CFB DeptHITS: Wednesday, January 15
A good old fashioned hits featuring an array of updates and a little more context around each of them for this Wednesday.
Today we’ll focus on the news of the last 24 hours, both impacting depth charts directly and those dictating the structure of our great game…
[ Note: The number in the brackets is our CFBDepth.com player ratings, out of 20 ]
We’ll start with a bit of news coming out that impacts all of college football (and our work flow here at CFBDepth). The AFCA head coaches are proposing one 10-day portal entry window in January, while eliminating the spring window all together. The reasoning is simple — keep rosters together through the post-season/bowl games and in the important ‘scheme building’ periods of spring practices. That’s the spin. The real reason is they want to make their lives and jobs a bit easier. A reasonable reqeust, however, if they are not careful, this suggestion could backfire and do exactly what it is designed to avoid. A few points to consider:
1.) This still won’t stop players from opting out of bowl games or leaving their programs before the “official" window in January. Players can still alert their coaches of their plans and turn in their gear to avoid risking injury in a meaningless post-season bowl game and/or practices. Will it discourage and lessen the number of players doing this — yes. To what extent, we would have to see.
2.) Can you imagine the rush in that 10-day period? It’s going to be insane. The proposed timeframe is January 2-12. That means the CFP will still be going on and it remains to be seen if an extension is going to be given to those players competing inin the playoff (it likely will). The rush to enter would be swift and it would require players to make decisions based on what others on their own team decide to do — and it may open the door to more positioning as players (and agents) navigate through the decision.
3.) This may cause a further escalation in the number of portal entries (and eventual withdrawals). The reasoning behind that statement is derived from the point above. As we all know, the portal window is to ENTER the portal — not to sign with a new school. I think we’ll see a bunch of entries as a “just in case” and to let some chips fall where they may before decisions on where they will actually suit up to be made as things thaw out.
Example: “Joe Smith” is going to be a redshirt-Junior running back and didn’t get much playing time at Tech this season due to a lot of talent in the room. He was highly recruited and has waited patiently, but the opportunity just hasn’t quite been there. Two of the three ahead of him are either heading to the NFL or graduating, so that window to playing time appears to be opening. However, come late January, Smith has no idea whether the coaching staff has full trust in him to step into a role, or if they will go after two more backs in the portal to compete/fill the void. So, Smith enters the portal as a “wait and see”. Smith then will make a decision after conversations with the coaches (qualitative) and monitor who is brought in when players start signing (quantitative) to either engage with coaches elsewhere or withdrawal from the Portal and stick with Tech.
The coaches may actually be creating more of a headache (and work) for themselves and their staffs, dealing with these types of scenarios. Sure, they may be able to focus on their rosters a bit more during the late season, but the onslaught that awaits from late January until spring practices begin may create a bit of ‘buyers remorse’ in this situation.
This proposal now goes to the Football Oversight Committee for review.
Okay, rant over. Let’s get to the HITS…
|||||| THE HITS
Texas ::: Three more offensive weapons are leaving a year of eligibility on the table and joining the NFL Draft fray. WR Isaiah Bond [13.9], TE Gunnar Helm [12.3] and OT Cameron Williams [13.5] are all headed to play on Sundays.
Yet, as the offense is losing key members, the defense is locking them up. Big news as S Michael Taaffe [17.1] is shunning the NFL for one more season in Austin. This was a good use of funds from the Texas collective, or whoever made the decision to focus the bag on a game-changer in the secondary.
Penn State ::: The Nittany Lions locked up their running game with the return of the top two backs, however, the receiving corps is going through a makeover? The top two wide receivers WR Omari Evans [12.4] and Harrison Wallace III [14.1] have entered the portal after a season that ended as a bit of mess from the passing game that featured just one wide receiver catch in the Orange Bowl CFP Semifinal. That one catch was on the last play of the game. Plus, after Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming’s disappearance down the stretch of the season, that leaves Liam Clifford (18 catches) and true freshman Tyseer Denmark (2 catches) as the top returning wide receivers. Help is on the way as the Lions have received commitments from both Devonte Ross [14.7] (Troy) and Kyron Hudson [13.3] (USC) thus far in the portal scrum.
James Madison ::: QB Matthew Sluka [14.3] is headed to James Madison for 2025. He made a name for himself by leaving the UNLV program mid-season after an NIL deal was not fulfilled. He is actually a very good player, coming to Vegas from FCS Holy Cross and putting up big numbers. He has one season remaining after calling it early and taking a redshirt here in 2024.
Sluka will get some competition from another former FCS quarterback as former Richmond QB Camden Coleman [13.1] is heading to Harrisonburg. More likely, Coleman will sit one year to learn from the more experienced Sluka and take over in 2026. Coleman has two years of eligibility and likely takes a redshirt in 2025 to retain both years before taking the reigns of the offense.
Washington ::: Something broke down in the deal that brought WR Johntay Cook II [13.9] to Washington earlier this portal season. He announced they have parted ways and he will re-open his recruitment in search of his new school in 2025. Could this be a potential return to Austin with the recent news of two top receivers heading to the NFL? The Washington athletic department had no comment on this.
Oregon ::: OL Emmanuel Pregnon [14.1] is moving from USC to Oregon for the 2025 season. Pregnon started at left guard for the Trojans after starting his career as an under-hyped prospect at Wyoming in 2020. He will use his COVID year to join the Ducks and likely take on a starting role on the offensive line in Eugene.
Bowling Green ::: This one may slip under-the-radar a bit, but former Stanford/Syracuse QB Justin Lamson [13.1] is heading to the MAC and joining the Falcons. He played a part-time role for the Cardinal this season and is certainly more known for the use of his legs. He has run for 428 yards and 13 touchdowns in two partial seasons. He’ll need to improve on the completion rate of 45.9% in his 135 attempts passing. With Connor Bazelak (finally) running out of eligibility, he becomes the heavy favorite to start under center and could be an exciting one to watch in 2025 if he can remain healthy.
Baylor ::: RB Dominic Richardson [13.6] hits the portal after two seasons at Baylor, this last one shortened by injury. He played in just four games, likely to preserve a year of eligibility. He played his first three seasons at Oklahoma State, posting career-highs in 2022 with 149 carries for 543 yards (just a 3.6 average) and eight touchdowns. He’ll bring a decent presence as a pass-catcher out of the backfield for his new home in 2025.
Florida ::: QB DeShawn Purdie [10.0] has withdrawn his signed paperwork to join the Gators. While he put up some impressive numbers in his first action with the 49ers, the underlying numbers say he may not set the world on fire. Note that Purdie chose the Gators over the Georgia Bulldogs and the rules disallow another SEC school to offer a player that has signed with another school within the Conference. Seems counter-intuitive, but it is what it is. Purdie is now a free agent.
West Virginia ::: QB Max Brown [8.3], the former Florida Gator, turned Charlotte 49er, is joining up with Rich Rodriguez in Morgantown. He joins Jaylen Henderson, who is coming in from Texas A&M. Henderson certainly has the leg up to win this starting job come the 2025 season.
Ole Miss ::: The Rebels add to their depth in the secondary as Washington State transfer CB Kapena Gushiken [13.7] is heading to Oxford. This decision comes with the expectation that he will join a rotation of some really talented players, but with Trey Amos out of eligibility, there is playing time and starting spots available. Gushiken played significant snaps for the Cougars (61.8/per game) and has the experience. If he can develop a bit more, he could certainly become a starting SEC cornerback.
UNLV ::: The Denver Harris [12.1] tour through college football programs continues as he joins his fourth program in as many years. He links up with Dan Mullen at UNLV. The former five-star recruit from that historic 2022 Jimbo Fisher class at A&M has played now for the Aggies, LSU and most recently UTSA. His rating tells us he is a solid player and a good pickup for the Rebels, despite an overall disappointing career path.
Vanderbilt ::: Word emerged that Vanderbilt DT Zaylin Wood [13.1] will get another year of eligibility after missing all of the 2024 season after the opening week win over Virginia Tech. Depth is good. Wood is a good player and will slide back into that regular rotation for the Commodores. It’s one less player you have to go out and get for 2025.
Indiana ::: The secondary exodus from Raleigh (NC State) is becoming real as a third top player has signed on with a new program as CB Devan Boykin [13.5] is heading to Indiana for 2025. He didn’t play this season with a knee injury, but was a three-year starter prior to 2024. He joins a growing list of secondary reinforcements coming to Bloomington. Here is a quick snapshot of those players incoming:
USC ::: And another former Wolfpack starter in the secondary S Bishop Fitzgerald [15.2] is headed to USC. This may be the biggest of the defectors from Dave Doeren's group and very likely a full-time starter for the Trojans in 2025. He joins CB DJ Harvey [16.3] as two big-time pickups for D’Anton Lynn’s secondary group for 2025.
Missouri ::: The Tigers continue their impressive portal haul by luring Georgia transfer EDGE Damon Wilson Jr. [11.2], a former 5-star recruit in the recent 2023 class, to Columbia. He did see the field at Georgia this season. The player-level data (PFF) is not as impressive as he clearly focuses all of his attention on the pass rush. He managed 26 pressures on 417 snaps without much help on run defense for the Dawgs in 2024.
Clemson ::: Dabo Swinney may not make big moves in the Portal, but he does make big moves in poaching coordinators. The Tigers are getting a proven defensive coordinator in Tom Allen, who comes to Clemson from Penn State, where he called plays for one season after a long stint as the Indiana head coach (2017-23). That's a splash hire. Swinney did a similar job two years ago when he convinced offensive coordinator Garrett Riley to leave TCU after the Horned Frogs run to the National Title game.
Oregon State ::: Defensive Coordinator Keith Hayward is stepping down after just one season at the play calling controls of the Beavers. The search for a DC is underway for Trent Bray in Corvalis.
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