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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Always a good read. Glad you’re feeling better!
Growing up in Michigan (near Ann Arbor), going to school there (Go Blue!), and now living in Arkansas, I can relate to the sense of comfort and coziness that comes from snowy football games and warm blankets whilst watching them from the couch. Fall is my favorite season, but more the end of Fall vs the beginning where we’re still pretty warm here in Arkansas.