CFF Monthly Round Up - June 2023
CFF Monthly Round Up - June 2023
Summary of the notable events relating to CFF in June
The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.
Gather in to the tavern, my friends. In today’s ‘Monthly Round Up’, I will cover at a high level the notable headlines, rumblings, and quotable quotes in College Football and their relevancy to CFF. These will include spring/summer camp rumblings, notable transfer portal news, and injury/suspension events. I will also provide an overview of the content I have published over the month on the VP platform and on other platforms.
If you’re reading this with an interest in CFF, I would encourage you (if you haven’t already) to join us over at the Pig Pen. In addition to getting content directly to your inbox, in the future there will be additional features such as group chats, video content, and more.
You can find the previous instalment of the series here:
In case you missed it
June was yet another prolific month on VolumePigs as we covered articles ranging from the Pacific Northwest to the mid-Atlantic. Some of the most popular articles of the month include:
I also wrote some articles with the Campus2Canton crew:
The West Texas TANK Back to Unloading on Defences in 2023? : UTEP RB Deion Hankins
These are not Your Grandfather’s (Lance Leipold’s) Buffalo Bulls PT. II: Buffalo WR Nik McMillan
This 5’7″ WR is a LOCK for 100+ targets in 2023: Louisiana Tech WR Smoke Harris
This under the radar WR is having a DOMINANT spring: WVU WR Devin Carter
I contributed to the 2023 CFF Guide released on July 1st (20$)
Notable spring camp rumblings
From April, ODU WR Javon Harvey caught a pair of TDs in the spring game from both QBs who are competing for the starting job—Jack Shields and Grant Wilson. Harvey looks to be the go-to guy in an offence that produced three different 1000-yard receivers last season at Fordham.
From April, Charlotte RB Shadrick Byrd ran for a team high 19 carries and 100 yards in the 49ers’ spring game. With Poggi-ball coming into effect, Byrd could be in-line for a monstrous season. I wrote about him in detail here.
ODU QBs Jack Shields and Grant Wilson are both still competing for the starting QB position. This is a QB battle that could have significant consequence for CFF.
Both UNC RBs Elijah Green and Omarion Hampton were listed as the top RBs on the depth chart. It is likely they will be splitting carries in 2023.
Charlotte QB Jalon Jones has had a strong spring, and his main competitors on the roster hit the transfer portal shortly after the spring game. From a local report: “The scrimmage provided some clarity on where offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Miller wants to go with his offense. Following the spring game, Foster and redshirt freshman Xavier Williams announced they were each joining the transfer portal, leaving Jones and true freshman Carson Black as the only scholarship quarterbacks.” However, Oklahoma grad transfer Micah Bowens transferred into the room earlier this month, muddying the waters somewhat.
Buffalo WR Nik McMillan had a very strong spring. You can find my full coverage on him in the article linked above under the C2C section. Buffalo’s new OC is likely going to run a very pass-heavy offence, and with last year’s WRs 1-3 leaving, vacating over 200 targets, McMillan could be in for a very strong season.
Purdue WR Tyrone Tracy will play as a running back for the Boilermakers this fall. We heard that he would get some carries last year, and the Boilermakers did use him in a myriad of ways. Tracy ultimately disappointed in CFF, however, as his overall usage was still low. With the new staff in town, it will be interesting to see how much they use Tracy. I don’t see him as a CFF relevant player currently, but I’ll be paying attention early in the season.
QB Tyler Shough has been named Texas Tech's starting quarterback for the upcoming season. The question is: will he hold onto it? We’ve seen this routine before, and with Shough’s injury history, I’m not ready to go all in on him, yet.
USF WR Yusuf Terry has impressed South Florida's coaching staff this spring. New USF head coach—Alex Golesh, formerly the OC of Tennessee in 2022, makes this offence intriguing again. I suggest keeping Terry on your radars for a waiver-add early in the season if the early signs are good.
Notable Transfers
UTEP WR Tyrin Smith has officially returned to the Miners after a brief stint with Texas A&M. We don’t know the exact reasoning for his return, but from his words, (paraphrasing) a lot of his course credits did not transfer over. He might have also struggled to gain traction in A&M’s program. Smith immediately becomes a strong buy in CFF again with the same set-up he had last season when he caught 71 passes for 1039 yards, and 7 TDs.
Tulsa WR Malachi Jones has withdrawn from the transfer portal. The Tulsa passing attack should be potent this season behind starting QB Braylon Braxton and new head coach Kevin Wilson (OSU OC 2017-2022). Tulsa also lost its primary WRs from a year ago, so Jones is likely to be a hot asset in CFF drafts.
UTSA WR Zakhari Franklin announced he transferred to Ole Miss. This move is notable in two ways: 1) the remaining UTSA WRs De’Corian Clark and Joshua Cephus are now in-line for even heavier usage and 2) Franklin is not as attractive anymore at OM. Additionally, the Rebels’ WR room looks to be crowded now with Louisiana Tech Tre Harris transferring in earlier this offseason also.
Former New Mexico and Washington RB Aaron Dumas transferred to UTEP. Dumas was unlikely to have a big role with the Huskies, but is now likely to be in a three-man rotation with Miners’ RBs Deion Hankins and Mike Franklin.
Former Wisconsin RB Julius Davis announced his decision to transfer to Montana State. He was unlikely to have a big role at Wisconsin this season. His absence should leave more carries for the top two RBs—Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi. However, with the new offence coming over, the RBs are not nearly as attractive as before, and especially considering that Allen and Mellusi will be splitting reps on a smaller share of carries relative to the previous two seasons.
After multiple different destinations (Memphis, Purdue) former Marshall WR Corey Gammage has flipped his commitment to Central Florida. He was a big-play guy with the Thundering Herd in 2022; he joins a crowded WR room in Orlando.
Notable injury & suspension news
Syracuse RB Le’Quint Allen has been suspended for the summer and fall semesters for a fight dating back to December of last year, but he's suing the school with hopes of overturning a season-long suspension.
Ohio QB Kurtis Rourke (knee) did not play in Ohio's spring game, but he did dress and warmup for it. He should be ready to go for the season opener.
UTSA WR De’Corian Clark (leg) did not participate in football drills during the spring but ran and worked with team trainers.
UTSA WR Joshua Cephus (knee) did not participate in spring practices after undergoing surgery on his knee during the offseason.
GaSo RB Jalen White (undisclosed) did not practice during the spring.
Baylor RB Taye McWilliams is no longer listed on the roster. He missed most of the 2022 season due to concussion, and his absence from the football roster could indicate that he's given up football, as there hasn't been any news of a transfer. It will still be worth monitoring if anything changes when the fall arrives, but McWilliams may face an uphill battle to see consistent reps even if he were to return.
Auburn RB Jacquez Hunter remains suspended, and his status for 2023 is still up in the air.
Colorado State RB Avery Morrow remains suspended, in his absence, transfer RB Kobe Johnson and freshman Damian Henderson look to plug the hole.
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