CFB DeptHITS: Saturday, December 7
After some non-competitive Conference Championship games on Friday night, we should see better games in the six that remain. Plus, portal and coaching updates galore...
Plenty to get you caught up on as we had three Conference Championship games last night. All three games were not exactly “must watches” unless you like watching dominant running back performances (ahem, Ashton Jeanty). Today, we have six more and they are all previewed - with live ‘Game Cards’ at the site. Be sure to check that out (click the image):
Let’s get into those “Hits” for today, shall we…
Minnesota ::: One injury we are tracking heading into bowl season is that of starting LT Aireontae Ersery. He was banged up multiple times in the finale and it caused a shift in the offensive line. If he is unable to go, Quinn Carroll will move over to LT and Ashton Beers will be elevated to the starting RG. It's an impact, but not a devastaing one. They handled Wisconsin in this setup for most of the week 14 game.
Boise State ::: The hype and highlights to go Ashton Jeanty, and rightfully so, but we are more about the "other" updates of note here at CFBDepth. So, we're looking at that offensive line and noticed that original stating center Mason Randolph, who was injured earlier in the season, is back getting the majority of the snaps over his replacement Zach Holmes. We have Holmes rated higher at 13.5, compared to Randolph's 12.2.
UNLV ::: WR Casey Cain played just two snaps in the C-USA Championship game against Boise State. He is usually a contributor on offense, though he has just seven catches (on 21 targets); two of them are touchdowns. We'll track for a potential injury for the Rebs bowl game.
Jacksonville State ::: QB Tyler Huff played through some pain and led the Gamecocks to a blowout C-USA Championship win. He went 11/15 for 176 yards and two passing touchdowns. He also ran 23 times for 167 more yards and a score. Proving his ankle is 100% heading into the bowl game; Huff has risen to one of the more exciting quarterbacks in the G5.
Ole Miss ::: WR Tre Harris played in just eight games in this injury-shortened season. Still, in just eight games, he topped 1,000 yards receiving on 60 catches, with seven scores. He announced he is declaring for the NFL Draft.
Oklahoma State ::: RB Ollie Gordon has announced his intention to enter the 2025 NFL Draft, thus ending his collegiate career with 2,920 yards and 36 touchdowns for the Cowboys. He leaves one year of eligibility on the table.
SMU ::: WR Romello Brinson has been out since week four but he has reportedly returned to health and will play in the ACC Championship game. This gives QB Kevin Jennings another weapon against Clemson. He may not play a full-load; but just having another solid option is a boon for the Ponies.
Baylor ::: QB Dequan Finn was injured this season and is reportedly putting in for a medical hardship waiver to get another year of eligibility. Whether he spends that season with Baylor remains to be seen. He had a great run at Toledo before the move to Waco this season.
|||||| TRANSFER PORTAL BUZZ
The portal opens tomorrow officially and we should continue to see more names entering. We’ll be launching our “Portal Tracker” at the site tomorrow as well to help you keep up with everything. As of now, we are tracking 385+ players already announcing intentions. Here are the ones you’ll wan to know:
Liberty ::: QB Kaidon Salter will enter the portal when it officially opens and will be one of the more sought after commodities. On3 reports that the schools to watch in the pursuit are Syracuse, Indiana, Auburn and Vanderbilt.
Pittsburgh ::: QB Nate Yarnell doesn't appear to have much interest in battling (or waiting for injury) with Eli Holstein in his final year of eligibility in 2025. He has entered the portal and look to get a starting gig somewhere. He rates out well (15.0) in the sample size that we have, which is not nothing. He has 284 dropbacks in his time and should find a home at a G5 school to make an impact.
Coastal Carolina ::: CB Matthew McDoom will be one of the more sought after secondary members in the portal after his announcement of entry. He's rated a 16.0 and that puts him at the top of the list by our ratings; and the fourth-highest rated player that has entered thus far. He has played a lot of football and has one year left. He'll spend it at a bigger school as a contributor.
Akron ::: WR Adrian Norton, the Zips leading receiver in 2024, is joining the fray of pass catchers hitting the portal. He grabbed 42 passes for 829 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024. He is a field stretcher, evidenced by his 15.6 average depth of target number. He'll be in demand by some bigger schools.
UCF ::: Edge rusher Nyjalik Kelly is on the move from Orlando. He ranks in the top ten of those who have announced their intentions to enter the portal. His rating is at 15.7 and has one year of eligibility left. He came to UCF from Miami (FL).
Vanderbilt ::: OL Gunnar Hansen is hitting the Portal. He started and played a lot between LT/RT (they play there offensive linemen equally on both sides). His player level data doesn't put him at a "star" level but he would be a serviceable add for another team in 2025. He'll have one more year left to play.
Michigan ::: Starting punter Tommy Doman is heading to the Portal. He has been the starting punter for the Wolverines the past two seasons. His rating of 15.6 has him in the upper end of punters across the landscape.
Tennessee ::: LB Jalen Smith was a solid contributor for the Tennessee defense this year. He managed 34 tackles and four tackles for loss playing in all 12 games and averaging just over 21 snaps per game. He has three years of eligibility left.
TCU ::: WR Caleb Medford is hitting the portal. After starting his career at TCU, he's made an impact at New Mexico, reeling in 48 passes in two years. He's a solid option and may garner some attention as a depth option as he looks to likely move back up into the power five ranks in 2025.
Appalachian State ::: DL Nate Johnson enters the portal, along with many of his Mountaineer teammates, looking for a new opportunity for 2025. He has two years of eligibility and has managed some big numbers, including 77 tackles and ten sacks in his career thus far. A name to track.
Rice ::: Starting LT Ethan Onianwa is entering the Portal. He rates out as a plus run and pass blocker and will look to level up in 2025. He has one year of eligibility left.
New Mexico ::: The poor Lobos are being stripped for parts. The latest is a pair of wide receivers in Ryan Davis and Caleb Medford. They were 2-3 in the pecking order behind only Luke Wysong, who already announced his intentions to move on. Davis is the name ot know of the pair, catching 55 passes for 747 yards and three touchdowns in 2024.
Colorado ::: WR Cordale Russell was one of the highest rated recruits in the class of 2023. He went to TCU and didn't see the field. He transferred to Colorado for 2024 and didn't see the field. He's on the move again and in 2025 he is hoping to see the field.
Wyoming ::: EDGE Braden Siders has been a big part of the Cowboys defnese the last three years. He will no longer be a part of it going forward as he announced his intention to enter the Portal. His rating of 13.5 puts him in the middle of the pack amongst other defensive linemen and linebackers entering in this early class of transfers. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Ball State ::: TE Tanner Koziol has blossomed into one of the most productive G5 tight ends at Ball State. He is now moving on to another program for his final year. He had a breakout 2024 season, catching 94 passes for 840 yards and eight scores.
Western Michigan ::: TE Blake Bosma rose from a complete unknown recruit to becoming an all-MAC performer. Now, he's heading elsewhere and likely to a bigger school for his final year. He finished with 37 grabs for 403 yards and six touchdowns for the Broncos in 2024.
|||||| COACHING CAROUSEL
Still plenty of movement and news coming out of the coaching circles…
UTEP ::: Offensive coordinator Jake Brown has stepped down and will pursue other opportunities. The Miners OC job is now open under Scotty Walden.
Colorado State ::: Jay Norvell has decided to fire defensive coordinator Freddie Banks. He will search for a new leader and play caller on defense for 2025. Banks was in that role for Norvell since 2022. The Rams defenese sits at 78th nationally in our "All-In Rankings" and not sure what Norvell's expectation is, but that seems right in line. LB coach Adam Pilapil will be elevated to call plays for the bowl game.
Stanford ::: Sacramento State head coach Ryan Thompson has resigned and will take a job on Troy Taylor's staff at Stanford. Thompson replaced Taylor as the head coach there after he took the Stanford job. Things did not go well in those two seasons and he is apparently getting ahead of it and reunites with Taylor, for whom he was the defensive coordinator in Sacramento for four years.
Utah State ::: The Aggies are getting their new head coach and it is Utah native Bronco Mendenhall. He comes to Logan after one season back in the game with an impressive season at New Mexico. The Lobos' have already been stripped for parts as their big name offensive players have entered the portal.
That’s our show for today. We have some “sicko” notes below in case you just can’t ge enough. We hope you are enjoying these updates. Please subscribe and spread the word!
|||||| SICKO SECTION
More news and notes to make you aware of…
Note: “YER” stands for “Years of Eligibility Remaining” & the number in parentheses is the player rating (out of 20).
Matt Rhule is getting Phil Simpson to return to Lincoln to coach the edge rushers. He left for a year on Florida State’s staff this season. Simpson played for Rhule at Temple.
Portal Entries :::
*Auburn DL T.J. Lindsey (10.6) - 4 YER
*Ball State WR Cam Pickett (12.4) - 2 YER
*Kansas RB Sevion Morrison (13.4) - 1 YER
*Vanderbilt LB Devin Lee (10.6) - 1 YER
*Ole Miss OT Kevin Broussard (9.8) - 4 YER
*Pittsburgh DL Elliot Donald (11.4) - 1 YER
*Michigan RB Cole Cabana (11.6) - 3 YER
*Kentucky OL Ben Christman (13.0) - 1 YER
*Purdue DL Will Heldt (14.0) - 2 YER
*Colorado TE Morgan Pearson (10.4) - 3 YER
*Auburn S Caleb Wooden (13.7) - 2 YER
*Arkansas CB Dallas Young (10.1) - 3 YER
*Tennessee CB Jordan Matthews (13.3) - 3 YER
*TCU LB Shad Banks Jr. (12.5) - 1 YER
*USF DL Doug Blue-Eli (11.9) - 1 YER
*New Mexico WR Caleb Medford (12.4) - 1 YER
*Purdue CB Tarrion Grant (11.0) - 3 YER
*New Mexico CB Bryson Taylor (10.3) - 2 YER
*Temple RB Terrez Worthy (12.9) - 2 YER
*Colorado WR Cordale Russell (12.4) - 3 YER
*Michigan State WR Aziah Johnson (13.1) - 3 YER
*Clemson DB Sherrod Covil Jr. (10.6) - 1 YER
*Miami (FL) RB Chris Johnson Jr. (11.8) - 2 YER
*Arkansas DL Nico Davillier (13.3) - 2 YER
*Colorado OL Payton Kirkland (9.9) - 3 YER
*Sam Houston LB S’Maje Burrell (9.6) - 3 YER
*Texas A&M OL Hunter Erb (10.9) - 2 YER
Thank you.