DeptHITS: Saturday, August 9
As all camps are open, we are seeing plenty of news and notes coming our way. We are making adjustments to our 136 live depth charts and playing time projections. Here is what you'll want to know...
Camps are in full swing, and we are getting plenty of news and notes coming from them. We are sifting through and making numerous updates, tweaks, and adjustments to our 136 live depth charts over at CFBDepth.com. This feature is designed to pull out the bigger news that may impact on-field performance come kickoff. We’ll throw in a few feature highlights as well, including the launch of our offensive player and team projections, and an early injury impact report.
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[ The number in brackets is our data-driven player rating on a scale of 12. To learn more about our player ratings, check out this article » ]
*Click on the school names (links) to be taken to the full depth chart.
THE HITS ::::::
Iowa ::: We have added a pair of cornerbacks to the injury list as starter TJ Hall [12.5] and primary backup CB Jaylen Watson [9.1] were mentioned as having injuries. Hall has a bone bruise that will sideline him for 1-2 weeks, while Watson is limited currently. Neither is expected to miss time in the regular season (yet). The concern is more with Hall, as bone bruises tend to be unpredictable injuries. While the Hawkeyes tend to churn out new contributors, a look at their defensive backfield shows a general lack of experience, and key injuries could be a problem. Here is a snapshot of how it currently stands:
Michigan ::: Some movement and news from the Michigan backfield. Jordan Marshall [14.3] may have a bigger role as backup to Alabama transfer Justice Haynes [15.0]. It may be closer to an even share at this point. Meanwhile, CJ Hester [13.1], a transfer-in from UMass, is said to be taking off again, likely looking for a stop where he will see more playing time.
LSU ::: QB Garrett Nussmeier [16.6] scared everybody after reports broke that he was carted off the practice field at LSU camp. Subsequent reports indicate it was just a 'tweak' of his knee, and he'll be fine. Head coach Brian Kelly updated it as “patellar tendon tendonitis” and the quote from Kelly leaves very little worry…
"This is like a 1.5 on the scale of 1 to 10…and that's just being honest with you."
Arizona ::: The Wildcats' offensive line has undergone some shifting, as reported by Justin Spears at tuscon.com. With a good amount of experience at right tackle, they are moving Ka'ena Decambra [13.7] to center. Ty Buchanan [12.4] and Tristan Bounds [10.4]. They are strong at right guard with Alexander Doost [13.5] and weaker on the other side with Michael Wooten [8.7]. Things will shift again when Rhino Tapa'atoutai [11.4] returns from injury.
Speaking of returning from injury, Treydan Stukes [13.7] is officially back and ready to roll for the Wildcats in the secondary. The expected starter at nickel back is making his return after missing time in '24. He was still limited going into the start of fall camp, but is now back.
Wyoming ::: Three Cowboys suffered season-ending injuries at this point. A pair of rotational defensive tackles, Dante Drake [11.8] and Caleb Robinson [12.0], both suffered ruptured Achilles' tendons. Meanwhile, young RB Patrick Broadway [7.4] sustained a knee injury that will sideline him for the whole campaign as well.
Boston College ::: DL Owen Stoudmire [11.4] gave teammates and coaches a scare on Friday when he collapsed during a practice rep. He left the field in an ambulance, and we are awaiting word on the severity of the situation. Scary. We will provide an update when we hear more from the Boston College beat.
USC ::: Starting NB Prophet Brown [10.5] was injured in camp and will miss the first half of the 2025 season. Nobody ever wants injuries, but to say that is a crippling blow to the Trojans' rebuilt secondary would be an overreaction. Not to ignore the hype surrounding Brown’s performance early in camp, they were expecting him to reach that lofty potential in his final season of eligibility. Take a quick look at the Trojan’s secondary:
Florida ::: Add star freshman WR Dallas Wilson [13.5] to the injury report as he suffered a lower leg injury in camp. The timetable is a 'couple of weeks,' which has him on track to be back in time for the opener. However, he is missing key reps, and these injuries tend to linger. See below for our updated “Injury Impact” report, of which the Gators are featured prominently early on.
South Florida ::: The Bulls lose some veteran depth on the offensive line as Deonte Bowie [10.1] has decided to retire just a few days into fall camp. We had Bowie as the backup left guard to Jack Wilty [10.7], but he could have played multiple positions without much of a drop-off in production.
Purdue ::: WR Charles Ross [11.7] is no longer with the Purdue program. Word came out that there was no sign of him at early fall camp after committing to the Boilers out of USC (via San Jose State). We will keep an eye out to see if he lands elsewhere or if he is calling it quits.
Arkansas State ::: The Red Wolves landed JJ Harrell [11.3] from Mississippi State in the portal in hopes he would break through in his second year in Jonesboro. Unfortunately, he has left he program and is enrolling at Holmes Community College for the 2025 season. We'll keep him on the radar for the future.
Ball State ::: With Dane Pardridge's late departure, there are opportunities in the Ball State wide receiver room. They have moved Yale quarterback transfer Bradyn Fleharty [9.8] to receiver, and he is already establishing a connection with starting quarterback Kiael Kelly, reports Cade Hampton.
Stanford ::: WR David Pantelis [12.6] suffered an injury last week, and now it has come out that it is a season-ending ailment. We don't have the specifics on the injury sustained. We'll continue to track it, but this is NOT what the Cardinal needed as he was projected to be their second-most targeted wide receiver.
North Texas ::: QB Reese Poffenbarger [12.7] and Drew Mestemaker [12.7] continue to battle it out at North Texas camp, and they are neck-and-neck for the role. Coach Morris had nice things to say about both and said, “We are not even close to naming a starter. It’s been a lot of fun to watch those two battle.” As you can see, our numbers confirm a very evenly matched competition for this role.
Houston ::: Willie Fritz announced a late addition to his staff as Chris Couch rejoins his former boss as Special Teams Coordinator for 2025. He comes to the Cougars from Florida, where he worked with their top-ranked special teams unit in a support role. He replaced Mike Krysl, who was recently promoted to the role.
INJURY IMPACT REPORT ::::::
We have an extensive injury & status report over at the site. If you are wondering how these individual injuries are piling up, we also have the “Injury Impact Report” (constantly updated) for your perusal. Here is a quick look at the most impacted teams early on in camps:
Click that button below to view the full list of injury impacts at this point…
We have published our LIVE player and team (offensive) projections for the 2025 season. These are derived from our depth charts, playing time projections and model simulations of the entire season. They are the most in-depth projections available. We are projecting over 2,500 offensive players. You should check them out.
Here are the top projected players (based on ‘standard’ fantasy football points structure) for each position:
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