CFB DeptHITS: Friday, October 4
Let's get caught up on the latest injury and redshirt information heading into a busy week six around college football.
We make hundreds of tweaks and adjustments to our live 134 depth charts over at CFBDepth.com — in this feature, we grab a few of the bigger ones and give you a little more context around what they mean. On Friday’s we like to give you a list of the biggest “questionable” and “game-time” injuries to keep an eye out for that may impact the results of those games. Enjoy.
Pittsburgh ::: Big news for the Pitt backfield as it is announced RB Rodney Hammond Jr. who was deemed ineligible prior to the season starting; will be back with the team for the UNC game this week.
Further: Desmond Reid has done a nice job thus far after the news broke in the pre-season that the Panthers would be without Hammond. Getting him back allows for a two-headed monster in the Pitt backfield. We certainly don’t see Hammond just straight jumping ahead of Reid and a split of carries is something we can get behind. But, we also don’t know if Hammond stayed in great shape and is game-ready right away. We’ll have to keep an eye out for that.
Boston College ::: QB Thomas Castellanos will get the start week six as he makes his way back from an injury that held him out. This is great news for the Eagles offense.
Further: This is one that is pretty impactful because of the potential drop in production for the backup. In this case, Grayson James, just does not bring as much of a threat to to the table as Castellanos and there would be no disagreement from anybody on Virginia’s staff, who must account for his dual-threat abilities.
Ole Miss ::: WR Tre Harris is upgraded from questionable on the initial availability report, to probable for the showdown with South Carolina on Saturday.
Further: Good news for the Ole Miss receiver corps. I’m not sure how truly “questionable” Harris ever was. Lane Kiffin appears to be having some fun with these availability reports, true to form. He never seems to just do things normally, he needs to put his own little twist on it. Be it changing statuses between releases or listing players who are not even near the two-deep or rotation. Either way, Harris will remain the top option for Jaxson Dart in this showdown with South Carolina.
UCF ::: DB Bryon Threats has alerted the UCF staff that he'll redshirt and intends to transfer out.
Further: This is the third Knight to pull this. Threats follows WR Xavier Townsend and S William Wells as players announcing they will be leaving the program during the season. Threats was a transfer-in from Cincinnati where he played a lot the last couple of years. He was on the 2021 CFP squad, but was not a significant contributor as a true freshman. He was getting about 25 snaps/per game here with the Knights and, well, he just wasn’t a major impact on the defense. So, don’t overreact to this loss.
UAB ::: QB Jacob Zeno is looking to be more "doubtful" than anything heading into Saturday's game against Tulane. Word is that we will end up seeing Jalen Kitna starting for the Blazers.
Further: Zeno was announced as “questionable” yesterday. Today, there is growing speculation that he will not be able to go. Vegas is even moving the line slightly to account for this. We just don’t have much to go on with Kitna. He is a transfer-in from Florida where he was dismissed amidst rather sickening felony charges that were later dropped. We do know he is not Zeno, a veteran presense under center. We’ll see if Trent Dilfer can get Kitna rolling in his first start for the Blazers.
South Carolina ::: The big offensive weapons have all been moved up to "probable" for week six against Ole Miss. That's QB LaNorris Sellers, RB Rocket Sanders and WR Jared Brown.
Further: I first thought that maybe there is some gamesmanship going on here with Shane Beamer, particularly with Sellers. Then, I remembered that even if Sellers couldn’t go, their backup, Robby Ashford, is a less-dynamic version of Sellers and not a big change that an opposing defense needs to prepare for. Regardless, the Gamecocks will need all three to be ready to roll to keep up with Ole Miss in this one. Note on Sanders that while he is “probable” to suit up, he is still not 100% and may still ease back in with Oscar Adaway and Juju McDowell continuing to play a role in the running game.
Houston ::: WR Joseph Manjack V is "ready to roll" for week six at TCU.
Further: Houston’s offense comes in a 92nd in our All-In Rankings. Manjack is a 2/3 wide receiver for this group. Behind Mekhi Mews and likely on par with Stephon Johnson. QB Donovan Smith needs everything he can get at his disposal if they want to get things on track at TCU this week. The Cougs are seeking just their second win of the season in Willie Fritz’ first year at the helm.
Texas A&M ::: Added starting RG Ar'maj Reed-Adams to the Aggies' availability report as questionable. If he is unable to go, they would likely turn to a capable backup in Kam Dewberry for the Mizzou game on Saturday.
Further: We like to provide context around the news that comes our way. Many people will see that Reed-Adams is questionable. He is a starter. If he can’t play, that’s not good for Texas A&M. Our data shows us that his backup Kam Dewberry is just a slight downgrade and has similar experience at the position. So, again, let’s not overreact to something that may not be a huge deal.
North Carolina State ::: DE Red Hibbler has decided to take a redshirt after playing in his four games for the Wolfpack. He is likely seeing a transfer out and preserving an extra year of eligibility.
Further: Okay, this is going to be a loss for the Wolfpack. Hibbler’s rating is 14.2 (out of 20) and was playing a role in the rotation on the defensive line. He came to NC State after two seasons (2021-22) Northwest Mississippi Community College when he was “Jykeveous” Hibbler. He will salvage one year of eligibility and enter the Portal for his final season of eligibility.
|||||| IMPACT INJURY TRACKER
We track injuries closer than anybody. There are just under 900 players with a “status” going into week six. Here, we will pull out the ones that may most impact their teams based on their ability to play or not. If you’d like to sort and view all injuries, head over to the site:
Ole Miss: DE Princely Umanmielen - Status: Questionable
Opponent: at South Carolina
Latest: Hurt multiple times in the week five game; questionable for week 6.Clemson: DE Peter Woods - Status: Game-Time Decision
Opponent: at Florida State
Latest: Injured in week two game; remains questionable heading into week six.----Ohio State: DT Tyleik Williams - Status: Questionable
Opponent: vs. Iowa
Latest: Sat out week 4 & 5; remains questionable heading into week six.Georgia: OC Jared Wilson - Status: Questionable
Opponent: vs. Auburn
Latest: Showed up as "questionable" on week six availability report.Navy: CB Ira Oniha - Status: Questionable
Opponent: at Air Force
Latest: Out starting week four; leaving as "doubtful" until we hear more or he plays.Ole Miss: RB Henry Parrish Jr. - Status: Questionable
Opponent: at South Carolina
Latest: Injured in week five game. Looked to be in pain; but did return...North Carolina State: QB Grayson McCall - Status: Questionable
Opponent: vs. Wake Forest
Latest: Injured in-game week three. He is "getting better" but remains questionable for week 6.North Carolina: DE/OLB Kaimon Rucker - Status: Questionable
Opponent: vs. Pittsburgh
Latest: Has a lower body injury that will keep him out "multiple weeks"; week 6 is most likely.Penn State: LB Keon Wylie - Status: Questionable
Opponent: vs. UCLA
Latest: Yet to play in 2024; injury related. Questionable until he sees the field.Ole Miss: DT JJ Pegues - Status: Questionable
Opponent: at South Carolina
Latest: Listed as "questionable" on week six availability report.Coastal Carolina: DE Will Whitson - Status: Questionable
Opponent: vs. Old DominionLatest: DNP starting week three; questionable heading into week six.
West Virginia: LB/S Aubrey Burks - Status: Questionable
Opponent: at Oklahoma State
Latest: Took a shot in week four game; is questionable/doubtful for week five.Ole Miss: DT Akelo Stone - Status: Questionable
Opponent: at South Carolina
Latest: Listed as "questionable" on week six availability report.Baylor: RB Richard Reese - Status: Questionable
Opponent: at Iowa State
Latest: Announced out pre-game week five; questionable moving forward.Kansas: LB Cornell Wheeler - Status: Questionable
Opponent: at Arizona State
Latest: DNP week five; questionable with potential injury.Washington: DE Russell Davis II - Status: Questionable
Opponent: vs. Michigan
Latest: Yet to play in '24; will remain here until he sees the field.UAB: CB Ricky Lee III - Status: Questionable
Opponent: vs. Tulane
Latest: Has yet to play in '24; will remain questionable until he hits the field.Ole Miss: OT Micah Pettus - Status: Questionable
Opponent: at South Carolina
Latest: Listed as "questionable" on week six availability report.Washington: DE Zach Durfee - Status: Questionable
Opponent: vs. Michigan
Latest: Dealing with a toe injury and optimistic for a return week six.Connecticut: DE Pryce Yates - Status: Questionable
Opponent: vs. Temple
Latest: Held out of fall practices with an undisclosed injury; has yet to play in '24.South Alabama: WR Jamaal Pritchett - Status: Questionable
Opponent: at Arkansas State
Latest: Going through concussion protocol. Limited return to practice pre-week six.UCF: DB Sheldon Arnold II - Status: Questionable
Opponent: at Florida Latest:
Played just three snaps week five; tracking for an injury.Oregon: CB Jahlil Florence - Status: Questionable
Opponent: vs. Michigan State
Latest: Has not played yet in 2024; questionable until he suits up.Northwestern: RB Cam Porter - Status: Questionable
Opponent: vs. Indiana
Latest: Added as questionable last minute pregame week four; trending up for week six.Minnesota: LB Maverick Baranowski - Status: Questionable
Opponent: vs. USC
Latest: Banged up in week five game; needed to go to the tent.
That’s our show for today. We’ll be putting out more on our (CFBDm) Model v2 later today with our week five recap and Friday night plays. Please consider subscribing and sharing. Thank you.