CFB DeptHITS: Saturday, August 24th
The day has arrived. Football games start for real. The news certainly doesn't stop as we sit to watch the first games of the season; so don't fall behind.
We make hundreds of tweaks to these depth charts every day. We pull out the most impactful updates for your information and pleasure. These are the DeptHITS from the last 24 hours.
Iowa ::: Cade McNamara will indeed start at quarterback for the Hawkeyes with Brendan Sullivan backing up. On3's Dan Morrison on the scoop.
RB Leshon Williams returned to practice this week but is still limited. We are going to leave him as questionable until we hear that he is a "full go." Fellow RB Kamari Moulton is also a little banged up but expected to be good for week one.
Further: Not a huge surprise with McNamara being named. They have devoted a lot of time to him. He needs to get the first crack to hold on to this job and lead the Hawkeyes offense. The good news for Iowa is that they have some quality depth in case things go south - due to poor play or injury (again).
Williams is a big part of this offense and his health is important. He is playing a 1-A role to his running mate Kaleb Johnson’s 1-B. Though, we could probably move that to a pure split in carries at this point. Regardless, this is a fearsome two-headed monster and they are better together. That said, if this injury lingers, Johnson would likely become a lead back with Jaziun Patterson and Moulton chipping in.
Boston College ::: RB Alex Broome is now "unlikely" to return at all in 2024. We knew of his injury struggles, but now Trevor Hass informs us that he's likely out for the season.
Further: Bummer. Never fun to lose a quality back and they seem to be going down early and often this summer/fall. Luckily for BC, they have plenty of quality backs. Broome was third behind starters Kye Robichaux and Treshaun Ward. There weren’t a whole lot of carries to go around beyond those two, but, again, losing depth is never fun. Jordan McDonald moves into the third-string role and Datrell Jones is the “spell” guy and a name to store away is true freshman Turbo Richard, who is making a name for himself early on in his tenure there.
Here is a snapshot of this RB room for the Eagles:
View the full, live Boston College Eagles depth chart here »
North Carolina State ::: Official depth chart released. Made some slight changes, but this one was about what we expected. We are going to see RB Hollywood Smothers on kick return duties and some freshman wide receivers are going to be asked to step in and make some plays.
View full, updated and live North Carolina State Wolfpack depth chart page »
Tulsa ::: Official two-deep released today. All three Quarterbacks will see time. Here is a quick look at our updates and edits based on what we see:
The three “sharing” quarterbacks are actually just as even based on our player ratings numbers. Take a look at this similarity:
Zion Steptoe beat out Braylin Presley for that #3 WR spot. We still have the two of them even on target share (9% each). With the top two Kamdyn Benjamin (24%) and Jeremiah Ballard (21%) taking a large chunk of those targets.
Little known WR Grayson Tempest listed in the top six in that WR room.
The two offensive tackles are transfers-in with Kaden Stanton (New Mexico State) winning left tackle job and recent addition Ender Aguilar (Cal) starting on the right side.
Tautai Lio Marks moves over to center from right guard.
Converted WR Malachai Jones wins the starting free safety spot. Pretty cool to see.
In other news: DB Champ Lewis is out for the season with an injury.
Oregon State ::: WR Zachary Card has been downgraded to "doubtful" as he has still yet to practice this fall camp. It will take a little time to get "game ready" and this news tells us he is now unlikely to be ready for the start of the season.
Further: For context, Card was a little ways down the depth chart, but this room lacks a true pecking order and we anticipate it going 7-8 deep (at least). Not having Card certainly doesn’t kill them; but does affect depth slightly.
Illinois ::: Injury update: OL Josh Kruetz has been fully cleared and is removed from the Injury & Status (I&S) report. This is good news for the offense as Kruetz is projected as their starting center and a leader on the unit.
Further: Good news for the Illini offensive line here. It’s worth noting that we have their backup center as Kevin Wigenton II, who is very capable if Kruetz were to miss time. Wigenton is likely to move around and play other interior spots on the O-Line as well, so overall, it’s certainly better to have a health Kruetz.
Wyoming ::: There wasn't a lot of doubt, but we have some solid intel that DJ Jones will lead the Wyoming backfield while Harrison Waylee heals up. A big opportunity for the former Tar Heel.
Further: This is something to track early. If Jones pops off, it’s going to make the return of Waylee to the lineup a bit different. The first four weeks opponents (at Arizona State, Idaho, BYU, at North Texas and Air Force) rank 69th according to our SOS+ Next Three numbers.
Texas ::: RB CJ Baxter underwent a successful surgery this week. They also unveiled some good news that they did not have to repair the PCL and that he will be fully ready for the 2025 season.
Buffalo ::: CJ Ogbonna has been announced as the Bulls starting quarterback. He beat out Jack Shields for the first crack at holding the job.
Michigan State ::: WR Montorie Foster Jr. is back at practice and looks to be moving at "full speed." Great news for the #1 threat in the passing game for the Spartans.
Washington ::: Injury updates from the Huskies most recent scrimmage include some potential contributors: Keleki Latu, WR Kevin Green Jr. and RB Daniyel Ngata.
North Carolina ::: Mack Brown said that both Max Johnson and Conner Harrell will play in week one at quarterback. In fact, he could see them both playing all season. Updated them to a 50/50 split until we see some separation either way.
Further: It’s worth mentioning that the long shot in this battle, Jacolby Criswell, appears to have fallen out.
Colorado ::: Former LSU and FAMU offensive lineman Kardell Thomas has joined the Buffaloes offensive line group. He is not expected to crack the rotation, but more depth is never a bad thing.
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