CFB Spring Stock Up/Down Report

May 14, 2025

In every crisis, there is opportunity.

- Chinese proverb

The year 2024 set a record for new billionaires across the globe. According to Forbes, the figure of those joining the ultra-high net worth individuals club ballooned to a staggering 265 new members. It turns out all those gains due to technological progress you’ve been hearing about are actually real; they’re just only realized by a select few.

Nevertheless, I’m always interested in learning about who these people are, and how they attained their respective largesses. Some inherit it, of course. Others (most), built it through business(es). One such newly minted billionaire, Chinese agriculture tycoon, Qin Yingling, quadrupled his fortune in 2019 due to what was called a “pork crisis”.

During that year, an epidemic of African swine fever led to supply shortages of pigs and saw pork prices doubling all over mainland China. You can think of this scenario as the equivalent of the spring transfer portal cycle we just witnessed. There are shortages of pigs everywhere I tell you! Everywhere!

Qin’s was one of the few companies who were able to reproduce their hog herds and cash in on the crisis. Speaking to Bloomberg.com, Qin said: “Swine fever brings both benefit and harm. We need to ride this violent hurricane out and turn it into a superb opportunity for our development.”

What’s even more impressive is that Qin started his herd with only 22 pigs. I imagine that somewhere out there is a CFF manager screaming 22?! I’m lucky if I even have three!

Today, Bloomberg reports that the company slaughters about 5 million pigs each year. Though I’m not a huge fan of slaughtering pigs—my jam is more in the fattening of these fine specimens. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some ‘stock-up’ CFF assets this offseason.

Note that for each player I have provided their current ADP (according to Campus2Canton).

Stock UP

Darrell Gill (WR), Syracuse — With the departure of the presumed WR1, Trebor Pena, there is now a window of opportunity for new names to emerge. Between Pena and Jackson Meeks, there are over 200 targets vacating the roster from 2024 to 2025. Gill, the 6’3" receiver from Texas, was third on the team in receiving output among the 2024 pass catchers with 562 yards and two scores on 31 receptions (49 targets). It stands to reason that he’ll be one of the starters this year and seems the logical choice for drafters hoping to find Syracuse’s next WR1. ADP: 303
UCLA Receivers — The QB swap between UCLA and Tennessee was really a lose-lose situation all around, but one group that benefited will likely be the UCLA pass catchers. Specifically, I’m interested in rising sophomore Kwazi Gilmer, who had a very solid true freshman season. Slot receiver Mikey Matthews is another name that had a good spring and could be in for mucho targets in 2025. At the very least, I think the Bruins upgraded the QB position, and so I’m keeping an eye on whether an alpha receiver emerges here. Keep in mind that the new UCLA OC, Tino Sunseri, was the former QBs coach with Curt Cignetti at Indiana and JMU. He’ll most likely be deploying the same kind of system—a system that has been friendly to the WR position and, in particular, the slot receiver group.
Malik Sherrod (RB), Boise — Injuries to Jambres Dubar and Sire Gaines have meant that Sherrod filled in as the feature man at RB during spring practice. By all accounts, he crushed it. We know Sherrod from his time at Fresno State, where he proved he can be a productive runner in this conference. It still remains to be seen whether he can hold up over the course of a full season, but I really like where he sits right now in the BSU RB room. Nobody knows who’s going to be RB1 for 2025, but I can’t imagine Sherrod isn’t at least a heavily involved RB1B. ADP: 155
Que’sean Brown (WR), Duke — With Jordan Moore moving on (and taking 100+ targets with him), there is an immediate need for a new WR1 to step up. Brown had himself a very productive spring game, and what’s more, he’s probably got an upgraded QB compared to what Moore had to work with last year. Former Tulane pivot Darian Mensah is reportedly getting paid some serious pesos to suit up with the Devils this season, and he needs a go-to wingman to slay ACC defences. I’m going in on Brown like I never left with J. Moore. This Duke WR1 spot could be turning into a CFF honey pot right before our eyes. ADP: 347
Eli Raridon (TE), ND — There is a long standing tradition of elite TE play in South Bend, Indiana. Inquisitive minds wondered this offseason whether the Irish would return to that tradition in 2025 after a disappointing 2024 campaign with the oft-injured Evan Mitchell. Enter Mr. Raridon, whom the ND beat writers can’t stop raving about. In a down-year for returning TE production, Raridon should probably be going much higher in drafts currently. ADP: NA
Jekail Middlebrook (RB), MTSU — Sometimes being a ‘stock-up’ asset is simply about winning the game of attrition. The Blue Raider backfield is clearing out nicely with Frank Peasant and Jayden Creddle moving on. Middlebrook is the highlighted name when coaches speak about the running game, and this is the same staff that had former Vandy RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn in his CFF heyday (2018-2019). ADP: NA
Donald Chaney (RB), UNCC — There’s a new staff in Charlotte this year; namely Tim Albin who comes over from the Ohio Bobcats. Albin’s time in Athens, OH isn’t what I would categorize as a CFF RB factory, but he did have a momentary season of brilliance in 2022 through lead runner Sieh Bangura. Chaney seems to be the player standing out in the RB room for the 49ers this offseason, leading me to wonder if Albin may give him the ‘21 Bang-Man treatment. Unfortunately, Chaney doesn’t have a nickname nearly as cool as Bangura, so that lowers his stock. ADP: 298

Stock DOWN

Damien Taylor (RB), Miss — This one is pretty self explanatory. Taylor left his warm, comfortable nest in Troy, AL (where he had the RB1-workhorse role secured) to potentially (and most likely) become yet another former G5 stud lost in the P4 graveyard. Ole Miss already has former Missouri Tiger Kewan Lacy and Logan Diggs vying for carries. Plus, the track record of G5 RBs moving up to the SEC is not very good. CFF seppuku is always a tragic thing. Let’s pour one out for all the former G5 stars… they just don’t know any better. ADP: 67.5
Trebor Pena (WR), PSU — Christ Almighty, could he have chosen a worse destination? Like Taylor, Pena had it made in his prior stop. Sure, there were questions surrounding the QB position, but Pena would have been peppered by so many targets it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. But now? He’ll be wandering about State College for weeks at a time without seeing more than two targets in a game. Sad. Very sad indeed. I think it’s time to start an advisory firm to consult these misguided young minds: VP Consultancy. ADP: 39
Telly Johnson (RB), NIU — Telly Johnson actually did the correct thing this offseason, which was to stay put right where he was. Initially, that loyalty looked like it would pay off enormously in 2025 when the new OC was announced. That OC, formerly of Div. II, had a RB rush for 38 scores last year. So… yeah—things were trending up, even if Jaylen Poe was still hanging around. However, then the aforementioned 38-score RB followed his OC over to NIU. Now we’re in for it… how do you say dead CFF asset in Mandarin? I don’t know, but it probably rhymes with “three-headed committee.” ADP: 57
Joseph Williams (WR), CU — Colorado just keeps adding, and adding, and then adding some more at the WR position. First, they brought in Sincere Brown from the FCS level, then they brought in former five-star and FSU transfer Hykeem Williams, and just for good measure, they also acquired former Utah State/Charlotte slot receiver Jack Hestera. Mind you, this room was already fuzzy with the Millers involved. I’ve reached the point where I’m not sure there will be any go-to receivers in this room for 2025. ADP: 83
Texas WRs not named Emmett Mosley — As alluded to in the intro, the spring transfer portal period was not a kind one for CFFers. While the fit here for Mosley himself is not bad (but not great, certainly not better than where he was), the big losers in this equation are the other Longhorn receivers, particularly Deandre Moore and Ryan Wingo, who each appeared to be inline to compete for WR1 status in 2025. Arch Manning ushers in a new era of Texas football at the QB position, which is exciting, but it’s also true that we don’t know how good he is yet. Can he support 2-3 CFF-relevant receivers? Doubtful…
Giovani Lopez (QB), SALA — Do I even have to spell this one out? Lopez is another G5 player moving up a level to a terrible destination. I don’t even know if Bill Belichick knows he’s the head coach of UNC currently or if he’ll make it to the season opener. The supposed war chest of NIL funds that was supposed to unlock a new level of development for the UNC program has yet to materialize, considering that Lopez is really their only marquee acquisition through the portal. In fact, they ended up losing a couple of key players, so it was a net loss. This could be a rough year for UNC and, by extension, all of the CFF assets that don the powder blue. On the flip side, maybe Jordan Shipp can lock down Lopez’s go-to target, considering UNC won’t have much else to hang their proverbial hats on. ADP: 154

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