and would like to read more, I recommend joining the Pigpen, a community of thousands of degenerate college football fans:

Share

In the heart of every man lies a kingdom; our quest, then, is not conquest, but the unveiling of our own majesty.

- Maestro Benedetto, poet

While the 2023 season was, by most accounts, a solid one for the Eastern Michigan Eagles, there was one particular community of questionable repute that found themselves disappointed.

Spurned on by former Eagles RB Samson Evans’ strong finish the year prior, many a College Fantasy Football drafter acquired shares of the 220 pound bruiser entering his senior year.

In short, it was a disaster. Evans’ yardage nearly halved from the season prior, seeing 100 carries less from 2022 in the same amount of games. For a player who was picked around the fourth-fifth range of most drafts, it’s safe to say he was a bust in 2023.

Rumours of an unreported injury began to surface later in the year, but by then it was too late. A bad taste had already festered in the mouth of this writer and CFF drafters worldwide.

But fair is fair, and we have to give credit where credit is due. The EMU program would never be mistaken for an incubator of top-end CFF production at RB, but, they have facilitated at least one solid producer each of the last two seasons.

It started in 2024 with NC State super-senior Delbert Mimms. Remember him? Probably not. But he had a stretch of four games in October where he never saw less than 20 carries, or 23 total touches. He finished the year with over 200 total touches (203), 950 total yards, and 10 total scores in 12 games. Those numbers were sufficient to produce a season average of approximately 14 PPG in PPR formats.

I think one of the things to keep in mind is that in the offseason, we tend to judge players on whether they are good, or bad, as season-long assets. However, when the season kicks off, we are often as CFF managers picking up and dropping players for small stretches of time over the course of the Fall. A player like Mimms, who could plug in as a spark for all of October, for example, is actually extremely valuable when you’re in-season mode.

Overall, I classify the 2024 campaign as a success when grading EMU’s rehabilitation of Mimms’ profile—a player who failed to rush for 500 yards in four seasons prior to his arrival in Ypsilanti.

This past season, EMU actually had two RBs who routinely breached the border of CFF relevancy. The RB1, Dontae McMillan, was unquestionably a CFF relevant player. The senior from Seattle, WA, touched the football 210 times, accumulating over 1300 total yards and seven scores in 12 games (~18 PPG).

His backup, Michigan transfer Tavierre Dunlap had a few moments. For the most part, he was only relevant in small spurts in deep leagues. But, he did finish the year with games of 21.8, 15.2, and 15.1 points as highlights. His production was mostly supported by his receiving usage and his role as a goal-line specialist.

Both of these players moved on this offseason, leading drafters to the next logical question: who will be replacing these lads? Full disclosure, nobody can possibly answer this question with certainty eight months out from the season.

However, I do like EMU’s pattern of taking in transfers and rehabilitating their respective profiles. Sometimes it’s a former P4 guy (Mimms). Other times it’s an FCS transfer (McMillan). They come in all shapes and sizes.

This offseason it is former Coastal Carolina/Virginia Tech RB Brayden Bennett who made his way over to the MAC. His profile mixes a bit of all three from Mimms, McMillan and Dunlap.

For one, he’s entering his senior year just like those three gentlemen were with EMU. His production during his first five seasons is better than Mimms’ and Dunlaps’, and is probably close to what McMillan was doing at the FCS level.

One of the critical factors of success in this system is receiving usage. McMillan got peppered with targets last season (44 in 12 games). Bennett’s season high thus far is 33 targets. Long story short, he’s demonstrated the ability to play this role.

And it’ll probably surprise many of the readers to know that we are not talking about a player who has toiled in CFF irrelevancy in all of the years leading up to this one, and who we are precariously hoping will emerge out of nowhere in year six.

Bennett averaged 18 (yes, 18!) PPG in 2024. In fact, his game log looks somewhat similar to McMillan’s this past season. Despite only receiving 160 total touches, Bennett accumulated 960 total yards and 13(!) scores. That’s an average of six yards per touch.

I think it’s safe to say that the output from that 2024 season is disproportionately high, and certainly the TD variance is unlikely to be as favourable to Bennett ever again in his life. But still, the fact remains that this is a player who’s already breached the realm of CFF relevance and has, in fact, excelled at times at the G5 level.

He averaged 5.8 YPC over his 134 totes in 2024, 4.5 over 91 in 2023, and 8.5(!) in 2021 across 74 carries. Every other season dating back to 2020 he redshirted.

And if you’re looking at his physique and thinking “this guy looks more like a WR”, you’re not wrong. He is listed at six foot one inches tall, and 205 pounds. What’s more, he participated in track and field throughout his tenure at CCO; so him leaning on the more…lean…side makes sense.

CCO Personal Bests

60-meter hurdles: 7.89

100-meters: 10.93

110-meter hurdles: 13.84

COACHING & SYSTEM

RB1 PPG AVERAGE — HC: 13.2 — OC: 13.71 (half ppr)

Chris Creighton and Mike Piatkowski are the two main architects of this offensive system. Creighton’s been with the program since 2014, Piatkowski’s been the OC since 2023.

Providing Creighton’s six year RB1 history between 2018 and 2024 probably confirms what you as CFFers already know. Like I said earlier, this program will never be mistaken for a CFF RB haven.

It’s actually kind of ironic because I remember doing an article on EMU WRs last offseason, and when we got to the coaching section, the numbers—if my memory serves correct—were inversely shaped to how the RB figures appear here. That is, the WRs had all the target volume, but none of the output that you’d typically expect.

The RB1s have actually scored a good amount of TDs, persisting even through considerable carry variation per year. Samson Evans’ 13 TDs on only 83 carries in 2021, for example, is comical. I guess we know now where the production that the receivers should have been getting with their targets is going in this program.

But most importantly, if you’re keeping score at home, including McMillan in 2025, the EMU RB1 has now scored double digit TDs in five straight seasons dating back to 2021.

Again, I don’t think Table 2. offers any surprises. We know there haven’t been great CFF producers in this program at the RB position over the past half decade. Evans in 2022 bucked the trend, and then again McMillan did so in 2025 with his ~18 PPG, but the overall theme has been that the EMU RB1 scores around 12-13 PPG.

EMU deploys an outside zone run scheme under Creighton and average a slight bend towards the run at 53% rush plays over the sample of seasons selected in the above table. There is nothing remarkable to report about the pace of play calling in this scheme (pretty average at ~25 seconds per play, and around 68-70 plays per game). They sometimes average over 70 plays per game (like 74 in 2024) but this is not the norm in Ypsilanti.

CLOSING: A Possible Six Man Off The Bench

Many of the indicators suggest that there will be nothing remarkable here in 2026, but there are just enough breadcrumbs lying around to keep us intrigued. The efficiency from Bennett while at CCO is one such breadcrumb.

EMU’s effectiveness in running the ball last season with McMillan is another piece. We as drafters are all prone to recency bias, aren’t we? Keeping a wider perspective, I think it’s fair to say that this system isn’t a great one for RBs, but that it could (and has) supported some solid contributors, especially for short stretches at a time during the season.

Bennett feels like a good candidate as a ‘sixth man off the bench’ if you will, in October or November 2026. A player who is useful in spurts.

The out of conference schedule for the Eagles this upcoming Fall includes a home game vs. SJSU, at Michigan State as usual, at Wisconsin, and then they welcome FCS program Lindenwood to round out September.

If you’re curious what the situation looks like around Bennett—as mentioned, last year’s top two runners moved on. That leaves Joey Mattord, JT Bronaugh, and Syracuse transfer Malachi James as competitors. None of these players have been given many opportunities thus far in their careers. They haven’t brought in any other notable transfers to the room.

The ageless wonder, QB Noah Kim, has been mercifully granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA. So, at the very least, EMU would have one of the most experienced backfields in the MAC between Kim and Bennett in 2026 if the former Hokie/Chanticleer ends up winning the starting RB job.

Bennett’s track background is also intriguing, and it sort of elucidates the type of commodity he is at the tailback position (full disclosure, I haven’t watched a lot of Bennett tape). And his slender build also suggests that he’s more of a burner than a bruiser. Though he looked a little more bulky and ‘RB-like’ in his VT photos (see above).

I’d also be remiss not to mention that current Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby is the official assistant GM of EMU. You didn’t know that, did you? Well, now you do. ◾

Share

I float like a ghost when I ride.

- Gunna, musician

*The scoring system I’m referring to is full PPR.

1. Jeremiah Smith (OSU) — It can be either Malachi Toney or Smith at the top spot as far as I’m concerned. Smith just feels that bit more locked in to have a good season compared to Toney because we have more data points on the former five star, but we’re talking marginal differences here. Interestingly, both players hail from high schools that are essentially a 20 minute drive from each other: Chaminade Madonna Prep for Smith, and American Heritage for Toney. It’s just different in Florida, what can I say?

2. Malachi Toney (MIA) — As mentioned above, Toney and Smith are interchangeable here. In Smith's case, there is an OC change, but we've also seen him dominate for two seasons straight, and this is his (likely) final year of collegiate football making it a consequential campaign. In Toney's case, he holds a historically lucrative position in Shannon Dawson's slot receiver role in the offence. Well, there isn't much to say that the audience doesn't already know. Both players are excellent options.

3. Easton Messer (FAU) — Similar to Dawson’s, we know Kittley’s offensive system is typically a lucrative one for the slot receiver. Messer is one of four WRs returning to the same team who averaged 20+ PPG last season. Two of the others are listed above, and the only other player who is returning to CFB but not to the same team is Danny Scudero, who we’ll talk about later. Again, there isn’t much to say about Messer at this point that the reader doesn’t already know.

4. Beau Sparks (TXST) — Sparks is the fourth of the aforementioned 20+ PPG WRs returning to the same team in 2026, so naturally I think this is an appropriate spot to rank him. Of course, we are ranking with the future in mind, not ranking players based on 2025, but at this juncture in the offseason it's probably a good idea to just default to who the highest scorers were a season ago, at least, at the top end. As future iterations of this article are released, there will be some shakeup.

5. Amare Thomas (HOU) — Originally, I wasn't high on Thomas' move to Houston given that he'd be participating in the typically anemic Willie Fritz/Slade Nagle WR system, but he bucked the trend in 2025 finishing the season at 18 PPG. Now, both he and his QB return for 2026, and so do both the play callers (HC & OC). They did bring in Trent Walker from Oregon State, so he might commandeer a significant role in the team target share, along with others. Thomas was a TD magnet in 2025, and that bolstered his numbers. Was it by design? Or just coincidence? Probably something in between. TD production becomes a concern when it doesn't have the matching input volume; in Amare's case, he had the corresponding target share in 2025, and he'll (probably) have it again in 2026.

6. KJ Duff (RU) — Duff is the beneficiary of RU's WR room clearing out around him, namely Ian Strong's transfer to Cal. Even with Strong in the lineup, Duff finished 2025 with over 17 PPG averaged, which is pretty great if you ask me. It would once be something bordering on heresy to suggest RU receivers are valuable in CFF, but they've done a complete 180 over the past few seasons and so here we are. The QB from the previous three seasons is moving on, however, which introduces some uncertainty. Still, I like the Duff-man to continue the trend of RU receivers being cool in CFF.

7. Isaiah Sategna (OU) — The logic here is clear: OU’s OC Ben Arbuckle traditionally emphasizes the slot receiver role in his system, and the prevailing wisdom is that Sategna will be that player in 2026. I believe Sategna already operated in that role last season when he saw 109 targets. If that wasn’t the case, then the target volume is even more impressive. Add in Deion Burks moving on, and a returning QB, this is an easy top WR rank for me.

8. Cam Coleman (TEX) — I may be higher on Coleman than the general CFF cognoscenti this offseason. The fact that Texas were as aggressive as they were signals a want and perhaps a need that they identified at WR. They also let several players walk out the door, again signalling dissatisfaction with the 2025 room. Ryan Wingo returns, but I don’t think he’s a better player than Coleman, who was not far off from Jeremiah Smith from a ratings perspective coming out of high school. One of those two players chose wisely in terms of an offensive system to feature his skillset, the other, Coleman, has been grossly misused in his first two years of CFB. That’s probably going to change this fall—lest we forget that the last heisman winning WR played under Steve Sarkisan as OC at Alabama. I don’t know if Coleman can monopolize the offensive share as much as Devonta Smith did, but I do view him as the favourite to be WR1 at Texas.

9. Chris Dawn (TXST) — Like his teammate Sparks, Dawn returns to Texas State for another year of carnage with QB Brad Jackson at the helm. It’s kind of a miracle that the Bobcats retained all three if you really think about it. Anyways, when I look at Dawn I feel like he’s a safe pick to at least average around 14-16 PPG this upcoming season given that he did that last year and not a lot has really changed. There’s also always the possibility that he usurps Sparks this season but given that he was WR2 in 2025, I’m defaulting to that ordering for 2026.

10. Jordan Dwyer (TCU) — Dwyer was already pretty good last year even with another player hogging a lot of target share (and EMac has since left). The QB will be different, so that’s something that is changing, but Dwyer appears to be another receiver around this range who is a safe bet to at least net around 15 PPG like he did last year. Incoming from Harvard is QB Jaden Craig, who threw for nearly 3000 yards and 25 TDs in 11 games at the FCS level last year, and he offers little to no value in the run game. Thus, he is a very similar commodity to the previous QB, Josh Hoover, who is now at IU. WR Terry Shelton is a player who is getting some buzz in camp, so this is probably a good time to say that it’s always possible Dwyer stays in his role, and someone else ascends into WR1.

11. Nick Marsh (IU) — It felt like Marsh was being held back at his previous stop (Michigan State), and now he's upgraded his situation significantly, at least, on paper. At QB is the aforementioned Josh Hoover from TCU, at IU returns Charlie Becker and also brings in former Alabama/Tulane receiver Shazz Preston. In the mind of this writer, Becker and Marsh easily stand out as the most compelling options and the most likely to be the top two receivers next year. I don't feel too strongly about having Marsh over Becker; with the current level of info we have it's hard to discern between them, but Marsh seems like the better overall talent, so I'll give him the nod for now. Bonus points: he showed up to practice with gold cleats and got his ass ripped by Cignetti. We're off to a good start.

Read more

I took the top off, I'm dripping like hot sauce.

- Gunna, musician

Former Western Carolina transfer Zion Booker was the final receiver that I drafted in the 2025 Golden Pig Invitational draft last summer. I selected him with a 26th round selection—a range that saw other players like Georgia Southern’s Camden Brown and FSU’s Duce Robinson selected as well. While a couple hit, most players in that range ended up being busts..

Booker turned out to be a solid player, for a short while at least, though not as good as the two others mentioned in that range. Spurred on by a glowing review from a Tulsa beat writer via the G5 Hive Podcast, and some cool vibes from Booker’s social media accounts, I figured he was worth taking a flyer on.

His first game was very promising. Booker secured six of his nine targets for 67 yards and a score, which was about 19 points in the PPR format of that league. He then saw double digit targets over his next three games, however he failed to reach the end zone or eclipse 100 yards receiving in any of those appearances. In fact, he never hit 100 yards receiving in any game during the 2025 campaign.

His role with the Golden Hurricanes was clear, operating as an underneath chain mover who was basically an extension of the run game. In fact, he actually received several direct carries with Tulsa in 2025. He was the type of player who had a low ADOT, and was expected to make defenders miss with the ball in his hands.

That sounds an awful lot like Kennesaw State’s primary playmaker in 2025, Gabriel Benyard, who himself averaged a yards per target of 9.8 (Booker’s was 6.1). Though, Benyard was much more effective in his offence, finishing ‘25 with four games of 100+ yards receiving. Granted Booker only played in eight games due to injury while Benyard appeared in 14, so there is a bit of an apples to oranges comparison.

But the stylistic comparison is more so about the way each player was used. Booker demonstrated a lot of the same attributes in Tulsa’s offence that Benyard did with KSU, suggesting he could take over that role in 2026.

As a refresher for everyone’s memory, Benyard finished last season with an average of over 16 PPG in PPR formats, catching 60 of 92 targets for 949 yards and nine scores; additionally, he rushed 17 times for 117 yards and another score.

However, Booker was not the only player KSU brought in at WR via transfer to replace Benyard. Other notables include Virginia Union’s Keon Davis, Tennessee State’s Devaughn Slaughter, Northern Colorado’s Brayden Munroe, and Georgia Southern’s Dylan Gary.

As always, let’s take a quick look at the staff.

COACHING & SYSTEM

The current Kennesaw State staff worked under Josh Heupel at Tennessee. In the case of head coach Jerry Mack, he was the RBs coach from 2021 to 2023; the OC, Mitch Militello, was on the offensive staff from 2021 to 2024, apparently working closely with the QBs (per his bio).

Mack also spent one season coaching in the NFL as the RBs coach with Jacksonville, but outside of that season the rest of his experience came in college. Prior to Tennessee he was with Rice as the OC from 2017-2020, and head coach of FCS program North Carolina Central (2014-17).

I asked ClaudeAi to parse through the individual stats of players under him at each of his stops where he was the OC or HC. Here’s what it found:

No WR hit the 1,000-yard threshold or 70+ receptions under Mack’s play-calling in any of these seasons.

The closest performers I could verify:

• Bradley Rozner, Rice (2019): ~57 rec, 770 yards, 5 TD — led the team

• Austin Trammell, Rice (2018): 62 rec, 632 yards — led the team

• Austin Trammell, Rice (2019): 60 rec, ~600 yards

NCCU (2014–17) and UAPB (2010) were run-heavy FCS programs where team passing totals were too low to support a 1,000-yard WR. Rice was a struggling 2-11 and 3-9 program, and the 2020 season was only 5 games.

Bottom line: Zero qualifying WR performances under Mack’s play-calling tenures.

The 2025 season was outside of the scope of Claude’s search, but we already know Gabriel Benyard had a solid season, albeit he did not hit 1000 yards or 70+ receptions. So it’s fair to say that this system hasn’t been historically great for WR production, but recency bias is a thing, and I already liked Zion Booker when he was at Tulsa, hence, here we are.

But one redeeming factor of the Mack-Militello (M&M) system is that it is a fast paced philosophy. The Owls finished 2025 42nd in total plays run per game, and 23rd in seconds per play (SPP) with an average around 24 SPP.

Unfortunately for the WRs, the historical play calling typically skews heavy to the run. When Mack was the OC at Rice, for example, his Owls (not to be confused with KSU) averaged around 57% run plays. With Kennesaw State, M&M skewed even heavier towards running the ball, with a 67% run rate.

Obviously, it’s going to be harder for WRs to perform at a high level when the overall team play-calling composition is postured in favour of the run, but when the WR1 is averaging over 30% target share, this can still work.

The PPG numbers at Rice are not going to ‘wow’ anyone, but eight targets per game is nothing to scoff at. As seen with KSU this past season, if the player in question is a baller, this type of input volume can result in elite production.

Anyways, who even knows if Booker will end up being a starter for the Owls at this point, but the vision from the staff regarding his acquisition seems pretty clear to me.

This isn’t a program I’m expecting a lot of camp updates out of, so I’d imagine consumer sentiment on the WR room won’t really change four months from now when most CFF drafts take place. Booker is someone I’d advise drafters to keep in mind in the latter rounds of drafts. ◾

If you enjoyed this content and would like to read more, I recommend joining the Pigpen, a community of thousands of degenerate college football fans:

Share

All men's souls are immortal, but the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine.

- Plato, philosopher

“Apotheosis”—from the Greek word apotheoun, meaning to deify or make a god—refers to the elevation of a person to divine status.

In antiquity, it was reserved for emperors and heroes whose deeds were deemed so extraordinary that mortal classification no longer sufficed. The Romans practiced it formally; upon death, a sufficiently revered Caesar would be declared divus, ascending from man to god by senatorial decree.

The concept has since transcended its classical origins, finding its way into art, literature, and the broader lexicon as a shorthand to describe the ne plus ultra of something—think Derrick Henry toting the rock 46 f—ing times against Auburn in 2015. It is in that spirit that we turn our attention to a player who currently resides within the US Army Academy.

Godspower Nwawuihe—who if you can pronounce his last name confidently perhaps you too are a deified being—made himself known to the CFF community writ large during a bowl game vs. UConn last December.

During this contest, Godspower, who I’m going to refer to as ‘GN’ from here on out, took only 12 carries to light off 171 yards and two scores in what amounted to a potent opening salvo for his career. Now, it should also be noted that he was a true freshman last season when the game in question occurred, and was actually recruited as a QB prospect and converted to RB in September last fall, making this feat even more impressive. At least, I think so.

And lucky for him, he only appeared in four games, preserving his redshirt, meaning he still has four full seasons left to play if he wants them.

One criticism the detractors may have with this particular player is that with Army, the primary RB is really the QB, thus the player listed as 'RB' often has his relevance abrogated from a CFF standpoint. This is more or less true, but there was one exception in Kanye Udoh, who spearheaded a dynamic running attack in 2024 with Bryson Daily at QB.

Point being, it can be done if the right player is back there. Cale Hellums is the presumed starter for 2026 at QB, and he’s of course an able-runner. But he isn’t quite as great as Daily was, not yet at least, and so there will be an opportunity for a RB to step up if they are able.

This brings me back to GN, who had a breakout vs. UConn at the end of last year. It’s important not to take one game too seriously, especially in the absence of any other meaningful data points. But from my view, the most impressive thing about the performance was that this was a true freshman player who had barely played all year, and who looked as if he were a literal Greek God on the field.

Though, to be precise, he is only listed at 5’10, 210 pounds. Nothing overly dramatic, but it is one of my favourite height-weight specifications as it has a tendency to appear frequently when looking at past CFF demons. In fact, at one point in my life I actually referred to this spec as the demon build, which I might just have to bring back for the purposes of these articles. For a moment in CFF it felt like every RB who was killing it wore this height-weight combination.

It’s also probably generally just a clean height and weight to list for most players, especially when rounding up (which seems to happen a lot), so it has a tendency to appear frequently regardless. Still, I like the idea of the demon build, so I’m rolling with it.

Why Army is Generally Not a Good Place To Look For RB Value

What Army has been utilizing on offence since head coach Jeff Monken’s arrival is a modified version of the triple option. This shouldn’t be news to most of you—each of the service academies deploys their own strand of the triple option scheme.

You should also be aware that these teams are extremely run-heavy, so why wouldn’t the RB be a good position to invest in as a prospecting CFF manager?

First, the system actually utilizes multiple runners on the field a lot of the time (it’s not just the QB and RB out there like most teams). Second, as alluded to earlier, the QB is oftentimes the primary runner and will be the chess piece utilized most frequently in the redzone (the ‘triple’ in the name means the QB has three options each play: hand off, keep, or pitch, which also alludes to multiple runners being on the field besides the QB). Thirdly, although I don’t think this factor is as important, these teams tend to move very slowly, and not score a lot of points (well, until recently, at least).

Ground and pound, clock management, and a wide distribution of touches has sort of been the name of the game for service academies throughout their existence.

Obviously, things have changed a little bit over the past two seasons, where not only one, but all three service academies have had some absolutely lights-out CFF assets. One of those assets actually being a former Army RB in the aforementioned Udoh. So we know something good can happen here because there is a proof of concept.

Though Army is a bit unique out of the three. Air Force and Navy utilize RBs and FBs, whereas the Knights deploy RBs and something called a ‘slot back’ denoted as SB, which are actually lighter players who catch passes too. So the RBs are the bigger entities in their triple option triangle, whereas these guys are smaller in AF and Navy’s. So the RBs may have more blocking responsibilities at Army but that’s just me speculating.

And if you’re seeking some evidence to verify the claim that these are slow moving programs, according to Teamrankings.com, Army, Navy, and Air Force ranked 136, 132, and 124th in seconds per play last season, respectively. So Army was literally dead last, and Navy was not far behind.

Interestingly though when I look at actual plays run per game, Army is tied at 97th, and Air Force was all the way at 51st despite ranking 124th in seconds per play!

97th is still not good for Army, but it was noteworthy considering it’s significantly higher than I expected given their 136th seconds per play data. This can be interpreted as Army moving very slowly, but sustaining a lot of long drives throughout games, thus allowing them to run a solid chunk of their offence each week.

And perhaps while we’re on the subject this is a good opportunity to point out the limitations of seconds per play/plays per game data. It’s a good measure of teams that want to move fast, but in some cases, teams are just going three-and-out a lot and not sustaining drives. So even though they waste little time in getting to the line of scrimmage, the actual volume of plays they run per game is not impressive.

Army, and especially Air Force, were on the opposite end of this spectrum last season. These teams did not move with urgency, but they did manage to stay on the field for long stretches at a time, allowing them to run more plays than you might have expected on the surface.

Still, I maintain that generally speaking the teams that move the fastest will run the most plays, and these will be, on average, offences that are more desirable from a CFF standpoint. Like with anything, there are exceptions.

Analyzing the Depth Chart

There’s a few things that have to happen before I cosign Mr. Godspower, or GN, as I refer to him above. The first thing already happened: he received RB eligibility on fantrax. Check that box off.

The second is regarding the depth chart. Army is an arcane place to get intel out of, so perhaps this is wishful thinking on my part. But it would be great if we could get some colour on the expected rotation this upcoming fall. Other players in the room include Jake Rendina and Briggs Bartosh, who have each played a solid chunk of snaps so far in their careers.

Rendina, in particular, is a big player, listed at 240 pounds and five feet eleven inches tall. I can see a power formation with him as the blocking back and GN as the runner, but perhaps that’s just me letting my imagination get away from me.

At current juncture, we have no idea what the plan will be from the Army staff. And the list of players they have at RB/SB seemingly grows out of thin air every time I check back—here’s a screenshot from Rotowire:

Lol, I mean… what do we even do with this? This is a quarter of the roster.

When I look back at GN’s breakout performance, six players handled carries for the Knights in that game: Hellums led the way with 15, then Rendina at 14, GN at 12, Carson Smith at nine, and the other two players are no longer with the roster (Noah Short, 5, DeWayne Coleman, 1).

That rotation is confidence inspiring for me. If that just repeats itself 12 times next season I think good things will happen. I can imagine a scenario where GN is the second or third leader in carries each game, and if he can average 10-15 per appearance—and if the UConn performance is any indication—he could find himself being a fairly productive player in 2026.

And I know, I know, so many ‘ifs’ in there this is just wonky speculation at this point. Well, there’s a reason players go undrafted currently, and not all of these players are going to be irrelevant in the game of CFF. Maybe GN starts creeping into later rounds of bestball drafts as the offseason unfolds now that he has RB eligibility. Even so, I think he’s worth taking a few shots on.

This profile is exactly what late round picks are made for if you ask me. The back end of CFF drafts is not the time for tepid imaginations nor anodyne selections. This is the time to take swings. True, there’s a high chance that he just ends up not starting and doing virtually nothing in 2026, but also a slim chance that he becomes a great CFF asset to hold; profiling as a worthy late-round gem.◾

If you enjoyed this content and would like to read more, I recommend joining the Pigpen, a community of thousands of degenerate college football fans:

Share

The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.

FYI, I’ve created a VP March Madness pool (free to join) for those interested.

Injury & Suspension News

• PSU QB Rocco Becht (shoulder) is limited for spring due to recovering from a shoulder injury.

• Texas Tech QB Will Hammond (knee) will miss spring due to rehab from an ACL injury sustained in 2025.

• Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor underwent a procedure on his left ankle in January, but is expected to make a “quick and full” recovery for spring practice.

• USC WR Tanook Hines (undisclosed) will be limited in spring.

• Alabama TE Danny Lewis (foot) isn’t participating in the spring practice period open to reporters, per AL.com.

• WVU WR Jaden Bray (undisclosed) is healthy for spring ball.

• CSU QB Hauss Hejny (foot) is participating in spring ball, per the Fort Collins Coloradoan.

• FSU freshman QB Jaden O’Neil (undisclosed) will miss 2026.

• Texas QB Arch Manning (foot) was limited to open spring practice.

• Coastal Carolina RB Rodney Hill is no longer listed in Coastal Carolina’s 2026 roster (had announced a transfer in January).

• Florida WR Dallas Wilson (foot) did not practice in early March out of “an abundance of caution”.

• USC RB Waymond Jordan is looking good to go for spring ball.

• Nebraska TE Carter Nelson (undisclosed) is out for Nebraska’s spring camp.

• Nebraska WR Nyziah Hunter (undisclosed) is looking good in spring ball.

• BYU RB LJ Martin is still recovering from his December shoulder surgery at the start of spring camp, Zachary Halliday of BYU Daily Universe reports.

• PITT WR Censere Lee (redshirt) is active and practicing to start spring camp.

• New Mexico WR Troy Omeire suffered a knee injury that could limit him during spring practice.

• Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Bryant Wesco (back) “looks amazing” and is participating in everything other than live work, Jon Blau of The Charleston Post and Courier reports.

• Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Olsen Patt-Henry (undisclosed) will not practice in the spring, Jon Blau of The Charleston Post and Courier reports.

• UVA QB Chandler Morris has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in an attempt to gain another year of eligibility and play in 2026, On3 reports.

• Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss was granted a preliminary injunction and will be allowed to return to Ole Miss for the 2026-27 season, Brad Logan of 247Sports.com reports.

• Hawaii QB Micah Alejado is resting in spring ball as he recovers from an ankle injury.

• Air Force QB Liam Szarka (arm) is expected to be available, but limited, to start Air Force’s spring camp

• BYU WR Parker Kingston (not injury related) is no longer a student at BYU and no longer on the BYU football team, per Mitch Harper of KSL News Salt Lake City.

Spring Camp News

• Colorado new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion spoke glowingly about QB Julian Lewis‘ arm talent and development heading into the spring:

  “He truly does have a million-dollar arm. It’s just teaching him all the little things. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a great example to learn from the standpoint of what it looks like from a habit standpoint, showing up every day with a smile on your face, a quarterback being the CEO of the program. He’s just learning those little things and details. But as far as ability, he has all the ability in the world.”

  “As far as his arm talent, he is in the class of Quinn Ewers and those types of guys when you talk about being able to throw the ball at an elite level.”

  “Colorado last year didn’t have much run game. They knew that he was going to drop back and throw the ball, but he made smart decisions with the ball. He didn’t risk or turn over the ball.”

• On Texas transfer WR DeAndre Moore, Marion said this:

  “He’s making everybody in the building better just from his leadership. I’ll be surprised if he’s not the captain of the team when it’s all said and done because he just elevates the room. He’s almost like a quarterback; he’s that guy who walks in and he has that juice and that energy.”

• Alabama RB Daniel Hill took first-team reps in Alabama’s spring practice drills open to reporters, AL.com reports.

• Boston College QBs Grayson Wilson and Mason McKenzie saw most of the expected first-team reps during Boston College’s first spring practice, Mike Sidhly of 247sports Reports.

• Georgia Tech RB Justice Haynes (foot) was spotted on the field for the start of Georgia Tech’s spring practice session Thursday, Alex Farrer of Rivals.com reports.

• Florida WR Eric Singleton is expected to compete against TJ Abrams for first-team reps, Zach Abolverdi of On3.com reports.

• Florida State Jayvon Boggs is eyeing the WR2 role for the Seminoles as spring ball kicks off, per The Tallahassee Democrat.

• Per Texas beat writer Evan Vieth of On3 on first spring practice:

  • RB Raleek Brown logged Texas’ first reps for punt returns

  • WRs Kaliq Lockett and Daylen McCutcheon took first-team slot reps

  • WR Cam Coleman stood out

• Cincinatti RB Zion Johnson will be Cincinnati’s starting running back when spring practice starts up, but the running back room is wide open, Keegan Nickoson of 247Sports reports.

• A 247Sports beat writer projects Miami’s offensive two-deep depth chart for 2026:

QB: Darian Mensah as the starter, with Luke Nickel as the backup. It would be a significant development if Nickel takes a step forward this offseason and flashes the physical traits necessary to be a CFP-level quarterback.

RB: Mark Fletcher leads the room as the most dependable back who also makes big plays — he flashed big play ability during the 2025 CFP run. Girard Pringle brings speed and acceleration but needs to clean up his pass protection. Jordan Lyle is the most physically gifted back on the roster but needs to develop his vision and patience.

WR: Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate are projected as the best at their respective roles in the country — Toney as an elite short-game threat and Barkate as ultra-productive in the intermediate passing game. Joshua Moore (6-4, 215) has the highest upside among the candidates for the third receiver spot. If Moore can emerge as a viable deep threat, the Hurricanes will have one of the top receiving corps in the country. Vandrevius Jacobs brings downfield speed, Cam Vaughn is a well-rounded contested-catch receiver, and Vance Spafford is an intriguing slot option.

TE: True freshman Gavin Mueller (6-5, 255) is a special physical talent. If he shows he can handle starting duties, it would be encouraging for Miami to have a pass-catching threat at tight end. Luka Gilbert provides size and blocking, while Elija Lofton can be an effective H-back.

• Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi spoke after the second spring practice about the running back room:

  • Synkwan Smith (”Bopp”) has been doing a nice job early. Ja’kyrian Turner (”Boosie”) is up to around 190 pounds and could be 195 by fall — Narduzzi described him as “big, strong and confident.”

  • La’Vell Wright is still coming back from an injury suffered at Western and is expected to be full go next week. Narduzzi compared his frame to former Pitt back Daniel Carter: “This kid can run. He’s a super kid... He’s got leadership skills. He’s big, he’s fast and he’s smart.”

• West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez on the addition of RB Cam Cook:

  "I paid close attention to Jax State, because obviously we had ties there, still had guys that we recruited on that team and guys that were playing, and it's a great school. I love the people down there. So, I paid attention. I didn't watch all their games, but the midweek games and stuff, I got a chance a little bit, and this guy was making people miss.

  He was a really good football player. He was a really good football player in our league before he went there. So, we went after him, went after an experienced guy. We knew that we were going to have almost a whole new running back room anyway, and I'm glad he's here. He's a really smart football player. He's got a great feel for it. He can block, he can catch. He's got all the stuff that you want in the back."

• An ON3 beat writer’s predictions for UGA’s starting offence has second year player Sacovie White replacing Zachariah Branch in the slot:

  • QB: Gunner Stockton

  • RB: Nate Frazier & Chauncey Bowens

  • x-WR: Isaih Canion

  • Slot: Sacovie White

  • z-WR London Humphreys

  • TE: Lawson Luckie

• Per a 247Sports report, two members of Alabama’s 2025 recruiting class are predicted to take big steps forward this spring:

Read more

Sometimes you just gotta mog.

- Clavicular, social media influencer

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening—whenever it is I'm greeting you. It brings me great pleasure to inform you that the long awaited and internationally anticipated Q1 rankings drop is here for the RB position group.

If there’s anything we learned last season, it’s that a lot of shit happens at RB. Virtually the entire first round of RBs last year by ADP failed to complete the season due to injury, and of the remaining few that made it through unscathed, most ended up disappointing. Primary lesson? Volume is key, as always.

Ironically, I think the only first-round RB who truly had a great year cover-to-cover was the one I was lowest on: ND’s Jeremiyah Love. Eh, it happens, and to be fair, he’s the type of player I’m happy to be wrong on.

I did not come across another controversial player of that type this year—in fact, the process was pretty straight forward if I do say so myself. There are 52 players ranked in this article with some thoughts on each, and another 26 are placed in name only for your consideration. Enjoy.

1. Ahmad Hardy (Mizzou) — There isn’t a clear cut RB1 this year but Hardy feels like the safest option out of any player to at least be a good CFF RB, hence why he’s here. You all should know how I do these rankings by now, I don’t grade players on upside, or who I think finishes as the literal CFF RB1, but rather I do it by how confident I feel about them being a good CFF asset at their positions. Frankly, I would be surprised if Hardy finishes as the literal RB1 given that Jamal Roberts is still lurking and Mizzou will face plenty of tough defences in-conference. Nonetheless, the natural ability of the player and the role he holds in coach Drink’s offence are indisputable, making Hardy an easy rank as a unanimous top three RB among the CFF cognoscenti this offseason.

2. Caleb Hawkins (OKST) — Again, if we were rating based on upside—upside-maxing, if you will—Hawkins clears Hardy pretty easily in my opinion given the conference he plays in and the lack of known quantities around him. The problem is he’s also riskier given he’s transferring up a level. Though, if you’re going to promote up divisions, the BIG12 is probably the conference to do so. Outside of Texas Tech who’ve been intentional to spend millions of dollars upgrading their defence, stopping the opposing team has never been a strong suit of this conference, and that trend will likely continue in 2026. Hawkins also has more receiving usage in his profile compared to Hardy, so that’s another element of his game that is appealing for CFFers. I feel like there’s a higher bust potential with Hawkins, whereas with Hardy I’d say the chances are virtually zero that he has a bad season as long as he’s healthy. That gives AH the edge.

3. Antwan Raymond (RU) — This is a player in the same vein as Hardy as far as how I view him. I don’t necessarily see top-three finish upside, but I do view Raymond as an ultra-safe asset to at least be good in CFF (good being ~15 PPG on the year). Playing under OC Kirk Ciarocca, Raymond became sort of the second coming of former Minnesota Gopher RB Mo Ibrahim, who Ciarocca had briefly in 2022. In fact, Raymond has a single-game high of 41 carries last season on his way to 244 total (something Mo did a few times in Minny). I doubt that feeding Raymond as much as RU did was the plan for 2025, but CJ Campbell’s injury in week two forced their hand. Campbell has since left, but the Knights brought in Clay Thevenin from Louisiana Tech. He doesn’t spook me enough to discount Raymond, and with a change at QB, RU may be even more run-heavy in 2026. RU has a favourable conference schedule avoiding Iowa, Oregon and Ohio State (traditionally tough teams to run against). Michigan and IU are really the only two games that could be problematic, and even then, not necessarily games where you’d have to sit Raymond. Despite demonstrating some ability as a receiver, RU rarely uses him this way. Disappointing, but maybe something that he works on this offseason.

4. DeSean Bishop (TENN) — Again, not a player I view as a nuclear upside option, but one that I am confident in being at least good in 2026. Bishop is coming off a 1000 yard season and the QB position is looking like a question mark as things are currently up in the air with Joey Aguilar’s eligibility. What’s more, Tennessee returns a strong offensive line, with four of the five starters from the previous season coming back. The parameters look to be set in such a way that Tennessee are going to rely on running the ball a lot, and Bishop is quite clearly returning as the RB1. He is not a great receiver of the football, but they use him there a bit.

5. Kewan Lacy (Miss) — Mr. Do it All in 2025 for the Rebs, Lacy will have the benefit of reinforcements in 2026. Ole Miss went out and acquired two former RB1s in MSU’s Makhi Frazier, and the FCS TD leader Josh Dye (formerly of UTEP). These moves signal to me an emphasis on moving touches away from Lacy to lower his workload. While the sophomore from Texas remarkably held up well during the regular season, he did begin falling apart in the CFP. I feel a bit conflicted about him, as part of me wants to rate him lower, but he is also undeniably a stud and Ole Miss aren’t going to just stop feeding him (especially if the reported NIL figures are correct). NIL as an indicator of volume isn’t fool-proof though (see Alabama WR Ryan Williams in 2025). Lacy is a bit of an enigma for me. I need more time for meditation to have a full thought on him.

6. Will Henderson (UTSA) — This is one that is more of the Caleb Hawkins/nuclear-upside variety rather than the mold of Hardy/Raymond. Henderson is a wildcard in that we have a limited sample of him from last season. That being said, when he did take over as the starter, he was very good. He is electrifying in space and is possibly one of the fastest players in all of CFB (yes, really!). He’s also demonstrated some ability to perform as a receiver. Playing in the G5 also gives him a slight edge in the sense that crazier shit just seems to happen at the lower level of the FBS, but it can be a double edged sword due to the lack of info we receive about these programs. Hendo is one of the players I can legitimately see actually finishing as the RB1 if everything works out for him. His primary competitors for touches will be Brandon High, who transferred back to UTSA, and former USC Trojan A’Marion Peterson, so it’s not a clear path to victory for him. It’s not even 100% clear that he’ll be the starter again, so I am really going out on a limb putting him here. However, since he finished the year as the starter, I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt.

7. Jadan Baugh (UF) — Evaluating the landscape early on, it seems I may be higher on Baugh than the average drafter this year. I really like the upgrade he got with the new staff, and the fact that Florida had to move heaven and earth to keep him in Gainesville feels like a harbinger of a monster season usage-wise for the rising junior out of Georgia. The OC, Buster Faulkner, has always been a committee man, which is not ideal, but HC Jon Sumrall had the FBS carry leader at Troy in 2023 (Kimani Vidal, 297), and fed Makhi Hughes 265 rushes in 2024. We can work with that.

8. Darius Taylor (MIN) — It almost feels like Taylor returning for 2026 has gone under the radar this offseason. Yes, injuries have plagued his career, but we’re still talking about a player that has averaged 15 PPG or more every season he’s been in college. The injury risk is a real factor in evaluating his profile, but virtually every other box is checked as far as what to look for in a RB1. I’d like to see a little more health-maxing out of our guy here (maybe some glutathione would do him some good), but ultimately, playing under PJ is a double edged sword: the volume will always be there. That’s where the story begins and ends for me, making Taylor an easy early round RB selection from my view. Just make sure you have a lot of other RBs rostered in preparation for the inevitable.

Read more

Ya’ll want to win, put Boobie in.

- Boobie Miles, Friday Night Lights (2004)

We finally got around to taking a look at the upcoming class of freshman for 2026 (C/O 2026). One immediate observation is that there is a growing trend of reclassifications in high school football. In this cycle, at positions RB, WR, and TE, one of, if not the top rated player in 2027, reclassified to 2026. All three of those players are covered in this article.

While it is my opinion that NIL chaos is generally undesirable for the product of college football, one of the positive externalities of this Wild Wild West era is that we can use NIL investment as an indicator for potential future CFF value.

There are multiple players in this article that—through reading the tea leaves—were some of the highest paid players in the cycle, and might even be some of the highest paid players on their new teams when they arrive on college campuses.

As with any iteration of these articles, the chance of any freshmen player playing significant snaps in year one is low, and the chances of someone such as myself identifying who those few will be ahead of time is even lower.

Furthermore, I try not to highlight only a bunch of chalk entries but rather delve into some of the more under-the-radar guys as well, which of course makes the exercise even harder. The lower rated prospects are in the second half of the article (for paid subs).

Share

Mark Bowman (USC), 6’4, 230

These lists are hard enough as it is that I usually try to stay away from TE prospects. But the circumstances around Bowman’s recruitment were enough of an indicator to me that he’s probably going to be involved in year one (unless he shows up and completely sucks ass, which is always possible but I don’t think likely here).

Georgia, Texas, and USC were the three main competitors at the end, but ultimately Bowman opted to stay home. The comparisons to a former UGA great were obvious early in his recruitment, with him wearing #19 specifically and playing TE in the state of California currently.

And that’s where NIL as an indicator could come into play here. Bowman is reportedly one of the highest paid players in the C/O 2026, and is the gem of USC’s massive recruiting class.

Mater Dei high school has proven to be an incubator for future P4 players over the last decade plus, and this past cycle was no exception with four Monarchs in the top 10 of California rated prospects.

Interestingly enough—as has become customary in modern day recruiting—USC only signed two out of the top 10 players in California this past cycle, with the other being Mater Dei’s WR Kayden Dixon Wyatt.

Bowman is actually a reclassified player from 2027, but the fact that he was still rated a five star in this cycle speaks to his perceived talent by the industry. “Baby Brock” I believe was a nickname that was thrown around earlier last year. I suppose, we can still use the nickname, he looks very similar to Bowers, even if he’s going to wear a USC jersey in college (for now, at least).

Ezavier Crowell (Alabama), 5’11-210

Perfectly sized already (if listed is accurate, which ON3 says it is), the best thing that could have happened for Alabama’s incoming five star RB is Daylen Smothers’ late flip to Texas in the portal. “Late flip” and “portal” in the same sentence still reads wrong, but who’s counting.

The recruiting industry was unanimous in slotting Crowell behind their #1 rated back, Savion Hiter, but #2 isn’t so bad, and the actual mathematical difference in scores is insignificant.

Crowell has verified track times, including a 10.7 100M dash time, suggesting he possess great speed in addition to a CFB workhorse-ready frame coming out of high school. Initially I was concerned that he had re-classified from ‘27, but later found out that this is actually the class he should have been in all along (I guess he has a late birthday, or something).

AK Dear was one of the prized recruits for Alabama last year and is expected to be the one who steps up the most in the absence of an elite portal acquisition. Beyond him, Daniel Hill and Kevin Riley are still kicking around. Nonetheless, it’s safe to say that, as far as upper tier P4 programs go, this backfield has one of the easier paths to the field in 2026.

A late flip from UGA, I’m guessing Curtis’ camp were sweating bullets when former Vandy QB Diego Pavia and his team were pushing for an eighth year of eligibility or whatever it was earlier this offseason.

After all, supposedly a big part of the motivation to flip to the Commodores was so that Curtis, the #1 rated QB in C/O 2026, would not have to sit in year one behind somebody like… Gunner Stockton. Obviously, this line of logic worked out great for the last guy, Dylan Raiola, who’s currently holding Dante Moore’s jock strap in Eugene, so who can blame Curtis?

I think with QBs, especially the ‘five star’ rated ones, the expectation has to be that they will hit the transfer portal at least once. It’s much more likely Curtis will finish his career somewhere else, whether he ended up signing with UGA or Vandy, than it is that he leaves college as a Commodore. Maybe that changes as the NIL era matures, or maybe it only further exacerbates the issue, only time will tell.

But for now, I think it’s safe to say that the red carpet has been laid before Curtis’ feet, with the hope and probably expectation in Nashville that he’ll take the proverbial baton from Pavia and run with it. “Run with it” bring more literal than I originally intended, as Vandy are losing a lot of senior players from the 2025 roster, including along the offensive line.

Will Curtis play a lot in 2026? I would think so. Will he be any good? That’s a different question. I’m not sure there will be a lot of support around him. Hopefully that doesn’t send him on a Raiola-esque trajectory for the rest of his career.

To my untrained eye, Tennessee’s five star signee at WR was not only the best looking one of the bunch this year, but one of the better looking players of the past few cycles based on his junior season tape.

Admittedly, I have not gone back into the archives to see how he fared in his senior campaign, but I assume it was much of the same. And I have to say, Mississippi as a state is so underrated when it comes to WR production. They punch way above their weight in this asset class, seemingly producing a high-end WR prospect every year, which is pretty absurd given how poor and unpopulated the state is.

Keys was originally committed to LSU, but later flipped to the Vols to play in Josh Heupel’s system. I’m not sure what advice these guys are getting, but they ought to take a look at the track record of Tennessee’s WRs in the NFL. LSU, even under the old regime, seemed to be a better move in my humble opinion, but what do I know?

Even a place like UGA, who everyone rags on for not having a 1000-yard receiver since like, 2001 or whatever, has more recent WRs in the NFL who are actually balling (Ladd McConkey and George Pickens) than the Vols.

Nonetheless, as far as we’re concerned as CFF players, the move to Tennessee is a good one. This system has a knack for sustaining (at times) prolific WR numbers, which is always good for CFF.

Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley are expected to be the top two receivers in 2026 and I’m plugging both in as starters even as we stand in March. Keys can probably earn a role as a rotation guy later in the year if everything works out well for him. Year two will be the bigger impact year for him most likely.

Read more