CFB DeptHITS: Friday, August 16
Here is what you need to know (and a little more) around college football and our more impactful updates to depth charts for the last 24 hours.
Tulane ::: Updated the quarterback depth chart to show a "Battle" between three players for the right to run this offense. Ty Thompson, Kai Horton and now redshirt freshman Darian Mensah joins the fray. We still think this is Thompson's to lose; but didn't think we'd have a three-way fight. Source: @GarlandGillen.
Further: So, we thought this was all Ty Thompson’s to lose. It appears it may be a bit closer than we thought. Thompson was a four-star recruit who attended Oregon before his transfer here to Tulane. He hasn’t done it on the field yet and that has us wondering if this job is truly open for the taking. Mensah appears to be competent and capable from what we have seen (this report) and Kai Horton returns and was the backup to the great Michael Pratt here in 2023. More to come on this battle. View full Tulane depth chart page here »
Washington ::: Adjusted the starting center spot, moving FCS Portland State transfer-in D'Angelo Titialii ahead of returning sophomore Landen Hatchett. Source: On Montlake, Christian Caple (Substack).
Further: This offensive line won the coveted Joe Moore award in 2023 and now is being re-built after the coaching changes, graduations and exits for the NFL. Key to any offensive line is that one guy in the middle snapping the ball. That job is up for grabs, but it appears the FCS transfer is winning out currently. This is far from over and the two may split snaps; as here is more insight from Caple’s article:
“My read on the o-line competition is that starting jobs are more or less assured for Azzopardi, Memmelaar and Vimahi, but that left tackle and center are up for grabs. Some of that surely depends on Hatchett’s health and availability; he’s only been full-go for a few practices now. Faasolo probably is still the top candidate at left tackle, but that position is probably the least certain.”
View full, live Washington depth chart page »
Kentucky ::: Boosted the carry share for redshirt freshman RB Jamarion Wilcox. Reports from @AdamLuckett_KSR say that he has turned a corner and is ready to take on a workload, especially while they are without starter Chip Trayanum.
Further: It is believed that NC State transfer Demie Sumo-Karngbaye will take on a lead role in Trayanum’s absence, but now it appears this may be closer to a carry share situation with Wilcox showing up and earning trust. They are expected to enter the week one against Southern Miss without the Ohio State transfer Trayanum. View full, live Kentucky depth chart page »
Penn State ::: Slot receiver Liam Clifford was singled out by James Franklin as a big growth player and difference maker in camp. He has been bumped up to the starting slot receiver (No. 3 option) heading into the season.
Further: This report comes in from Grant Hughes at Lions247. Check out the full article with camp notes here. Here is an excerpt specific to this wide receiver update:
Penn State sought to get more explosive this offseason after ranking No. 84 in the nation in passing yards per attempt (6.7) in 2023. Franklin singled out wide receivers Liam Clifford and Trey Wallace as players who are adding that extra spark to the Nittany Lions' passing game. "It's good," Franklin said of the offense. "The biggest thing is Liam and Trey have really had a nice camp. Coaches and defenders have been talking about the improvement from the receivers, specifically Trey and Liam. They've been the biggest difference."
Note that Trey Wallace is aka “Harrison Wallace III” on our depth charts (and their official roster). This news is enough for us to bump Clifford ahead of Kaden Saunders for that starting slot role and are giving him a projected 11% target share in this new Andy Kotelnicki-led offense. He is behind just Wallace (15%) and Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming (14%). View full, live Penn State depth chart page »
Ohio State ::: Ryan Day officially named Will Howard his starting QB for the 2024 season. This is not "news" as much as a "confirmation" of what everybody expected to be the case. Howard takes over possibly the most talented offense in the nation. Can he get them over the hump?
Further: By the “hump,” we mean, you know, actually beating Michigan and winning a National Championship. That is what is expected there and while that brings with it a lot of pressure, nobody has more resources or weapons at their disposal. He has shown ability in the past at Kansas State and now is “go” time. As far as the announcement, we sarcastically quote tweeted that this is “not news.” Meaning, this was a foregone conclusion and smart of Day and team to make it seem like the others were/are close and one ding has them in the starting lineup. The truth is that if that happens, there may be problems in Columbus. Devin Brown and true freshman Julian Sayin are #2/3 at this point. View the full, live Buckeyes depth chart page »
Oklahoma ::: Moved running back Jovantae Barnes up as the 1-A option over Gavin Sawchuk based on a report from SoonerScoop (On3; George Stoia). He has been taking charge and leading the backfield in camp. We had it the other way around, but it appears Barnes is going to lead the way. Sawchuk will maintain an important and sizable role in the offense.
Further: Looks like Barnes is starting to live up to that big potential. Not that Sawchuk doesn’t have that same hype. This is very much a 1-A/1-B situation and could change week-to-week. Here’s a quick snippet from the great article/update:
Leading the way on offense has been running back Jovantae Barnes and wide receiver Deion Burks. That shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’ve been paying attention for the past two weeks. Barnes has been extremely good in camp and again showed that in Wednesday’s scrimmage.
View full, live Oklahoma depth chart page »
Fresno State ::: Added some key players to the Injury & Status report based on a report from JacksonMoore over at BarkBoard (247Sports). Those names include RB Malik Sherrod; WR Mac Dalena; WR Josiah Freeman and OT Daniel Taumalolo. None are expected to be serious; just tracking for now.
Tulsa ::: Moved S Malachai Jones, the former star wide receiver turned safety, to the starting rotation as news comes out that his switch has paid off and that he is amongst the starters in the secondary. Source: Inside Tulsa Sports.
Hawaii ::: Safety Julian "Juju" Smith, who committed to Hawaii, has decided to return to JUCO Bakersfield College to get more seasoning and then join the Rainbow Warriors in January, per this report from @StephenTsai.
Arkansas ::: Updated the Injury & Status report with the second post-scrimmage injury report. The biggest question mark right now is starting offensive lineman Patrick Kutas, who remains out since day two of camp. Still no definitive timetable for his return. We think he is “questionable” for week one as this back injury is lingering.
Clemson ::: Injury & Status report is updated with notes from head coach Dabo Swinney after the second scrimmage. Three players are announced "out for the season" and others have some nagging injuries. None of the three announced "OFS" were expected to see the field.
Air Force ::: Removed backup OL Christen Hawks and John Gordon Jr. from the offensive line depth chart as they are no longer showing on the official roster heading into 2024. Both were expected to be a small part of the rotation.
Pittsburgh ::: DL Bam Brima has left the program. Removed him from the defensive line depth chart. He was a projected starter on this unit, so it's a loss that impacts negatively. We were a little late to this one. Thanks to to a follower (Ian) for the tip!
That’s it for today. Stay tuned to us on X and on our updates page for the latest! And, thanks for following along.