DeptHITS: Friday, August 30
We had games! We have news! Get all caught up on the most important news of the last 24 hours in a very busy time around this great sport of college football.
We make hundreds of edits, tweaks and minor updates to these depth charts every day. In this feature, we pull out the ones we think you should know. Let’s hit it.
Minnesota ::: RB Darius Taylor could not get it going in time and will sit out the opener against UNC. That means Marcus Major will see an increased work load until Taylor can return. Injuries continue to derail this super talent.
Further: The injury is a hamstring and we know how those can linger. Major definitely did see the majority of the work with 20 carries. The next closest running back was Jordan Nubin with two. He didn’t find much running room, but the Gophers didn’t do much to threaten through the air, so the Tar Heels were keying on stopping the running game. Eventually, it was that one-dimensional play that cost them the game. With FCS foe Rhode Island on the schedule next, it wouldn’t surprise anybody if Taylor sat out another game to get fully healed and we would see Major in the spotlight again.
Wake Forest ::: Michael Kern was announced as the starter for the Deacs, but it was mentioned that Hank Bachmeier would play. Well, when Bachmeier got in there, he didn't look back and appears to have already taken a new lead in this competition.
Further: Well, that didn’t last long. The conventional wisdom on these quarterback competitions, when one player is an incumbent and been a part of the program for a while (Kern) and the other is an incoming transfer (Bachmeier), that the first shot is given to the incumbent.
Kern did nothing wrong. He went 5/8 for 57 yards and had a touchdown pass dropped. It was what Bachmeier did with his opportunities that kept him in the game. He finished 18/28 with 263 yards and three touchdowns. It’s North Carolina Central and this may not be the end of the competition - but, for now, there is separation for Bachmeier and if he can take it an run with it - the Deacs have their starter for 2024.
North Carolina ::: Max Johnson beat out Conner Harrell for the starting job for the Tar Heels. He was carted off the field with what appeared to be a very serious knee injury in the third quarter. Harrell took over.
Further: Johnson got the call and struggled through a tough first half. He came out looking better in what appeared to be a scripted first drive of the second half and then went down in the third quarter. He was visibly in pain and this injury does not look to be short-term. Harrell came in an did nothing to impress too much. We’ll keep an eye out for any diagnosis on Johnson going forward. For now, it appears to be Harrell’s team.
Memphis ::: The season-ending injury to DB Kourtlan Marsh is a big one. However, it is slightly lessened by the news that ODU transfer-in Tahj Ra-El has re-joined the team with a eye out for more playing time. It was reported that he left the team this summer.
Further: Marsh is a good player (12.5). We see Ra-El as a better option (13.5) and this is about a wash when it’s all said and done. Ra-El re-joined the team, which means he’ll need to work is way into a role. There was a reason he left in the first place - playing time. So, it can be gathered that he was not impressing to the point of becoming a start-quality option.
Coastal Carolina ::: Ethan Vasko has won the starting QB job over Noah Kim. He started Thursday night and led the Chanticleers to a fairly easy win over Jacksonville State.
Further: He took it and ran with it. He had a good all-around effort in this one to warrant his appointment as the starter. Kim did come in late and threw a touchdown on his only throw in garbage time.
USC ::: Woody Marks is listed first on the USC released depth chart and looks to have earned the starting role. We'll certainly see others, but the Mississippi State transfer can contribute on the ground and through the air and is poised for a big season in a big offense.
Further: Not much else to say here other than Marks has impressed the coaching staff since his arrival in L.A. The “others” mentioned here include Quinten Joyner, Bryan Jackson and A’Marion Peterson. Nobody else really jumps off the page as an obvious option and we could see Marks putting together a really solid year as the lead back.
UTEP ::: The quarterback battle has been won by Skyler Locklear. He gets the opportunity to lead the charge in Lincoln against Nebraska on Saturday. He beat out Cade McConnell.
Further: This was a bit of a surprise if you were following along. Locklear is a redshirt-sophomore who spent time at Austin-Peay most recently and beats out McConnell, who was in El Paso a year ago after transferring in from the JUCO ranks. Our fearless prediction here is that there will be some struggles and both will play this season.
Pittsburgh ::: Eli Holstein comes from behind to pass Nate Yarnell and grab the keys to what should be a new, fun, tempo offense led by new OC Kade Bell.
Further: As mentioned, this should be fun. It is no surprise that Bell is going to install a new, fun, fast-paced offense in Pittsburgh. He comes in from Western Carolina, where they ran a similar offense. They had a lot of success and word is that this offense is grasping some of these principles, getting in shape and are on pace to meet their goal of a snap every seven seconds. Once again, should be fun.
Colorado ::: WR Cordale Russell announced on his instagram that he is having surgery and the early prognosis is that he'll miss all of 2024.
Further: Russell wasn’t tabbed for a whole lot of targets with a pretty crowded wide receiver group in Boulder but it does affect depth and could thwart some progression for the four-star recruit in the class of ‘23. Definitely worth noting. He’ll take a medical redshirt this year, meaning he’ll still have four full years of eligibility to make his impact.
Toledo ::: Of all the names listed on the new MAC Availability report; DT Darius Alexander is the most impactful. He missed week one and if this is an extended absense, it could be a bit of a problem for the Rockets.
San Jose State ::: Emmett Brown is named the starter for the opener and will get the first shot to hold on to this starting job in San Jose.
QUICK HITS ||||||
Boston College: QB Grayson James appears to have an injury that is enough to keep him off the depth chart. We have him as the backup to Thomas Castellanos. So, that role is now held by….
Eastern Michigan: We anticipated that the Buffalo transfer Cole Snyder would win the starting QB job. We did not anticipate that redshirt sophomore Jeremiah Salem would beat out Drew Viotto for the backup job. It’s either that; or Viotto has an injury.
Oregon: CB Dakoda Fields will be out “a while” with an undisclosed injury. He is a depth piece in the Ducks secondary.
Notre Dame: The Irish put out an availability report with three players listed. These have been included in our Injury & Status report tab on the Notre Dame page.
Missouri: Both TE Brett Norfleet and WR Theo Wease left the game and did not play in the second half due to some sort of undisclosed injury. Word is that neither are serious and should be good to go for week two.
Bowling Green: The Falcons were without two key players on Thursday. WR RJ Garcia II and LB Demetrius Hardamon were both listed on the availability report as out. They are key contributors and the hope is that they were held out as a precaution against an FCS opponent.
Minnesota: S Jai’Onte’ McMillian left the game with an ankle injury.
PROGRAMMING NOTE(S) ||||||
Now that we have some games played and are gearing up for more (lots, more) this weekend, we will be focusing our efforts on ensuring each depth chart is up-to-date heading into the games. We then go into “analyze” mode and will dive deep into the numbers, snap counts, performances, and everything that happened to get each depth chart “ready” for the next week.
You’ll see the status bar to let you know where we are in the process. We’ll in order of next weeks schedule…
ICYMI: We published our model (CFBDm) plays for Thursday and Friday and showed you some of our “quirks” for week one in an article posted yesterday. Check that out:
We’ll be putting out our plays and analysis for the Saturday games in the morning that day. Our disclaimer is that we are still very much in the infancy of this model (based primarily on our talent ratings from our depth charts). We are not recommending you put a lot on any of these plays. We’re building it together.
That’s our show. Hope you enjoyed it. Please follow along on X for updates; and get over to the site to view any/all depth charts and analysis, rankings and more.
Thank you.
