It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.

- Rainer Maria Rilke, Sonnet to Orpheus

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

These teams include: 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.

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TROY

QB:

Starting quarterback Goose Crowder hit junior-college transfer Howard Kinchen on a 68-yard touchdown pass. Back-up quarterback Tucker Kilcrease threw two 30-yard touchdown passes, one to Jah’Marren Jackson and the other to Andrew Leslie.

WR:

Jah’Marren Jackson, a redshirt freshman from McKenzie, had a big day. He later caught a second touchdown pass, a 15-yarder from third-string quarterback Jack James.

RB:

The other offensive touchdown was a 3-yard run by Dennis Palmer.

UTAH STATE

QB:

Transfer McCae Hillstead, who was with the Aggies in 2023 prior to transferring to BYU, and freshman Kaleb Maryland spent the most time behind center throughout the day.

*Hillstead was announced as the starter on April 20th.

VANDERBILT

QB:

The quarterback battle

Fans got a look at both Berlowitz and Curtis at the Spring Game to see who is gaining an edge in the ever-evolving quarterback battle. Neither played their best game, but both showed flashes of talent and poise.

Berlowitz began the game at quarterback, commanding two drives. However, he never looked comfortable in those two early possessions, eventually throwing a costly pick after he escaped the pocket on the second drive. He didn’t hit on a single deep throw, missing an open receiver deep due to an underthrown ball. Berlowitz did rebound with a nice touchdown drive in the second half, capped off with a short throw to Tristen Brown to score.

Curtis, on the other hand, showed a greater ability to find receivers deep, hitting Ja’Cory Thomas for a play of 20+ yards on his first drive. The arm talent certainly flashed, as he threw a 60-yard bomb from inside the pocket just out of reach of the receiver in his first drive. He also displayed some decent touch on shorter routes, hitting a multitude of receivers on short cut routes for small yardage. On his second drive of the day, Curtis led the offense to a touchdown after hitting 3-of-4 passes.

“You see physical elements of his game that are unique to him as a human being, [such as] his potential for explosive plays, the way he can evade rush, the way he can find receivers down the field and the look that the ball has coming out of his hand,” Lea said of Curtis postgame. “There’s a lot there that we saw in evaluation and we saw in recruiting.”

He wasn’t entirely without his flaws, though. He threw a few risky balls over the middle of the field that were broken up with ease, and he often relied too heavily on his first read. Those mistakes are expected from a young quarterback in a new system, though.

It will be a challenge for any quarterback to take the reins from Diego Pavia, but Curtis showed the most impressive stuff today. Still, this quarterback battle is still open until that first snap in September. Berlowitz is the more veteran option, while Curtis projects with far more potential.

“We don’t expect [Curtis] or any of these guys to be Diego Pavia,” Lea said after the game. “But each one of these guys needs to focus on how they strengthen the unit.”

Vanderbilt’s other quarterbacks, Jack Elliott and Whit Muschamp, also competed in the game, leading select drives. Muschamp played very well, leading a successful touchdown drive after finding Thomas on a 32-yard crossing route.

This quarterback battle will only continue to develop through spring practices and fall camp.

RB:

Despite top running backs Sedrick Alexander and MK Young not suiting up for the game, Vanderbilt’s offensive line was extremely effective at creating lanes for whoever was in the backfield. The offensive struggles early on were more due to poor quarterback play than the group upfront. Offensive line coach Chris Klenakis opted to rotate the linemen throughout the game, offering many young players opportunities to gain reps.

Running backs Jamezell Lassiter and Izayah Lee found success early on due to the offensive line’s ability to generate massive holes. Lee punched in the first touchdown of the contest on the ground after solid blocking throughout that possession. The offensive line also provided holes on the outside for Kayleb Barnett, who used his speed and quickness to gain yards off short passes and jet sweeps.

WR/TE:

Lea and his staff brought in an exciting new transfer class this offseason. A few shined in the Spring Game, particularly in the pass-catching group. Old Dominion transfer wide receiver Ja’Cory Thomas looked exceptional, hauling in several catches, including a 32-yard touchdown strike from Muschamp. His speed and athleticism showed on Saturday, as he consistently broke away from his corners while displaying very steady hands. Thomas caught two balls for a total of 51 yards.

“I’m on the big side of a receiver,” Thomas said of what he brings to the team. “So, a lot of people don’t think I run routes. [But] I think I’m a true route runner now; I’ve seen my hips getting out of breaks. I get physical.”

Ball State transfer Walter Taylor, who formerly played for Vanderbilt in the 2022 season, also impressed, using his larger frame (6’5, 240 pounds) to make big catches over the middle of the field. The former quarterback and now tight end will look to carve out playing time for himself this fall in a very strong tight end group, which features veteran Cole Spence, Eastern Carolina transfer Jayvontay Conner and Brycen Coleman. Nevertheless, he made a statement in the spring game that he might deserve playing time, earning 39 receiving yards on two catches.

“Most important, it’s been a very good transition,” Taylor said postgame of coming back to Vanderbilt. “Being around guys like Cole Spence and talking to them about the position [has been helpful]. It’s been really good. They have guided me through it.”

OL:

Despite the success in the running and passing game, the offensive line committed its fair share of false starts and holding penalties. The wealth of penalties is certainly not shocking for a young group who has barely played together, but Klenakis will likely place an emphasis on limiting mistakes as fall camp approaches.

HELD OUT:

Several notable Commodores did not suit up for the spring game. Junior Sherill, MK Young, and Cole Spence were held out on the offensive side,

AUBURN

QB:

Tristan Ti’a: 15-20, 179 yards, TD, INT; 4 rush, 9 yds, TD

Byrum Brown: 7-14, 85 yds, 2 INTs; 7 rush, 6 yds

Locklan Hewlett: 4-7, 65 yards, INT

Rhys Brush: 3-5, 32 yards

Multiple interceptions of Auburn’s quarterbacks

Auburn’s defense did not let up on the offense during the spring game, starting the first half with two interceptions on Byrum Brown and Tristan Ti’a.

Ti’a’s interception came on his second drive of the game, as safety Jacoby Mathews stepped in front of his pass intended for Deshawn Spencer.

On the next series, Brown drove the Tigers all the way to red zone and threw an interception to blitzing edge rusher Jared Smith. Brown also finished the first half completing just five passes for 73 yards.

Ti’a went 8-for-13 on passes in the first half and threw a dart to Duke Smith for a 28-yard touchdown on his first drive of the game.

In the second half, Brown threw his second pick of the day to linebacker Bryce Deas on his first drive after the break. He would finish the day going 7-for-14 for 85 yards and did not lead a touchdown drive.

Ti’a shined as he only misfired on five passes, finishing with 179 passing yards and two total touchdowns.

RB:

Jeremiah Cobb: 4 rush, 57 yards

Nykahi Davenport: 10 rush, 41 yards, TD

Omar Mabson II: 7 rush, 22 yards

Bryson Washington: 8 rush, 17 yards

Tae Meadows: 3 rush, 7 yards

Cole Gamble: 2 rush, 5 yards

Running backs make do despite offensive line issues

For the majority of the afternoonm Auburn’s offensive line created running lanes for the backs. The Tigers finished with 158 rushing yards.

Jeremiah Cobb finished with four attempts for 57 yards and exploded for a 33-yard run to put Auburn in the red zone. Nykahi Davenport led the running backs with 10 rushing attempts and finished with 41 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Omar Mabson II had a few aggressive runs in the red zone and added 22 yards to his day. Baylor transfer Bryson Washington finished with 17 yards on eight attempts.

On the offensive line, the biggest takeaway was center Cole Best not having his strongest performance with snapping the ball.

All of the Tiger quarterbacks experienced inconsistent snaps that were either off target or too low to the ground. One of Best’s snaps led to a fumble in the first half that was eventually recovered by the offense.

WR:

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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:

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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

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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.***

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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

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

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

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

春至虎出，山林皆醒。

(When spring arrives and the tiger emerges, the whole forest awakens.)

- 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.***

Alabama

(HC / OC) PPG: 15.3 / 16.6 — OL: 65%

Daniel Hill | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | MS
Kevin Riley QUES | 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. Former NCST RB Daylen Smothers announced on Jan 11. that he flipped his commitment to Texas. Miller is headed to the NFL. Young transferred to CU. Keith comes in from App State.

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

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 QUES | 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: Dubinion transferred from Arkansas and opened the year as the starter. True freshman Jaq Lewis took over as the bellcow late in the year and enters ‘26 as the expected starter. Keith transferred to Alabama. Roberts missed 2025 with an ACL injury and will return in 2026. Alexander has now entered the portal.

Max Guest | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC
Treyaun Webb QUES | 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 QUES | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | AR

Note: Sutton Smith follows new head coach Ryan Silverfield from Memphis.

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.

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

Key departures:

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

• Tyler Williams | 2022 | AR

Arizona

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.8 / 13.2 — OL: 50%

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

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 QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
David Avit | 2024 | MD

Note: Kyson Brown opened the year as the starter but fell to injury. Raleek Brown took over, but has since transferred to Texas. Kanye Udoh announced he entered the portal (signed with LU). Avit and Gillis are promotions from lower divisions.

Marquis Gillis | 2022 | DE
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
Briggs Bartosh | 2023 | MO

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
Carson Smith | 2024 | MD
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
Nykahi Davenport | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA

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.

Omar Mabsen | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Bryson Washington QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Alvin Henderson | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Justin Jones | 2021 | AL
Tae Meadows | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL

Key departures:

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

• Durell Robinson | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MD

Ball State

(HC / OC) PPG: 10.9 / NA — OL: 17%

Elijah Jackson | 2022 | IN
TJ Horton QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | KY

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

Jalen Bonds | 2025 | ⭐⭐ | IN
Jalen Alexander | 2024 | IN
DJ Williams | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH
Johnny Thompson Jr. | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | CA

Key departures:

• Qua Ashley | 2022 | GA

Baylor

(HC / OC) PPG: 15.9 / 14.0 — OL: 76%

Cayden Knighton QUES | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OK
Micheal Turner QUES | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Note: Star RB B. Washington transferred to AUB.

Dawson Pendergrass QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | 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.

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
Chris McMillian | 2022 | GA

Note: Dendy became the bellcow in November.

Leo Kemp | 2023 | CA
Nakai Amachree QUES | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MI
PaSean Wimberly PROB | 2020 | OH
Tristin Blackmon | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL

Key Departures:

• Cameron Pettaway | 2024 | MI

• Mar’kel Porter | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

• Kaderris Roberts | 2021 | FL

Buffalo

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.8 / 15.0 — OL: 60%

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

Note: Henderson is out of eligibility.

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 QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Sione I Moa QUES | 2024 | CA

Note: Star RB LJ Martin is still recovering from shoulder surgery in 2025, not participating in early spring drills. Sione Moa is also dealing with an injury and is limited.

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
LJ Johnson QUES | 2021 |⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 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.

Ashten Emory | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | 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. Montgomery is headed to the NFL draft.

Tavion Swint | 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%

Nahree Biggins QUES | 2020 | NJ
Brock Townsend | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MI

Jakivion Calip QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH
Germanuel Tanelus | 2022 | FL
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 OUT | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC
Henry Rutledge OFS| 2021 | NC

Note: Gainey transferred to LSU.

Khamani Alexander | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
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
Cole Tabb | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Note: Satterfield indicated that Zion Johnson will open spring as the starter.

Zylan Perry | 2022 | LA
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
David Eziomume | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA

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.”

Chris Johnson | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Jay Haynes QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Jarvis Green OFS | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | SC

Key departures:

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

• Keith Adams | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | UT

Coastal Carolina

(HC / OC) PPG: 11.3 / 9.0 — OL: 72%

Rodney Hill | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA
Jaden Allen-Hendrix | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | SC

Note: Perteet is a 2025 spring transfer from JuCo. In 2024, he ran for 1223 yards and 13 scores on 5.3 yards-per-carry (230 touches). John technically may have one more year. Alexander joins from Rice.

Daelen Alexander | 2023 | TX
D'Mariun Perteet | 2023 | MS
Dominic Knicely | 2025 | VA
Jevon Edwards | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | SC

Key departures:

• Matt Pack | 2021 | SC

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

• Jalen John | 2020 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OR

Colorado

Read more

忍冬之牛存，躁进之牛亡。

(A patient bison outlasts the winter; a restless one meets the hunter.)

- 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.***

Alabama

(HC / OC) PPG: 15.3 / 16.6 — OL: 65%

Daniel Hill | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | MS
Kevin Riley QUES | 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. Former NCST RB Daylen Smothers announced on Jan 11. that he flipped his commitment to Texas. Miller is headed to the NFL. Young transferred to CU. Keith comes in from App State.

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

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 QUES | 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
Khamani Alexander | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Note: Dubinion transferred from Arkansas and opened the year as the starter. True freshman Jaq Lewis took over as the bellcow late in the year and enters ‘26 as the expected starter. Keith announced he entered the portal. Roberts missed 2025 with an ACL injury and will return in 2026.

Kanye Roberts QUES | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC
Max Guest | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC
Treyaun Webb QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL
J’Marion Burnette | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | AL

Key departures:

• Rashod Dubinion | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | GA

• Khalifa Keith | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL

• Jaylon Calhoun | 2023 | GA

Arkansas

(HC / OC) PPG: 12.8 / 10.5 — OL: 56%

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

Note: Sutton Smith follows new head coach Ryan Silverfield from Memphis.

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.

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

Key departures:

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

• Tyler Williams | 2022 | AR

Arizona

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.8 / 13.2 — OL: 50%

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

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 QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
David Avit | 2024 | MD

Note: Kyson Brown opened the year as the starter but fell to injury. Raleek Brown took over, but has since transferred to Texas. Kanye Udoh announced he entered the portal (signed with LU). Avit and Gillis are promotions from lower divisions.

Marquis Gillis | 2022 | DE
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
Briggs Bartosh | 2023 | MO

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
Carson Smith | 2024 | MD
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
Nykahi Davenport | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA

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.

Omar Mabsen | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Bryson Washington QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Alvin Henderson | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Justin Jones | 2021 | AL
Tae Meadows | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL

Key departures:

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

• Durell Robinson | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MD

Ball State

(HC / OC) PPG: 10.9 / NA — OL: 17%

Elijah Jackson | 2022 | IN
TJ Horton QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | KY

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

Jalen Bonds | 2025 | ⭐⭐ | IN
Jalen Alexander | 2024 | IN
DJ Williams | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH
Johnny Thompson Jr. | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | CA

Key departures:

• Qua Ashley | 2022 | GA

Baylor

(HC / OC) PPG: 15.9 / 14.0 — OL: 76%

Cayden Knighton QUES | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OK
Micheal Turner QUES | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Note: Star RB B. Washington transferred to AUB.

Dawson Pendergrass QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | 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.

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
Chris McMillian | 2022 | GA

Note: Dendy became the bellcow in November. As of writing, he appears to be returning to BGSU.

Leo Kemp | 2023 | CA
Nakai Amachree QUES | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MI
PaSean Wimberly PROB | 2020 | OH
Tristin Blackmon | 2026 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL

Key Departures:

• Cameron Pettaway | 2024 | MI

• Mar’kel Porter | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

• Kaderris Roberts | 2021 | FL

Buffalo

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.8 / 15.0 — OL: 60%

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

Note: Henderson is out of eligibility.

James McNeil Jr. | 2024 | NY
Nino Hill | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH
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 | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Sione I Moa | 2024 | CA

Note: Star RB LJ Martin is returning in 2026.

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
LJ Johnson QUES | 2021 |⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 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.

Ashten Emory | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | 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. Montgomery is headed to the NFL draft.

Tavion Swint | 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%

Nahree Biggins QUES | 2020 | NJ
Brock Townsend | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MI

Jakivion Calip QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH
Germanuel Tanelus | 2022 | FL
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 OUT | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC
Henry Rutledge OFS| 2021 | NC

Note: Gainey transferred to LSU.

Tre McLeod | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | PA

Key departures:

• Rod Gainey | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

• CJ Stokes | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | SC

Cincinnati

(HC / OC) PPG: 12.5 / 13.7 — OL: 36%

Zion Johnson | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA
Cole Tabb | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Note: Satterfield indicated that Zion Johnson will open spring as the starter.

Zylan Perry | 2022 | LA
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
David Eziomume | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA

Note: Randall is out of eligibility. Adams is in the portal.

Chris Johnson | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Jay Haynes QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Jarvis Green OFS | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | SC

Key departures:

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

• Keith Adams | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | UT

Coastal Carolina

(HC / OC) PPG: 11.3 / 9.0 — OL: 72%

Rodney Hill | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA
Jaden Allen-Hendrix | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | SC

Note: Perteet is a 2025 spring transfer from JuCo. In 2024, he ran for 1223 yards and 13 scores on 5.3 yards-per-carry (230 touches). John technically may have one more year. Alexander joins from Rice.

Daelen Alexander | 2023 | TX
D'Mariun Perteet | 2023 | MS
Dominic Knicely | 2025 | VA
Jevon Edwards | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | SC

Key departures:

• Matt Pack | 2021 | SC

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

• Jalen John | 2020 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OR

Colorado

Read more

猪年到，福气随。

(When the Year of the Pig arrives, good fortune follows.)

- Ancient Chinese Proverb, anonymous

You can expect depth chart orderings and notes on all 136 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.***

Alabama

(HC / OC) PPG: 15.3 / 16.6 — OL: 65%

Daniel Hill | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | MS
Kevin Riley QUES | 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. Former NCST RB Daylen Smothers announced on Jan 11. that he flipped his commitment to Texas. Miller is headed to the NFL. Young transferred to CU. Keith comes in from App State.

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

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
Dylan Carson | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | WA

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. Allen for sure has one year left. Carson/Frew it is not as clear.

Kade Frew | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Kemper Hodges | 2023 | FL
Terrence Gist | 2021 | SC
Kaden Cloud | 2021 | AZ
Travis Wood | 2024 | ⭐⭐ | CA
Connor Mathews | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Key departures:

Akron

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.3 / NA — OL: 36%

Jordan Gant | 2022 | FL
Sean Patrick QUES | 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 | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | PA
Taven Curry | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Chris Gee | 2023 | TX
Luke Reed | 2025 | OH

Key departures:

Appalachian State

(HC / OC) PPG: 13.8 / NA — OL: 26%

Jaquari Lewis | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Khamani Alexander | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Note: Dubinion transferred from Arkansas and opened the year as the starter. True freshman Jaq Lewis took over as the bellcow late in the year and enters ‘26 as the expected starter. Keith announced he entered the portal. Roberts missed 2025 with an ACL injury and will return in 2026.

Jaylon Calhoun | 2023 | GA
Kanye Roberts OFS | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC
Max Guest | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC
Treyaun Webb QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Key departures:

• Rashod Dubinion | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | GA

• Khalifa Keith | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL

Arkansas

(HC / OC) PPG: 12.8 / 10.5 — OL: 56%

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

Note: Sutton Smith follows new head coach Ryan Silverfield from Memphis.

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.

Cedric Hawkins QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AR
Nasir Allen | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Key departures:

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

• Tyler Williams | 2022 | AR

Arizona

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.8 / 13.2 — OL: 50%

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

Wesley Yarbrough | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Cornelius Warren | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Mike Mitchell OFS | 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
David Avit | 2024 | MD

Note: Kyson Brown opened the year as the starter but fell to injury. Raleek Brown took over, but has since transferred to Texas. Kanye Udoh announced he entered the portal (signed with LU). Avit and Gillis are promotions from lower divisions.

Marquis Gillis | 2022 | DE
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%

Noah Short | 2021 | ⭐⭐ | CA
Jake Rendina | 2023 | MT

Note: Service academies roster a lot of ‘RBs’ and are the most difficult to track beyond the top two-three starters.

Hayden Reed | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Trey Tremba | 2024 | PA
Briggs Bartosh | 2023 | MO
Jayden Walker | 2024 | TX
Trey Morris | 2024 | OH
Jack Kayser | 2024 | TX

Key departures:

Auburn

(HC / OC) PPG: 13.9 / 16.5 — OL: 88%

Jeremiah Cobb | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Nykahi Davenport | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | GA

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.

Omar Mabsen | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Bryson Washington | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Alvin Henderson | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Justin Jones | 2021 | AL
Tae Meadows | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL

Key departures:

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

• Durell Robinson | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MD

Ball State

(HC / OC) PPG: 10.9 / NA — OL: 17%

Elijah Jackson | 2022 | IN
TJ Horton QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | KY

Jalen Bonds | 2025 | ⭐⭐ | IN
Jalen Alexander | 2024 | IN
DJ Williams | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH
Johnny Thompson Jr. | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | CA

Key departures:

• Qua Ashley | 2022 | GA

Baylor

(HC / OC) PPG: 15.9 / 14.0 — OL: 76%

Cayden Knighton QUES | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OK
Micheal Turner OUT | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Note: Star RB B. Washington transferred to AUB.

Dawson Pendergrass OFS | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | 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.

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
Chris McMillian | 2022 | GA

Note: Dendy became the bellcow in November. As of writing, he appears to be returning to BGSU.

Kaderris Roberts | 2021 | FL
Leo Kemp | 2023 | CA
Nakai Amachree QUES | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MI
PaSean Wimberly PROB | 2020 | OH

Key Departures:

• Cameron Pettaway | 2024 | MI

• Mar’kel Porter | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX

Buffalo

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.8 / 15.0 — OL: 60%

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

Note: Henderson is out of eligibility.

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

Key Departures:

• Al-Jay Henderson | 2021 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NJ

• Lamar Sperling | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OH

BYU

Read more

寒冬绝地，猪知何存。

(When winter starves the land, the pig learns which parts of itself can survive.)

- Ancient Chinese Proverb, anonymous

You can expect depth chart orderings and notes on all 136 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 247 Sports.

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.

***This is the first iteration of this document for 2026, so please note that filling it with complete and accurate information will be a process. If there are details that I have missed (very likely), please let me know.

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.***

Alabama

(HC / OC) PPG: 15.3 / 16.6 — OL: 65%

Daniel Hill | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | MS
Kevin Riley QUES | 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. Former NCST RB Daylen Smothers announced on Jan 11. the he flipped his commitment to Texas. Miller is headed to the NFL. Based on snap count, I don’t think D. Washington preserved his redshirt this year and is out of eligibility. Young is in the portal

Akylin Dear | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | MS

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
Dylan Carson | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | WA

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. Allen for sure has one year left. Carson/Frew it is not as clear.

Kade Frew | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Kemper Hodges | 2023 | FL
Terrence Gist | 2021 | SC
Kaden Cloud | 2021 | AZ
Travis Wood | 2024 | ⭐⭐ | CA
Connor Mathews | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Key departures:

Akron

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.3 / NA — OL: 36%

Jordan Gant | 2022 | FL
Sean Patrick QUES | 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 | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | PA
Taven Curry | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Chris Gee | 2023 | TX
Luke Reed | 2025 | OH

Key departures:

Appalachian State

(HC / OC) PPG: 13.8 / NA — OL: 26%

Jaquari Lewis | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Khamani Alexander | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Note: Dubinion transferred from Arkansas and opened the year as the starter. True freshman Jaq Lewis took over as the bellcow late in the year and enters ‘26 as the expected starter. Keith announced he entered the portal. Roberts missed 2025 with an ACL injury and will return in 2026.

Jaylon Calhoun | 2023 | GA
Kanye Roberts OFS | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC
Max Guest | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC
Treyaun Webb QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Key departures:

• Rashod Dubinion | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | GA

• Khalifa Keith | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL

Arkansas

(HC / OC) PPG: 12.8 / 10.5 — OL: 56%

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

Note: Sutton Smith follows new head coach Ryan Silverfield from Memphis.

Jasper Parker | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MI
Markeylin Batton | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Cam Settles | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | 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.

Cedric Hawkins QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AR
Nasir Allen | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Key departures:

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

• Tyler Williams | 2022 | AR

Arizona

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.8 / 13.2 — OL: 50%

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

Wesley Yarbrough | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Cornelius Warren | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Mike Mitchell OFS | 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
David Avit | 2024 | MD

Note: Kyson Brown opened the year as the starter but fell to injury. Raleek Brown took over, but has since transferred to Texas. Kanye Udoh announced he entered the portal. Avit and Gillis are promotions from lower divisions.

Marquis Gillis | 2022 | DE
Demarius Robinson | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | OK
Jason Brown | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | WA

Key departures:

• Kanye Udoh | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NJ

• Raleek Brown | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | CA

Army

Read more

岁首正月，猪弃旧草。

(At the first month of the year, the pig leaves old straw behind.)

- Ancient Chinese Proverb, anonymous

You can expect depth chart orderings and notes on all 136 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 247 Sports.

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.

***This is the first iteration of this document for 2026, so please note that filling it with complete and accurate information will be a process. If there are details that I have missed (very likely), please let me know.

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.***

Alabama

(HC / OC) PPG: 15.3 / 16.6 — OL: 65%

Daniel Hill | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | MS
Kevin Riley QUES | 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. Daylen “Hollywood” Smothers joins after a very productive ‘25 campaign, and instantly becomes the favourite to lead the Tide in rushing in 2026 (though he is still visiting other places like Texas). D. Washington might have preserved his redshirt, but I don’t think so based on snap count. Miller is headed to the NFL.

POST-PUB EDIT: Smothers announced on Jan 11. the he has flipped his commitment to Texas.

Akylin Dear | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | MS

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
Dylan Carson | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | WA

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. Allen for sure has one year left. Carson/Frew it is not as clear.

Kade Frew | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Kemper Hodges | 2023 | FL
Terrence Gist | 2021 | SC
Kaden Cloud | 2021 | AZ
Travis Wood | 2024 | ⭐⭐ | CA
Connor Mathews | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Key departures:

Akron

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.3 / NA — OL: 36%

Jordan Gant | 2022 | FL
Sean Patrick QUES | 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 | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | PA
Taven Curry | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL
Chris Gee | 2023 | TX
Luke Reed | 2025 | OH

Key departures:

Appalachian State

(HC / OC) PPG: 13.8 / NA — OL: 26%

Jaquari Lewis | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL
Khamani Alexander | 2024 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Note: Dubinion transferred from Arkansas and opened the year as the starter. True freshman Jaq Lewis took over as the bellcow late in the year and enters ‘26 as the expected starter. Keith announced he entered the portal. Roberts missed 2025 with an ACL injury and will return in 2026.

Jaylon Calhoun | 2023 | GA
Kanye Roberts OFS | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC
Max Guest | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | NC
Treyaun Webb QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Key departures:

• Rashod Dubinion | 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | GA

• Khalifa Keith | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AL

Arkansas

(HC / OC) PPG: 12.8 / 10.5 — OL: 56%

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

Note: Sutton Smith follows new head coach Ryan Silverfield from Memphis.

Jasper Parker | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | MI
Markeylin Batton | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | TX
Cam Settles | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | 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.

Cedric Hawkins QUES | 2023 | ⭐⭐⭐ | AR
Nasir Allen | 2025 | ⭐⭐⭐ | FL

Key departures:

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

• Tyler Williams | 2022 | AR

Arizona

(HC / OC) PPG: 14.8 / 13.2 — OL: 50%

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OuUuuuh, played and dipped, way to kill the mOoOd 🎶

- SZA sample, sixtoy & Jacopo Sb

There I stood. By the fire… medieval Celtic hymns in the background—I felt like I was in f***ing Excalibur—hot coco in my hand.

“This is great.” I uttered to myself. “Happy holidays to me”.

I had intended to upload this article last week prior to the round two CFP games, but unfortunately came down with the flu for a few days which rendered me incapacitated. I thought it was only appropriate to finish 2025 off with another ailment—it was very fitting for my year.

But the other day, having now fully recovered, I returned from a skate on Ottawa’s Rideau Canal, and decided to enjoy some time by the fire. In the background was music, this time some sort of medieval sounding hymn, which I enjoyed. It fit the vibe in that moment. It was already dark outside and the lights were off all around me.

I don’t know what happened in Costa Rica a few weeks ago, but since my return, I have weeded off any medications I started taking to induce sleep. I have a whole bag full of benzos that I got in my last prescription that I haven’t even opened. And it’s been over a week since I took a sleeping pill. I am not noticing that I hear noises these days (was told this would be a permanent problem). Either I have acclimated, or they just went away. I am not sure.

Anyways, I thought it was appropriate to provide some sort of health update, and forgive me for not doing so earlier (my paranoia about jinxing things). Want to thank all who reached out again. I know a lot of people were thinking about me, and keeping me in their prayers. This is very much appreciated. I don’t want to use a word like ‘miracle’, but, this has really been something great.

I had a few notes written down for that article I planned to publish, and as part of my preview of each four matchups, I felt that the public narrative around the UGA/Miss game, in particular, was very alarming. Here is a snippet of what you would have seen in your inbox leading up to the games last week had I not been sick:

UGA/MISS

The market is always one step behind. And by market, I’m referring to a representation of individuals (the average consumer) with their own ideas. The problem is there’s usually a convergence of these ideas amongst the ‘herd’ and they tend to be on the losing side of most things. That’s why 95% or whatever the percentage is of sports gamblers lose money.

I won’t include the twitter tag as to out anyone unnecessarily, and to be clear I don’t know the person, but as soon as I see tweets like this from people who are not aligned with either of the teams in question (guy is a Vols fan), I start to get nervous.

You can almost see him talking himself into the bet in real time. Even as much as I’d like to believe this as a fan of the Dawgs, in my book, when the market sentiment starts to simplify the game like this, it’s a good idea to position yourself on the opposite side of whatever it is they think will happen.

I’ve tried to always bring a rational approach to my prognostications when it comes to CFF, and would do the same when I used to bet on CFB outcomes, and one of the universal truths is that nothing is ever as simple as this person above would have you believe.

I’ve seen that type of tweet countless times on social networks like twitter, and its guys like that, that keep all the buildings in Vegas looking pretty. If gambling and speculating on sports were as simple as this person would have you believe, then the distribution of sports betting winners would be much wider.

In fact, I remember seeing tweets exactly like this one leading up to the rematch between UGA and Alabama back in 2021 when they played for the natty three or so weeks after the SEC championship game. I’m sure a lot of people thought a Bama ML, or Bama side bet was a ‘lock’ considering what happened the first time…

As a matter of principle I don’t like to take bets on the Dawgs, since mixing heart with brain is never wise, but I did that year almost exclusively because the market was so sure of the outcome on the other side.

I’m not saying I’m spooked enough to believe Ole Miss pulls off the ‘upset’, which isn’t really much of an upset in my book, but I do think this game will be a lot more closer than most fans are expecting. And yes, I do think there is a really good chance that Ole Miss can pull off a victory.

Anyhoo, once the third quarter rolled around, and ‘Trinidaddy’ Chambliss came out, AKA, the second coming of Joe Burrow in the 2019 SECCG, I knew it would be a long road ahead for the Dawgs. That was the best QB performance I’ve seen vs. Kirby’s defence since 2022 CJ Stroud in the Peach Bowl. Whenever a QB cracks out like that vs. Kirby, the Dawgs always lose (with the exception of that one time vs. OSU).

To be fair, most teams always lose when the opposing QB plays at a god-tier level. I mean, this dude looked like a combo of Kyler Murray with his elusiveness to evade pressure, and then Cam Ward/P. Mahomes with the arm angles he was whipping out on downfield throws.

It was a thing of beauty, truly. If he plays like that the rest of his career, he’s going to make a lot of money playing football. And it’s crazy to think what the sequence of events were that got him here.

In the pre-NIL world, he probably signs with Temple, before Ole Miss came in at the last minute. The former Div. II national champion then only got his first opportunity to start because of an Austin Simmons injury. He took the opportunity and ran with it as best he could and now Simmons is in the portal, and Chambliss & the Rebs have reportedly worked out a deal for him to return in 2026 (that probably involves millions of dollars).

If he does get another year, it’ll be fascinating to see how the NFL views him with more game tape. I get that his physical stature is supposedly one reason why he wasn’t super coveted as a prospect coming out of high school, but he’s still (probably generously) listed at 6 foot, 200 pounds. So maybe he’s more like Bryce Young size (which is actually another player that came to mind watching that game; Young’s performance in the 2021 SECCG, specifically).

I think if Chambliss played the whole season, he probably is neck and neck with Mendoza for this year’s Heisman. Certainly if you reversed game performances vs. UGA, and instead had him winning the game back in October like he did last week, he would have almost been a lock to win the award in my opinion.

I also think people made too much out of the fact that Kiffin wouldn’t be involved in the game prep now that he’d moved on to LSU. This is an Ole Miss team that had already played an entire season—12 games together. Plus, the guys who do most of the actual play calling: Charlie Weis Jr. and Pete Golding, were both still there.

But now, things are getting messy in Oxford. It seems like Lane didn’t expect the team to win vs. UGA, and now his blessing to allow the coaches to continue their playoff push is back firing on my man. With each win, Lane is losing more time to build his program with his staff. What a shit show, and how fitting for CFB in 2026.

It also delays the time in which Kiffin can get his guys to come over from Ole Miss. The news around the big fish, Chambliss, suggests he probably won’t be moving on to Baton Rouge, so that’s 0/1. The next big prize is, of course, RB Kewan Lacy, who was also much more impressive vs. UGA in the second go-around compared to the first.

The problem for Lane is, do you hold the spot open for Lacy and just… wait for him and hope he’ll join? And if he doesn’t, then what? This year will be the first where there is no spring portal window, so now is the time to plug holes with imported talent should you choose to do so.

So, the longer Ole Miss remains alive, the better it is for them on two fronts: directly, as it is always better to win, especially in the playoffs, and indirectly, as it is keeping players away from other teams longer, and those teams have to move to fill holes sooner than later (specially, LSU).

Some thoughts on the other games:

Somehow, someway, Indiana is the real deal. Had I had the chance to write my full previews, one thing that would have not been anticipated was how thoroughly IU killed Alabama. My thinking pre-game was that Alabama’s talent advantage would make this is a very interesting contest. Especially on the lines of scrimmage.

What was most fascinating to me was that Alabama is a terrible run team, but that for the first time this year, they may actually be able to run it vs. a smaller front. In fact, I tweeted that the first five minutes of this game would tell us all we needed to know. If Bama could all of a sudden run the ball, they’d probably win.

Indeed, we did receive clarity in the first few minutes when Bama OC Ryan Grubb didn’t even attempt a run on the first four plays. The first drive ended with six pass plays to two rush attempts, where the Bama runner got six yards and zero yards.

IU continues to defy conventional wisdom regarding the blue chip ratio and what is believed to be the requisite amount of talent on the roster to win a natty. Well, that haven’t done it yet, so I’ll hold my breath. But what Cignetti has done is very impressive.

Equally impressive were the Miami Hurricanes. Unlike the IU/Bama matchup, this is one where my pre-game thoughts would have looked much better. My primary focus in my notes was that OSU’s regular season schedule was one of, if not the worst slate I’ve ever seen. That in fact, they did not have a signature win on the year, and that we didn’t really know much about them with regards to how good they are. It was just assumed that they were very good, based on a combination of factors like the talent etc.

And because OSU’s schedule was so bad, the team statistics around offensive/defensive production were not all that relevant in my mind when trying to assess how they would perform against another high caliber roster.

Now, I should say that Miami and Ole Miss played similarly from my perspective; in that they both came out playing inspired football. I think Ohio State is a good team. Just maybe not as good as some would want you to believe (cough cough Joel Klatt) in terms of giving them the benefit of the doubt. Probably if you played that MIA/OSU game in a best of five or seven series, OSU likely wins. But that’s not how football works, and Miami came out and won that game pretty convincingly by the end.

I really wanted to see a UGA vs. Miami battle because I feel like it would have been reminiscent of some of the old Bama vs. UGA battles in terms of violence and physicality. Oh well. It’ll be another great game anyways with Ole Miss stepping up vs. the Hurricanes.

And on that note, I should announce that Miami has officially been removed from my “Wanker Program” list. I’m not here to talk about the “U is back” or any of that goofy nonsense, but rather, this is me tipping my cap to Mario’s program and the culture of violence he’s built there.

I love the game, what can I say, and I respect teams who win the right way. The way the game is meant to be played! Really love how aggressive they looked vs. OSU. It was Georgia-esque.

As far as the Oregon/Texas Tech matchup, this is one where my write up would have been very short. Once again, I just felt like I didn’t know anything about either team. Neither had a real signature win, and Texas Tech in particular had no prior data points that were relevant for assessing how they’d do versus a roster filled with future NFL players.

In the end, Tech’s investment this year paid off for them in my opinion. It was a good start. They won their conference and made the CFP. They probably need to balance their spending to level out the offence with the defence in future years, but overall, I think we can call 2025 a success for that program. Oregon exposed their lack of depth also, which will be a question I have regarding their spending philosophy for future years.

I think it’s obvious that they will be leading the Big12 conference for the foreseeable future. Whether they can truly elevate to become one of the big boys of CFB remains to be seen.

My transfer portal (QB,RB,WR,TE) & coaching movement tracker:

QB:

• UW QB Demond Williams

• FCS QB Caden Pinnick → WSU

• OKST QB Hauss Hejny → CSU

• JMU QB Alonza Barnett → UCF

• USF QB Byrum Brown → AUB

• TCU QB Josh Hoover → IND

• ECU QB Katin Houser → ILL

• ARK St. Jaylen Raynor → ISU

• ISU QB Rocco Becht → PSU

• OSU QB Lincoln Keinholtz → LOU

• UK QB Cutter Boley → ASU

• GSU QB JC French → CINC

• MISST QB Luke Kromenhoek → USF

• HOU QB Zeon Chriss → TUL

• Div. II QB Carson Gulker → MSU

• UCF QB Jacurri Brown → RICE

• FIU QB Keyone Jenkins

• AUB QB Deuce Knight

• UNT QB Reese Poffenberger

• WVU QB Jaylen Henderson

• LSU QB Michael Van Buren → USF

• OU QB Michael Hawkins → WVU

• MEM QB Antwann Hill → ARK

• AUB QB Ashton Daniels → FSU

• Miss QB Austin Simmons → Mizzou

• USCjr. QB Air Noland

• CU QB Ryan Staub

• FCS QB Marcus Stokes → MEM

• FCS QB EJ Colson

• OREG QB Austin Novosad

• UNLV QB Anthony Colandrea → NEB

• Div. III QB Josh Ehrlich

• UNC QB Gio Lopez → WF

• UNC QB Bryce Baker

• TSA QB Kirk Francis

• Kenn St. QB Dexter Williams

• Kenn St. Amari Odom

• Mizzou QB Beau Pribula

• FCS QB Brady Atkinson

• FCS QB Jaden Craig → TCU

• Sac St. QB Cardell Williams

• LSU QB Colin Hurley

• UNT QB Drew Mestemaker → OKST

• GT QB Aaron Philo → UF

• OKST QB Zane Flores

• GSU QB TJ Finley

• NEB QB Dylan Raiola

• CINCY QB Brenden Sorsby → TT

• MSU QB Aiden Chiles → NW

• UF QB DJ Lagway → BAY

• App State QB AJ Swann → MISST

• ND QB Kenny Minchey → UK

• UM QB Jadyn Davis

• ODU QB Colton Joseph → WISC

• BC QB Dylan Lonergan → RU

• ASU QB Sam Leavitt

• CSU QB Brayden Fowler Nicolosi

• FCS QB Taron Dickens

• FCS QB Landen Clark

• UCF QB Tayven Jackson

• MEM QB Arlington Maiden → JMU

RB:

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PURA VIDA!!! (pure life)

- Costa Rican saying

*There’s a section called “FOOTBALL” further down this article that you can skip to if you’re not interested in my travel story (which would make me sad but I also understand, don’t worry).

Hello Pigs, welcome back. You may or may not have noticed that it’s been a little longer than usual since my last upload. I spent the last 10 days in various regions within the country of Costa Rica with my wife and arrived in chilly Toronto late last evening.

Those of you who reside in northern cities and have done a similar trip may relate to the feeling I had last night while riding home in the taxi: I gazed out into the cold urban jungle and couldn't help but ruminate on the memories of floating in a beach and/or pool that still lingered in my brain from hours before. I’m pretty sure I could still smell the chlorine on my skin! A strange juxtaposition indeed. There was sort of a feeling of “where did I go wrong?” Hours ago, I was eating pancakes and a beautifully prepared plantain, for Christ’s sake!

Yes, a 10-day journey was had. And in truth, we were not sure; in fact, back in October, I was pretty sure that we were not even going to make this trip. As the regular readers know my health has been poor for the past month and a half. Thankfully 1) we have found some solutions, and 2) we were past the point of refunds on a few of our purchases and so there was sort of a sunk cost phenomenon going on to.

To put it shortly, going on this trip might have been the single greatest decision I’ve ever made in my entire life. I’m not a huge vacation guy and haven’t traveled as much as I would have liked to over the past few years, but this trip to Costa Rica was easily my most enjoyable traveling experience of my life.

It started pretty rough, as travels usually do. A long day of preparation and getting to the dreaded Pearson International Airport here in Toronto. Of course, we let our anxiety get the best of us and left way too early, despite my knowing better. For a 6:10 flight, we called the Uber at 2:30, arrived at the port just after 3, and were through security and everything by 3:30. That left us a few hours to kill—I decided to get some dinner and ordered the only half-decent looking item on the menu, steak and potatoes. I dared not look at the price, for it would have set in motion a series of bad juju to kick off the trip.

I used to go on 5-hour train journeys back and forth between Toronto and Ottawa for work and/or leisure frequently, so a 5.5-hour flight normally wouldn’t have affected me tremendously. We had done a similar trip a few years ago to the Dominican Republic, and I remembered thinking that was a breeze. However, this one was pretty brutal. It felt very long, and I realized I had become quite softened to the rougher edges inherent in traveling longer distances.

We arrived around midnight local time, then waited for our checked bags—which brings me to an important point. I’ve never checked bags for a flight before in my life. I always thought that was for losers. And within 10 minutes at our arrival destination, my presupposition on this topic was confirmed. We (more so I) had decided to pack some snacks to eat because I knew we’d arrive late in San Jose, CR, with nothing but a Denny's nearby, and we might want to have some food, especially since we wouldn't have eaten anything since around 4:30-5 p.m. Hence the checked bags.

We ended up waiting 45 minutes for our bags, and I made the decision right then and there that we would never be doing this again. There I sat, overdressed like everyone else coming from Canada/US, in sweatpants and a jacket, sweltering in this airport with the other travelers waiting for our bags on that goddamn stupid fucking conveyor belt thing. Who the hell does this? I thought to myself. This might be the worst thing imaginable.

It was a far cry from my usual traveling these days—a 45-minute flight from Toronto’s Billy Bishop (a small boutique airport) to Ottawa, off the plane in 15 minutes and into the cab approximately four and a half minutes later. It’s truly a great feeling to notice your belly rumbling from the food you are currently digesting from a meal that you just ate at your previous location an hour ago as you step off the plane.

Anyways, we finally get settled and it’s like 2AM in this noisy hotel. It’s too late to take a Benzo, so I pop a sleeping pill and a magnesium supplement, but it was all for not. No sleep was had that first night which set a bad tone for the following day.

However, that was essentially the last (well, save for one afternoon, more on this later) inconvenience of the trip. We got up the next morning to find the complementary breakfast provided by the hotel—which we feasted on and stowed away a few snacks for the road. An hour or so later we met our driver, Mario, a chubby Costa Rican man who was very jolly. The journey from San Jose to the Chachagua rainforest was about four hours, so we made some stops along the way.

One very important stop—and I was panicking a little, because I forgot to bring them—was to a San Jose supermarket in hopes to find a flosser. Not your regular dental floss, or pick, but like, one of those GUM Flosser things. I just find dental floss to be so inadequate for working the back molars, and it bothers me when I go a few days un-flossed.

We went into the market, and to my horror, they were nowhere to be found. Just your regular dental floss, which is not sufficient.

Well, we’ll have to make do, I thought. We then make a series of other stops. Mario tells me he is currently suffering from a month long episode of Gout. I tell him I’ve had that twice over the last two years—should I should pick up some Colchicine as a precaution while I’m here?

I tell him I’ll buy them off him if he has them. Unfortunately, he doesn't, so we decided to stop off at a pharmacy in this very small remote town halfway between the rainforest and San Jose. We find some Colchicine, and then my wife—with her eagle eyes—spots my saving grace. Some GUM Flossers reside right there on the shelf staring me in the face. Let’s fucking go. Mario practically shits his pants in disbelief—he’s never even heard of these things.

We then get some of the best tasting coconut water I’ve ever had an hour or so later, and then another hour passes and we finally arrive to the rain forest and where we’ll be staying for the next few days. Here’s a video of a little plunge thing I sat in:

We’re staying in something called a ‘jungle tree house,’ which is exactly as you’d imagine it, except with all the necessities we Westerners have become accustomed to—running water, AC, Wi-Fi, etc.

Within this area, there are hot springs and some natural pools stemming from waterfalls that people can swim in. There is also, well, the rainforest itself, with all the beautiful and wild animals that inhabit it. Costa Rica is a vast and diverse country, with dozens of endemic species among mammals, fish, insects, and plants.

There were a lot of great things about this first place we were staying at, but perhaps the best was simply hearing the sounds of all the different animals in the morning and occasionally seeing a few. There were things like sloths, howler monkeys, snakes, and some pretty massive insects hanging around. If you’re into that kind of thing, it’s a cool spot.

We went hiking around the area one day, and found one of the ancient Ceiba Trees in the area. These things can live over 500 years, and this particular one was probably 300-350 years old. Because the climate is very stable, trees in Costa Rica don’t have tree rings like they do in Canada/US (where there are dormant periods for winter etc.), so it’s harder to date trees with 100% accuracy. There’s also a Ceiba tree reference in the Mel Gibson movie Apocolypto.

Mayan civilizations regarded these trees as sacred, believing that these long structures connected earth to the heavens. Truly, these things were massive. There is something mythical and ominous about large, old trees. I love them. They populate the lands and make them so much more interesting, in my opinion.

It’s mind-blowing to think of all the events in history these trees have predated. What was the world like on the day that this particular tree began growing? It was something I wondered about often while here.

We eventually (accidentally) ran into a local family’s ranch. One of the things I love about this part of the world is just how friendly the locals (usually) are. With the help of Google Translate and our limited understandings of each other’s languages (plus some helpful body language), we conversed for a bit, and they offered us some food and drinks.

In the photo on the right, we are in an area that is essentially just a large open field in the middle of the forest, with two horses roaming around. I didn’t think much of them, and took in the views of the nearby mountains. I wandered off and then returned shortly to see my wife with a very worried look on her face, moving promptly towards me.

The horses started galloping towards us, so I also then started moving hastily away in concert with my wife. We eventually reached an understanding with the horses (this was their territory, and we were leaving). Here’s the last video I took of our final stand off:

The food at the rainforest resort we were staying at was very good, thankfully, and I was sleeping like a baby each night. I used medication each night during the trip, but it might have been overkill some nights as it probably wasn’t needed. Overall, this place was good, but was easily my least favourite part of the trip.

Next up was a 4.5 hour ride into the mountains of Monteverde. I asked our new driver if we could stop off at a nearby natural hot spring, that was mostly locals only and free entry, along the way. He obliged, here’s a video I took:

Wasn’t really dressed for it, since it was a last minute thing, and true to form with it being a rainforest, it was raining (which actually made the experience even neater TBH, I like swimming in the rain).

The driver then took as around the Arenal Lake—the area has many (mostly dormant) volcanoes—so the views were cool. We also saw some Coatis along the way:

This area was cool for driving. The road was in good condition, and it wasn’t too busy. Long, winding roads made for an enjoyable ride.

Then, for the last, let’s say, 2.5 hours of the journey, we were riding up the mountains. These are dirt roads, narrow and populated with a lot of very fast and crazy drivers on motorbikes, and more often, large trucks!

I honestly was in disbelief half the time about how this area can function with so many (what I perceived as) near-death accidents that I witnessed in a few hours' time frame. I also can’t comprehend how these guys drive these massive trucks around these areas. Truly, the margin for error is almost non-existent. You’re either nearly colliding with another vehicle or sliding off the road and down a cliff to certain death.

My wife didn’t seem bothered at all; in fact, she fell asleep. I was there, fully awake, to witness and experience everything with the driver. He, of course, is experienced in driving around this area and was (at least not visibly) concerned.

Eventually, we made it up to our next lodging in the cloud forest high up in the mountains. This place… was probably my favourite place on planet earth when we arrived.

The temperature was a moderate low 20s (for the Americans, think like 68-72 degrees F) during the day. It was cool, and windy. It kind of felt like when I stay in a family friend’s cottage up in Northern Ontario during late summer. The days were pleasant, and the nights cool.

And our hotel was incredible. Admittedly, I didn’t even want to come here when we were planning this trip, but my wife insisted. Probably her biggest single ‘hit’ since I’ve known her. Here’s a video I took the first day when we arrived around sunset.

And a photo at night:

What you see in the distance is part of the Pacific Ocean. Costa Rica has a peninsula sort of thing on the western end of the country, and so the water seen here is in the interior water between peninsula and mainland.

Our time here was short, but very stimulating. We took a night tour in the cloud forest, where we saw a lot of different animals (some photos included above of the Owl and Toucan), and eventually found ourselves in a field in the middle of the forest with unabated views of the sky. Here’s a video I took in the pitch black of the forest, with only a few specks of light from the stars.

And here are a few more things we saw in the forest:

We went back to another part of the forest the next day to walk on some hanging bridges. My wife is afraid of heights so this was a particularly harrowing experience for her.

There were eight of these in total that we went over, with some spanning over 500 feat in length and over 100 meters high in the sky. I really enjoyed this part of the trip, I would have liked to spend more time here.

Our next driver, Jose, has become one of my new best friends. This guy was incredible, and what was supposed to be a 3 hour drive to our next destination—Potrero, a coastal beach town on the pacific (the actually pacific, not the interior peninsula)—turned into a six hour journey! We made several stops, one at a local waterfall

This time your boy couldn’t resist—had to pop in for a dip. The water here was really nice. I also saw an iguana and a monkey.

He also brought us to a ‘Soda’ just outside Liberia. A Soda in Costa Rica is like a small, family restaurant. Jose insists that these are where you’ll find the best food. It becomes apparent during our journey based on how much interaction he’s having with other drivers and people on our journey that he pretty much knows everyone this side of Costa Rica.

We pass by many bars and restaurants that are clearly open only to park at a Soda that has just closed at 3pm (it’s 3:30 at this point).

Jose chats with someone he recognizes outside the Soda while my wife and I walk over to it. There, we are told that the place is closed. We sort of stand there not knowing what to do for a moment and then Jose comes in, says some things in Spanish, and the two lovely girls working the counter both smiled reluctantly.

10 minutes later comes out our food, and some Tamarind juice, which was lovely and well-appreciated on a hot day.

This was honestly probably the best tasting food we had—and there were many great meals—during our entire trip. Jose wasn’t kidding, this place was great and worth going out of our way for.

After days at hotels and such, we arrive at our Air Bnb in Potrero just in time for the Boise State vs. Washington game.

I liked this place a lot. It had a really nice large kitchen that I’ve always wanted. Toronto condo kitchens absolutely suck, so one often yearns for a proper dominion of cookery.

The one thing I would have done differently, if we were to check bags anyways, was to bring my bike. Instead, I caught up on some videos from a YouTuber I like who rides through NYC to enjoy as a proxy.

This video my wife took shows part of the outside area by the pool:

On our way to breakfast one day we saw this Iguana:

The vacation was going so well that I just had to (inadvertently) throw a wrench in. I decided to book a catamaran tour, which apparently included snorkelling, and was set to sail over to a really nice beach, locals call the honeymoon beach.

I figured, while we’re here in Potrero, we might as well do at least one tour-type thing. I didn’t really think much about it when I booked it—indeed, one would say I was on ‘vacation mode’; Plus, everything else we had taken a chance on had gone so wonderfully up to that point.

I actually really didn’t have much of a clue about what this type of ‘tour’ would include, and probably should have done some research beforehand. Immediately when we get to the pickup point on the beach my spidey senses go off. In hindsight, I should have listened to that voice and just turned around, asked for a refund, and left. Oh, how I wish I had.

Vessels that my wife referred to as ‘refugee boats’ carried patrons to these catamarans—the first one looking disgustingly packed with sweaty bodies. Yikes, I said to myself. That was when my first sense went off “maybe this isn’t such a good idea”.

But my initial fear was assuaged because the next boat carried our group to a different catamaran, and this one we had all to ourselves. Still, we’re talking maybe a dozen people here, not exactly a private pleasure cruise.

Within minutes I realized my inner voice was completely and utterly correct in assessing this situation. I overhear the conversations going on and whisper to my wife “We’ve made a mistake. I think these people are morons.”

Indeed, I’ve met many Americans, and Substack analytics tells me most of my readership comes from the USA. But, these people were probably like, the worst representatives of the country you could imagine.

All they wanted to do was lay around on this boat and drink alcohol—which I understand sounds great in a general sense, you know, when you’re at a cottage back home or something—but when you’re in a foreign country, there’s so much to see, it just feels like a huge waste of time. I’d also say that this type of thing is better spent with people you’ve already pre-vetted as ‘your tribe’ or at least, you know, family.

The guys working the boat would try to explain things about various animals we would see, like the Brown Boobie (yes, real name) who would sweep down into the water and pluck fish out. Nobody but my wife and I cared.

We did meet one nice woman who was travelling solo from Columbus, OH, though, which was nice. She had apparently been to her first Buckeye game this season vs. (?)NW. I asked her if it was possible that through all the hype, and the fact that he had such a great first year, that maybe WR Jeremiah Smith could potentially be… a bit overrated? His route running really isn’t as smooth as some would have you to believe. I like the comparison to Julio Jones, but watching Smith run routes is a reminder that JJ may really have been one of one.

She had no idea what I was talking about. To be fair, most wouldn’t. Then there was the twerk squad, a few freshly turned 30 somethings who insisted on twerking and screaming everywhere on the boat. Perhaps it was some sort of divine coincidence that upon my mention of Julio (a known frequent visitor at Magic City in Atlanta), that these three would start performing like strippers on this godforsaken boat.

And look, I’m not saying I don’t appreciate this energy, just that there’s a time and a place. When I’m in ATL for the peach bowl to see Javon Bullard knockout MHjr’s punk ass, I actually appreciate this type of vibe roaming around. But it was a bit jarring after spending several days looking at animals and nature, to then be confronted with, shall we say, the less dignified aspects of human behaviour. It’s just not the type of “Brown Boobie” I was expecting to see.

The other problem with this ‘tour’ was that it was very long. Like, four hours long. And only an hour and a half of it was spent at the beach snorkelling! And, get this, only the sweet lady from Columbus, my wife, and I even did the snorkelling.

The rest of these fucking ‘tards just laid around on these stupid fucking floaties in the water, or stayed on the boat with dumb expressions on their face. Like Tennessee Volunteer fans whenever they see the Georgia Bulldogs roll through their stadium, it was a mix of fear—pretending to play it off—and generally just dumb faces all over. “I don’t want anything to do with these fucking people” I thought, before diving back down into the water.

We saw some cool fish, no sharks or dolphins though, unfortunately.

Then, the experience went from mild inconvenience to an unmitigated disaster. I don’t know what exactly happened with my wife, but she got really sick, really fast, all of a sudden. She was vomiting constantly.

She’s now back on the boat, using the washroom they have, which was probably disgusting at this point, and then eventually migrated over to yacking directly off the side of the boat. We didn’t drink any alcohol on the boat, so I knew it wasn’t that. It’s not look we hit huge waves so sea sickness felt unlikely too.

I swim back to the Catamaran. I bring towels, water, and some words of encouragement, but there’s not much else I can do. She’s in a bad way. I stay for a bit of time, bringing more towels and more water, and then, I do what any good husband who loves his wife would do—I looked over at the shimmering clear blue water and thought “hell, when am I going to be back at a beach this nice again?” and dived back in the waters.

Some people are buoyant, some aren’t, I’ve learned. For me, I’m able to float with minimal effort in the water, even getting in some stretches while doing it, so that’s what I did. While there were sharks around (apparently), and you do have to always keep an eye out for crocodiles as well, we didn’t see any while snorkelling, so I figured hanging out here was fine. I then realized that despite the fact that there were a few boats around, there wasn’t anyone else actually in the water except me at this point.

Nothing happens and I eventually make my way back to the boat, where I find my wife looking very dejected and very ‘over’ this experience. Having been sea sick on a deep ocean fishing trip once before, I understood the feeling of being sick and trapped on a boat. It has to be one of the worst feelings in the world, and we still have several hours to go with these fucking people.

Things get even better when it starts RAINING, and my wife, who hates the cold, is now shivering. Fuck, this could be a vacation defining moment, I thought. The inflection point that overshadows everything.

After what felt like much longer, two hours later we slowly cruise back and arrive to the beach. Thankfully, we’re only 10 minutes away from our rental place and arrive home promptly. My wife is still not well. I look online and see that the pharmacy nearby has just closed, so there’s no anti-nausea medication on the way. Great!

Of course, I provide some water, bread, and a banana to my wife, assuming she’s dehydrated at this point. Another hour passes and now I’m getting worried as she continues to deteriorate. I message the BnB host, who’s also coincidentally from Toronto, and tell her that my wife is sick, and ask for some recommendations.

I put the plan together to get us to a hospital if things continue to get worse, and then somehow, from the back of my mind, remember that when I used to feel nauseas a lot, ice water would help. And thankfully, the fridge in this place has an ice-maker, which is really, maybe one of man’s greatest inventions.

My wife has another vomit episode, this one more violent than any I had seen before, and now I’m really worried— “here, drink this, it’s ice water”. She takes a gulp, and I immediately see a big sign of relief on her face “oh my god, this is making me feel so much better”.

More likely, the last vomit episode was the Big Bang emptying whatever the hell was causing this out, and it coincided with me then providing ice water, but either way, I was glad she was finding relief. I offer some helpful perspective “it could have been worse, could have been coming out the other end” she waves her hand signalling for me to get away and I do.

The next day she has fully recovered, and I decide to rent a golf cart to explore the immediate area, because there were some beaches I wanted to see up the coast line; namely: Penca, Prieta and Pan de Azucar, plus the Mirador observatory.

There was also an Italian gelato place that I was curious about:

So off we went—here’s some video my wife got. We also passed by my dream house.

Conveniently, at each stop on our trip in Costa Rica, someone who had previously been at these places forgot to log out of their Prime and Netflix accounts. We took full advantage, finishing our trip off by watching two Patrick Swayzee bangers back at the BnB—Point Break, an essential any time you're coastal (especially on the Pacific side), and Road House, which neither of us had seen.

In truth, I wanted to watch Bloodsport with my boy Jean Claude, but felt mixed emotions about putting a purchase on poor Tom’s Prime account. So we settled on Road House, which was when I realized the forces of the universe were finally on my side because this film had a lot of similar elements. Lovely.

I was beginning to worry earlier this year that when Wyatt Young put a 49 bomb on my ass in the semifinals vs. CFFNate in my Golden Pig Invitational league that I was cursed.

I even went to a Tibetan store back here in Toronto, and spent at least an hour with the lady there to buy a good artifact that would wade off evil spirits.

The problem, as I see it, was that I had not yet purchased this item prior to the semifinal match. Anyways, my future CFF enemies have been warned.

Oh and let me know if you have any travel horror stories like the one I described above. I’m always curious what people do in these situations.

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FOOTBALL

Oh, and I almost forgot—there have been some things that have happened in CFB as well…

Notable transfer portal entrants:

• NCST RB Daylen Smothers

• Kenn St. QB Dexter Williams

• Mizzou QB Beau Pribula

• WVU RB Clay Ash

• FCS RB Kente Edwards

• FCS QB Brady Atkinson

• FCS WR Nico Brown

• UH WR Jackson Harris

• OSU WR Bryson Rodgers

• FCS WB Jaden Craig

• UW RB Adam Mohammed

• Sac St. QB Cardell Williams

• OREG WR Justius Lowe

• LIB RB Evan Dickens

• UW WR Raiden Vines Bright

• Mizzou WR Marquis Johnson

• CU WR Omarion Miller

• FCS WR Mason Humphrey

• USC TE Walker Lyons

• LSU QB Colin Hurley

• UTST WR Braden Pagen

• FSU TE Randy Pittman

• FSU RB Jaylin Lucas

• KSU WR Jayce Brown

• UNT QB Drew Mestemaker

• FSU RB Kam Davis

• MIA WR Ny Carr

• GT QB Aaron Philo

• UF WR Aiden Mizzell

• OKST TE Josh Ford → Bama

• OKST QB Zane Flores

• GSU QB TJ Finley

• NEB QB Dylan Raiola

• CINCY QB Brenden Sorsby

• UB WR Victor Snow

• UB WR Nik McMillan

• WVU RB Diore Hubbard

• WVU RB Jaheim White

• TEX RB CJ Baxter

• MSU QB Aiden Chiles

• UF QB DJ Lagway

• WF WR Chris Barnes

• WF WR Micah Mays

• SJSU WR Kyri Shoels

• SJSU WR Danny Scudero

• FCS RB CJ Miller

• UConn RB Cam Edwards

• WISC WR Trech Kekahuna

• USC WR Prince Strachan

• App State QB AJ Swann

• Minn RB Fame Ijeboi

• Troy RB Tae Meadows

• OKST WR Cam Abshire

• OKST WR Talyn Shettron

• ND QB Kenny Minchey

• FCS RB TJ Lester

• UNC RB Davion Gause

• TEM RB Joquez Smith

• AUB WR Perry Thompson

• UM QB Jadyn Davis

• ODU QB Colton Joseph

• KU RB Dylan Edwards

• BSU RB Jambres Dubar

• AUB RB Damari Alston

• BC QB Dylan Lonergan

• ASU QB Sam Leavitt

• CSU QB Brayden Fowler Nicolosi

• FCS QB Marcus Stokes

• TEX RB Jerrick Gibson

• SCAR TE Michael Smith

• FCS RB Leonard Farrow → FAU

• FCS WR King Phillips → FAU

• FCS QB Taron Dickens

• Ball St. RB Qua Ashley

• MTSU RB JeKail Middlebrook

• RU RB CJ Campbell

• Memphis QB Arlington Maiden

• MSU WR Nick Marsh

• MSU RB Makhi Frazier

• MTSU TE Hunter Tipton

• MTSU WR Nahzae Cox

• FCS RB Rodney Nelson

• FCS WR Josh Derry

• FCS WR Malachi Henry

• UNC RB Davion Gause

• FCS WR Demonte Green → Temple

• FCS QB Landen Clark

• UCF QB Tayven Jackson

• UCF TE Kylan Fox

• UConn RB Mel Brown

• UConn RB Victor Rosa

• RU RB Samuel Brown

• UNCC RB Don Chaney

• UMass WR Jacquon Gibson

• FCS WR Zion Agnew → ODU

• SALA WR Jeremy Scott

• NIU WR DeAree Rogers

• CSU RB Jordan Marshall

• CSU RB Jalen Dupree

• FCS WR Malik Knight

• FCS WR Jayce Freeman

• FCS WR Jared Richardson

• FCS WR Bisi Owens

• FCS WR Randall King

• FCS WR Carver Cheeks

• Div II. RB Jordan Barnett

• FCS RB Latrelle Murrell

• FCS WR TJ Chukwurah

Notable coaching movement:

• MIZZOU OC Kirby Moore → WSU HC

• UTAH HC Kyle Whittingham → Retired

• TUL PGC Will Hall → TUL HC

• WSU HC Jimmy Rogers → ISU HC

• TOL HC Jason Candle → UConn HC

• SMiss HC Charles Huff (probable) → MEM HC

• OREG DC Tosh Lupoi → CAL HC

• OREG OC Will Stein → UK HC

• Alabama WRs Jamarcus Sheppard → ORST HC

• UAB Interim HC Alex Mortensen → UAB HC

• TUL HC Jon Sumrall → UF HC

• GT OC Buster Faulkner → UF OC

• JMU HC Bob Chesney → UCLA HC

• Former UF/ULLAF HC Billy Napier → JMU HC

• Former PSU HC James Franklin → VT HC

• ISU HC Matt Campbell → PSU HC

• SAC State/former UNLV OC Brennan Marion → CU OC

• TXA&M OC Colin Klein → KSU HC

• KSU HC Chris Kleiman → Retired

• OSU co-OC/WRs Brian Hartline → USF HC

• USF HC Alex Golesh → AUB HC

• Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin → LSU HC

• Ole Miss OC Charlie Weis Jr. → LSU OC

• Ole Miss DC Pete Golding → Ole Miss Interim HC

• Former WVU HC Neal Brown → UNT HC

• UNT HC Eric Morris → OKST HC

• Liberty co-OC Willy Korn → Retired

• Former NU HC Pat Fitzgerald → MSU HC

• MEM HC Ryan Silverfield → ARK HC

• CCU HC Tim Beck → Fired

• Washington Commanders (NFL) QBs Tavia Pritchard → STAN HC

• SCAR OC Mike Shula → Fired

Some Comments on Transfer/Coaching Movements

I’ll keep this section short and sweet given the length of this article already—don’t worry, there will be more analyses in a different article.

First and foremost, it’s a sad day whenever a coaching legend steps down. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham ran a productive pig factory over there in Salt Lake for most of the 2010s. He lost his way a bit in the 2020s, but, shit happens, am I right? It doesn’t tarnish his legacy within the realm of CFF in my opinion.

Now, this is a roster filled with a lot of notable players on offence in particular. What happens with these guys? Dampier? Wayshawn? I’d imagine there will be some attrition.

On to the next—last time I wrote about UF’s new regime, and what the offence might look like in 2026. Well, QB DJ Lagway has already been shown the door—cough—entered the transfer portal willingly, and GT QB Aaron Philo is expected to complete the paperwork this evening or the next and compete to be Jon Sumrall’s starting QB next season. He has a familiarity with OC Buster Faulkner, who seems hellbent on coaching for everyone of UGA’s rivals since his departure.

RB Jaden Baugh is rumoured to have been tampered with by several elite programs currently (notably UGA, Texas, and OSU), a real who’s who there. You’d expect offers for RBs to not get too crazy, but it sounds like we’re veering into that territory. Texas in particular has been in need of a truly elite RB for two seasons now, and are likely setting the market for this player.

Some big time names hit the portal last week, including CU’s Omarion Miller, NCST’s Daylen Smothers, and UNT’s Drew Mestemaker, among others.

Smothers began his career at OU, and they probably are in the market again for a RB after the Ott disaster. Mestemaker, I’d imagine, will be throwing passes in Stillwater next season—the wait is just a formality to not set off any alarms in the NCAA’s office (hell hath no fury).

KSU WR Jayce Brown apparently wants to be a number one WR on a bigger program, at least, that’s what I hear on twitter. I don’t think he’s as good as he thinks he is, but what do I know. He had a good role already at KSU, a P4 program, but alas, I imagine he wants to play in the B1G or SEC.

Some other CFF relevant QBs also entered, namely Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola, Mizzou’s Beau Pribula, and Cincy’s Brenden Sorsby. Pribula can be a fun fit if he finds himself in the ACC or Big12, and I hope he does. I have no idea what Mr. Ravioli is going to do, maybe head back to Arizona? I hear the Sun Devils could use a QB. Sorsby started his career at IU, and they will be shopping for another pivot when Mendoza moves on.

Anyways, there will be more CFB analysis soon, these are just a few thoughts on my first day back home. Cheers. ◾

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Who wants to romp with bumbaclot?

- Lennox, Belly (1998)

This is a true story that my wife can verify—there’s a movie called “Belly” staring rappers Nas and DMX (RIP); and well, long story short, in this movie there’s a Jamaican drug lord that DMX needs to meet to hook up his coke supply. Upon arrival at the drug lord’s house, DMX is greeted by a heavyset Jamaican lady who works as a cook on the compound. This cook walks around with a walkie talkie and informs the drug lord whenever someone arrives at his house.

Shortly after watching this movie, I began reiterating to my wife on many occasions that the end game for me is eventually living in a mansion of similar fashion with a kitchen full of multiple fat Jamaican cooks who walk around with walkie-talkies, informing me of two things each night: that dinner is ready, or, that my Uber eats order has arrived.

I even go through the dialogue every time I make the joke:

(Jamaican accent) “Bzzz… Mr. Leo”

“…Yes?”

“The OUBer eats are here”

“…Ok thank you Wonnecia. Please place it in the elevator sent to the top floor. Bzzz.”

The kitchen design would be like one of those large 20th century European kitchens—a chef’s kitchen, if you will. Outside of the occasional walkie talkie buzzing up to my command center, there wouldn’t even be a peep from any of the cooks. Just the sounds of pots and pans clanging, cookware being utilized… like an impromptu ASMR cooking video. Quiet footsteps and steam… a fleet of half a dozen plump cooks moving around the room in a choreographed manner…

Anyways, I mention this movie because there’s a quote in it that goes: “You see the lies you’ve been told? The path you take is not your own.” that I think is apropos this week, as it was national signing day, and also the beginning of transfer portal mania in college football.

How many of these players are going to ruin their CFF stocks before we apply some common sense in this world—with the only logical move to bring stability back to college football: hire VP consultancy agency and I’ll tell these kids where to go to maximize CFF shareholder value next season.

As usual, through these articles I will be tracking relevant transfer and coaching movements this offseason. Here are some entries so far:

Notable transfer portal entrants:

• ODU QB Colton Joseph

• KU RB Dylan Edwards

• BSU RB Jambres Dubar

• AUB RB Damari Alston

• BC QB Dylan Lonergan

• ASU QB Sam Leavitt

• CSU QB Brayden Fowler Nicolosi

• FCS QB Marcus Stokes

• TEX RB Jerrick Gibson

• SCAR TE Michael Smith

• FCS RB Leonard Farrow → FAU

• FCS WR King Phillips → FAU

• FCS QB Taron Dickens

• Ball St. RB Qua Ashley

• MTSU RB JeKail Middlebrook

• RU RB CJ Campbell

• Memphis QB Arlington Maiden

• MSU WR Nick Marsh

• MSU RB Makhi Frazier

• MTSU TE Hunter Tipton

• MTSU WR Nahzae Cox

• FCS RB Rodney Nelson

• FCS WR Josh Derry

• FCS WR Malachi Henry

• UNC RB Davion Gause

• FCS WR Demonte Green → Temple

• FCS QB Landen Clark

• UCF QB Tayven Jackson

• UCF TE Kylan Fox

• UConn RB Mel Brown

• UConn RB Victor Rosa

• RU RB Samuel Brown

• UNCC RB Don Chaney

• UMass WR Jacquon Gibson

• FCS WR Zion Agnew → ODU

• SALA WR Jeremy Scott

• NIU WR DeAree Rogers

• CSU RB Jordan Marshall

• CSU RB Jalen Dupree

• FCS WR Malik Knight

• FCS WR Jayce Freeman

• FCS WR Jared Richardson

• FCS WR Bisi Owens

• FCS WR Randall King

• FCS WR Carver Cheeks

• Div II. RB Jordan Barnett

• FCS RB Latrelle Murrell

• FCS WR TJ Chukwurah

Notable coaching movement:

• WSU HC Jimmy Rogers → ISU HC

• TOL HC Jason Candle → UConn HC

• SMiss HC Charles Huff (probable) → MEM HC

• OREG DC Tosh Lupoi → CAL HC

• OREG OC Will Stein → UK HC

• Alabama WRs Jamarcus Sheppard → ORST HC

• UAB Interim HC Alex Mortensen → UAB HC

• TUL HC Jon Sumrall → UF HC

• GT OC Buster Faulkner → UF OC

• JMU HC Bob Chesney → UCLA HC

• Former UF/ULLAF HC Billy Napier → JMU HC

• Former PSU HC James Franklin → VT HC

• ISU HC Matt Campbell → PSU HC

• SAC State/former UNLV OC Brennan Marion → CU OC

• TXA&M OC Colin Klein → KSU HC

• KSU HC Chris Kleiman → Retired

• OSU co-OC/WRs Brian Hartline → USF HC

• USF HC Alex Golesh → AUB HC

• Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin → LSU HC

• Ole Miss OC Charlie Weis Jr. → LSU OC

• Ole Miss DC Pete Golding → Ole Miss Interim HC

• Former WVU HC Neal Brown → UNT HC

• UNT HC Eric Morris → OKST HC

• Liberty co-OC Willy Korn → Retired

• Former NU HC Pat Fitzgerald → MSU HC

• MEM HC Ryan Silverfield → ARK HC

• CCU HC Tim Beck → Fired

• Washington Commanders (NFL) QBs Tavia Pritchard → STAN HC

• SCAR OC Mike Shula → Fired

Some Comments on Transfer/Coaching Movements

I won’t provide detailed thoughts on each and every movement, but one immediate high level thought is that I am intrigued by what the Florida offence looks like next year with new head coach Jon Sumrall, and OC Buster Faulkner.

Faulkner ran QB Haynes King liberally in his three years with the program, and Sumrall has a history of bellcow usage at RB, but was also willing to let his QB, Jake Retzlaff, run frequently this past season at Tulane. Faulkner’s Georgia Tech teams never relied on one bellcow at RB.

I’d expect that this will be a VERY run-heavy offence in 2026, with whoever starting at QB to be expected to tote the rock several times a game as well. RB Jaden Baugh could be one of the biggest winners of the silly season so far; being named by Sumrall in his opening press conference, I take that to be a good sign, and as long this marriage survives the portal season, I’d expect him to be RB1 for the Gators next year.

Another observation is that I think the Ole Miss offence will basically be imported into LSU, with potentially multiple QB, RB and WR assets being brought over. Most notable would be bellcow RB Kewan Lacy, though I’m sure Ole Miss’ Grove Collective will do everything in their power to keep him. Lacy is probably a good bet to be a monster in 2026 regardless of whether he’s at LSU or Ole Miss.

UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava is another big winner with JMU’s Bob Chesney coming over. Chesney has done some good work at the QB position during his time at both JMU and Holy Cross, and Iamaleava’s dual threat skill set should translate well in his system. Technically, Iamaleava could leave for the NFL, but that doesn’t seem like a wise strategy at this juncture.

I don’t know what UConn RB Cam Edwards’ plan is, or what his eligibility is, but if he stays, he would be another exciting CFF asset at RB with former Toledo head coach Jason Candle coming over to the North East. Candle’s RB1 role was systematically productive during his tenure at Toledo, and Edwards was already a CFF producer in 2025. It would be a match made in heaven.

Former UNLV OC Brennan Marion making his way back to the FBS will be interesting to watch at Colorado. The Buffs have had productive WRs every single season under Deion—the most recent being Omarion Miller—and Marion has done good work with names like Ricky White, Xavier Worthy, and Jordan Addison in his inventory of former protegés. Omarion, who was probably already going to be viewed favourably by the CFF community should he choose to return, would be an even hotter name with this hire.

A trend we’re seeing this year in terms of player movement is that a lot of FCS players entered early and found a spot in the FBS before the P4/G5 players began entering. Some notable FCS names are the two that FAU brought in at RB/WR, Zion Agnew to ODU, and Demonte Green to Temple. The FCS to FBS pipeline has been especially good for the WR position, and every single year we see former FCS studs pop off as CFF assets. I wouldn’t expect 2026 to be any different.

The Monmouth duo of RB Rodney Nelson and WR Josh Derry are very intriguing, especially the RB. Nelson was a workhorse for his program in 2025, almost rushing for 2000 yards and surpassing that mark in total yardage when including his receiving work. Hopefully he’ll find a good G5 system to land in, that would be ideal from a CFF standpoint.

What Brian Hartline does at USF will be a complete mystery until games are played. Many will assume that there will be value in his ‘system’ at WR. It should be noted we have no idea what his system is at current juncture. I’m sure we’ll get some offseason info on what to expect, but this situation will be a complete question mark from a CFF standpoint entering 2026.

USF WRs Keshaun Singleton and Jeremiah Koger will probably be Hartline’s top priorities to retain. I don’t know if it’s in USF’s power to bring QB Byrum Brown back—it doesn’t make much sense to me for him to return to CFB just to play at USF again, with the risk of a different play caller. I guess we’ll see. ◾

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A lot of these kids, nowadays, they want a check. They don’t want physicality. If you have the check and no physicality, you end up with nothing. We’re not just getting checks at our place. We’re hitting people.

- Kirby Smart, football coach (2025)

Some (Semi) Interesting Stats

• There are twelve 3000-yard passers as of week 12. Four of the top five are G5 players: UNT’s Drew Mestemaker, Delaware’s Nick Minicucci, UConn’s Joe Fagnano, and FAU’s Caden Veltkamp. I would guess that only Mestemaker and Veltkamp were drafted in the majority of CFF leagues this offseason.

• There are only two QBs with 30 or more passing TDs after week 12, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (30) and Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson (30).

• There were 12 1000-yard rushers entering week 13, and all 12 were RBs. There are now 21, and all of them are RBs. However, the next two leading rushers are QBs (Cale Hellums, Blake Horvath). Jax State’s Cam Cook leads the FBS with 1451 yards.

• Akron’s Jordan Gant ranks ninth in the FBS for most carries, with 213. He didn’t even begin the year as the starter for the Zips.

• As we enter week 14, only twelve RBs have 200 or more carries. I would guess this is one of the lowest totals ever in CFB.

• USC WR Makai Lemon (1090) joined Danny Scudero (1155) and Skyler Bell (1151) in the 1000-yard receiving club in week 12. After week 13, there are now seven receivers with 1000+ receiving yards. Bell still leads the FBS with 101 receptions, the next closest WR (Easton Messer) has 94.

• The 2025 edition of the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn will be the seventh straight matchup with a unique head coaching matchup.

• Texas is currently 11-4 against SEC opponents since joining the conference, three out of the four losses coming to Georgia.

• The three games of the lowest rush yards per carry in the Steve Sarkisian-Texas era are 1.4 (vs. UGA 2025), 1.3 (vs. TCU, 2022), and 1.1 (vs. Georgia 2024 x2).

• Ohio State ranks dead last in the FBS in seconds per play (31.7).

• Only one team averages 80 or more plays per game: FAU.

• Only two teams have a 3000-yard passer and a 1000-yard rusher & receiver: North Texas, and UConn.

News This Week: Franklin to VT, Lane, Morris, Others + Some Random Stuff

IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK, we have more coaching carousel dynamics at play. Obviously, everyone is aware of the Lane Kiffin saga, will he stay, will he go? Where will he go? LSU, to me, always made more sense. They’re just better than Florida from my view.

Florida has the historical ties with Kiffin (I believe his dad coached there or something), and it sounds like he has a desire somewhere in the back of his mind to coach the Gators before his coaching tenure is through.

However, if I were advising Kiffin, I just don’t think now is the right time to jump in on the Gator train. You don’t want to be the one competing with Kirby’s UGA every year—being primarily measured by whether you can take that behemoth down each year—just seems like an unreasonable bar to have to clear. Indeed, I’ve lost count on how many coaches prime Nick Saban at Alabama banished into obscurity from seemingly well-intentioned programs.

Florida, as a state, also just seems like a place where players are very willing to leave, from my view. Especially in the NIL era. So the recruiting footprint there is, I think, overrated, especially considering that you have to compete with an NIL giant in Miami, and another group who get offers on kids when they’re in fucking middle school (FSU), probably because they know they can’t compete with the big boy recruiting machines.

And then you throw in the fact that UGA, Alabama, and Ohio State, probably the three premier programs of CFB, all come down to Florida and recruit the state like it’s their own on an annual basis. Yea… count me OUT on that if I’m Kiffin.

On the other hand, you have LSU. People party hard there, they all love Louisiana, there’s strange voodoo magic, some fun French influence. You’re competing with Louisiana Lafayette and Tulane as your primary in-state competitors. Sure, Texas and A&M come in hard now, swinging their stupid fucking oil money, but it’s still better than that goddamn warzone that is Florida. It’s like early 2000s Baghdad over there from a recruiting standpoint.

And when you inevitably don’t sign enough of the best players in Florida, you try to supplement the roster with Georgia talent, where you’re competing with that fucking maniac Kirby, who says shit like the above quote on this article, and one has stop and wonder: is this really a great job right now??

Anyways, by the time this article comes out, it’ll likely be the case that the answer to this question will already be solved. Ole Miss and Mississippi State face off in the Egg Bowl as we speak, with a decision on Lane’s future apparently coming shortly after the final whistle.

NOW, HERE’S A MOVE I REALL LIKE—James Franklin to Virginia Tech. I love the move for many reasons. Franklin already has incredible familiarity with the area from a recruiting standpoint (this has already availed itself as VT has climbed like 50 spots in recruiting rankings over the past week). Second, I think Franklin fits the ACC. No disrespect to my Atlantic Coast Conference compadres (and the Pacific Coast ones too now, I guess), but that conference just isn’t very good relative to the B1G and the SEC. That’s part of why we love it so much for CFF.

At the very least, I think we can all agree that the top end of the conference is not the same as the B1G/SEC, and thus I think Franklin’s VT program could do some really good things here. The MO on Franklin throughout his PSU tenure was that they’d always lose to teams that were ‘real’, which I’ll define as rosters that have four and five star players (i.e. the requisite talent to at least seriously compete for a natty, and beat other natty competitors). But when they outclassed their opponent, save for this past season, they’d always demolish them.

Clemson, FSU and Miami are the only three programs that should routinely outclass VT in terms of talent, but even then, the discrepancy shouldn’t tremendous; and, because conferences are just way too big right now, as we’ve seen this season, it’s very likely VT will waltz through several seasons without having to play the best teams in the conference. This, in my opinion, sets Franklin up well to get VT back to relevancy and potentially sniff the CFP on a semi-regular basis.

ON TO ANOTHER MOVE I REALLY LIKE—the fit from a CFF perspective of UNT’s Eric Morris to Oklahoma State couldn’t be any better. He brings with him an impeccable pedigree of QB development, mentoring the likes of Patty Mahomes, Cam Ward, and of course, Drew Mestemaker this year. But beyond even those names, if you track his tenure at UNT, every QB he had was at least solid in CFF.

The question becomes: who does he take with him? The RB, Caleb Hawkins, ought to be in the P4. I don’t know if that’s with Morris at OK State, but he’s not staying in the G5 next season.

I would think Mestemaker and some of the WRs will likely follow Morris to Stillwater, and they’d be wise to do so in my opinion. Unfortunately, that means Mestemaker will probably be drafted very high in CFF drafts this offseason, which is not really my jam when it comes to roster building strategy.

A PUZZLING MOVE—I get that former UConn coach Jim Mora is a west coast guy, but the transition from the Huskies to Colorado State is a bizarre one in my opinion. I’ve commented on the Rams’ organization before in these articles, and I believe I described them as the Auburn/Florida of the MWC.

They do have considerable resources relative to other G5/MWC programs (apparently), and so that’s probably why they keep attracting these hot coaches (yes, believe it or not, Jay Norvell was a hot name after several successful seasons at Nevada). I think the unanimous reaction to this hire on the twittersphere can essentially be summarized by this clip with Nick Saban, 1) some surprise about why Mora would do such a thing and 2) that’s a good get for CSU.

OREGON STATE HIRES ALABAMA WR COACH—Jamarcus Sheppard is a highly regarded assistant, and while we know it wasn’t OSU’s first choice (that was Montana State’s head coach), I do think they’re thinking here is sound.

Sheppard has ties to the Northwest, some good experience at elite programs, and was probably cheaper than hiring a head coach from somewhere else to join the program. It wasn’t that long ago that Oregon State was a very successful mid-major program in the PAC12. They were knocking on top 10 poll positions at one point under Jonathan Smith if I’m not mistaken.

While we’ll have to see what happens regarding player retention, the one thing the Beavers had going for them this season was the talent at WR. Trent Walker is the alpha, who is listed as a senior by Fantrax but has only played three full seasons, so I assume he can return for another year if he wants it. You have David Wells and Tastean Reddicks behind him, who could each evolve into CFF stars should Walker move on. I’m intrigued at the very least about what’s to come here.

VANDY IS SERIOUS ABOUT FOOTBALL—Head coach Clark Lea signed an extension this morning, and with that they will flip five star QB Jared Curtis from Georgia. In fact, I believe they already have behind the scenes, all there is now is to wait for Hayes Fawcett to make one of his goofy graphics so Curtis can announce it.

I think this is a big move for Vandy, not necessarily because I’m convinced that Curtis is a program changing player (I do not), but the optics of signing (and flipping!) a five star QB from Georgia is uncharted territory for a program like Vandy. It’s sort of similar to Nebraska with Dylan Raiola. I did not care about him flipping from UGA at the time (especially because it probably increased the chances of flipping safety KJ Bolden, which is a good trade off), only because I know that most highly touted QB prospects will end up transferring anyways (which, in fact, could be imminent with Raiola).

The value to me in signing a five star QB is the optics, and the gravitational pull of brining other good players with them. If signing a five star QB means you get an additional elite OL and WR, then it is worth it, even if the QB never starts for your program and transfers out after a few seasons.

For Nebraska, specifically, just because we’re on the topic, even if Raiola were to transfer this offseason, I would categorize their move with him as a success. They got a lot of good pub from flipping him from the (at the time) back to back national champions. He most likely helped bring other players that would otherwise not choose Nebraska. He elevated the profile of the program. Success, success, success. It doesn’t matter that he was just a average-to-below average QB performer in the B1G during his stay there.

It’s the same deal for Vanderbilt, in my opinion. Curtis plays very low level ball in what is considered the south’s worst state for high school football: Tennessee. He has bust written all over him, but as a Georgia fan you of course still wanted to sign him—again, not because he will realistically have a tremendous impact on the program (highly unlikely), but because of his gravitational pull and the optics that signing him brings.

Vanderbilt signing him is an automatic win, even if (read when) he transfers out. Or if he’s a total bust. It doesn’t really matter. Just the fact that they can do this, shows they have elevated as a program, and that in turn helps them recruit other players, who actually might make a big impact on their program.

For the salty Georgia fans who read these articles, I suppose I would pose the question, would you really rather have Dylan Raiola, or even Arch Manning, right now? I know what my answer is.

CAL FIRED THEIR HEAD COACH, AND WITH THAT, THE HIGHEST PAID PLAYER IN THE 2026 TRANSFER PORTAL WILL BE… the QB, JKS, who will probably end up playing for Miami next season. With all three of UGA, OSU, and Alabama likely to bring their staring QBs back next year, other programs can breath a sigh of relief when it comes to how much funds they’ll have to shell out for elite QB talents this cycle.

Miami is expected to be a strong bigger (shit, what else is new, am I right?), and I wouldn’t even be surprised if Texas kicked the tires to see what they could do. Sure, that seems asinine to the reader, but may I remind you that jobs are on the line down there in Austin, TX. You don’t go two seasons in a row of massive disappointment.

Manning name or not, that motherfucker better start performing soon or the only playmaking he’ll be doing is at the local Lamborghini dealership writing up audit reports and/or handing sets of keys to JKS every other week when he comes in to make a new purchase. It would be a fitting figurative and literal handoff of the baton, so to speak.

THERE IS ANOTHER NICO IAMALEAVA, AND HE RESIDES IN THE BAY AREA OF THE G5—Some of you might have observed SJSU starting QB Walker Eget sustain injury last week. I had hoped that it would quell Danny Scudero’s performance that day as I was facing Nate Marchese in my home league, and Scudero is on his roster.

Unfortunately for me, the change in QB did nothing to stop the OC from pummelling Scudero with targets. One thing I did make note of, however, was that the new SJSU QB had an uncanny physical resemblance to UCLA and former Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava. His name is Tama Amisone, and he also likes to throw INTs, apparently, finishing the day with no passing scores and 1 INT.

He did show himself to be a capable runner, however, and I observed enough arm talent to intrigue me for next year should he move on elsewhere, or Walker Eget do the same. As far as I know, Eget has another season of eligibility. Though I don’t think his primary receiver will be sticking around in the G5 much longer.

It’s Time to Have a Serious Conversation About the Heisman

This is me starting the #Stockton4Heisman campaign. That’s it. Also—suck it Texas! 3-0! Happy Thanks giving to the American Readers! ◾

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Any man can learn from his own mistakes. It takes a wise man to learn from mistakes of others.

- Marcus Freeman, football coach (2025)

Some (Semi) Interesting Stats

• The first two 1000-yard rushers this season were Jacksonville State’s Cam Cook and Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson. Since last weekend, there are now four 1000-yard rushers, including Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy and Montreal’s finest (sacré bleu!), Rutgers RB Antwan Raymond.

• The first 1000-yard receiver was produced in week 10—SJSU’s Danny Scudero with 1085. There was only one other receiver with over 900 yards receiving entering week 11, UConn’s Skyler Bell, with 994. Since this weekend, Bell has joined Scudero in the 1000-yard club with 1081, while Scudero has 1126.

• There are six players with multiple receiving scores currently, including UConn’s Skyler Bell, Cincy’s Cyrus Allen, OSU’s Jeremiah Smith, IU’s Elijah Sarratt, Hawaii’s Jackson Harris and SJSU WR Danny Scudero.

• There is no QB in the top 10 of rushing yards currently. Navy’s QB Blake Horvath is the rushing leader among QBs, ranked 11th in the FBS in rushing yards.

• Depending on how you count Oregon State’s Anthony Hankerson, five (or six) of the top 10 rushers so far are G5 RBs. Hankerson also leads the FBS in rush attempts with 212.

• There are now 56 QBs with over 2000 passing yards.

• Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson now leads all RBs in PPR CFF points scored with a total of 261.

• Entering last weekend, there were two QBs in the top seven of rush attempts, Army’s Cale Hellums (5) and Ball State’s Kiael Kelly (7). Hellums is now second in attempts, and Air Force’s Liam Szarka has over taken Kelly, now ranked eighth in attempts.

• Four of the FBS’s top seven leaders in rushing scores are QBs—#2 Haynes King, #5, Blake Horvath, #6 Liam Szarka and the one we all suspected: Iowa’s Mark Gronowski (#7).

• There are five players currently with multiple punt return TDs, and two of those five are defensive players (Iowa’s DB Kaden Wetjen, and South Carolina’s DB Vicari Swain).

• The 2025 edition of the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn will be the seventh straight matchup with a unique head coaching matchup.

• Texas is currently 11-3 against SEC opponents since joining the conference, two out of the three losses coming to Georgia in 2024.

• Georgia has lost to Mississippi State only once since 1975.

Coaching Carousel Continues

South Carolina Fires OC Mike Shula. This one is not super consequential in the grand scheme of things. I did like—within the context of LaNoris Sellers’ development—that Shula had experience with Cam Newton, but that didn’t really prove to matter with regards to anything this season. Head coach Shane Beamer’s track record of OC hires has been abysmal since he joined South Carolina, making his next hire extremely crucial for his own future with USCjr.

Paul Chryst’s name picking up steam for Oregon State. I like Paul Chryst. I’d imagine Wisconsin probably wouldn’t mind having a do-over if they could go back in time to undo firing him. And I don’t even know if he’s a good coach (though his record at Wisconsin was pretty solid), what I appreciate from a CFF context is Chryst’s track record at the RB position.

For context, dating back to his time as OC at Wisconsin (2006-2011), and including a brief stint as the head coach of Pitt (2012-2014), Chryst’s offences have had a 1000+ yard rusher 13 times in the 16 full seasons between 2006 and 2022. That’s pretty gnarly. Let’s get this man back in to the coaching ranks. We as the CFF community deserve it.

Hugh Freeze is out at Auburn. I really do wonder who all these schools are planning on hiring at the end of this cycle. I have some trepidation that Auburn is viewed as a truly ‘elite’ coaching position within the SEC, though admittedly I have no idea how much NIL they have, which has basically become the single most important factor in determining how good a job is now.

I feel for Hugh Freeze, as someone currently engrossed in health issues, I know first-hand how difficult the mental and physical toll can be, all while trying to maintain one’s obligations. But, that’s life in the SEC I’m afraid. Only the strong (and healthy) survive. It is truly a cut-throat place, with little room for weakness, and now—for the third time in six years—the Auburn Tigers are back on the market for a new coach.

What will be most intriguing to watch from a CFF standpoint is whether there is a mass exodus of Auburn Tiger players at the conclusion of this season (or whenever the new coach is announced). WR Cam Coleman would probably be the highest paid ‘free agent’ this offseason if he chose to hit the portal. He was originally committed to Texas A&M, with Georgia as a third option lurking when he signed with Auburn out of high school.

A Few Early Portal Entries + Speculation for Future Entries

Boise State RB Jambres Dubar announced that he would be entering the portal last week. This one is not very surprising considering the mergence of both Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley. Gaines and Riley were both in the same class, and are sure sophomores who are presumably not going anywhere anytime soon. Well, at least not next year.

Dubar showed quality at times during his career in Idaho, and should find considerable interest among other G5 programs. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him remain in the Mountain West, and potentially find himself as a coveted CFF asset this offseason depending on the landing spot. He’s a good looking back, standing at 6-feet tall, and about 200 pounds. His primary problem is his durability. He’s been injured for most of his three year career.

Some good news is that whoever offered Colorado State QB Brayden Fowler Nicolosi 600K a few offseasons ago will now be able to get their man, as the fourth year pivot also announced he’d be hitting the portal last week. I’ve got to say, BFN didn’t look very good to me at any point during his CSU career. I could see him moving down to the FCS level, but he’ll probably take another G5 opportunity. As comedian Tim Dillon would say, we wish him well.

The headliner so far, in my opinion, is Kansas State and former Colorado RB Dylan Edwards. Edwards was a one-time commit to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and they may be replacing two of their top runners this offseason.

Though I think if this season was any indication, coaching staffs will likely view Edwards as more of a change of pace/complimentary back, rather than a bellcow that the offence can be built around. We’ll have to pour one out for all the CFF managers who spent first round picks on Edwards this season. Tough luck, chaps. The silver lining is that nearly every RB in the first round busted, either due to injury, or other reasons, so it could certainly be worse.

Now, I do have a few names that I think are worth speculating on. The first is Bowling Green’s Austyn Dendy, who resembles his coach when he used to play at Ohio State. Dendy sports a very aesthetically pleasing frame at 6’1, 225 pounds. He looks incredible in his pads out there on the field—like an entirely different species next to these MAC athletes. He doesn’t look like the type of player who stays in the MAC very long, and I’d be flabbergasted if BGSU manages to hold onto him this offseason.

And like many MAC players, Dendy began his career as a P4 player with the Missouri Tigers, which makes sense. He also had offers from Ole Miss and Mississippi State coming out of high school, and was, from what I can tell, a WR/RB/S at the prep level.

Ideally, he’d find a home at an upgraded G5 program. In a perfect world, maybe a program like Boise State (hypothetically if they cut ties with Gaines and Riley) would be a great fit. More likely, he’ll end up riding the bench somewhere in the P4. Unfortunate.

There is smoke (albeit, on UGA message boards, so admittedly not the most trusted source) that Florida RB Jaden Baugh may be interested in pulling his own Trevor Etienne, and transferring to Athens for his junior season.

I personally don’t see the sense in this hypothetical move, given that both Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens are true sophomore who have to return next season. I suppose they don’t necessarily have to return to Georgia, but it would be a bit odd if either, or both, moved on to somewhere else. That doesn’t rule out transferring entirely, though, so maybe Baugh will seek to find a new home this offseason. A place like Miami feels more likely to me.

Texas RB Jerrick Gibson feels highly likely to hit the portal whenever the Longhorns’ season ends. He’s stuck behind a few players there, and has seemingly been recruited over. He’s originally from Georgia, but played his last years of high school football at IMG Academy in Florida. A move to the G5 where he can be a feature back seems the wisest move, but as we know, wisdom is not always a strong suit of your average 18-20 year old.

North Texas RB Caleb Hawkins is one that I could see transferring to a P4 school in Texas, like SMU, TCU, or even Texas Tech. He is a man amongst boys at the G5 level currently, and is one of the few G5 RBs that would probably be successful moving up a level a la Ahmad Hardy.

Jacksonville State RB Cam Cook apparently has one more year of eligibility. If he decides to come back one more year just to get shredded for 25 carries a game under that bastard Clint Trickett then this guy is truly a sicko with no regard for his own well-being. He’s a P4 transfer, formerly of TCU, so I could see him wanting to move back to that level.

Finally, Rutgers’ true sophomore Antwan Raymond doesn’t feel like a player who is highly likely to portal, but I could see a path here. RU is sort of a middling/bottom feeder program in their conference, and places like Michigan or Ohio State may reach out to gauge interest from Raymond.

Snowfall Came Early This Year

For those of you located in certain parts of the midwestern United States, or along the eastern parts of Canada, including Ontario and Quebec, November greeted you with a nippy snowfall.

For some of you, this might have been an incredibly painful experience. Not only from the direct effects of having to shovel and/or drive in said snow, but also because it was an early harbinger of what’s to come over the coming months.

Myself, I’ve always enjoyed winter. I suppose you have to be fluent in winter activities to fully capitalize on the season, though, which understandably there are certain barriers to entry. Skating? Can be tricky to learn as an adult. Skiing/snowboarding? There’s a lot of overhead involved. But one thing I hope we can all agree on is that watching football in the snow is straight up more enjoyable as a viewing experience. Partly due to the fact that is a rarity.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t any actual snow visible on the field when Notre Dame welcomed Navy into South Bend this past weekend, but there were the odd snow particles present on camera, which I greatly appreciated. There’s just something cozy about it, right? Well, I felt so, as I curled up in the couch with a few blankets draped over me, and throughly enjoying the CFB Saturday.

I take great pride in maintaining my biking regiment well into December up here in Toronto. It can be tricky when snow arrives early, but thankfully this past Saturday morning preceded that, and thus I was able to get back on the horse and get a ride in. I’m not going to lie, it was a bit nippy at times, but by the end your boy was sweating as per usual which is always a good sign.

As far as how I’m doing, first of all, thank you to all who reached out with kind words. It is not an exaggeration to say that me life has been turned upside down. I mean, I guess I really do live in a literal nightmare for the average citizen with this constant noise in my head. I joked with my wife that only October could remain my favourite month after back to back years of terrible health events occurring.

But what I will say is that through the ingenuity of big Pharma, I at least have some solutions at my disposal. There’s one drug, as previously mentioned my wife and I call them our quaaludes (shoutout Wolf of Wallstreet), that is very strong, which sedates me and is very good for sleeping. When I take this drug several nights in a row, I notice that the noise begins to dissipate. However, it is not recommended to take this drug every day for long term use.

Then there’s another drug, that is more of a classic sleeping pill that is apparently non-addictive (according to my wonderful doctor). This one is not as effective, but still helps me sleep. What I’ve noticed anecdotally is that after not using the quaaludes for two days, the noise comes back, even when I’m taking the sleeping pills. Whereas after a few days of using the quaaludes, I find reprieve from the noise whilst laying on my right side only. The left side always produces the noise regardless of what medications I take.

I have pressure felt on my heart some times, and I also have sporadic upper back and neck pain. Ironically, my lower back and left leg—which had plagued me for much of this year—are pretty much normal on a day to day basis and have been since September.

For the time being, I have weekly check-ins with my doctor. We have a follow up with an ENT specialist in a few weeks, but they don’t seem all that helpful, in my opinion, so we’re hoping to see a second one. I’m hoping to find someone who can potentially put some of these puzzle pieces together and help me find a long-term solution. I’ve contacted a clinic in Florida that seems to specialize in the types of abnormal problems I have. I’m not sure if I will pursue that in the future; for the time being we are continuing to explore options here in Toronto.

I don’t have any anxiety or other related symptoms during the day as far as I can tell. I’m sure there is a lot of tension beneath the surface—and every night I feel a bit of dread as the time to sleep approaches—but I suppose it is good news to share that after essentially losing my mind from five days of virtually no sleep in late October, my only actual problem now is that I have a noise in my head that keeps me from sleeping without the use of medications.

The rest of my life has returned to a somewhat normal baseline. I get some exercise on my bike here and there. My wife and I go on lots of walks. I see my pal Henri a few times a week. I’m still at work, but working from home.

When I feel up to it, I find the time to write these articles. But my schedule is also just very busy right now, with therapist, physio, doctor appointments etc. taking up my free time during the week.

However, the message I want to convey the most to the readers is that I am doing much better. When there are good days, I keep those in my memory to keep my mood positive and remind myself that there is a lot to look forward to and be hopeful about still.

And who knows, maybe one day this will go away just the same as it came. Hah! That’ll probably be the new happiest day of my life. Until then, we keep moving forward!

Talk to you next week,

VP

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(Brackett) Every kid in Haddonfield thinks this place is haunted.

They may be right.

- Loomis, Halloween (1978)

Some Interesting Stats

• Penn State has three blocked kicks in their last three losses.

• Headed into this past weekend, there were six passers who had surpassed 2000 yards currently: Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson, Duke’s Darian Mensah, USC’s Jayden Maiava, SJSU’s Walker Eget, TCU’s Josh Hoover, and FAU’s Caden Veltkamp. Now there are 18.

• Through nine weeks, not a single RB has surpassed 1000 yards rushing yet, with JSU’s Cam Cook still leading the way with 949 rushing yards.

• Army’s QB Cale Hellums is top ten in rush attempts across all players. AF’s Liam Szarka is next, tied for 18th.

• There are 11 players with double digit rushing TDs, and four of those are QBs (Iowa’s Mark Gronowski, Georgia Tech’s Haynes King, Navy’s Blake Horvath, and Army’s Cale Hellums.

• UVA’s RB Harrison Waylee has the longest rush thus far this season (97 yards) of any runner.

• There are two WRs who are tied for the longest reception thus far this season (98 yards), and they both recorded this catch on Oct. 18th. The receivers are Southern Mississippi State’s Micah Davis, and Old Dominion’s Tre Brown.

• CMU’s Nahree Biggins has the longest reception of any RB with 88 yards.

Coaching Carousel Continues

Welcome back to what has become a weekly segment at this point. Usually this sort of thing doesn’t kick off until November, but lucky us, the fun got started early this season.

I think the logical first place to start is with the headliner so far… Colorado State’s Jay Norvell—wait, no, that’s not right, LSU’s Brian Kelly is probably more important.

This is, evidently, a very tough business (at least, when it comes to holding a position down). The job perks are pretty rad actually—have you seen these fucking buyouts? Indeed, one can only feel so bad for a man being paid 50 million dollars to not work.

I’ll also add that I’m probably in the minority when it comes to my opinion of BK. I always listened to his press conferences at LSU just because I like them. I’ve seen a lot of people say that he’s not a good guy—and to be fair, I don’t know him personally—so they could be right. But, from a bird’s eye view, I do enjoy his ethos as a coach.

He will be the first LSU coach since Hal Hunter in 1999 (who only got one season as head coach) to not win a natty in Baton Rouge. That probably stings his ego a bit, but there are certainly worse problems to have (again, see buyout # above).

Where I may not be in the minority is in holding the opinion that from a culture fit perspective, BK and LSU could each probably do better. BK feels more like a midwest/NE guy. And from that view, maybe this firing came at a fortune time for him given the PSU opening. In fact, that seems like a good fit.

And maybe LSU goes after James Franklin? Probably not, but Franklin did really well during his time in the SEC with Vanderbilt. I don’t imagine Kirby Smart, Ryan Day, or Steve Sarkisian are willing to leave where they're at currently, so that rules them out too. And Dabo feels like a Clemson man to the end, but maybe this season’s poor results will persuade him to consider his options—and maybe LSU calls with that notion in mind.

It’s also fair to ask just how highly regarded is the LSU job right now? I’d say it was a better job pre-NIL. LSU had a virtual lock on Louisiana talent, with the only exception being Nick Saban at Alabama—which I’m sure felt debilitating to some degree for LSU fans at the time—but now literally every top program in the country recruits Louisiana and a lot of them are successful. For context, only two of LSU’s starters this year prepped in Louisiana. This was unheard of five years ago.

I think about states like Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi in the south. The word seems to be out that those with money should come shopping for talent here. There’s a lot of human misery happening in these places and there also just happens to be a lot of good football players with opportunities to transcend those situations. A good thing for human kind collectively, not so great for places like LSU, unfortunately.

As a fan of the Georgia Bulldogs, we Dawg fans share in the same pain as you LSU readers. I’ve watched a lot of peach kids who would have played good ball at Georgia over the last few cycles choose elsewhere despite what appeared to be poorer fits. Then again, part of that is just my opinion.

I guess my point is, Louisiana talent is no longer locked into LSU like it was before, and thus the job itself is not as good. NIL equalizes a lot of things, one of those factors being geography and emotional things like: do I even like these coaches? Do I fit here?

Nonetheless, you’d probably rather recruit from a program like LSU than PSU, and so I’ll assert that that’s the best job opening currently. Though it’s fine if you disagree. Florida and PSU are behind, probably on a tied tier from my view. I know Florida has the geography, but their path to the CFP is much harder year in-year out compared to PSU in my opinion.

Which brings me to the other opening that happened last week—after flirting with it from what felt like the inception of the hire, Florida Gators brass fired head coach Billy Napier.

I don’t know how I feel about this one. I think most of these firings are pre-mature, and maybe that’s just me being sympathetic to the difficulty of expectations presented to most of these coaches. CFB is a sport in flux right now, and power-brokers/fans need to acclimate to the fact that winning eight or nine games in the B1G and SEC is a great achievement. That playing in close games every week is increasingly becoming the norm, not the exception. And that having an elite record like 11-1 or 12-0 will really just be more of a function of having a great team AND an easy schedule AND a lot of luck.

There is one coach’s firing that I agree with, however, and that is Colorado State’s Jay Norvell. I remember following the CSU program a lot in 2021 because I had their tailback David Bailey in my home league. I would listen to then-head coach Steve Addazio’s press conference every week and take a gage of the temperature in the room.

It felt like he was on the brink of a merciless lynching on the university premises weekly. No bueno, señor. Not good vibes at all. He fed that fat bastard David Bailey the rock though, which was all I was interested in—so I kept hoping he’d buy more time each each.

As a by product of this monitoring I learned about the CSU program—this is an organization that views itself as one of the top of their conference from an infrastructure and support perspective. From what I recall, and things may have changed since then, the expectation is to be competing and winning MWC championships every year. Now, of course, things are changing with realignment etc. etc. but I believe the general baselines expectation to be one of the best G5 program annually still remains.

Our old friend Jay “Gordon Gekko” Norvell capitalized on a few good years with a senior laden roster at Nevada, acquiring the CSU job after they fired coach Addazio (a sad day for me, unfortunately). Good for him, but it should be said he doesn't really have an extended history of success either. I did hope he’d be more successful from a pure CFF standpoint. Outside of Tory Horton, he failed to recreate the dynamic success at WR that he had achieved with the Wolfpack. Most disappointing were the lack of results at TE, with the sole exception being Dallin Holker, who was a first ballot VP HoFer at the TE position and a key cog in my finals appearance in CFFNate’s Dynasty league 2023.

You can think of CSU like an Auburn or Florida of the MWC. There is money, a lot of expectations for success, but not a lot of results recently to reinforce the validity of those expectations. It’s a funny place, if I do say so myself. I hope they find what they’re looking for soon,

The question I have now is: who does LSU pursue? This is—as previously mentioned—probably considered a top-three, or at least top five, job in CFB. Is Ole Miss head Coach Lane Kiffin considered an elite enough commodity for the likes of LSU/PSU? Would he even want these jobs at this point? That sounds strange, I know, but he seems to have a good thing going at Miss. I would think of all the jobs that could pry him away, LSU would be one of the few. He can basically do all the things he does now at Ole Miss, only (probably) better. Of course, the expectations are also going to be higher.

Does Saint Nick consider returning to CFB? I mean… I don’t know why he would That would be a strange move to me. But if he was going to do it, LSU would probably be the program, as much I’d love to see him return to his Alabama roots and take over UAB, NCAA Dynasty style (I mean, how fun would that be, right?).

They Don’t Die — UGA Comes Back AGAIN

Well, I meant to write this section last week following the Georgia vs. Miss game, which has become a cool little cross conference rivalry lately. The way the game played out, Miss taking a lead early on, Georgia roaring back to steal it at the end, is a movie we’ve seen a hundred times at this point (especially if you’re a Georgia fan).

In fact, at this point, I don’t think you can survive as a Dawg fan with a functioning/healthy heart if you allow yourself to worry when the Dawgs inevitably fall behind in their games.

Basically, the way the game will go 99% of the time is that it will look like Georgia are getting their asses kicked and are going to inevitably lose the game, and then somewhere in the third quarter some shit happens, you don’t really realize it, but then all of a sudden there’s a few mins left in the fourth quarter and you’re on the edge of your seat watching a make-or-break fourth down play (where UGA usually comes out on top). Next thing you know, the game is over and the number of points next to Georgia on the scoreboard are higher than the opponent.

This happens in an iterated fashion with the usual momentary blip against Alabama (to be fair, they’ve come back both times in the last two years vs. the Tide too, just couldn’t finish it), and before you know it, they are 6-1 and rated in the top 10 of the AP Poll.

I felt it only appropriate then to relate this program to the fictional horror character Michael Myers, who is also seemingly impossible to kill. You can never really count them out no matter the situation or defect involved. And I love that about them. They were already my favourite team, of course, but their resiliency has become a particular inspiring component for me recently… Which brings me to the next thing to discuss.

What I’m Dealing With Right Now

On October 19, I woke up with a drumming noise in my head. At first, of course, I believed it to be something external. I tried and tried to find the source, but to no avail, and then eventually realized it could be coming from inside my head.

This was obviously terrifying. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this is my absolute worst nightmare. I imagine many of you share the same sentiment. Sleep is fundamental to basically everything in life, so no sleep is basically a death sentence.

And to be clear, I’m more or less at peace with my time coming to an end. I’ve had brushes with death throughout my life. When I was 20 years old I was incredibly sick—with constant stomach pain, losing blood, weight by the day. I told myself at the time I didn’t want to drag through life like that. We have medically assisted death here in Canada and it is, in my opinion, a humane treatment for those who are suffering. That year went on for a long time without a diagnosis. That was the first time in my life where I seriously thought about my life ending. It’s a truly eye opening experience and you can’t simulate it. I hope to God that most if not all of you reading this have not had experience those thoughts.

However, at 20 I was frustrated. I hadn’t yet achieved many of the things I knew I could. I knew that I wouldn’t be remembered properly if that were it. When I finally received a diagnosis and medication, I recovered physically first (which took a few months). Mentally it took a few years to get right again. I still remember going to a basketball court, alone, and trying to run and jump again. My legs would break down with each movement. I probably looked like a newborn infant struggling all over the court. I did cry on the court that first day with the realization of how much ability I had lost in just one year.

But I went back to the court almost every day—alone—and engaged in other activities. Building myself back up piece by piece. In fact, I remember being annoyed when other people would drive by, or walk by. Why can’t I just do this without being observed, I thought. Can I just regain myself without the pressure of judgement, for fuck sake?!

Ultimately, these were not large on my concern list. I had felt like I had just been given a second chance at life. It was one of the happiest times of my life—near death experiences are always the best thing to ever happen you AFTER you get a diagnosis/solution and you can go on about your normal life.

The years that followed were what created the man I became later in my 20s. I was ecstatic to do homework again, to study, to work. To do the regular things we all take for granted under usual circumstances.

It’s the ability to wake up each morning with the capacity to push yourself to your fullest, in whichever direction you choose, that I missed the most when it was taken away. So, I loved getting back to classes at University. I studied all hours of the day. I made study planners meticulously organizing every half hour of the day.

Seriously, there was no minute unaccounted for. I wouldn’t even allow myself to linger on and have casual conversations with classmates/friends because I had to get to the next point on my calendar (which was usually just: ‘study XYZ for 30 minutes, be able to do ABC by end of session’). As soon as you feel the dread of your time running out, you no longer seek comfort and peace. Rather, at least for me, I needed to do everything all the time. To squeeze as much life into every minute as possible because it end tomorrow. I could wake up and the meds could stop working. Or maybe i’d have a different illness.

I felt inspired by myself, if that makes sense. Just seeing how much I was capable of. I had never been that motivated at any point in my life.

And so now, at 30, having been afflicted with this horrendous ailment, I did take solace in knowing that I already had that second chance moment, and lived life accordingly after that. It allowed me to not have regrets now when I thought about the possibility of my time coming to an end in the near future.

Last Wednesday, despite not sleeping for multiple days, I decided to go on one of my bike rides. It was a beautiful, cool, and quintessential fall afternoon. I had been to an audiologist that morning, cried on the phone with my mom for a few hours, came home to my condo to find the ceiling leaking (wife was at work), dealt with security/condo management, escaped momentarily with some porn for a brief moment of stress relief, cried for another hour, and then couldn’t stand being in the condo any longer. The whole atmosphere was misery. I felt so incredibly pathetic and disgusted… not to mention a little sleepy (wink wink).

So I pulled my ass out of there and hopped back on my horse. Rain began around 20 minutes into the ride but I didn’t mind. Something like that could not bother me anymore. I biked as fast as I could and with near reckless abandon—not having the courage to actually throw myself in harm’s way—but hoping a car would collide with me in what would hopefully be a quick, clean, and painless end.

After experiencing countless dangerous and even a near death encounter on my bike (Toronto drivers are not so smart) throughout the years, this ride was surprisingly safe. I made it to a park called High Park in the Westend in Toronto. The rain was coming down at this point but the park was still busy. With scores of Japanese tourists, hipster white girls with their umbrellas taking photos for (I presume) social media, and even a man playing a trumpet on a bench. I had my goggles on but the rain would have also masked my tears. I was sobbing the entire ride. The rain was relentless and I almost felt that the world was crying with me (that’s how self-absorbed I am, jeez!).

I didn’t want to leave the park. I just kept looping around the biking circuit over and over again. Leaving meant I had to go back to face my actual life. The place of my misery—the condo. Sitting down with these thoughts. With this noise. With the idea that everything has changed—for the worst.

I rode dangerously on my way back through urban area. Fortunately (or unfortunately), depending on the perspective, I made it home in one piece. The post-exercise effect had at least calmed me down. I played background music to help me forget about the noise.

I then told my wife that night, when she returned, that she should begin thinking about leaving me. I told her that it makes no sense for a healthy, happy person to be dragged down with me. That I wanted to end my life and she should get started as soon as possible on finding another partner so that she can have a family (biological clock and all).

This was a very emotional conversation. My wife did not handle what I told her well. I realized in that conversation that this was much bigger than myself. That selfishly, I had just thought about ending my suffering. Nabbing it in the bud, so that most of my memories would be good memories, rather than wasting away over time.

But I realized that she would never leave me, no matter what. And that if I left, she would not recover, so then I am basically killing her with that decision too. Gosh darn it, there are so many wives out there that couldn’t care less about their husbands—if I had one of those this decision would have been so much easier.

No, I couldn’t believe how much she loved. I’ve even told her in the past that she loves me more than I love her. However, she is unfazed by this, which I think is a testament to her love and way of being. She is unselfish in this way. Truly, I think she is the greatest person I know.

The look on her face at one moment has changed me in ways I’m not sure I can fully express yet. I decided that that look was enough for me to find my strength to continue to live for her. Continue to live for my mom as well, who I know would also be devastated.

What proceeded Thursday through Sunday was pure torment. As the sleep deprivation continued, the anxiety amped up as well. Panic attacks, and now full on PTSD is likely what I have. Physiologically, I had (and still do to a much less degree), vibrations going through me. I could not lay down on the bed without my body spasming. I genuinely thought I was about to have a seizure at one point.

There was no rest, no peace. Like a computer that is always on with no reset. Sleep is our usual reset, where we heel and prepare to fight the next day. I had no such relief. I thought about my wife’s face thousands of times a day. There were new noises appearing likely due to anxiety.

Finally, we bit the bullet and took strong anti-anxiety medication for sleep. We call them our qualuudes (like the Wolf of Wall Street). I realized I needed this because physically, it was impossible to sleep if my body is fidgeting constantly. Sunday night, I took the first half of the pill at 9:30pm, then the second at 10:30. My wife and I have a wind-down routine with background noise and a choreographed process to fall asleep.

I laid my head down sometime between 11 and 12pm, and the next thing I knew it was 7:30 AM.

We cried tears of joy. That became the single best morning of my entire life, I think. A little moment of heaven—and that’s not an exaggeration. Laying there in the sheets and hugging my wife was the best feeling in the world. I will never forget that moment.

I then stopped myself from thinking too far into the future about what we will do next. For now, we have a short term solution with our qualuudes. We’ve used them every night since with the same routine. The next night I slept longer. Last night I didn’t sleep quite as much, but still around seven hours.

I feel like I finally got my head out of the sand for a moment. I feel like myself again.

I saw a therapist yesterday at noon. I don’t know if I will continue with her, or find another. My doctor also referred me to a psychiatrist, which I think will help. We also have a follow up with my doctor on Friday to discuss our game plan going forward to eventually ween off the quaaludes and into a more sustainable habit.

Today, my wife and I are going to our favourite park to play chess. There’s a Tibetan restaurant we like near by and we’ll get lunch there. I hope to go for a happier bike ride again later this week.

You’ll have to forgive the poor writing and grammar (more than usual) this week. I didn’t spend much time editing this. Actually, I didn’t spend any time on that at all.

Until next week, VP.

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A place called Sleepy Hollow. Have you heard of it?

(Ichabod Crane) I have not.

An isolated farming community, mainly Dutch. Three persons have been murdered there, all within a fortnight. Each one found with the head lopped off.

(Ichabod Crane) Lopped off?

Clean as dandelion heads, apparently.

- The Burgomaster, Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Some Interesting Stats

• Baylor’s QB Sawyer Robertson remains the only 2000-yard passer in the FBS through seven weeks.

• UW’s Demond Williams Jr. is just the 16th QB in NCAA-FBS history to pass for 400 yards and rush for 100 yards in a single game.

• Army QB Cale Hellums is top 10 in the FBS in rush attempts (10th), the next leading QB is 15th (AF’s Liam Szarka).

• JSU’s RB Cam Cook, who has played an extra game (seven), leads the FBS in rush attempts with 160. The next leading attempt rusher is Oregon State’s Anthony Hankerson, with 129.

• After starting the year as the borderline CFF RB1, Washington’s RB Jonah Coleman is now 30th in yards rushed for through seven weeks. He still remains as the rushing TD leader with 11, followed by JSU’s Cam Cook at 10.

• There is currently a 12-way tie for the 4th place in rushing TDs this season (eight), which includes five QBs to seven RBs.

• With the exception of Oregon State’s WR Trent Walker, I believe four out of the top five leading receivers in terms of yardage are slot receivers (Danny Scudero, Makai Lemon, Hank Beatty, & Mario Craver). Walker is currently 5th in receiving yards.

• With the exception of SJSU’s Danny Scudero, the top six receiving TD leaders (there’s a four way tie for #2 behind Scudero) are all boundary receivers (Eric McAllister, Jordan Tyson, Jeremiah Smith, Elijah Sarratt, & Chris Brazzell).

• For two weeks in a row, TCU’s Eric McAllister has caught a receiving TD at the very end of the game. The scores of those games were 35-21 for TCU, and 28-41 against TCU.

Coaching Carousel

There have been three new executions, all within a fortnight, however, there is an obvious place to start this segment, and I won’t overthink it: PSU fired head coach James Franklin early this week following a devastating loss to what some are calling America’s team—post Deshaun Foster-UCLA, or Jerry’s team, whichever you prefer, and another shocking defeat to Northwestern. By the way, it should be pointed out that, Tim Skipper, is in fact the actual interim head coach at UCLA currently, and not Jerry Neuheisel.

But that’s neither here nor there. Can we just take a second before proceeding to imagine what sort of offers are blowing up Jerry’s phone these past few weeks? How do you think the proposers do it? Instagram DM? Through Jerry’s wife? *Gasp* Directly with a phone call?

Anyways, if you were like me, you were probably surprised that PSU pulled the trigger earlier this week. Of course, I’ve recently ranted on these newsletters that PSU is an overrated hack of a program, but that has more to do with the media/voters and their affinity to give the Lions a free pass. While other programs tumble double digit places down the rankings for close losses, the highlights—yes, the highlights—of PSU’s resume were always about the close losses. Make it make sense. They haven’t beaten a team worth a damn in almost a decade!

Clearly, the power brokers of the Nittany Lion program saw it the same way and decided that enough was enough following a loss to UCLA and NW. Fair enough.

I guess the question is: who are they going to replace him with? My personal opinion is that you probably don’t fire a coach who has an above 75% win percentage during his tenure—paying 50 million in the process to do so—without a very clear list of at least one, if not two or three, names that you covet as the next head coach.

Personally, I would LOVE to see what IU head coach Curt Cignetti could do with a stronger infrastructure around him. Cignetti is coming off his first marquee win of his P4 career, defeating what I believe is a ‘real’ team in Oregon. Even if it turns out that the Ducks are wildly overrated a la Clemson (their best win is PSU, which is shrinking by the day), the talent profile of the squad is sufficient to win a national championship, and that’s all that really matters to me when classifying a win as ‘real’.

IU beat up on a bunch of roadkill in the B1G last year, and then didn’t look competitive at all against the two ‘real’ teams they played. The fact IU is even in this type of conversation is a testament to the job Cignetti has done in Bloomington in a short period of time.

PSU probably can’t pry Cig away at the current moment coming off the biggest win of his career, but if he falters later on—let’s say against PSU, ironically—then the temperature of the conversation might be different.

I’ve seen some lazy comparisons out there equating Franklin to Georgia when they had Mark Richt. Let’s be clear, Richt would have made the old CFP format twice, and would have been a staple in the 12-teamer every year during his tenure. He also sported multiple wins over top-10 programs. And let’s not forget that the era of the SEC that he played in saw LSU, Auburn, Florida, and Alabama each top the sport of CFB (for a combined nine national championships between 2001-2015), which is a little different from the B1G conference in 2015-2025.

I also don’t see the Kirby Smart in that comparison. Is it supposed to be Matt Rhule, who is a PSU alumni on the defensive side of the ball? I like Rhule, but he’s already been a head coach for a long time, and is 64-57 overall. That doesn’t seem like a huge upgrade, and is actually a downgrade, just simply looking at the metrics.

From that standpoint, then the Kirby in that analogy would probably be a coordinator without any prior head coaching experience somewhere. Who’s a hot shot defensive coordinator right now who can also elevate PSU’s standing as a recruiting giant? I can’t think of any obvious names.

PSU already recruits at a pretty high level. Of course, there’s more meat on the bone, but it’s also a little different recruiting from central PA than say… Georgia or Alabama. NIL has closed the gap there somewhat but I do still think there’s a premium in location when it comes to luring good players into the program. If Mom and Dad can come see the player play regularly, that’s usually a good thing.

Beyond Franklin, the two other coaches to receive the axe this week include Oregon State’s Trent Bray, and UAB’s Trent Dilfer. Tough week to be a Trent in coaching, am I right?

Dilfer’s firing was long overdue (I wonder if they can get ULM’s Bryant Vincent back?), but Bray was a bit of a surprise. Despite the winless season, I didn’t get the impression that Bray lost the locker room, though perhaps what has happened to Anthony Hankerson’s CFF stock alone is grounds for termination.

Oh, and how typical CFB would it be if James Franklin ends up landing at UCLA?! I feel that Jerry at OC and Skipper as DC (if he’s willing) with an experienced big name at HC is probably the ideal scenario for many of the UCLA boosters.

I don’t know if they’ll be able to convince both of those guys to stay as coordinators, but that would be formidable trio to at least bring UCLA back to mid-major form in 2026.

More RB Injuries (leading to new PIGS?)

I can’t remember a year where there were this many injuries to premium CFF RBs. The bodies continued to hit the floor this week with news of USC’s Waymond Jordan likely to miss 4-6 weeks, A&M’s Leveon Moss to miss ‘significant time’, and Marshall’s mid-season upstart Michael Allen now being ruled out for this weekend.

Beyond those names, your boy continued his detective work on Miami of Ohio, and found the head coach stating that Kenny Tracy re-injured a prior knee injury and is officially done for the season. Ouch.

But, we press on as always in the CFF world, and news of unfortunate injuries does give way for new names to emerge. USC’s King Miller is the most obvious name from this past weekend, rushing for well over 100 yards and scoring on the ground. He led the Trojans in their win over Michigan, and was probably the hottest name on the waiver wire this week.

Though it should be noted that the Trojans will see ND this week and then are on a BYE, so it could be a little while before you see some returns. Bryan Jackson continues to lurk, with a possible halftime appearance always in play.

Former five-star wunderkind Reuben Owens is currently experiencing a career renaissance, thanks in part to Moss’s ongoing health challenges this season. He has 21 and 17 carries in back-to-back weeks. He hasn’t been as good as promised from his high school tape, but he’s looked pretty good. With a date with Arkansas’ soft run defense up next, I’m expecting a big performance from Owens as the lead back this weekend.

In Allen’s absence, Antwan Roberts stepped up and took 14 carries for 67 yards and a score in what was essentially one half of play. Allen is ruled out vs. Texas State’s 99th-ranked run defense this weekend, but now Jo’Shon Barbie is available per Marshall’s injury report. Does he step back into RB1 duties? It’s hard for me to imagine Roberts disappearing after.

Predicting the First Round of 2026 CFF Drafts

These sort of hot take discussions are always fun, and often hilariously wrong in retrospect.

The problem is the transfer portal, which will shake up the rosters that each of these players play for, and thus muddying the waters. In fact, the players themselves may even find themselves suiting up somewhere else next season, especially considering if their head coach takes a job elsewhere.

Nonetheless, here’s some bold takes for you:

New Blood at RB Projected to Replace Elite Producers

• Pitt RB Ja’Kyrian Turner — I’ve seen enough of the little speedster from Florida to feel comfortable declaring him as the next Desmond Reid. Though, it is certainly possible that one of the lessons this Pitt staff have learnt from the Reid experience is that relying on an undersized bellcow to fuel the offence is a bit precarious, and thus they may invest in some additional depth to reduce the workload of their future RB1s. Turner is lightning quick with the ball in his hands, and has a beautiful running style that reminds me of the old Pitt RB Lesean McCoy with that #25 jersey. With Reid moving on after this season, CFFers will be speculating on the next man up, and probably projecting that player as a potential high end CFF asset.

• Minnesota RB Fame Ijeboi — I don’t know what Darius Taylor is going to do after this season, maybe he returns, maybe he portals, but if he were to leave, and with AJ Turner coming off a major injury, Ijeboi would be a hot name in CFF circles given that he got a lot of run this year. PJ likes him, which in turn means I like him. Enough said.

• Washington RB Adam Mohammed — Jonah Coleman will be headed to the NFL draft in 2026, and Mohammed has been the clear #2 behind him. He’s a big and powerful RB, a bit different stylistically, but is the obvious heir apparent to lead UW’s rushing attack next year.

• FSU RB Ousmane Kromah — While he won’t be replacing an elite CFF producer, he will be playing in a system with a history of elite production at RB should OC Gus Malzahn return to the program in 2026. With some in the CFF community already calling for the FSU staff to #FreeKRO, this could be a player who finishes 2025 on a strong note, and rides that momentum into the first round of CFF drafters’ squads next year. I agree with CFFNate, Kromah looks a cut above anything else FSU has in the backfield right now.

Elite Returners at WR

• Jeremiah Smith, Bryant Wesco, and Mario Craver all have to return next year as they are true sophomores. These are easy picks to pencil in to the first round. SJSU’s Danny Scudero could return, but may either seek to capitalize on the big year utilizing the transfer portal, or enter the NFL draft.

• Other receivers who could threaten to enter the first round include Tennessee’s Mike Matthews (assuming Brazzell moves on), Jordan Napier and Ryan Williams, though these all feel like a stretch to me. Napier will probably play in the P4 in 2026.

A Few Names at QB

• UW’s Demond Williams has to return, and he’s probably the most obvious first round candidate at QB. Arch Manning will also likely return, but he may not be deemed worthy of a first round pick after this year’s performance (remains to be seen).

• ODU’s Colton Joseph can return, but it seems more likely he’ll be either poached or take his shot at the NFL draft.

Elite Returners at RB

• While these names will probably be few and far between when all is said and done, technically, all of JSU’s Cam Cook, RU’s Antwan Raymond, UM’s Justice Haynes, ND’s Jeremiyah Love, and Nebraska’s Emmet Johnson can return.

• Guaranteed to return are Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy, Mississippi State’s Fluff Bothwell (without pesky Davon Booth hanging around), Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy, and UNT’s Caleb Hawkins. All four of these guys could settle in the first, with Hardy and Lacy being pretty much guaranteed to be first round locks if there are no coaching staff shakeups/serious transfer additions.

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A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.

- Gandalf, Lord of the Rings: FOTR (2001)

Hello pigs, welcome back. Here are a few stats I found interesting:

Some Interesting Stats

• Baylor TE Michael Trigg and New Mexico TE Dorian Thomas lead CFB in targets, Trigg with total targets (50 in six games, or an average of 8.33), and Thomas with an average of 8.6 targets per appearance (43 in five games).

• Baylor’s QB Sawyer Robertson is the first 2000 yard passer of the 2025 season. He also leads the FBS in attempts with 248 (over 20 more than the next passer, Duke’s Darian Mensah).

• There are five teams currently averaging 21 seconds per play (these are the five fastest teams in the FBS currently), and they include: FAU, Tennessee, South Florida, Tulsa, and Baylor. If you can believe it, Ohio State is currently the slowest FBS team on a seconds per play basis with 32.4.

• Four teams currently average over 80 plays per game: Missouri (85), FAU (81), Texas Tech (81), and Syracuse (80).

• Someone will have to cross validate this, but I believe of the top five leading receivers currently in terms of yardage (Danny Scudero, Makai Lemon, Chase Hendricks, Trent Walker and Hank Beatty), four of them are slot receivers.

• There are 11 RBs who have hit 100 carries to this point in the season, and the only one who isn’t in the top 42 of rushers is Oregon State’s Anthony Hankerson. Only three of those 11 fall outside the top 13 of rushers thus far (#33 Kewan Lacy at Ole Miss, and #42 Al Jay Henderson at UB). Note that the difference between #42 and #13 in rushing currently is about 70 yards.

• Auburn has as many 7+ loss seasons in the last 4 years as Georgia has since 1953.

• There are 11 QBs in the top 100 of rushers currently, and the top two of those QBs are both service academy players (Horvath, Navy & Szarka, AF).

Where Else to Start

Look, I may have ranted about James Franklin and his predictable bed shitting against ‘real teams’ last week, but I in no-way foresaw the outcome last weekend. I mean, it was actually counterfactual to my theses that when PSU plays a roster of vastly inferior talent, they always win, often by a lot.

UCLA does have one former five star prospect at QB, so maybe that was enough to tip the scale? Nonetheless, as someone who chose to believe in Nico and that offence this year, it was somewhat of a vindicating moment to see him put in five scores and top the CFF leaderboard that week.

It’s always been the case that Nico posses well above average running ability (it’s those long strides and his cat like balance), and if he could just marry that with some solid passing than we’re cooking with gas. Well, on Saturday we got a rare glimpse into that potential. It’s really mind boggling to consider what this program put on the field vs. New Mexico, Northwestern, and UNLV the weeks prior, considering what we saw this past weekend.

Oh and one other thing, I really like that Jerry kid. He’s bringing good vibes. I really appreciate that he looks like he’s still in university. He looks like someone I’d see partying at a bar on Friday night in here in King West, Toronto.

In fact, with his long blond hair, he looks exactly like I want the UCLA coaches to look. His facial structure kind of reminds me of an old buddy of mine, who’s name is Han. Han is Chinese, but his face is basically like the Chinese version of Jerry Neuheisel. I honestly can’t unsee it every time I see the UCLA coach.

I don’t know how many of you have seen the 80s classic, Bloodsport, with Jean Claude Van Damme, but, there’s a scene in it that I love—mostly because I can’t wrap my head around where production found this actor and why they chose him. In this scene there is a kid they have playing young frank, who—in perhaps what is the most shamelessly delivered line in cinema history—catatonically says “Not yet” shortly after Tanaka tells his son to stop training young Frank (2:07).

It’s a great sequence of scenes, delivering so many classic lines, for example: “How come you coach him BUT NOT ME?!” There’s a charm to it… the horrendous acting, bad lines, orgasmic 80s synth wave…

Anyways, in the offseason I thought about incorporating a segment with this scene for the CFF weekly newsletter. The basic premise is that whenever there was a perceived dead CFF asset (e.g., Nico Iamleava), I’d bring out the ol’ NOT YET segment to highlight a revival.

Indeed, every year there are some players that, just when you give up on them, they pull you right back in.

Will Nico and UCLA be able to continue the momentum initiated vs. PSU? Probably not, but they do get a really good matchup this weekend vs. Michigan State. I hesitate to say that if there is another game where Nico will thrive, it would be this one, considering that it was actually UCLA’s easiest games that have been Nico’s worst so far.

The Worst First Round in CFF History?

This has been an anomalous year for RB injuries to say the least. In fact, I was thinking about this the other day, are there are any RBs from the first round that have been consistently good this year?

Ironically, the only one that has delivered fully was the one I was fading in ND’s Jeremiyah Love, who is seeing much more consistent volume now. The next best one is probably Baylor’s Bryson Washington, or UB’s Al Jay Henderson. After that, they’ve all been injured, or busted (Hankerson). That’s pretty amazing considering first rounds of CFF drafts almost always involved at least nine RBs drafted.

Desmond Reid and Darius Taylor, the top two consensus RBs by ADP, are on milk cartons. Taylor at least has returned but was on a pitch count vs. OSU. Reid has a high ankle sprain (from reading the tea leaves on Pitt message boards) and probably won’t be back until Syracuse at the earliest, and who knows how good he’ll even be on his return considering the type of injury with his play style.

Demond Claiborne has battled injury since week one and left WF’s game once again this past weekend. Isaac Brown and Dylan Edwards are playing, but have clearly been compromised. Jaheim White is out for the year.

Makhi Hughes was not a first round RB in the Golden Pig Invitational this year, but I know he was selected in the first in many leagues.

All in all, it’s been a pretty disastrous year, mostly due to injury, for the first two rounds of RBs taken.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD PRIVATE EQUITY BE IN CFB

*Look, I know I rant all the time about what CFB should do, but this is a tumultuous time and these sentiments bear repeating. This is a non-CFF section so feel free to skip if that’s your sole interest.*

It was announced this week that a bill has been introduced from the US government that would block investment from Private Equity firms in collegiate athletics. I view this as a very positive thing, and I hope it will actually be enforced.

To explain my feelings on the constant profit seeking of CFB executives, I will paint a quick picture for you. A few weeks ago my dad was visiting Toronto for a conference. I met up with him after work one day at a snazzy little restaurant not far from my place with my wife.

During this dinner, he broke the news to us that a McDonalds was coming to my parents’ neighbourhood. There’s been a lot of development in recent years, much of it bringing welcome changes, such as a bakery, and a Thai food takeout restaurant. So, there was a lot of optimism and excitement about which business would fill the last remaining opening.

He told me that my mom was disappointed, but he was actually happy. He loves McDonalds, you see, so this was just more convenience for him.

I had to hold my tongue—I couldn’t disagree more—but my wife agreed with him. I chalked it up to my wife being naive/ignorant, and my father being intoxicated (he was multiple whiskies deep at this point, and also tried to argue with us that McDonalds breakfasts are actually really healthy). I mean, yeah, sure, if you believe really salty, carb heavy, and processed food is healthy, then definitely.

I then had a very serious conversation with my wife when we got home. It was a moment I could not let slip past—in fact, I viewed it as a teaching moment.

I mapped out what angle I’d use, and stored a series of analogies to unveil for just this moment when we were walking home.

It basically went like this: there’s an Italian grocery story we like to go to in a neighbourhood right next to my old hood. The store is called Alimentari, and the neighbourhood is called Roncesvalles. When we go to this place, it’s a one hour walk, or like a 30 minute streetcar journey. Either way, we usually make a trip of it, because it’s sort of a special occasion.

If you click on the link to their instagram page, you’ll get a pretty good idea of the vibe of this shop—high quality goods, a lot of which you can’t find elsewhere— small, charming place, it’s a not a chain, and the people are friendly and will recognize you if you come in more than twice. Your experience may very, but I personally enjoy having a rapport with people at the shops I like to go to.

The place is special, for many of the reasons I listed above, and because you have to go to Roncesvalles to shop there, now all of a sudden the neighbourhood is special too. Now imagine if you replaced Alimentari with a McDonalds, I said to my wife, why on earth would we go to Roncesvalles for that? There’s a McD’s everywhere—a bunch of locations closer to our place. Certainly I’m not walking one hour to go to a fucking McDonalds.

One-off shops like Alimentari not only create more charm in the neighbourhood, they increase its gravitational pull of people from surrounding areas. If they like the shop, they have to go there. This in turns helps bring more vibes to the neighbourhood and also has spill-off effects for the other businesses.

I couldn’t be happier as I saw the light bulbs turn on through her eyes. She now recites this take as if it were hers these days, but I don’t mind. And look, I like McD’s as much as the next guy, who doesn’t love a good Big Mac, but if you’re trying to preserve or upgrade the charm and vibe of a neighbourhood, McDonalds is not it bruv.

The sport of College football, to me, has a lot of charm and magic to it too. It’s actually what makes it special. It’s not the quality of football being played (despite the barn burners you may witness on Tuesday and Wednesday night MACtion), it’s not about big brands, and it’s for damn sure not because I want to know who wins the national championship every year.

The problem is that arguments based on ‘charm’ and ‘vibes’ come off as very wishy-washy, and are hard to quantify. Meanwhile, “increasing profits by X” is very concrete and easy to absorb. Business executives understand these concepts, whereas charm and vibes are anathema to their mode of being, I imagine.

Neighbourhoods like Roncesvalles don’t happen by accident. They are the result of many decades of intentional decision making—meticulously curating the vibe to protect its charm.

In my opinion, letting big business PE into the realm of collegiate of athletics would be like replacing Alimentari in Roncesvalles with a McDonalds. Sure, maybe McD’s would be an even bigger commercial success than some of these one-off shops, pulling in more profits etc. etc., but it would be a fucking disaster in the minds of those who live in the neighbourhood and for those of us who like to visit for the charm.

And I’m sure there are some executives in this city who look at the foot traffic and spending data in a neighbourhood like Roncesvalles and think “if we could only get our fast food chain in there we’d be killing it” but what they fail to recognize is that by putting fast food chains into that neighbourhood, they’d be directly counteracting what people like about that area in the first place. The golden goose here is the charm and vibe.

It’s the same deal in CFB. The charm and vibes are what makes it unique; and they are a big reason why people will watch CFB over professional sports. The introduction of a bill to block PE investment is a positive development in my mind, but the fact that a bill has to be introduced in the first place signals to me that there are agents within the system who are hellbent on destroying what makes this sport great in the first place, so long as they get a promotion at the end of the year.

I wish I could sit down for dinner with each of these nefarious actors and tell them a story about one of my favourite neighbourhoods here in Toronto. ◾

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